Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• As Nian Fengyuan’s forces begin to suffer heavy losses against Nian Siting’s side, Song Yaoyao decides to intervene. She transforms her pistol into a drone, attaches bombs, and uses it to destroy both enormous creatures attacking the battlefield.
• The explosions halt the fighting and shock both armies. Nian Fengyuan’s troops cheer at the unexpected help, while Nian Siting’s forces lose their advantage and the battle becomes evenly matched.
• Nian Fengyuan recognizes the explosives as bombs, which he believes only the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom possesses. He concludes that people from that kingdom helped him and resolves to repay the favor by giving them a quick death when he eventually captures them.
• Nian Siting also identifies the bombs and angrily vows revenge against the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua watch the battle continue without either side gaining ground. They chat about missing home, the approaching New Year, Song’s craving for hot pot, and Guagua’s wish for money and time off to spend with Lingling. Other observers watch the screen above Song Yaoyao while she and Guagua drift into casual conversation.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao acts decisively to prevent Nian Fengyuan’s defeat, while remaining playful and self-amused afterward. She knows Nian Siting will blame her but is unconcerned, and she admits that the long mission is making her homesick.
• Nian Fengyuan is grateful for the intervention, though he misunderstands the helpers’ motives and still intends to kill them if captured.
• Nian Siting becomes enraged when his near-victory is overturned and directs his hatred toward the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom.
• Guagua teases Song about being cursed rather than admired, then reveals his financial worries and hopes for a break with Lingling.

Significant themes

• Intervention and shifting power: Song’s technological advantage abruptly changes the battle’s balance.
• Misunderstanding and unintended consequences: Both rival leaders identify the bombs correctly but draw their own hostile or mistaken conclusions about the people behind them.
• Duty versus longing for home: Song accepts that the mission will keep her away from loved ones and familiar comforts, despite her homesickness.
• Humor amid conflict: Casual banter about sneezing, food, and romance contrasts with the violence of the battle.

Character interactions

• Song and Guagua discuss how to help Nian Fengyuan, then trade jokes about Nian Siting cursing Song for destroying his creatures.
• Their conversation shifts from the ongoing battle to home, New Year, hot pot, and Guagua’s relationship with Lingling; Song promises to help him.
• Nian Fengyuan and Nian Siting react separately to the same intervention: one treats it as a favor, while the other sees it as an act of war.

Plot and key events

• Nian Fengyuan defeats Nian Siting, but both sides suffer heavy losses.
• Song Yaoyao then uses her drone to attack Fengyuan’s surviving troops with poison and bombs, wiping them out. Fengyuan retreats behind the city gates and vows vengeance against the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom.
• Nian Siting, relieved that Fengyuan’s army has been destroyed, sees a renewed chance to compete for the throne, though he still resents Song Yaoyao for destroying his prized creatures.
• Song Yaoyao decides to undermine Fengyuan politically by publicizing his alleged crimes and questionable claim to the throne. With help from Guagua, she distributes leaflets by drone and broadcasts that Fengyuan has no imperial blood: he is reportedly Consort Lian’s nephew, secretly brought into the palace as her son.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows herself to be calculating and economical: she waits until both armies are weakened before spending her limited supplies, arguing that resources will be needed to rebuild the country. Guagua questions her motives, and she reassures it that she intends to spend money when it matters.
• Nian Fengyuan shifts from victory to outrage and anxiety as his army is destroyed, leaving his throne vulnerable.
• Nian Siting regains hope after believing Fengyuan has lost his military advantage, though his grudge against the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom remains.
• Chen Yixiao supports Song Yaoyao’s plan to expose Fengyuan’s origins and other scandals.

