Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Liu Cuiying recounts how her stepmother married her into the Zhang family and how her father kept her late mother’s dowry, despite claiming it never existed.
• Lord Yang orders an investigation. The Yamen finds the dowry ledger, registered by Liu Cuiying’s maternal family. It shows that the dowry included the Liu family’s prosperous shops and current residence.
• Lord Yang confirms that a woman’s dowry is her private property and does not belong to her husband’s family—or her father’s family in this case.
• He sentences Liu Cuiying to three days of penal labor for having taken her anger out on a child, while acknowledging the injustices she suffered. He then grants her divorce from Zhang Dawang under the law.
• Zhang Dawang protests and begs to stay married, but Liu Cuiying refuses. She accepts the official Divorce Deed and weeps with relief.
• Lord Yang offers to send someone with her to recover the dowry. As the crowd disperses, the Liang Matriarch attacks Zhang Mother, accusing her and Qian Youcai of adultery and plotting to take Liang family property. Zhang Dawang tries to intervene, but the Liang Matriarch’s people restrain him.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Cuiying moves from grief and helplessness to vindication and freedom. Recovering the dowry gives her security and the ability to leave her marriage without regret.
• Zhang Dawang realizes too late that his actions have cost him both his marriage and access to Liu Cuiying’s wealth. His pleas only underline how little power he has over her decision.
• Lord Yang enforces the law while distinguishing between Liu Cuiying’s suffering and her wrongdoing toward the child. He recognizes her right to divorce and recover her property.
• Zhang Mother receives no official punishment because no complaint was filed against her, but her reputation is badly damaged. The Liang Matriarch’s public assault signals that she may face consequences outside the court.
• The Liang Matriarch appears as a forceful, hands-on avenger, confronting Zhang Mother directly over the alleged affair and attempted seizure of Liang property.

Significant themes

• Women’s property and legal rights: A registered dowry provides proof and protection, even when relatives or a husband try to claim it.
• Divorce and agency: Liu Cuiying’s case shows that women can seek legal separation when a husband behaves immorally, though many may remain silent out of fear of shaming their families.
• Justice and accountability: Lord Yang recognizes Liu Cuiying’s grievances but still holds her responsible for harming an innocent child.
• Regret and consequences: Zhang Dawang’s late remorse cannot undo his treatment of Liu Cuiying or restore the marriage.

Key plot points and events

• Liang Jinyue’s servants beat Zhang Dawang and his mother, Zhang Dahua, for plotting with Qian Youcai against the Liang family’s wealth.
• Liang Jinyue, the Liang family’s only daughter and heir, then has her servants bring the bound, badly beaten Qian Youcai before Zhang Dahua.
• Qian Youcai begs Liang Jinyue to forgive him, claiming Zhang Dahua seduced him and denying that her son, Zhang Rongze, is his.
• Liang Jinyue reveals Qian’s betrayal to Zhang Dahua. Zhang Dahua recounts their history: Qian married into the Liang family for its fortune, promised to return to her once he had seized control of it, and later fathered her child.
• Once released from his gag, Qian denies Zhang Dahua’s account and insults her and the boy. She fires back by calling him a liar and an “old bastard.”

Character developments

• Liang Jinyue is shown as capable, forceful, and fiercely protective of her family’s interests. Though once deceived by Qian, she now takes direct revenge and exposes his hypocrisy.
• Qian Youcai is revealed as a calculating, unfaithful opportunist. When caught, he abandons Zhang Dahua and their son to save himself, then continues denying the truth.
• Zhang Dahua shifts from a helpless victim of the beating to a defiant accuser. She exposes the history of her relationship with Qian and confronts his betrayal.
• Zhang Dawang is beaten and humiliated for his role in the scheme.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and greed: Qian’s marriage and affair are driven by schemes to secure wealth and status.
• Hypocrisy and self-preservation: Faced with consequences, Qian blames his lover and disowns his child.
• Power and justice: Liang Jinyue uses her authority to punish those who conspired against her, though her justice is delivered through physical violence.
• Love turned to mutual contempt: Qian and Zhang Dahua’s shared past gives way to accusations and insults once their interests diverge.

Character interactions

• Liang Jinyue directs her servants to punish Zhang Dawang and Zhang Dahua, then confronts them with Qian.
• Qian pleads with Liang Jinyue while blaming Zhang Dahua; Liang uses his words to provoke Zhang Dahua into revealing their history.
• Zhang Dahua publicly exposes Qian’s past promises and fatherhood, and the two end the chapter trading accusations.

Key plot points and events

• Qian Youcai and Zhang Mother erupt into a brutal fight after he slaps her. She bites off his ear, then kicks him between the legs, leaving him incapacitated.
• Zhang Mother declares that because Qian Youcai rejected Xiao Ze, he will never have another child, and continues kicking him.
• Liang Jinyue refuses Qian Youcai’s plea for help and presents him with a letter dismissing him as the Liang Family’s live-in son-in-law.
• She explains that the Liang Family has reclaimed everything it gave him and that he is no longer connected to her or the family.
• Qian Youcai begs forgiveness for the sake of their daughter, but Liang Jinyue condemns his longstanding neglect of her. She insists he address her as “Liang Matriarch,” not by her personal name.
• When he ignores her and calls her “Yueyue,” one of her Guards slaps him repeatedly until he submits. Liang Jinyue rewards the Guard, then leaves with her entourage.
• Abandoned and defeated, Qian Youcai blames Zhang Dawang and his mother, calling them curses and wishing them dead.

