Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “Wen Yanping and He Feier Part Ways”

Key plot points and events

• Second Prince Nian Feiyue pressures He Feier to become his concubine. He threatens to kill Wen Yanping and destroy the Wen family if she refuses, while insisting he has already shown restraint.
• Realizing that she and Wen Yanping cannot fight the imperial family, He Feier agrees to go with Nian Feiyue, believing this is the only way to protect Wen and his family.
• He Feier asks to speak with Wen Yanping before leaving. When Wen arrives and checks that she is unharmed, Nian’s guards keep the couple apart.
• Nian announces that He Feier has chosen him. He offers to compensate Wen Yanping and tells him to submit his demands through Lord Liu Siyuan.
• He Feier hides the threat behind a firm farewell, claiming she chose freely and telling Wen that they must part. Wen suspects she is being coerced, but she refuses to reveal the truth.
• Nian leaves with He Feier. Wen collapses in despair and later shuts himself away. After several days, he begins to understand that He Feier may have sacrificed herself to protect him, and resolves to consider what compensation to request.

Character developments

• He Feier makes a painful, self-sacrificing choice: she accepts Nian’s demand to spare Wen Yanping and the Wen family. She suppresses her feelings and presents the separation as voluntary.
• Wen Yanping is devastated by the apparent betrayal. Though he initially cannot accept He Feier’s explanation, he eventually regains his composure and recognizes the possibility behind her sacrifice.
• Nian Feiyue reveals himself as possessive and ruthless, using his power and threats to force He Feier’s compliance. He treats the couple’s suffering as a matter of convenience and offers compensation afterward.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua, in the closing commentary, sympathize with Wen’s misfortune and recap his eventual recovery.

Significant themes

• Power and helplessness: The chapter emphasizes the gulf between ordinary people and the imperial family; resistance could cost the couple and the Wen family their lives.
• Sacrifice and love: He Feier parts from Wen not because her feelings have changed, but because she believes leaving is the only way to protect him.
• Appearances versus truth: He Feier’s claim that she acted willingly conceals the coercion behind her decision.
• Grief and recovery: Wen’s despair gives way to a determination to move forward and make practical use of the compensation offered.

Character interactions

• Nian threatens He Feier through Wen Yanping and the Wen family, then gives her a limited time to decide.
• He Feier and Wen share an anguished farewell: he tries to discover whether she was threatened, while she insists the choice was hers to prevent him from provoking Nian.
• Nian physically separates them, declares their relationship over, and leaves with He Feier.
• A guard bluntly urges Wen to focus on negotiating compensation, underscoring the power imbalance and the cold practicality surrounding the separation.

Key plot points

• After He Feier enters the Second Prince’s manor, Wen Yanping spends several days reconsidering his future. He asks Liu Siyuan for three forms of compensation: a physician for his father and eldest brother, a place as the Second Prince’s adviser, and fifty thousand taels of silver.
• Wen explains that royal patronage could help him rise faster than the Imperial Examinations alone. He also admits he is heartbroken and intends to put love aside while he focuses on his future.
• The Second Prince agrees to the requests, though he says Wen must earn any important position through his own ability. Wen becomes his adviser and wins Nian Feiyue’s appreciation by offering effective strategies.
• Though Wen publicly serves the Second Prince, Guagua reveals that he still hates him for taking He Feier. Wen’s position is a way to gain influence, conceal his intentions, and remain near her.
• When political turmoil later distracts the manor, Wen and He secretly reunite. They discuss her difficult life there and his repeated failure to sit the examinations. Wen promises to rescue her and take her and his family away; his ominous remark suggests he may be planning revenge or another means of overcoming the Second Prince.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Yanping shifts from wounded pride and grief to pragmatic ambition. He accepts a compromised route to power, but remains devoted to He Feier and quietly plots for a future in which they can escape.
• Liu Siyuan sympathizes with Wen and acts as intermediary, agreeing to the practical requests and seeking the Second Prince’s approval for the advisory post.
• The Second Prince views Wen’s choice as evidence that he is not as lofty as he seemed, but accepts him into his service and leaves his advancement up to his performance.
• He Feier is watched closely by the manor’s women and worries whether she and Wen can ever leave safely. Their reunion confirms their continuing love and trust; Wen does not question her chastity, underscoring his affection and lack of judgment toward her.

Significant themes

• Pragmatism and ambition: Wen chooses patronage over relying solely on examination success.
• Love, loss, and loyalty: Despite separation and hardship, Wen and He remain committed to one another.
• Power and concealed motives: Wen’s apparent allegiance may mask hatred and a plan for eventual revenge.
• Political instability: Repeated upheavals derail Wen’s examination plans and create the opening for the lovers to reconnect.

Plot and events

• Guagua reveals that He Feier loved Wen Yanping and entered the Second Prince’s residence to protect him, never blaming Wen Yanping for the separation.
• Wen Yanping is exploiting political turmoil to eliminate Nian Feiyue. He Feier, meanwhile, has secretly planted a netherworld gu in Nian.
• The gu’s egg was given to He Feier and her father by a Miao Frontier man they once rescued. It lies unnoticed in its host’s brain for six months, then becomes lethal only when the host smells a rare Netherworld Flower. The gu rapidly destroys the brain, killing its victim within seven days.
• Nian’s gu has matured. He is away from the Capital, but He Feier is waiting for his return so she can trigger it.
• Song Yaoyao realizes Nian’s sudden death could sow suspicion among the Princes’ Alliance. She proposes working with Wen Yanping: tell him about the gu, have him obtain the Netherworld Flower from He Feier and take her into hiding, then let their group manage the rest.