Significant themes

• Political power and legitimacy: The revelation that Fengyuan may lack imperial blood threatens his right to rule.
• Information as a weapon: Song Yaoyao uses public broadcasts and leaflets to weaken Fengyuan without relying solely on force.
• Pragmatism and resourcefulness: She carefully conserves weapons and supplies, balancing immediate tactics against the future needs of unification and reconstruction.
• Shifting fortunes: Military victory proves temporary, as the destruction of Fengyuan’s troops and the scandal about his birth reshape the struggle for the throne.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao’s leaflets expose that Nian Fengyuan is not the former emperor’s biological son, but the Zhu family’s heir. Ministers and rival princes react with shock, while Nian Siting sees the scandal as an opportunity to seize the throne.
• Fengyuan confronts his mother, Zhu Lianyue, who confirms the truth. Zhu Qin adds that Fengyuan’s biological father is Zhu Ting.
• Fengyuan initially collapses, believing he has no right to rule and will be vulnerable now that his army is gone. Zhu Qin persuades him that emperors are made by power, not birthright: if they overthrow the Nian dynasty, Fengyuan can found a Zhu dynasty.
• Zhu Qin urges the family to deny the allegations, blame Heavenly Phoenix spies, and quietly rally their supporters. Fengyuan agrees to appear composed and continue ruling as usual.
• After watching the exchange, Song Yaoyao decides to publish more damaging information. She prepares leaflets alleging Fengyuan is involved with Qin Luou, a former imperial consort, and had a healer alter her appearance to conceal the relationship.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Fengyuan shifts from shock and despair to renewed determination after Zhu Qin reframes his lack of Nian blood as no obstacle to founding a new dynasty. He rejects Zhu Ting’s attempt to comfort him, insisting on his imperial identity.
• Zhu Qin acts as the family’s strategist and persuader, first steadying Fengyuan’s resolve, then prescribing denial and political consolidation.
• Zhu Lianyue confirms the secret she had kept from her son.
• Zhu Ting shows concern for Fengyuan but is rejected; Zhu Qin reveals that he and Lianyue have watched over their son from a distance for years.
• Nian Siting and his advisers discuss how to exploit the revelation, while ministers and other princes weigh its implications.
• Song Yaoyao remains proactive and mocking, using public exposure as a weapon against the Zhu family and Fengyuan.

Significant themes

• Legitimacy and power: The chapter questions whether bloodline or control of the throne makes someone an emperor.
• Political deception: The Zhu family responds to overwhelming evidence with denial and plans to blame foreign interference.
• Public scandal as a weapon: Song Yaoyao uses mass-distributed information to destabilize the regime.
• Family and identity: Fengyuan’s discovery of his biological parentage shakes his sense of self, but political ambition helps him recover.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao waits until morning to expose the latest scandal, then sends a drone over Suyu City carrying leaflets and a loudspeaker.
• The broadcast reveals that Emperor Nian Fengyuan has become involved with Qin Luou, a consort of his late adoptive father. It also accuses him of trying to kill Sima Yifeng, master of Divine Healer Valley, to conceal the affair.
• The public is outraged. They condemn Nian Fengyuan and Qin Luou, worry that the scandal may jeopardize the kingdom’s cooperation with Divine Healer Valley—and, in turn, soldiers at the border—and turn their suspicion toward Qin Luou’s family.
• Song then directs the drone toward the ministers’ residences, spreading the news among the court as well as the citizens.
• Zhu Qin and Zhu Ting enter the palace to confront Nian Fengyuan. Nian Fengyuan confirms the affair, insisting that he and Qin Luou truly love each other and that she was forced to become the old emperor’s consort.
• Zhu Qin condemns Nian Fengyuan’s conduct and demands a plan to contain the fallout. Nian Fengyuan has no answer, but continues defending Qin Luou.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao uses public exposure as a deliberate tactic, ensuring the scandal reaches both ordinary people and officials.
• Nian Fengyuan is defensive and entitled when questioned, invoking his authority as emperor. Once pressed, he admits the affair but prioritizes his feelings for Qin Luou over political consequences.
• Zhu Qin reveals how much power he has invested in Nian Fengyuan’s rule and angrily reminds him that his throne depends on that support. His frustration shifts from challenging the rumors to condemning Nian Fengyuan’s judgment.
• Zhu Ting tries to mediate between father and son, urging them to focus on managing the crisis.
• The argument exposes a deep divide: Nian Fengyuan views the relationship as love, while Zhu Qin sees it as a political and moral disaster.