Character developments

• Zhang Mother reveals a fierce, violent side, retaliating against Qian Youcai for insulting her child and refusing to acknowledge Xiao Ze.
• Liang Jinyue asserts her authority and decisively ends her marriage, showing no sympathy for a husband who neglected their daughter.
• Qian Youcai loses his standing in the Liang Family, suffers severe injuries, and shifts from pleading for help to bitterly blaming others.
• The Guard demonstrates blunt loyalty to Liang Jinyue and is rewarded for enforcing her orders.
• Song Yaoyao watches the violence with amused commentary, while Guagua shares her delight in the spectacle.

Significant themes

• Consequences and accountability: Qian Youcai’s cruelty, rejection of Xiao Ze, and neglect of his daughter bring personal and social ruin.
• Female authority and independence: Liang Jinyue uses her power to dismiss her husband and reclaim the Liang Family’s resources.
• Revenge and violence: Zhang Mother’s retaliation turns the confrontation into a savage spectacle.
• Family and rejection: The chapter contrasts Qian Youcai’s belated appeal to family ties with his earlier failure to care for his children.

Character interactions

• Zhang Mother and Qian Youcai’s exchange escalates from insults to a vicious physical fight.
• Qian Youcai appeals to Liang Jinyue for rescue, but she rejects him and confronts him over his treatment of their daughter.
• The Guard backs Liang Jinyue’s demand for respect with physical force; Liang Jinyue rewards her.
• As Liang Jinyue departs, Qian Youcai redirects his anger toward Zhang Dawang and his mother.

Plot points and events

• After Qian Youcai, Zhang Mother, and Zhang Dawang erupt into a vicious fight outside the yamen, the bailiffs break it up before anyone is killed. Qian claims Zhang Mother bit off his ear; Zhang Dawang says he deserved it. The three leave still openly hostile.
• Song Yaoyao chooses to follow Liu Cuiying, who is heading with bailiffs to reclaim her late mother’s dowry. A crowd follows, hoping to witness the confrontation.
• At the Liu residence—property that was part of her mother Xu Yanke’s dowry—Liu Cuiying refuses to wait for permission to enter. When the gatekeeper tries to announce her, she slaps him and strides inside with the bailiffs.
• Liu Weikong and his second wife, Zhu Yufang, arrive and pretend to welcome Cuiying. She rejects Zhu’s false affection and denounces her as a former kept mistress who became Liu Weikong’s lawful wife.
• Liu Weikong is unsettled by Cuiying’s accusation and begins wondering whether others have mocked him. Zhu, sensing his mood turning against her, starts pretending to faint.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Cuiying acts with newfound confidence and authority, asserting her right to enter her own home and confronting her father and stepmother directly. She is determined to reclaim what belongs to her.
• Liu Weikong masks his dislike of Cuiying with a show of concern, but her blunt attack on Zhu’s background makes him question his own status and judgment.
• Zhu Yufang attempts to play the caring stepmother, then uses wounded feelings and a fainting act to protect her position.
• Song Yaoyao chooses to witness Liu Cuiying’s confrontation rather than follow Qian Youcai.
• Qian Youcai, Zhang Mother, and Zhang Dawang remain locked in bitter mutual hatred; their fight is interrupted, not resolved.

Significant themes

• Justice and rightful ownership: Liu Cuiying’s mother’s dowry was registered with the yamen, giving Cuiying a means to challenge her father’s appropriation of it.
• Power and social standing: Cuiying uses public scrutiny and her father’s sensitivity to reputation to challenge his household’s hierarchy.
• Deception and performance: Liu Weikong and Zhu pretend to welcome Cuiying, while Zhu’s staged collapse reveals how appearances are used to manipulate others.
• Unresolved resentment: Both the opening brawl and the confrontation at the Liu residence show old grievances coming to the surface, with neither conflict settled yet.

Key plot points and events

• Liu Cuiying publicly calls out Zhu Yufang for pretending to faint to win Liu Weikong’s sympathy. This time, he does not come to her aid, and Zhu is forced to stand on her own.
• When Liu Weikong asks why Cuiying has returned, she demands the return of her late mother’s dowry. He denies that it ever existed and claims the Liu family fortune came from money he borrowed to start a successful business.
• Cuiying challenges him to identify the lenders, with constables present to verify his story. Unable to do so, Liu Weikong admits he used some of the dowry.
• Cuiying reveals that the Government Office still holds the official dowry record, despite Liu Weikong having taken her copy when she was young. She produces the record as evidence that he took the property unlawfully.
• Facing possible imprisonment or penal labor, Liu Weikong begs Cuiying to forgive him and promises to treat her better. She rejects his appeal, listing years of neglect and abuse, and says she no longer needs his protection.
• Constables restrain Liu Weikong and help Cuiying reclaim the listed dowry. She refuses to rely on the Liu household’s servants, whom she plans to sell and replace.