Character developments and interactions

• He Feier is revealed as determined and deeply wounded: believing she has betrayed Wen Yanping, she intends to kill Nian Feiyue, whom she blames for separating them and causing the loss of her unborn child.
• Wen Yanping is portrayed as caring but politically calculating; he plans to use the unrest against Nian.
• Song Yaoyao shifts from listening to the revelations to devising a plan to exploit Nian’s death for political disruption. She discusses it with Chen Yixiao and the others, who agree the idea could work and ask how to carry it out.

Significant themes

• Love, sacrifice, and tragic separation shape He Feier and Wen Yanping’s choices.
• Revenge grows from grief and perceived betrayal.
• Hidden threats and political suspicion make death a potential catalyst for wider conflict.

Plot points and events

• Chen Yixiao arranges an anonymous meeting with Wen Yanping, claiming he can help Wen win Madam He Feier back.
• At the Welcoming Spring Restaurant, Chen and Song Yaoyao reveal that Feier plans to infect the Second Prince with Netherworld Gu. The process requires someone to expose him to a Netherworld Flower each day for seven days; Feier expects to die once he does.
• Song Yaoyao proposes that their group carry out the plan instead, provided Wen obtains the flowers from Feier. Wen is cautious and agrees to investigate before helping.
• Wen confronts Feier. After initially denying the plan, she confesses. He reassures her that he loves her regardless of her past, and persuades her to abandon her intention to die.
• Feier gives Wen seven dried Netherworld Flowers. Three days later, Wen delivers them to Song Yaoyao’s group, who confirm they are genuine and prepare to act against the Second Prince.

Character developments and interactions

• Wen Yanping moves from suspicion to cooperation, but first verifies the group’s claims himself. His affection and concern for Feier lead him to confront and comfort her.
• He Feier shifts from determined self-sacrifice to renewed hope after Wen’s reassurance, then provides the flowers.
• Song Yaoyao demonstrates strategic judgment: she offers a practical alternative to Feier’s plan and avoids dangling wealth or status before Wen, which might insult him or expose the group’s identities.
• Chen Yixiao and Song Yaoyao’s group work together to recruit Wen while keeping their identities concealed. Lightning checks the flowers before they accept them.

Significant themes

• Love and acceptance: Wen’s reassurance that he loves Feier regardless of her chastity helps change her decision.
• Sacrifice versus survival: Feier believes she must die to complete her revenge, while Song Yaoyao offers a way to pursue the plan without her personal involvement.
• Trust and secrecy: Wen’s cooperation is earned through information and personal verification, while the group carefully protects its identities.
• Pragmatism and dignity: Song Yaoyao recognizes that appealing to Wen’s integrity is wiser than tempting him with wealth or advancement.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao warns He Feier that Nian Feiyue’s death could leave her vulnerable to jealous women in his household. With Suyu City sealed, He Feier asks for help finding a place to hide. Chen Yixiao agrees to arrange her escape in two days.
• Chen Yixiao’s people learn that Nian Feiyue relies on Calming Incense to sleep. They secretly mix powdered Netherworld Flower into it. The flower activates the Netherworld Gu in his head, causing unbearable pain.
• Physicians cannot identify the cause: the incense appears harmless to anyone without the gu. Nian Feiyue suffers repeated attacks whenever the incense is lit and dies seven days later.
• His death makes the surviving princes suspect one another, as Song predicted. Nian Tongyi takes advantage of the resulting distrust to have Nian Subai ambushed and steal his five Invisibility Talismans. Subai dies from his wounds a day later.
• The Princes’ Alliance collapses. Its remaining members are Nian Zhijing, Nian Tongyi, Nian Jingyun, and Nian Yuzhou; Jingyun and Yuzhou remain closely aligned, while the three factions eye one another warily.
• He Feier escapes safely to Wen Yanping’s house with help from Chen Yixiao’s people. After Nian Feiyue’s death, his consort proposes sending his concubines to be buried with him, claiming they should keep him company in death.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao anticipates the danger to He Feier and helps set her escape in motion. She follows the unfolding events through Guagua.
• Chen Yixiao supports Song’s plan, contacts his people outside the city, and arranges He Feier’s safe relocation.
• He Feier accepts their help and leaves the Second Prince’s Manor before it is too late.
• Nian Feiyue becomes the first victim of the plot to exploit his Netherworld Gu; his agony and death deepen suspicion among the princes.
• Nian Tongyi abandons his restraint after Feiyue’s death and uses the disorder to seize Subai’s talismans.
• Nian Subai is attacked and dies, further weakening the alliance. The chapter also notes that Nian Jingyun and Nian Yuzhou consistently stand together.
• Nian Feiyue’s consort, who was chosen for her family’s influence rather than his affection, now seeks to have his concubines buried with him.

Significant themes

• Power and distrust: Feiyue’s death turns the princes against one another and destroys their alliance.
• Manipulation and hidden causes: The physicians miss the true cause because the incense harms only someone carrying the gu.
• Vulnerability and protection: He Feier’s escape shows how quickly a change in political power can endanger people without protection.
• Self-interest and betrayal: Tongyi uses the alliance’s breakdown to pursue a prize he had previously refrained from taking.