Significant themes

• Private conduct and public power: A ruler’s personal choices can threaten political legitimacy and international alliances.
• Loyalty and hypocrisy: The public interprets the affair through Nian Fengyuan’s alleged betrayal of the old emperor.
• Love versus political responsibility: Nian Fengyuan defends “true love,” while Zhu Qin insists that personal feelings cannot outweigh the damage to the state.
• Power and dependence: Nian Fengyuan’s imperial airs clash with Zhu Qin’s reminder that his authority rests on others’ backing.
• Public opinion as a weapon: Song’s broadcast turns hidden information into a citywide political crisis.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• Nian Fengyuan refuses to let Zhu Qin kill Qin Luou, threatening to punish him if he does. Zhu Qin argues that removing her is the quickest way to contain the scandal and protect their plans.
• Zhu Ting tries to calm the two men, but the argument deepens. Zhu Qin calls Nian Fengyuan incompetent for letting romantic attachment endanger his claim to the throne; Nian Fengyuan responds angrily, and Zhu Qin leaves determined to act without his approval.
• Back at the Grand Tutor’s residence, Zhu Qin orders Zhu Ting to send men to kill Qin Luou that night, regardless of Nian Fengyuan’s wishes.
• Nian Siting’s advisers predict that Zhu Qin and Nian Fengyuan may clash over Qin Luou. Nian Siting decides to have his people in the palace intensify their conflict.
• Song Yaoyao broadcasts accusations of Nian Fengyuan’s patricide and releases evidence by drone. The public, already angered by revelations about his identity and conduct, denounces him and rejects the prospect of his taking the throne.
• Song Yaoyao and her companions decide to enter the Imperial Palace that night to watch events unfold.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Fengyuan shows that his attachment to Qin Luou outweighs Zhu Qin’s strategic advice. His defiance turns a political disagreement into a serious rift.
• Zhu Qin loses faith in Nian Fengyuan’s judgment and resolves to pursue his own course, including ordering Qin Luou’s death without the emperor’s consent.
• Zhu Ting attempts to mediate, then follows his father’s orders despite concern about Nian Fengyuan’s reaction.
• Nian Siting sees the growing tension as an opportunity and plans to make the divide worse.
• Song Yaoyao deliberately expands the public scandal, using evidence and broadcasts to undermine Nian Fengyuan’s legitimacy.

Significant themes

• Personal desire versus political ambition: Nian Fengyuan’s protection of Qin Luou threatens years of political planning.
• Power and loyalty: Zhu Qin’s allegiance weakens as he concludes that Nian Fengyuan is unfit to rule.
• Public opinion as a political weapon: Song Yaoyao’s disclosures turn private crimes into widespread condemnation and further damage Nian Fengyuan’s claim to the throne.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao and her companions follow a team of Zhu Qin’s shadow guards as they make their way through the palace. The guards defeat Nian Fengyuan’s Imperial Shadow Guards but leave them unconscious; Song’s group quietly kills the fallen guards afterward.
• The team reaches Zhaohua Hall, where Qin Luou once lived. Guagua explains that Nian Fengyuan moved her after their affair was exposed, both to shield her from Zhu Qin and to keep her out of reach as a witness.
• Nian Fengyuan confronts the intruders and recognizes them as Zhu Qin’s men. He orders them to tell Zhu Qin that he will protect Qin Luou, but a messenger reports that she has been assassinated.
• At Star-Moon Palace, Nian Fengyuan finds Qin Luou dead from a sword wound to the heart. A Zhu Family Shadow Guard waist token is found at the scene, prompting Nian to accuse Zhu Qin.
• Zhu Qin’s guards insist the token was planted and that their master sent no other assassins. Nian, consumed by grief and anger, refuses to investigate and orders them out.
• Song Yaoyao suspects that someone has framed Zhu Qin and asks Guagua who really killed Qin Luou; the chapter ends before the answer is revealed.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains strategic and opportunistic: she lets Zhu Qin’s men clear the way, then has her group eliminate the unconscious guards. She also recognizes the apparent framing and questions Nian Fengyuan’s judgment.
• Nian Fengyuan shifts from confidently defending Qin Luou to devastated, furious grief. His anger makes him accept incriminating evidence too quickly and reject the guards’ explanation.
• Zhu Qin’s shadow guards act efficiently but with restraint during the palace fight. When accused, their leader tries to explain the token may have been planted, but Nian refuses to hear him.
• Guagua supplies Song with information about Qin Luou’s relocation and Nian’s motives, helping Song interpret events.
• Nian Fengyuan’s confrontation with Zhu Qin’s guards exposes the depth of the political rift between him and Zhu Qin; Qin Luou’s death threatens to make it worse.