Character developments

• Liu Cuiying shows confidence, resolve, and independence. She arrives prepared with official evidence and refuses to let her father’s last-minute pleas erase his past conduct.
• Liu Weikong loses control of the situation. His denial gives way to a partial admission and then desperate pleading once the evidence makes his wrongdoing undeniable.
• Zhu Yufang loses the influence she has long exercised over Liu Weikong through feigned weakness. She remains resentful but cannot prevent Cuiying from pursuing the dowry.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: Official records expose wrongdoing that Liu Weikong assumed he had concealed.
• Parental betrayal and belated remorse: Cuiying’s memories show that Liu Weikong failed to protect her when she needed him; his remorse emerges only when he faces punishment.
• Female agency and self-reliance: Cuiying asserts her rights and rejects dependence on the father who failed her.
• Deception and exposure: Zhu’s familiar performance and Liu Weikong’s false account both fail once challenged publicly.

Character interactions

• Cuiying confronts Zhu directly, while Liu Weikong’s failure to support Zhu signals a shift in their usual dynamic.
• Cuiying cross-examines Liu Weikong in front of the constables, turning his claims into a matter that can be checked.
• Liu Weikong tries to use their father-daughter relationship to secure forgiveness; Cuiying counters with specific examples of his past neglect.
• The constables enforce the consequences of Liu Weikong’s actions and assist Cuiying in recovering her mother’s property.

Plot points

• Liu Cuiying asserts her legal right to reclaim the property her late mother, Xu Yanke, brought into the household. She exposes that Zhu Yufang used Xu Yanke’s dowry to fund her children’s marriages and threatens to recover those gifts from their in-laws.
• Zhu Yufang panics and begs Liu Cuiying to stop. Liu refuses, citing the abuse she suffered and the way Zhu’s children mistreated her. She has the constables gag Zhu Yufang.
• Song Yaoyao asks Guagua how Xu Yanke died. Guagua reveals that Liu Weikong and Zhu Yufang secretly poisoned her over time after she gave birth, disguising her death as poor health.

Character developments

• Liu Cuiying acts decisively to reclaim her inheritance and confront the household that abused her. Her anger is rooted in years of mistreatment and her mother’s exploitation.
• Zhu Yufang is exposed as both an abuser and an accomplice in Xu Yanke’s murder. Her confidence collapses when she realizes the dowry could be reclaimed.
• Liu Weikong is revealed to have pursued Xu Yanke for access to her family’s influence and wealth, then plotted to eliminate her once he believed the family had abandoned her.
• Xu Yanke is portrayed as sheltered and romantically devoted: she defied her family and gave up her place in it for Liu Weikong, only to be betrayed and killed.
• Song Yaoyao suspects Xu Yanke’s death was not natural and presses for the truth.

Significant themes

• The danger of blind devotion: Xu Yanke’s faith in Liu Weikong leaves her isolated and vulnerable.
• Greed and betrayal: Liu Weikong’s apparent affection is driven by ambition, and he turns to murder when Xu Yanke no longer serves his plans.
• Inheritance and justice: The officially recorded dowry gives Liu Cuiying a means to reclaim what was taken from her mother.
• Abuse and accountability: Liu Cuiying sees her relatives’ present suffering as consequences for their past cruelty.

Character interactions

• Liu Cuiying confronts Zhu Yufang and rejects her pleas, while the constables restrain and gag Zhu at Liu’s request.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss Xu Yanke’s past, tracing her path from defying her family for love to being exploited and murdered by Liu Weikong and Zhu Yufang.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao learns that Xu Yanke’s family had disowned her after she eloped and falsely declared her dead. Liu Weikong exploited the family’s lack of contact to conceal what happened to her. Song decides Liu Weikong and Zhu Yufang must answer for Xu Yanke’s murder and has Guagua prepare evidence for Liu Cuiying.
• Liu Cuiying orders her father and stepmother to leave the residence, which belongs to her late mother’s dowry. Servants, sensing Liu Cuiying’s new authority, help supervise the couple and search their belongings, preventing them from taking valuables.
• An arrow carrying a letter arrives. After reading its contents, Liu Cuiying accuses Zhu Yufang of murdering her mother, stealing her dowry, and abusing her. She says the evidence will be presented to the magistrate.
• Zhu Yufang denies the accusation and demands proof. Liu Weikong is stunned, while Liu Cuiying hesitates to strike him because he is her biological father. The male servants seize the opportunity and beat him instead.

Character developments

• Liu Cuiying shifts from reclaiming her household to confronting the deeper crime behind her mother’s death. Her anger and frustration grow, especially because filial expectations make her reluctant to strike her father herself.
• Song Yaoyao remains decisive and strategic, arranging for evidence to reach Liu Cuiying while ensuring Liu Weikong and Zhu Yufang face consequences.
• Liu Weikong and Zhu Yufang lose their household status and possessions. Zhu Yufang tries to deny the murder, while Liu Weikong is left bewildered as his past resurfaces.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: past crimes can be exposed and punished, even after years of concealment.
• Power and status: the servants quickly change their behavior as Liu Cuiying gains control.
• Family duty versus moral justice: Liu Cuiying’s respect for her father’s role conflicts with her anger at his wrongdoing.
• The abuse of family trust: Liu Weikong and Zhu Yufang exploited their positions to seize the dowry and harm Liu Cuiying’s family.

Character interactions

• Liu Cuiying rejects Liu Weikong’s appeal to their father-daughter bond, emphasizing that the house belongs to her mother’s dowry.
• Servants openly side with Liu Cuiying, policing the couple and stripping them of valuables.
• Zhu Yufang denies the murder accusation and challenges Liu Cuiying to produce evidence; Liu Cuiying insists the case will go before the magistrate.
• When Liu Cuiying cannot bring herself to hit Liu Weikong, the male servants act on her behalf.