Plot points and events

• Guagua explains the Second Prince’s consort’s unhappy marriage to Nian Feiyue: he neglected her, kept concubines, and never treated her as a partner. She arranged to have a son so she would have an heir and protection.
• After Nian Feiyue’s death, the consort takes control of his household and orders his childless concubines executed. She lets He Feier escape because He Feier had not joined in bullying her or her son.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua reflect on Nian Feiyue’s cruelty and anticipate a struggle among the remaining princes.
• Once Sima Yifeng recovers, he and Song Yaoyao spend their time discussing medicine. She shares her knowledge and gives him blood-typing strips; Lu Xuangu Gui records their conversations.
• Their discussion turns to cesarean sections. Song says she has seen her master perform one successfully, though she has not done one herself in this life.
• Sima invites Song to visit Divine Healer Valley, gives her a jade pendant granting her access, and tries to entice her by praising the valley and mentioning his handsome fifth disciple.
• Song proposes establishing a medical school after the current crisis, asking Sima to provide instructors. In return, she would teach Divine Healer Valley’s disciples all the surgical techniques she knows. Sima is eager to hear more, though the plan is still preliminary.

Character developments and interactions

• The Second Prince’s consort emerges as a survivor who has endured years of neglect and bullying; with Nian Feiyue gone, she asserts her authority. Her mercy toward He Feier shows she distinguishes between those who harmed her and those who did not.
• Song Yaoyao continues to share her medical expertise and begins thinking about broadening medical education beyond personal instruction.
• Sima Yifeng is deeply curious about Song’s methods and becomes her enthusiastic prospective collaborator. His effort to recruit her to Divine Healer Valley is played for humor.
• Lu Xuangu Gui quietly documents the medical discussions and reacts with amusement—and sympathy for his fifth junior brother—when Sima uses him as bait.
• Song and Sima’s respectful exchange develops into a potential partnership: he can provide teachers, while she can teach advanced surgical methods.

Significant themes

• Consequences and justice: Nian Feiyue’s mistreatment of women ultimately leaves his household vulnerable to a reversal of power.
• Kindness and mercy: He Feier’s restraint earns her freedom when the consort gains control.
• Knowledge-sharing and education: Song’s proposal aims to train more physicians and spread medical skills rather than keep them exclusive.
• Women’s agency and survival: The consort secures power through her son and finally acts on her own behalf; Song likewise uses her expertise to shape a larger institution.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao tells Sima Yifeng why she wants to establish a medical school: she hopes to train more physicians, preserve and share her medical knowledge freely, and create a separate class to teach women gynecology.
• Guagua informs Song that Third Prince Nian Zhijing has just died and shows her how it happened.
• After the deaths of the Second and Fourth Princes, Nian Tongyi debates whether to attack the remaining princes. His advisers Liu Qinghe and Xiao Tingyue disagree over whether to let the Fifth and Seventh Princes weaken each other first or eliminate the others preemptively.
• Nian Tongyi ultimately orders an attack on Nian Zhijing, judging him an easier target than the allied Ninth and Tenth Princes. Though Zhijing prepares traps and resists, his forces are nearly destroyed, and Nian Tongyi fatally stabs him.
• As he dies, Zhijing throws poison powder at Nian Tongyi. The poison, called “phantom dream,” leaves Tongyi unconscious and trapped in fatal nightmares. A physician says Tongyi must receive an antidote made from the rare flower’s roots within three months, but the flower is associated with the mysterious Witch Tribe, making it difficult to obtain.

Character development and interactions

• Song Yaoyao reveals her idealistic, generous approach to medicine: rather than keeping knowledge exclusive, she wants to make it widely available and help women who avoid treatment out of concern for their chastity.
• Sima Yifeng is deeply impressed by her generosity and wishes he could meet her master; Yaoyao avoids explaining that she has no real answer about the master he praises.
• Nian Zhijing is shown to be cautious and defiant. Though outmatched, he prepares for the attack and manages a final counterstrike against Nian Tongyi.
• Nian Tongyi is decisive but vulnerable to Zhijing’s last move; his subordinates are left facing a desperate search for the antidote.
• Liu Qinghe and Xiao Tingyue argue opposing strategic positions before Nian Tongyi makes the decision.

Significant themes

• Medical knowledge as a public good: Yaoyao rejects secrecy and sees teaching medicine as a way to save more lives.
• Women’s access to healthcare: Her plan addresses the social pressure that keeps women from seeking medical treatment.
• Power struggles and political calculation: The princes’ factions weigh risks and exploit one another’s vulnerabilities.
• Defiance in the face of death: Zhijing’s final act turns his defeat into a threat to his killer.