Significant themes

• Manipulation and false evidence: The waist token appears to be planted to implicate Zhu Qin and provoke conflict.
• Power and political rivalry: Qin Luou is both a person Nian claims to protect and a crucial witness whose whereabouts carry political significance.
• Grief clouding judgment: Nian’s anguish leaves him unwilling to consider an alternative explanation.
• Complicity and moral ambiguity: Song’s group exploits Zhu Qin’s assault by killing guards who had only been knocked unconscious.

Chapter summary

• The palace killings deepen the rift between Nian Fengyuan and the Zhu family. Qin Luou is killed by one of Nian Siting’s spies, who leaves behind a waist token associated with the Zhu family’s Shadow Guards to frame them. Nian Fengyuan believes the setup and suspects Grand Tutor Zhu Qin. He orders his own Shadow Guards to watch the Grand Tutor’s Residence.
• Zhu Qin realizes the accusation is a frame-up. His men explain that they only knocked the Imperial Shadow Guards unconscious and killed no one beyond their intended target. Zhu Qin concludes someone deliberately murdered the palace guards to implicate him. He and his son Zhu Ting decide to wait before trying to explain, since Nian Fengyuan is too angry to listen.
• Nian Fengyuan’s retaliation goes disastrously wrong. He orders his men to teach the Zhu family a lesson by crippling Zhu Qin’s wastrel son, Zhu You. When Zhu You leaves confinement to gamble and visit a brothel, the Shadow Guards attack him. Zhu Qin’s own guards intervene, and in the ensuing fight Nian Fengyuan’s men accidentally beat Zhu You to death. Nian Fengyuan panics and hides the killers, fearing the Zhu family will turn against him.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua observe the events from outside the conflict. Song mocks Nian Fengyuan for being unable to see through the obvious frame-up, then decides to reveal that his men killed Zhu You so Zhu Qin will know the truth.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Fengyuan appears increasingly impulsive and politically vulnerable: he accepts the false evidence against Zhu Qin, then lets anger drive a covert reprisal that risks alienating a powerful ally.
• Zhu Qin is suspicious but restrained. He recognizes the frame-up and prevents Zhu Ting from confronting the furious emperor prematurely.
• Zhu Ting is eager to defend his family but follows his father’s judgment.
• Song Yaoyao remains perceptive and sardonic, treating the palace intrigue as a spectacle while choosing to intervene once she knows Zhu You’s killers.
• Nian Fengyuan’s Shadow Guards carry out his orders but accidentally escalate the crisis by killing Zhu You.