Key plot points and events

• After Liu Weikong and Zhu Yufang are beaten, constables stop the assault and prepare to take them to the Yamen for questioning over the murder of Liu Cuiying’s mother and the theft of her dowry.
• Liu Chuyu returns with his wife, Lü Shishi, and is shocked to find his parents under arrest. He refuses to believe they could have committed murder.
• On learning the accusation, Liu Chuyu confronts Liu Cuiying for returning to the estate. The gathered onlookers condemn his implication that a married daughter should not visit her family.
• Liu Cuiying reveals that the estate and its contents belonged to her mother’s dowry, documented in a government register. She orders Liu Chuyu and Lü Shishi to leave and demands that the Lü family return the dowry items used as Liu Chuyu’s betrothal gifts.
• Liu Cuiying rejects Liu Chuyu’s claim that they are siblings, calling his mother her mother’s murderer and describing him as the son of a concubine who benefited from stolen property.
• An attendant slaps Liu Chuyu for disrespecting Liu Cuiying. Liu Chuyu’s own personal attendant refuses to defend him, insults him, and slaps him too. Liu Chuyu then tries to retaliate.

Character developments

• Liu Cuiying asserts control over her mother’s property and openly challenges the family members who profited from it. She uses public pressure and the official dowry record to strengthen her claim.
• Liu Chuyu moves from shock and denial to anger as his privileged status collapses. His authority over the household’s servants proves fragile.
• Lü Shishi is caught off guard by the revelations and faces the possibility that her family must return the betrothal gifts.
• The attendants shift their allegiance away from Liu Chuyu, reflecting the loss of respect for him and his family.

Significant themes

• Justice and restitution: Liu Cuiying seeks to recover property allegedly stolen after her mother’s murder.
• Legitimacy and status: Liu Chuyu’s standing as the son of a concubine is used to undermine his claim to the household and its wealth.
• Public opinion and power: The crowd supports Liu Cuiying, while servants who once deferred to Liu Chuyu now openly defy him.
• Family ties versus wrongdoing: Liu Cuiying rejects kinship with Liu Chuyu because she sees his family as responsible for her mother’s death and dispossession.

Character interactions

• The constables dismiss Liu Chuyu’s defense of his parents, emphasizing that guilt will be decided through questioning.
• The crowd rebukes Liu Chuyu for challenging Liu Cuiying’s return, siding with her as a married daughter entitled to visit.
• Liu Cuiying confronts Liu Chuyu and Lü Shishi with her claim to the estate and betrothal gifts, threatening to involve the constables if the property is not returned.
• An attendant and Liu Chuyu’s own servant physically and verbally rebuke him, turning the household hierarchy against him.

Key plot points and events

• Liu Chuyu tries to assert control over Bai An by invoking the servant’s indenture contract, but Liu Cuiying explains that the servants—and the household’s wealth—were bought with her mother’s dowry and belong to her.
• Liu Cuiying orders Liu Chuyu searched. The attendants take his cash, jade pendants, and hairpin, leaving him with nothing.
• She spares Lü Shishi, who has not wronged her, and promises to return Lü’s dowry. Lü and Liu Chuyu are told they may leave.
• Liu Cuiying sends a warning through Lü: Liu Chuchu and her husband’s family must return the rest of the dowry, and Lü’s family must return Liu Chuyu’s betrothal gifts, within three days or face a visit with constables.
• Liu Cuiying gives the constables the recovered five thousand taels to secure their goodwill. Their leader promises support if the dowry is not returned.
• Song Yaoyao and her companions leave for a restaurant after watching the confrontation. Guagua reports the outcome of a separate drama: Zhang Dawang and his mother break Qian Youcai’s other leg and abandon him in a beggars’ den. Meanwhile, their community turns against them; Xiao Lian is beaten to death by men who blame her for infecting them, and the authorities fail to identify the killers because neighbors refuse to testify.

Character developments and interactions

• Liu Cuiying demonstrates authority and restraint: she reclaims property she considers rightfully hers, but distinguishes between those who harmed her and those who did not. She also uses the money strategically to cultivate the constables’ support.
• Liu Chuyu is reduced from an arrogant figure to a powerless one. His threats fail, and he leaves stripped of valuables and dependent on Lü Shishi for help.
• Lü Shishi is frightened and initially reluctant to assist Liu Chuyu, but complies. Liu Cuiying’s fairness toward her allows her to depart with her own dowry.
• Bai An and the attendants follow Liu Cuiying’s orders, enforcing her claim over the household.
• Guagua and Song Yaoyao recount and react to Qian Youcai’s punishment and Xiao Lian’s killing, with Song expressing shock at the violence.

Significant themes

• Restitution and justice: Liu Cuiying seeks to recover her mother’s dowry and related property through forceful but targeted action.
• Power and reversal: Liu Chuyu loses his status and possessions, while Liu Cuiying takes control of the household.
• Practical strategy: Liu Cuiying’s payment to the constables reveals that securing allies can be essential to protecting one’s interests.
• Mob violence and failed justice: Qian Youcai, Zhang Dawang, his mother, and Xiao Lian face brutal consequences, while Xiao Lian’s killers evade accountability through collective silence.