Key plot points and events

• Nian Tongyi’s followers conceal that he has been poisoned and fallen unconscious, claiming he is merely unwell. They send for an antidote from the Witch Tribe.
• Song Yaoyao learns that Nian Jingyun and Nian Yuzhou are preparing to defend themselves after Nian Zhijing’s death. She suggests revealing Nian Tongyi’s condition so the two princes will act against him.
• Chen Yixiao agrees and arranges for the news to reach them. Nian Jingyun and Nian Yuzhou investigate, then conclude that Nian Tongyi is likely incapacitated.
• The brothers decide to exploit the opportunity and begin plotting to kill him. As their first move, they spread a story that Nian Tongyi has detained the physicians treating him and may execute them to keep his illness secret.
• Frightened for their relatives’ safety, the physicians’ families unite and go to Nian Tongyi’s residence to demand their release. The chapter ends as their agitation begins to create the chaos the princes hoped for.
• Two days after the leak, Guagua confirms that Nian Jingyun and Nian Yuzhou have killed Nian Tongyi.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao takes an active role in the succession struggle, deliberately steering the rival princes toward one another rather than confronting Nian Tongyi herself.
• Chen Yixiao supports her plan, shares intelligence about the princes, and helps get the information to them.
• Nian Jingyun and Nian Yuzhou move from fearful caution to decisive action. They compare evidence, agree on their suspicions, and coordinate a plan to remove Nian Tongyi.
• The two princes exploit the physicians’ families’ fear, while those families choose collective action over waiting helplessly.

Significant themes

• Political opportunism: Nian Tongyi’s sudden weakness gives his rivals a rare chance to act.
• Information as a weapon: A carefully leaked truth and a deliberately spread rumor shape events and provoke action.
• Fear and survival: The princes and the physicians’ families act because inaction seems more dangerous than taking a risk.

Plot points and events

• While the Sixth Prince, Nian Tongyi, lies unconscious, his household’s advisers try to hide his condition and calm the families of imprisoned physicians. Liu Qinghe and Xiao Tingyue tell the crowd that the rumors are false and that the doctors were summoned to treat an important, unnamed patient.
• The commotion at the front gate distracts the household. Nian Jingyun and Nian Yuzhou lead their forces over the rear wall and attack. They kill Nian Tongyi’s aides and advisers, then enter his room and kill him.
• Jingyun and Yuzhou recognize that their success is only temporary: once the Fifth–Seventh Prince conflict ends, the winner may turn against them. They begin preparing for that threat.
• The chapter reveals that Nian Zhiyun survived his earlier fall from a cliff. Badly injured and stranded on a branch, he signaled his hidden men, who rescued him with a vine rope. Since everyone believes him dead, he has stayed out of sight while the princes weakened one another.
• Zhiyun is still recovering and uses a wheelchair. His physician expects his leg to take about six months to heal, so he has no plans to reveal himself yet.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Qinghe and Xiao Tingyue attempt to reassure the assembled families, though their explanations do little to dispel the crowd’s fear and suspicion.
• Jingyun and Yuzhou act decisively and without mercy, but their victory leaves them wary rather than triumphant.
• Zhiyun’s survival shows his resourcefulness and patience. He remains composed when rescued, then deliberately uses the mistaken belief that he is dead to observe the struggle from safety.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua comment on the princes’ unexpected downfall and Zhiyun’s improbable survival.

Significant themes

• Deception and misdirection: The crowd at the front gate draws attention away from the assault at the rear, while Zhiyun’s supposed death provides cover.
• Power struggles and shifting fortunes: The princes’ alliance collapses through infighting, leaving unexpected survivors.
• Survival and strategic patience: Jingyun and Yuzhou plan for the next threat, while Zhiyun waits until he has recovered before returning to the political contest.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss the supposedly dead Eleventh Prince, Nian Zhiyun, who survived his fall and is now hiding. He plans to sow discord and attack the other princes from the shadows.
• Song Yaoyao chooses not to reveal that he is alive, reasoning that exposure would put him in danger. Chen Yixiao and the others learn the truth from her thoughts and agree to wait and see what Nian Zhiyun does.
• Guagua reports that Nian Fengyuan and Nian Xiaoqing barely react to the princes’ deaths. They dismiss Nian Jingyun and Nian Yuzhou as weak, though Song Yaoyao predicts those underestimated princes may outlive them.
• A commotion draws Song Yaoyao and her companions toward the magistrate’s office. They find Granny Jiang accusing her daughter-in-law, Su Qiaoyun, of being an impostor and forcibly taking her to the Yamen.
• Su Qiaoyun insists she is the real daughter-in-law and pleads to settle the matter at home. Granny Jiang rejects her claim and slaps her.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao is curious and strategic: she keeps Nian Zhiyun’s survival secret, preferring to observe his next move. She is also easily distracted by a public spectacle and eagerly follows the crowd.
• Chen Yixiao, Song Qinghui, Liu Zheheng, and the others share her interest in watching events unfold; Song Qinghui briefly reminds her that she has a medical discussion planned.
• Granny Jiang is convinced Su Qiaoyun has been replaced, while Su Qiaoyun appears frightened and desperate to be believed.
• Guagua explains the situation but teases Song Yaoyao about her taste in romantic leads, joking that she likes “whimpering” men and proposing a mocking story title. Song Yaoyao angrily threatens Guagua, who retreats by returning the conversation to Su Qiaoyun.

Significant themes

• Underestimation and survival: Song Yaoyao suspects that the princes regarded as weakest may ultimately be the ones left standing.
• Concealment and intrigue: Nian Zhiyun’s hidden survival gives him room to manipulate events from the shadows.
• Appearance, identity, and suspicion: Granny Jiang’s accusation raises the question of whether Su Qiaoyun is truly who she claims to be.
• Comic banter: Guagua’s teasing contrasts with the political danger and the distressing public confrontation.