Significant themes

• Political manipulation and false blame: planted evidence turns suspicion into conflict.
• The cost of impulsive power: Nian Fengyuan’s decisions threaten the alliance he still needs.
• Unintended consequences and revenge: an order meant only to injure becomes a death that could reshape court politics.
• Appearance versus truth: both the palace killings and Zhu You’s death are concealed or misattributed, while Song Yaoyao knows what really happened.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao tells Chen Yixiao that Zhu You was beaten to death by men sent by Nian Fengyuan, hoping to turn Zhu Qin against Nian.
• Zhu Qin learns the truth and retreats into his study. Convinced Nian Fengyuan will neither trust the Zhu family nor spare them once secure on the throne, he begins planning to seize power himself. He quietly signals officials who had supported Nian, and they consider hedging their bets by backing Zhu.
• Nian Siting suspects Song Yaoyao’s group killed the Imperial Shadow Guards and wants to meet them.
• With Suyu City sealed off, shortages and rising prices leave residents desperate. After hearing that the armies have been wiped out and only a few officers remain at the gates, people from inside and outside the city unite and force the gates open.
• The seventh prince, Nian Xiaoqing, secretly incites the crowd. Seeing Nian Fengyuan’s forces defeated by the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom, he views the open gates as an opportunity to enter the city and pursue his ambitions.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhu Qin shifts from supporting Nian Fengyuan to plotting against him, recognizing too late that Nian is ruthless and cannot be relied upon.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua openly aim to provoke conflict between Zhu Qin and Nian Fengyuan, while Chen Yixiao agrees to help deliver the news.
• Nian Xiaoqing moves from believing his chances at the throne are gone to exploiting Nian Fengyuan’s military collapse.
• The city’s residents, driven by hardship, act collectively to open the gates; Nian Xiaoqing manipulates their desperation while staying hidden among them.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and political opportunism: Nian Fengyuan’s violence destroys his alliance with Zhu Qin, while officials shift loyalties to protect themselves.
• Power and ambition: Zhu Qin and Nian Xiaoqing both see the weakening of Nian Fengyuan as an opening to claim greater power.
• Public suffering and unrest: The siege’s shortages and inflation push ordinary people into revolt, showing how political conflict falls hardest on civilians.

Plot points and events

• Nian Xiaoqing and the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Princes enter Suyu City in disguise and hide there.
• Song Yaoyao decides to unite the princes against Nian Fengyuan, whom she considers unfit to rule. Guagua finds the princes’ hiding places, and Song shares the plan with Chen Yixiao.
• Chen Yixiao and the others visit the recovering Twelfth Prince, Nian Hengzhi, and Thirteenth Prince, Nian Qiyu. They confirm that their group used a drone to expose events surrounding Nian Fengyuan, but Chen refuses to sell it, citing its strategic value.
• Chen tells the brothers that several princes are in the city and urges them to contact them and join forces to depose Nian Fengyuan. He provides their locations.
• Chen advises them not to contact the Eleventh Prince yet, so he remains unaware that he has been exposed. He also recommends telling Nian Xiaoqing that Nian Siting is feigning foolishness and commands the army outside the city, likely prompting Xiaoqing to target Siting.
• Chen warns that Zhu Qin may pursue the throne himself, even if he does not support Nian Fengyuan. Hengzhi and Qiyu agree to stay alert.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains the strategist behind the effort, coordinating intelligence and pushing for a coalition of imperial princes.
• Chen Yixiao is cautious and direct: he shares critical information but refuses to risk the group’s advantage by giving away the drone.
• Hengzhi and Qiyu, grateful to Song for saving them from being turned into puppets, recover and commit to acting against Nian Fengyuan. They are intrigued by the drone but accept Chen’s refusal.
• The brothers respond readily to Chen’s political guidance, agreeing to recruit allies, exploit rivalries, and watch Zhu Qin.

Significant themes

• Legitimacy and justice: The princes are encouraged to remove an unworthy ruler and restore the throne to the imperial family.
• Strategy and secrecy: Hidden identities, intelligence, and carefully timed alliances shape the resistance.
• Power and ambition: Zhu Qin’s private desire for the throne complicates the princes’ common cause.
• Technology as leverage: The drone offers a major advantage, making restraint and control of knowledge essential.

Plot points and events

• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu discuss how thoroughly the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom’s intelligence network has exposed private secrets. They fear it may have agents among them, but reassure themselves that their early pledge of allegiance should keep them safe.
• The next evening, they visit Nian Xiaoqing, who is surprised because he believed they were imprisoned. Nian Qiyu explains that Nian Siting freed them after killing Nian Fengyuan’s guards.
• Nian Qiyu reveals that Nian Siting had once genuinely been a fool but recovered long ago and has pretended ever since to conceal his ambitions. He secretly built up his power, used puppet gu to try to control the brothers, and orchestrated the poisoned water supply and surprise attack that crippled Nian Xiaoqing’s army.
• A physician removed the gu from Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu. They warn Nian Xiaoqing to be cautious, but he says he will investigate before deciding what to do.
• The brothers then explain their real purpose: to join forces against Nian Fengyuan, whom they accuse of lacking imperial blood, killing the emperor, and becoming involved with Qin Luou. Nian Xiaoqing wants to act but has lost his army, while Nian Fengyuan still has Grand Tutor Zhu’s support.