Key events

• Qian Youcai dies after his attempted escape from the beggars who were holding and abusing him. His death passes unnoticed in Suyu City.
• Zhang Dawang and his mother remain trapped in the city. They face public humiliation, harassment, and beatings, and their neighbors suffer from the abuse directed at their home.
• Liu Cuiying takes control of her household and her mother’s shops, replacing the old shopkeepers and learning to manage the business.
• With the Government Office’s support, Liu Cuiying recovers her mother’s dowry. Liu Chuchu also returns the portion of her dowry that belonged to Xu Yanke.
• The Lü and Pang families quickly sever ties with the Liu family. Liu Chuyu and Liu Chuchu are both cast out of their marriages; Liu Chuchu is left with only a small portion of her possessions.
• Liu Chuyu turns to his sister for help. Neither sibling has much money, and their spending threatens to leave them destitute.
• Lord Yang finds Liu Weikong and Zhu Yufang guilty of murdering Xu Yanke and sentences them to immediate beheading.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhang Dawang and his mother are now social outcasts, facing the consequences of their actions; Zhang is repeatedly beaten when he curses the men harassing his mother.
• Liu Cuiying becomes more independent and decisive, taking charge of her property and finances.
• Liu Chuyu is penniless and dependent on Liu Chuchu, who resents having to support him but cannot get rid of him.
• The Lü and Pang families prioritize protecting their own reputations and interests, swiftly returning the disputed property and rejecting their connections to the Liu family.
• Song Yaoyao comments on the characters’ fates, while Guagua reports what is happening and shows her footage.

Significant themes

• Consequences and justice: Qian Youcai, Zhang Dawang, and his mother suffer the results of their choices, while Liu Weikong and Zhu Yufang face legal punishment for murder.
• Reputation and social rejection: Public shame and family alliances shape the characters’ lives, sometimes as harshly as formal judgment.
• Restitution and recovery: Liu Cuiying’s recovery of her mother’s dowry gives her a chance to rebuild, even as the Liu family collapses around her.

Plot points and events

• Nian Siting launches a coordinated nighttime raid on the neighboring residences of Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu. His men use a newly developed poison that defeats the antidote carried by the princes’ shadow guards, killing them all.
• The two princes are easily captured because Nian Fengyuan had secretly weakened them with Ten Fragrance Soft Bone Powder during their confinement.
• Nian Siting forces each prince to swallow a strange object hidden inside a black pill, then leaves without explaining what it is.
• The princes’ subordinates arrive soon afterward. The princes and their families flee, and Hengzhi and Qiyu agree to cooperate temporarily. They hide in a crowded residence with a concealed chamber.
• Nian Fengyuan discovers the escape and orders a discreet search, keeping the news secret to prevent other factions from exploiting the situation.
• Song Yaoyao learns what happened from Guagua and asks what the swallowed objects were and whether the princes will face consequences. Guagua says they are currently fine, but hints that may not last.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Siting shows careful preparation and ruthlessness: he studies the shadow guards’ antidote before acting, gives no explanations, and carries out his plan efficiently.
• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu are forced into an alliance despite their predicament. They remain wary but prioritize escaping with their families.
• Nian Fengyuan is furious at losing his guards and underestimates the actual source of the attack, wrongly suspecting his younger brothers’ hidden forces.
• Song Yaoyao follows the unfolding events closely, questioning Guagua about the princes’ fate and the mysterious objects.

Significant themes

• Intrigue and deception: Nian Siting hides his involvement, while Nian Fengyuan conceals the escape and misreads who caused it.
• Power and vulnerability: Even skilled fighters can be overcome through preparation, poison, and prior weakening.
• Uncertain consequences: The princes have escaped, but the objects forced on them—and Guagua’s warning—leave their safety in doubt.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao learns that the objects Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu swallowed were puppet Gu eggs. They mature in about half a month, then enter the brain and let the person who planted them control their victims.
• A physician finds nothing wrong, but a Witch Doctor later confirms the eggs are still inside them and cannot be removed by ordinary means. He advises finding a Miao Healer, though Suyu City is sealed and the brothers fear even a specialist may be unable to help.
• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu realize someone is using them as pawns in a larger scheme, but they do not know the culprit’s goal or what to do next.
• Song Yaoyao considers revealing what she knows and persuading them to switch sides. Guagua explains that the Gu can be removed surgically before it matures, making time critical.

Character developments

• Nian Hengzhi grows fearful and despondent as the threat becomes real; he is especially shaken by the prospect of losing control of himself.
• Nian Qiyu tries to remain composed and practical, arranging for an examination and pressing the Witch Doctor for answers, though he too sees how dire their situation is.
• Song Yaoyao shifts from observing Nian Siting’s scheme to considering intervention—and potentially turning the brothers into allies.
• Guagua provides the crucial details about the Gu’s lifecycle and the possibility of early surgical removal.

Character interactions

• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu discuss their symptoms, consult first a physician and then a Witch Doctor, and share their fear that they are being used.
• The brothers’ exchange shows their differing responses: Hengzhi voices anxiety, while Qiyu attempts to assess options and keep them moving.
• Song Yaoyao consults Guagua about whether to warn the brothers and whether their danger could persuade them to change allegiance.