• Su Qiaoyun’s marriage and family: Guagua explains that Su Qiaoyun grew up helping her family run a successful food business and became especially skilled at making dough-based dishes. She married Jiang Xiaoming after his family proposed, and the couple were happy together. They opened their own food shop, which prospered, and had two children.
• The present conflict: Granny Jiang insists that the woman before her is an impostor, not her daughter-in-law. She slaps Su Qiaoyun again when she calls her “Mother,” forbids her to use the title, and says they should wait to explain things before the magistrate. Su Qiaoyun continues to sob but stops arguing.
• The mystery: Guagua says Granny Jiang’s suspicion is understandable, though even medicine cannot explain what happened. The first clue is that the Su Qiaoyun Granny Jiang now sees is much taller than the original. The chapter ends before the reason is revealed.
• Character developments and interactions: Song Yaoyao clarifies to Guagua that by preferring a “weak” partner, she means someone gentle and yielding—not literally frail—because she is assertive and values harmony. She also says she has no plans to marry. Meanwhile, the onlookers mistakenly interpret her preference as attraction to physically weak men and silently judge her. Granny Jiang’s anger and Su Qiaoyun’s distress drive the chapter’s central tension.
• Themes: The chapter contrasts outward appearances with deeper truth, introduces uncertainty about identity, and presents mutual accommodation as important to a peaceful relationship. It also shows how grief, suspicion, and fear can shape family interactions.

Plot and key events

• Guagua explains that Su Qiaoyun grew from about 160 cm to 170 cm after giving birth to her second child, despite being twenty-five. Her mother-in-law, Old Madam Jiang, suspects that the original Su Qiaoyun was murdered and replaced by an impostor.
• The suspicion begins when newly made clothes fit everyone in the Jiang family except Su Qiaoyun, whose outfit is far too short. Measurements confirm she is now much taller than Old Madam Jiang’s long-kept records indicate; her skirts also no longer reach her ankles.
• Alarmed while her son, Jiang Xiaoming, is away, Old Madam Jiang takes Su Qiaoyun to the yamen to report the matter before he returns.
• Before the Capital Prefect, Su Qiaoyun agrees that the events occurred but insists she is the real Su Qiaoyun. Old Madam Jiang can offer no evidence beyond the unexplained change in height.
• Several physicians are summoned. None has encountered such a case, and none can say whether it is medically possible. The inquiry stalls when Su Qiaoyun is asked how she can prove her identity.

Character developments and interactions

• Old Madam Jiang moves from confusion over the ill-fitting clothes to conviction that her daughter-in-law has been replaced. Her concern for her absent son and fear for his wife drive her to seek official help.
• Su Qiaoyun remains bewildered and distressed. She cannot explain her sudden growth but steadfastly maintains that she is herself.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss the mystery as they travel with the group. Song is amazed by the apparent “medical miracle” and feels sympathy for Su Qiaoyun, while both are eager to see how the authorities respond.
• The Prefect and physicians approach the matter cautiously: they seek evidence and avoid making unsupported claims, but cannot resolve the central question.

Significant themes

• Identity and proof: Su Qiaoyun’s claim to be herself is challenged by a physical change that contradicts the family’s memories.
• Limits of knowledge: Neither medicine nor the authorities can explain the unusual growth or determine what it means.
• Fear and uncertainty: An unexplained anomaly turns a family concern into a possible murder-and-impersonation case.

Key plot points and events

• The court cannot resolve whether Su Qiaoyun is truly herself, since Old Madam Jiang claims her daughter-in-law has changed dramatically and may be an impostor.
• Su Qiaoyun suggests summoning her birth parents, who can identify her. The Prefect agrees and calls in Father and Mother Su.
• Her parents recognize her face but notice that she has grown taller. They also confirm a small mole behind her ear, though the Prefect warns that this alone could be coincidental.
• Mother Su privately records the location and appearance of Su Qiaoyun’s birthmark. A female guest examines it and confirms that it matches the description; Old Madam Jiang verifies it herself.
• With Su Qiaoyun’s identity established, the Prefect dismisses the case. Old Madam Jiang apologizes, explaining that she acted out of confusion.
• Outside court, Old Madam Jiang tries to comfort Su Qiaoyun, but Mother Su rebukes her for publicly accusing her daughter without first investigating.

Character developments and interactions

• Su Qiaoyun stays composed enough to offer a practical way to prove her identity despite being distressed and visibly injured.
• Father and Mother Su firmly support their daughter. Mother Su’s quick thinking and careful protection of Qiaoyun’s privacy help settle the case.
• Old Madam Jiang shifts from suspicion to remorse once the evidence is confirmed, but Mother Su remains angry about the humiliation and harm her accusation caused.
• The Prefect manages an unusual case cautiously, ensuring the intimate evidence is checked discreetly.

Significant themes

• Identity and proof: The court struggles with how someone can establish that they are who they claim to be.
• Family recognition and loyalty: Qiaoyun’s birth parents’ knowledge of her provides the decisive evidence.
• Reputation and privacy: The court takes care to verify a private birthmark without publicly exposing Qiaoyun.
• Accusation and accountability: Even an apology does not erase the damage caused by Old Madam Jiang’s rash public charge.