Character developments

• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu are now aligned with the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom and wary of its reach. They present themselves as allies to Nian Xiaoqing while keeping the source of their information secret.
• Nian Xiaoqing shifts from confusion to anger at Nian Siting’s betrayal, but remains cautious and insists on verifying the claims. His military weakness limits his options.
• Nian Siting is revealed as a long-term schemer: his feigned foolishness concealed his recovery, growing influence, and ruthless methods.
• Nian Fengyuan remains the brothers’ main political target, though the new revelations identify Nian Siting as a separate, hidden threat.

Significant themes

• Deception and concealed identity: Nian Siting’s years-long act shows how appearances can mask ambition.
• Intelligence and mistrust: The Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom’s reach makes even trusted circles seem vulnerable to infiltration.
• Power through manipulation: Poison, gu, and secret armies allow Nian Siting to weaken rivals without open confrontation.
• Political alliance and caution: The princes seek cooperation, but Nian Xiaoqing requires proof before trusting their account.

Character interactions

• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu privately acknowledge their fear of the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom’s intelligence network.
• They give Nian Xiaoqing a detailed warning about Nian Siting, prompting his shock and anger.
• Nian Xiaoqing challenges their claims and plans an independent investigation before acting.
• The brothers propose joining forces against Nian Fengyuan, but Nian Xiaoqing points out that his lack of an army leaves him at a disadvantage.

Key plot points and events

• Nian Qiyu tells Nian Xiaoqing that Nian Fengyuan has turned against Grand Tutor Zhu: believing a false accusation, Nian Fengyuan retaliated by killing Zhu Qin’s youngest son. Zhu Qin is therefore unlikely to support him, but remains dangerous because he wants the throne for himself.
• Nian Xiaoqing agrees to unite against Fifth Brother. Before joining the others, he sends someone to investigate whether Eldest Brother has been pretending to be foolish—an answer that could expose him as responsible for destroying Xiaoqing’s army.
• Xiaoqing, Nian Hengzhi, and Nian Qiyu meet Ninth Prince Nian Jingyun and Tenth Prince Nian Yuzhou. Yuzhou initially wants to avoid the succession struggle, but Xiaoqing argues that he cannot withdraw once he has become involved. Yuzhou and Jingyun both agree to oppose Fifth Brother. The princes begin discussing a strategy, though no plan is settled yet.
• Meanwhile, rumors about Qin Luou reach the public. Minister Qin’s household confirms that she was the Late Emperor’s consort and claims she died out of devotion after his death. The crowd rejects this account, speculates that she faked her death and later changed her face, and condemns both her and the Qin family.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Xiaoqing takes a more active leadership role, building a coalition and pressing Yuzhou for a clear commitment. His suspicion of Eldest Brother also reveals a personal motive for investigating the prince.
• Nian Yuzhou presents himself as reluctant and politically weak, asking only to be spared, but ultimately joins the opposition to Fifth Brother.
• Nian Jingyun is openly hostile to Fifth Brother and readily agrees to act against him.
• Nian Qiyu and Nian Hengzhi accompany Xiaoqing as he seeks support from the other princes.
• Song Yaoyao, eager for gossip, rushes with Chen Yixiao and the others to watch the crowd’s reaction at Minister Qin’s residence. The steward’s explanation fails to persuade anyone.

Significant themes

• Political alliance and survival: Even princes who claim not to want power may be unable to escape the succession struggle once involved.
• Rumor and reputation: The crowd turns an official defense into further scandal, showing how public opinion can overwhelm evidence.
• Betrayal and ambition: Nian Fengyuan’s conflict with Zhu Qin and Zhu Qin’s own designs make every potential ally a threat.
• Public hypocrisy and gendered condemnation: Qin Luou and her family are subjected to degrading accusations based on speculation, while the political motives behind the rumors remain unresolved.