Significant themes

• Control and manipulation: Puppet Gu turns people into instruments for another person’s ambitions.
• Powerlessness and uncertainty: The brothers know they are infected but lack a clear remedy or a way to identify their enemy’s full plan.
• Urgency and opportunity: Their chance of easy removal depends on acting before the Gu matures.
• Strategic loyalty: Song Yaoyao sees the brothers’ peril as both a humanitarian concern and a possible opening to alter political alliances.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss removing the Puppet Gu from Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu. Because the worms are still in their abdomens, Yaoyao believes the surgery is manageable, but she knows time is short: the Gu will mature in about half a month and then reach their heads.
• Guagua warns that the princes might betray them after being cured. Yaoyao says she will stay cautious and hints that she has a plan to prevent them from taking advantage of her.
• Yaoyao proposes recruiting the infected princes in exchange for removing the Gu. Chen Yixiao agrees that they should act quickly; Song Qinghui voices concern that the princes might report them, while Liu Zheheng argues that the risk is worthwhile.
• That night, the group goes to the princes’ hiding place. The guards initially deny that the princes are there, but stop preparing to fight when Chen Yixiao says the visitors have come to save them.
• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu meet the group. Chen Yixiao explains that they have been infected with Puppet Gu, describes how it will eventually control them, and offers to save them.
• The princes realize the danger and ask what Chen Yixiao wants in return. He reveals that he is the Sixth Prince of the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom, but does not yet state his conditions.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao takes charge of the proposed rescue and recruitment plan, while remaining alert to the possibility of betrayal.
• Chen Yixiao acts as the group’s negotiator, calmly persuading the guards to let them in and explaining the princes’ condition. He reveals his royal identity to establish who is making the offer.
• Song Qinghui and Liu Zheheng express opposing views about the risks; Chen Yixiao’s decision settles the matter.
• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu move from suspicion to alarm as they learn what the Puppet Gu will do. They recognize the visitors are not the people who infected them and engage Chen Yixiao as potential allies, though they remain cautious about his terms.

Significant themes

• Trust and betrayal: The rescue depends on whether the princes will honor an agreement after being cured.
• Power and control: The Puppet Gu threatens to strip the princes of their autonomy, making cooperation a matter of survival.
• Risk and strategy: The group weighs the danger of approaching the princes against the urgency of acting before the Gu matures.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Yixiao offers Princes Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu a deal: serve the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom in exchange for protection.
• He reveals that most of the Dragon Abyss princes are dead. The surviving contenders are likely to eliminate the remaining princes once the succession struggle ends.
• The princes are also in danger from gu worms implanted in their bodies. Once mature, the worms will let their controller take over their actions, leaving the princes to bear responsibility for crimes committed under someone else’s control.
• Song Yaoyao explains that she can remove the worms through abdominal surgery, but only before they begin moving toward the brain on the sixteenth day. The princes are wary of the unfamiliar procedure, though she assures them they will survive.
• Chen withholds the identity of the person who planted the gu worms, and other politically explosive information, until the princes accept the offer. He tells them to signal their decision by hanging a red lantern.
• After the visitors leave, the princes remain silent, stunned by the news. They believe Prince Nian Zhiyun is dead, though the others have not revealed that he is alive.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu struggle between loyalty to their country and the need to survive. The revelations force them to reconsider their position, but they ask for time to discuss the offer.
• Chen Yixiao uses a blunt, persuasive approach, framing defection as their best chance to avoid death or being manipulated. He promises protection but makes clear that further information depends on their agreement.
• Song Yaoyao explains the medical procedure directly and confidently, reassuring the princes while emphasizing their limited time.
• The princes question Chen and Song closely, showing skepticism about both the surgery and the offer, but they recognize the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom’s formidable intelligence network.

Significant themes

• Survival versus loyalty: The princes must weigh allegiance to their kingdom against the likelihood that it will destroy them.
• Manipulation and accountability: The gu worms threaten to strip them of agency while leaving them to suffer the consequences of their actions.
• Power and intelligence: The Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom’s knowledge gives it leverage over the princes and highlights its growing influence.
• Trust under pressure: The offer of rescue may be genuine, but it comes with conditions and withheld information, leaving the princes to decide whom they can trust.

Key plot points and events

• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu debate whether to accept the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom’s offer of surgery and protection. They suspect the kingdom will eventually conquer Dragon Abyss, which is already weakened by internal conflict.
• They conclude that pledging allegiance early is their best chance to save themselves and their families. They agree to signal their decision by hanging a red lantern.
• Song Yaoyao’s group anticipates their acceptance and instructs a guard to watch for the signal. The lantern appears the next day.
• At a meeting, the princes formally accept the conditions and sign a written agreement. The discussion then turns to their urgent surgeries.
• When Nian Hengzhi asks who will operate, Song Yaoyao volunteers. The princes are surprised and uneasy at how young she looks; she assures them that she is capable and says she can operate on only one person each day.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu move from uncertainty to a pragmatic decision: they recognize that resistance is unlikely to succeed and choose an early alliance to protect their household.
• Nian Qiyu frames the decision in the wider political context, warning that the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom is likely to turn its attention to Dragon Abyss after its other campaigns.
• Chen Yixiao manages the negotiations, prepares the agreement, and sets surgery as the immediate priority.
• Song Yaoyao takes responsibility for the operations herself, projecting confidence despite the princes’ doubts.
• The princes’ formal bows and signatures show that they accept a subordinate political position while seeking guarantees in return.