Key plot points and events

• Mother Su takes Su Qiaoyun home after confronting the Jiang family for mistreating her. She warns that the Su family will pursue the matter unless the Jiangs make amends.
• Song Yaoyao asks Guagua about the “distinguished person” whose presence made the Prefect of the Capital deferential. Guagua explains that the person serves the First Prince, Nian Siting.
• A flashback reveals how Nian Siting’s mother, Consort Lan, protected him amid dangerous palace rivalries. After an attempt on his life, she gave him a secret medicine that temporarily made him appear mentally disabled.
• Consort Lan staged his fall from a rockery, allowing the court to believe his condition resulted from the accident. Once suspicion faded, she gave him the antidote—but kept his recovery secret.
• Nian Siting and his mother quietly began studying and building a network of allies. The Prefect of the Capital is one of Nian Siting’s people.

Character developments

• Nian Siting is revealed to be intelligent and politically astute, not a simpleton. He willingly maintains the disguise to survive and protect his position.
• Consort Lan emerges as a shrewd, devoted mother who sacrifices her son’s apparent health and reputation to keep him alive.
• Song Yaoyao is curious about the political mystery and learns the hidden story through Guagua’s account.
• Mother Su acts decisively to defend Qiaoyun and insists the Jiang family answer for its treatment of her.

Significant themes

• Survival through deception: Nian Siting’s feigned disability shields him from rivals.
• Maternal sacrifice and protection: Consort Lan makes painful choices to preserve her son’s life.
• Power and political intrigue: Palace favor shifts constantly, and even children become targets in the struggle for influence.
• Appearances versus reality: Nian Siting’s public image conceals his intelligence and growing influence.

Character interactions

• Mother Su confronts the Jiang family and takes Qiaoyun home, while the narrator wonders how events might have unfolded without her parents’ intervention.
• Song Yaoyao questions Guagua about the Prefect’s deference; Guagua supplies the history behind Nian Siting’s hidden authority.
• Consort Lan teaches Nian Siting to stay inconspicuous, then secretly helps him survive an assassination attempt by making his supposed disability a convincing cover.
• After recovering, Nian Siting follows his mother’s instructions and works with her to build power in secret.

Key plot points and events

• Guagua reveals that Nian Siting has pretended to be a fool for decades. Living quietly with his mother, Consort Lan, he secretly built an army of 50,000 men after discovering a gold mine.
• With Nian Fengyuan occupied by the Seventh Prince, Nian Xiaoqing, outside the city, Siting is preparing to meet the Capital Prefect and consider striking against Fengyuan.
• Nian Fengyuan has imprisoned the Twelfth and Thirteenth Princes, Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu. Public scrutiny after the revelation that he secretly murdered their father, Nian Cenyi, has prevented him from quietly killing them as he originally intended.
• Hengzhi and Qiyu have substantial forces, but their rescue attempts have failed. Their supporters are waiting for a chance to act during the coming conflict.
• Song Yaoyao decides not to intervene yet, preferring to watch Siting’s plans unfold rather than disrupt them.
• As the group walks away from the Capital Prefecture, Guagua spots a woman abandoning a baby outside a household. The child’s cries bring someone out to discover the infant.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Siting emerges as a patient, calculating threat whose apparent foolishness has concealed years of preparation and military power.
• Nian Fengyuan is shown to be ruthless but concerned with public reputation: he secretly killed his father, yet hesitates to openly murder his brothers.
• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu remain potential challengers, with loyal followers ready to attempt a rescue when circumstances allow.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua exchange intelligence and weigh whether to act. Song chooses caution; Song Qinghui and the others overhear and recognize how dangerous Siting is.
• The chapter shifts abruptly from court intrigue to a mystery involving the abandoned child, which Song Yaoyao and Guagua witness from a distance.

Significant themes

• Deception and patience: Siting’s long performance demonstrates how a harmless appearance can mask ambition and power.
• Power, reputation, and surveillance: Fengyuan’s choices are shaped not only by ambition but by the public’s attention and judgment.
• Political timing: Several factions are waiting for the right moment, and Song Yaoyao likewise chooses observation over premature action.
• A sudden contrast in stakes: The imperial struggle gives way to the immediate vulnerability of an abandoned infant.

Plot points and events

• A baby is found abandoned in the street. Bystanders speculate about why he was left, but fear of being blamed keeps them from helping until an older woman picks him up and comforts him.
• The crowd brings the child to the Capital Prefecture’s Yamen. Song Yaoyao suspects the abandonment was deliberate revenge, but decides not to provide a portrait, expecting the family to report the child missing.
• The baby is confirmed to be a healthy-looking boy. After he is fed rice porridge, he stops crying and falls asleep.
• A woman, Zhang Dawang, and his wife, Liu Cuiying, arrive to report the ten-month-old Zhang Rongze missing. A blue crescent-shaped birthmark confirms the child’s identity, and he is returned to his family.
• Zhang Mother and Dawang rejoice, while vowing to find the person responsible. Liu Cuiying reacts with visible distress, raising suspicion that she is connected to the abandonment.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains observant and strategic, using Guagua’s information to anticipate that the family will come forward rather than reveal what she knows immediately.
• The older woman acts compassionately when others hesitate, taking the child into her arms.
• Zhang Mother and Zhang Dawang show deep relief and protectiveness when Rongze is returned.
• Liu Cuiying appears frightened when the family vows to pursue the child’s abductor, suggesting a guilty secret.
• The crowd and bailiffs move from speculation to practical action, bringing the child to the authorities and helping identify him.