Plot points and events

• An angry crowd surrounds the Qin residence, blaming Qin Luou for Divine Healer Valley’s refusal to supply medicine to the Dragon Abyss Kingdom. They fear soldiers at the frontier will die without wound medicine and demand that Minister Qin explain himself.
• The steward tries to dismiss the protesters as unruly peasants, but the crowd grows bolder and threatens to tear down the residence. Minister Qin has been watching from hiding; furious, he curses them, then decides to address them before they force their way inside.
• When Minister Qin finally appears, protesters mock him with crude rumors about his relations with his daughter-in-law and other women in the Qin family.
• Song Qinghui covers Song Yaoyao’s ears to shield her from the vulgarity. Yaoyao, however, had been enjoying the spectacle. She and Guagua then trade increasingly personal insults, exposing each other’s romantic failures until Chen Yixiao is left speechless.

Character developments and interactions

• Minister Qin is enraged by the public accusations and insults, but his fear of the crowd’s numbers pushes him to face them.
• The crowd acts collectively and confidently, convinced that the political turmoil will prevent authorities from punishing everyone. Their anger is driven by fear for loved ones at the frontier.
• Song Qinghui shows protective concern for Yaoyao by covering her ears.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua reveal their familiar, teasing dynamic: each knows how to embarrass the other, especially over their romantic inexperience.
• Chen Yixiao watches their quarrel with exasperation.

Significant themes

• Public anger and accountability: The crowd demands that the Qin family answer for consequences affecting ordinary people.
• Power and collective resistance: The protesters believe numbers give them leverage against an influential household.
• Comedy through contrast: A grave political confrontation is undercut by crude heckling and Yaoyao and Guagua’s playful bickering.

Key plot points

• Outraged citizens surround the Qin Residence, blaming Qin Luou for offending the Valley Master of Divine Healer Valley and risking the supply of wound medicine needed by soldiers at the Frontier.
• Minister Qin’s explanation fails to calm them. The authorities refuse to help, with Capital Prefect Lord Yang deliberately staying out of trouble because he belongs to a rival political faction.
• The crowd starts throwing stones. Minister Qin uses a servant as a shield, worsening the public’s anger; his other servants then shield him and take the blows.
• The crowd rushes the residence and beats Minister Qin and his attendants, threatening to tear the place down.
• Minister Qin offers compensation to stop the assault. When pressed for specifics, he reveals he intends to pay only five taels per soldier. The offer enrages the crowd further, and the beating resumes.

Character developments and interactions

• Minister Qin shifts from defensive explanations to desperation, trying to protect himself and bargain his way out. His attempt to use a servant as a shield—and his hostile response to questions—makes him appear callous and dishonest.
• The crowd moves from demanding an explanation to violence as they lose faith in Qin’s promises. Their concern is for relatives at the Frontier, but their anger also targets Qin Luou and her family.
• The servants protect their master, suffering injuries in the process.
• Lord Yang does not appear in person, but his refusal to send help reveals the factional politics behind the authorities’ inaction.

Significant themes

• Public anger and accountability: The crowd holds Minister Qin responsible for his daughter’s actions and the possible loss of medical supplies.
• Political factionalism: Personal and factional rivalries shape whether officials intervene.
• Powerlessness and mob violence: With no help from the authorities and no trust in Qin’s assurances, the crowd turns to force.
• Failed appeasement: Qin’s vague promise and inadequate compensation deepen distrust rather than restore order.

Key events

• The crowd accuses Minister Qin of offering too little compensation: five taels would not even buy a dose of wound medicine for soldiers on the frontier.
• A frightened, seemingly innocent scholar suggests Qin might retaliate against him. The crowd rallies to protect the scholar and warns Qin they will report any harm that comes to him.
• Under pressure and after being beaten, Qin agrees to negotiate. After bargaining, he settles on twenty taels of silver per soldier.
• Families with soldiers’ enlistment certificates begin collecting the money. Song Yaoyao observes that news of the payout will attract claimants from across the surrounding region, likely leaving Qin unable to pay everyone.