Significant themes

• Survival and compromise: The princes accept allegiance not from loyalty, but because they see it as their only path to survival.
• The collapse of political power: Dragon Abyss’s internal strife leaves it vulnerable to a stronger neighboring kingdom.
• Trust and uncertainty: The princes still cannot identify who implanted the gu, and they must also decide whether to trust Song Yaoyao’s medical abilities.
• Power and negotiation: The written agreement gives structure to an alliance formed under unequal circumstances.

Key plot points

• Nian Qiyu agrees to undergo surgery first, with Nian Hengzhi planning to follow if it goes well.
• Song Yaoyao anesthetizes Qiyu and removes the Puppet Gu in a three-hour operation. She keeps the worm alive so its handler won’t realize anything has happened and retaliate against Hengzhi.
• Qiyu wakes safely, learns the operation succeeded, and recovers under Song’s instructions.
• Reassured by Qiyu’s recovery, Hengzhi undergoes surgery two days later. His Gu Worm is even larger. Song removes both worms and disposes of them together.
• Nian Siting senses the worms’ destruction and rages that his plan to control the princes has been ruined. He now wants them dead.

Character developments and interactions

• Qiyu and Hengzhi are initially wary of Song’s youth, but trust grows after Qiyu’s successful operation. Hengzhi’s anxiety gives way to relief, then confidence enough to undergo surgery himself.
• Song demonstrates calm medical skill and careful planning. She reassures the princes, follows strict surgical procedures, and prioritizes their safety.
• The princes’ companions guard the chamber and rally around Qiyu afterward, showing their concern and loyalty.
• Guagua’s advice helps Song anticipate Nian Siting’s reaction, while Nian Siting’s fury reveals how badly the failed scheme has unsettled him.

Significant themes

• Trust and expertise: Song’s competence overcomes doubts about her age.
• Caution and foresight: Keeping the first worm alive conceals the operation and protects Hengzhi.
• Freedom from control: Removing the Gu Worms saves the princes from being manipulated.
• Power and retaliation: The failed plot shifts Nian Siting from covert control toward open violence.

Key plot points

• While Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu recover, Chen Yixiao reveals that their gu poison was planted by their supposedly simple-minded elder brother, Nian Siting. Siting had faked his disability for years and secretly built a force of fifty thousand soldiers.
• Chen reveals that Emperor Nian Fengyuan is not the late emperor’s biological son. Consort Lian secretly raised her brother’s child as her own, making Fengyuan Grand Tutor Zhu Qin’s grandson. Zhu Qin’s aim, Chen says, was to seize the throne; Fengyuan may be his puppet.
• Fengyuan is now with Qin Luou, once a consort of the late emperor. After Sima Yifeng changed her face, Fengyuan had him hunted. Sima escaped and barred Divine Healer Valley from serving the royal family, jeopardizing a long-standing source of medicine for the kingdom.
• Chen adds that the Eleventh Prince survived his apparent death and has been hiding in the shadows.
• Song Yaoyao points out that Fengyuan’s Summons Edict was forged. Chen confirms the forgery and explains how it was done, but keeps secret that the forger is in their custody.
• Overwhelmed by the revelations, Hengzhi and Qiyu ask for time to consider their response and agree that they must plan countermeasures.

Character developments and interactions

• Hengzhi and Qiyu’s assumptions about their family are upended. They react with shock and anger, especially at Siting’s deception, Fengyuan’s illegitimacy, and the Zhu family’s political ambitions.
• Chen Yixiao acts as the source of intelligence, methodically disclosing the hidden threats. Song Yaoyao contributes an important correction about the forged edict.
• The brothers discuss the revelations together, shifting from disbelief and outrage toward the need for careful strategy.

Significant themes

• Deception and hidden identities: Siting’s feigned disability, Fengyuan’s concealed birth, Qin Luou’s altered face, and the forged edict show how appearances are manipulated.
• Power and legitimacy: The succession struggle is complicated by questions of bloodline, political puppetry, and Zhu Qin’s ambitions.
• The cost of ambition: Fengyuan’s personal choices damage the kingdom’s alliance with Divine Healer Valley, while the princes’ rivalries have already caused death and injury.

Key plot points

• After Song Yaoyao’s group removed the gu worms Nian Siting had planted in Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu, he abandoned his original plan and targeted Nian Xiaoqing instead.
• Nian Siting secretly sent 50,000 soldiers to ambush Nian Xiaoqing’s army near Suyu City. They poisoned the camp’s water, leaving the soldiers weakened, then attacked at night. Nian Fengyuan’s forces struck from the city, trapping Nian Xiaoqing in a two-sided assault. His army was nearly wiped out; Nian Xiaoqing and a handful of subordinates escaped, badly wounded.
• Afterward, Nian Fengyuan tried to attack Nian Siting’s troops, but they released venomous creatures, forcing his men to retreat into Suyu City. Nian Fengyuan fortified the gates against them.
• Song Yaoyao learns that Nian Fengyuan and Nian Siting are roughly evenly matched. Although Nian Fengyuan is emperor, much of the court remains neutral and will support whoever ultimately secures the throne.
• Nian Siting’s army is actually exhausted and ill after its forced march. Song Yaoyao decides not to reveal its identity to Nian Fengyuan yet, so the two sides can recover and remain more evenly matched before a future confrontation.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Siting shows himself to be a capable, secretive strategist, using surprise, poisoned water, and venomous creatures to compensate for the uncertainty surrounding his forces. His army mirrors his deceptive reputation: formidable in appearance, but temporarily weakened.
• Nian Xiaoqing suffers a crushing defeat and realizes he badly underestimated his brothers, though he cannot identify the hidden army that attacked him.
• Nian Fengyuan responds defensively, retreating and strengthening the city’s protections. He suspects the venomous creatures are specially trained and orders countermeasures developed.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua analyze the shifting balance of power. Song chooses to withhold crucial information, aiming to prevent either side from gaining an overwhelming advantage and to let both suffer losses in a later clash.