Significant themes

• The chapter contrasts public suspicion and inaction with individual compassion.
• It highlights prejudice against girls and the social attitudes surrounding abandoned children.
• Family bonds and the urgency of protecting children are central.
• The ending builds suspense around deception and possible revenge, with Liu Cuiying’s reaction hinting that the apparent abduction may not be what it seems.

Key plot points and events

• Lord Yang investigates the disappearance of Zhang Dawang and Liu Cuiying’s child, Xiao Ze. Zhang Mother says she and her son returned home to find Liu Cuiying unconscious and the child missing; Liu Cuiying repeats that she saw a shadow before blacking out.
• A five-year-old boy identifies Liu Cuiying as the woman he saw carrying a child, leaving him outside a stranger’s home, and then walking away. He describes watching her through a crack in his courtyard gate.
• Lord Yang orders Liu Cuiying gagged after she reacts angrily to the child’s testimony. Zhang Mother confronts her and demands that Zhang Dawang divorce her. Zhang Dawang condemns her for endangering Xiao Ze and says he will send her back to her family.
• Liu Cuiying reveals her motive: she resents Zhang Dawang’s affection for Xiao Lian, a widow he visits, and believes he has treated her unfairly despite her efforts as his wife.
• In her anger, she accuses Xiao Lian of being a prostitute and hints that Zhang Dawang may have contracted a disease from her. Zhang Dawang denies the accusation, but his pale reaction unsettles Liu Cuiying. She realizes he and Xiao Lian may have been intimate—and is relieved that she and Zhang have not shared a bed for a long time.

Character developments

• Liu Cuiying is exposed as the person who abandoned Xiao Ze. Her fear gives way to bitterness and resentment, revealing that jealousy and anger toward her husband shaped her actions.
• Zhang Dawang shifts from disappointed husband to someone determined to divorce Liu Cuiying, while fiercely defending Xiao Lian’s reputation. His reaction to Liu’s insinuation suggests possible hidden vulnerability.
• Zhang Mother moves from reporting the abduction to openly condemning Liu Cuiying and rejecting her as a daughter-in-law.
• The young witness overcomes his initial fear and gives a clear account of what he saw, helping reveal the truth.
• Lord Yang remains composed and perceptive, using questioning and the child’s testimony to expose inconsistencies.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and harm to the innocent: Liu Cuiying’s marital grievances do not excuse her endangering a child.
• Jealousy and resentment: Her hostility toward Xiao Lian and her sense of being unloved drive the confrontation.
• Truth and testimony: A child’s eyewitness account breaks through Liu Cuiying’s false story.
• Reputation and hypocrisy: Zhang Dawang defends Xiao Lian’s virtue even as Liu Cuiying challenges what he knows—or chooses not to know—about her.

Character interactions

• Lord Yang questions Liu Cuiying and then gives the child space to testify, while the boy relies on his mother’s encouragement before approaching.
• Zhang Mother slaps and denounces Liu Cuiying; Zhang Dawang holds their child and announces his intention to divorce her.
• Liu Cuiying confronts Zhang Dawang over his attachment to Xiao Lian, and he responds by defending Xiao Lian and trying to silence her accusations.

Key plot points and events

• Liu Cuiying insists on divorcing Zhang Dawang and reveals that they have not shared a bed for a long time, contradicting Zhang Mother’s accusation that Cuiying is to blame for having no children.
• In Lord Yang’s court, Cuiying confirms that Zhang Rongze is not her biological child. Zhang Dawang and Zhang Mother claim he was a foundling whom Dawang adopted.
• Cuiying exposes their cover story: Rongze is actually Zhang Mother’s biological son—and Dawang’s younger brother, making the boy presented as Dawang’s son his sibling.
• Cuiying recounts overhearing Zhang Mother and Dawang discuss the truth. Zhang Mother called her a free caregiver and wanted Rongze educated so he might later help his “elder brother.”
• She explains that Dawang had claimed to find Rongze, while she was persuaded to register him as her son. She came to suspect Zhang Mother had secretly left home to give birth, then began watching her movements.
• Zhang Mother tries to attack Cuiying and Dawang tries to deny the allegations, but court officers restrain them and gag them. Cuiying ends by saying she planned to follow Zhang Mother on one of her secret outings; the identity of the child’s father remains unrevealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Cuiying shifts from defending herself against insults to openly accusing the Zhangs. She presents herself as an unwilling caregiver who discovered their deception and is now prepared to testify.
• Zhang Dawang avoids admitting fault, first over the failed marriage and then over Rongze’s origins. He and his mother try to maintain the foundling story.
• Zhang Mother fiercely blames Cuiying and denies the accusation, but her panic and attempt to silence her expose how threatening the truth is to her.
• Lord Yang questions the parties, warns Cuiying about the seriousness of slander, and orders the Zhangs restrained so she can give her account.
• The neighbors’ shock underscores how completely the family’s secret overturns their assumptions.

Significant themes

• Deception and hidden kinship: Rongze’s supposed adoption conceals a family secret.
• Exploitation and gendered blame: Cuiying is insulted for being childless even though Dawang has withdrawn from the marriage and the Zhangs have used her as unpaid childcare.
• Reputation and accountability: The court’s warning highlights the risk of accusing someone publicly, while Cuiying insists that the truth outweighs that risk.
• Hypocrisy: Zhang Mother condemns Cuiying while concealing her own secret and expecting Cuiying to protect it.