Significant themes

• Deception and hidden strength: Nian Siting’s concealed army and false appearance reshape the struggle.
• Fragile political legitimacy: Nian Fengyuan’s title does not guarantee control; neutral officials are waiting to see who truly wins.
• Strategic balance and manipulation: Song Yaoyao deliberately manages what each side knows, hoping the rivals will weaken each other.

Key plot points and events

• After waiting several days, Song Yaoyao and her allies learn that Nian Fengyuan’s forces have developed a drug to counter Nian Siting’s venomous creatures. Nian Fengyuan plans to attack the next day.
• Guagua explains that Nian Fengyuan controls Dragon Abyss Kingdom’s Imperial Medical Academy, which has a specialized poison-and-antidote department, along with other experienced poison experts. This helps explain how the remedy was produced so quickly.
• Nian Siting’s troops have recovered somewhat but are not fully ready. Guagua warns that Nian Fengyuan plans a two-pronged assault: one force will engage them head-on while another attacks from behind. The armies might be evenly matched if Nian Siting is prepared, but the surprise attack could make him lose.
• Song Yaoyao and Chen Yixiao agree to warn Nian Siting’s army without contacting Nian Siting directly, so they do not expose their knowledge that he is pretending to be a fool.
• Song Yaoyao uses a drone to deliver a printed copy of the battle plan to the army camp. The generals spot the drone and watch warily as the letter falls, but they do not immediately approach it.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows strategic caution: she wants both sides to remain evenly matched and avoids alerting Nian Siting personally, preserving the advantage of his hidden identity.
• Chen Yixiao supports her plan and is impressed by Nian Fengyuan’s specialists. He considers recommending a similar poison-and-antidote department in his own kingdom.
• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu remain astonished by the unexpected alliance and defeat that reshaped the conflict, discussing how surprising the situation has become.
• Guagua supplies intelligence on the armies’ readiness and Nian Fengyuan’s strategy, helping Song Yaoyao decide how to intervene.

Significant themes

• Information as a weapon: Learning the enemy’s plan in advance may determine the battle’s outcome.
• Caution and deception: Song Yaoyao protects Nian Siting’s disguise by communicating through his army rather than approaching him directly.
• Balance of power: The allies aim to prevent a one-sided victory, since the larger conflict depends on both sides being weakened.
• Preparation and expertise: Nian Fengyuan’s organized medical and poison specialists give him a practical advantage, while Nian Siting’s survival depends on receiving timely warning.

Plot and events

• A messenger delivers a letter warning Nian Siting’s camp that Nian Fengyuan has developed a drug to counter their poisonous creatures and that a surprise attack is planned.
• Nian Siting and his advisors cannot verify the warning, but decide to prepare anyway: the cost of caution is small compared with the danger of being caught unprepared.
• At dawn, Nian Fengyuan launches his attack. His soldiers carry protective sachets and medicinal powder, but Nian Siting’s side deploys three enormous venomous snakes that those preparations cannot stop.
• Nian Fengyuan’s troops trap the snakes in a ring of fire, and the armies begin fighting. Then an unexpected force attacks Nian Siting’s army from behind. Because the warning was taken seriously, Nian Siting has prepared a force to counter it.
• A further force appears behind Nian Fengyuan’s troops, turning his apparent advantage into a stalemate. Nian Fengyuan realizes his battle plan was leaked and orders an investigation. The new force also brings two large venomous snakes, shifting the fight against him.
• Watching the battle through Guagua’s footage, Song Yaoyao wonders how Nian Siting obtained so many snakes and decides she cannot let him win so easily.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Siting is cautious enough to act on an unverified warning, but remains arrogant: he assumes that Nian Fengyuan’s talented subordinates will eventually belong to him.
• Nian Fengyuan begins confident that his surprise attack will secure victory, then grows furious when his plan is exposed and the battle turns against him.
• The generals and advisors urge caution. Their agreement prompts Nian Siting to prepare, ultimately preventing his army from being overwhelmed by a rear attack.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss the warning beforehand; Song accepts that they can alert the generals but cannot control whether the warning is believed. Later, she watches the battle and questions Nian Siting’s sudden access to so many snakes.

Significant themes

• Preparation under uncertainty: Nian Siting’s decision to prepare for a threat he cannot confirm proves crucial.
• Intelligence and betrayal: The leaked battle plan changes the course of the fight and turns Nian Fengyuan’s confidence into suspicion.
• Power, arrogance, and control: Nian Siting presumes he will claim his rival’s people, while Song Yaoyao seeks to prevent him from gaining an easy victory.