Key plot points and events

• Liu Cuiying reveals that she secretly followed her mother-in-law, Zhang Mother, to a courtyard at 20 Yangshu Alley. After several visits, she repeatedly saw Shopkeeper Qian leave shortly after Zhang Mother, confirming they were having an affair.
• The crowd is stunned: Shopkeeper Qian is widely admired as a devoted husband to Madam Qian, the powerful head of the Liang Family. The revelation suggests his virtuous public image was false, and that he and Zhang Mother have a child together.
• Zhang Mother denies the accusation, but Liu Cuiying offers the address and suggests Lord Yang question nearby residents. Realizing her secret is exposed, Zhang Mother faints; Lord Yang has her revived.
• Zhang Dawang accuses Cuiying of trying to ruin his mother. Cuiying angrily rejects his defense of the Zhang family and says exposing Zhang Mother brings her no benefit, but does her no harm.
• Lord Yang asks why Cuiying abandoned Zhang Rongze, her younger brother-in-law. She says she initially cared for him sincerely, despite her husband’s and mother-in-law’s mistreatment.
• Cuiying describes being left to manage the household alone while carrying Zhang Rongze as she worked. Zhang Mother closely monitored her spending, questioned the vegetable sellers, and repeatedly criticized her cooking, forcing her to prepare replacement meals while she survived on leftovers.

Character developments

• Liu Cuiying shifts from a wronged, long-suffering daughter-in-law to a determined accuser who openly confronts the Zhang family. Her testimony reveals both her investigative resolve and the depth of her resentment.
• Zhang Mother is exposed as an adulteress and shown to be controlling and cruel toward Cuiying; her denial gives way to panic and a public collapse.
• Zhang Dawang tries to defend his mother and portray Cuiying as malicious, but her blunt response shows their relationship has broken down completely.
• Shopkeeper Qian’s reputation as a faithful, warm-hearted husband is sharply undermined by the affair allegations.
• Lord Yang continues questioning Cuiying and responds to her evidence by arranging for Zhang Mother to be revived.

Significant themes

• Hypocrisy and public reputation: Shopkeeper Qian’s admired image contrasts with the alleged secret affair.
• Abuse and domestic injustice: Cuiying’s account shows how unpaid household labor, suspicion, and constant criticism wore her down.
• Truth and accountability: Cuiying supports her claims with a specific location and possible witnesses, making them harder to dismiss.
• Resentment and broken loyalty: Her former patience toward the Zhang family has turned into open rejection.

Character interactions

• Cuiying confronts Zhang Mother with the affair evidence; Zhang Mother responds with denial and insults.
• The crowd reacts with gossip and mockery, while Lord Yang keeps questioning Cuiying rather than holding a formal court session.
• Zhang Dawang condemns Cuiying for exposing his mother, and she answers with contempt for him and the Zhang family.
• Lord Yang’s questions prompt Cuiying to explain both her discovery of the affair and the mistreatment that shaped her relationship with the household.

Plot points and events

• Liu Cuiying tells the court that her mother-in-law repeatedly mistreated her: she was forced to eat spoiled food, made to cook while sick, and slapped for failing to soothe young Zhang Rongze.
• Her husband, Zhang Dawang, dismissed her complaints and insisted she obey his mother.
• When Cuiying and Rongze later developed fevers, the Zhangs blamed her, cursed her, and beat her so badly that she was bedridden for half a month. During that time, her mother-in-law finally cared for the child.
• Cuiying explains that she abandoned Rongze after concluding the Zhangs intended to use him to gain access to the Liang family’s wealth. She admits the abandonment was wrong and accepts punishment, but asks to divorce Dawang.
• Dawang warns that her birth family is also a terrible place to return to. Lord Yang makes him and his mother confirm her accusations; Dawang admits they are true. The crowd calls for leniency, and Lord Yang asks Cuiying about her birth family and plans for supporting herself.

Character developments

• Liu Cuiying moves from describing herself as a mistreated, dutiful wife to openly rejecting the Zhang household and asserting her wish for independence. She acknowledges her wrongdoing without withdrawing her accusations.
• Zhang Dawang is exposed as complicit in his mother’s abuse and unfaithful. Though he initially seems ready to deny the allegations, he admits they are true when pressed.
• Lord Yang allows the crowd to react, offers Cuiying room to continue at her own pace, and then probes the practical consequences of divorce.
• The crowd becomes increasingly sympathetic to Cuiying and hostile toward the Zhangs.

Significant themes

• Abuse of women within the household: Cuiying is treated as a servant and scapegoat rather than a family member.
• Justice and accountability: Her confession does not erase the harm of abandoning the child, but the chapter emphasizes the abuse and desperation behind her decision.
• Agency and survival: Cuiying seeks divorce despite uncertainty about where she can go or how she will live.
• Public judgment and reputation: The crowd’s anger shapes the hearing, while Lord Yang must weigh the facts and circumstances.

Character interactions

• Cuiying’s account prompts the crowd to condemn her mother-in-law and Dawang and to plead for leniency.
• Dawang and his mother’s cruelty contrasts with their refusal to care for Rongze themselves.
• Dawang tries to intimidate Cuiying by invoking her birth family, but she insists she will not return to the Zhangs.
• Lord Yang gives Cuiying space to speak, confronts the Zhangs with the allegations, and turns the discussion toward her future after divorce.