Character developments and interactions

• Minister Qin goes from trying to control the situation to making concessions under the crowd’s anger. His short-term solution may create an overwhelming financial crisis.
• Song Yaoyao recognizes the wider consequences of Qin’s decision and suspects the scholar’s performance is deliberate.
• Guagua confirms the scholar is an operative of Nian Siting and a former stage performer, explaining his convincing show of fear and innocence.
• The crowd protects the scholar, confronts Qin, then shifts from violence to negotiation once compensation becomes the priority.

Significant themes

• Public pressure and accountability: The crowd’s united action forces a powerful official to negotiate.
• Short-term fixes and unintended consequences: Qin settles the immediate dispute without considering how many people may soon demand payment.
• Performance and manipulation: The scholar’s staged vulnerability helps turn the crowd against Qin.
• Compensation and competing motives: Some families want money for medicine and their loved ones’ survival, while others may simply want the silver.

Key events

• Song Yaoyao and Guagua leave after the first confrontation at Minister Qin’s residence, but Guagua keeps watching events there. Minister Qin, furious that his concubines and children hid while he was being beaten, drives them away when they later pretend to be concerned.
• Song predicts the Qin household will face renewed public anger, and that its self-interested residents may flee. Those around her agree that Minister Qin’s mishandling of compensation has only postponed a larger crisis.
• Five days later, families from outside Suyu City gather at the residence with enlistment certificates, demanding compensation for relatives serving at the frontier. Qin, having spent the available funds on earlier claimants, says there is no silver left.
• Qin has bought at least fifty guards and stays behind them rather than face the crowd directly. The claimants reject his explanation and, after he refuses to pay, decide to take valuables from the residence and pawn them for what they are owed.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains confident in her prediction and treats the unfolding crisis as entertainment, asking Guagua to keep reporting. Though she and Guagua had just argued, they quickly resume their familiar banter and gossip.
• Guagua acts as Song’s informant, monitoring the Qin residence and sending her footage.
• Minister Qin regrets his earlier decision but cannot undo its consequences. His fear of another beating makes him rely on guards; his claim that the household is out of money fails to persuade the crowd.
• The claimants shift from demanding an explanation to taking matters into their own hands. Their desperation and anger overwhelm Qin’s attempt to control the situation.

Significant themes

• Poor leadership breeds escalating crises: Qin’s handling of compensation creates resentment that grows rather than disappears.
• Class inequality and desperation: Wealthy households’ claims of having no money ring hollow to people struggling to support families.
• Hypocrisy and self-interest: Qin condemns his household’s feigned concern, while Song predicts its members may abandon him.
• Public accountability: The crowd refuses to accept official authority as a substitute for fair treatment.

Plot points and events

• Commoners break through the Qin Residence’s guards and loot the household, claiming they are collecting compensation owed to the soldiers. Some take only one item and promise to return any surplus money after pawning it; many others take extra valuables.
• Minister Qin tries to stop them but is overwhelmed, suffers a fit of rage, and faints. The looting spreads from the front hall to the family’s private rooms, where residents are shoved aside and ornaments are pulled from their hair.
• Song Yaoyao observes that some opportunists join in despite having no relatives in the army. Within hours, the residence is stripped of nearly everything—including its garden flowers, koi, lotuses, kitchen water vat, and even chamber pots.
• Most people who promised to return extra silver fail to do so; only a few keep their word. Government troops arrive after the damage is done, with Song Yaoyao noting that the capital’s regular forces have been devastated and the arriving prefectural officers are largely making a token appearance.
• Prefect Lord Yang visits Minister Qin and offers a seemingly sympathetic but deeply sarcastic rebuke. He argues that Qin caused the crisis by promising twenty taels to each of hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and tells him to think before speaking. Qin realizes Yang is deliberately provoking him but cannot understand why.

Character developments and interactions

• Minister Qin shifts from trying to control the crowd to helpless rage and humiliation. Lord Yang’s remarks make him suspect that the prefect intentionally let events unfold, though he does not know the reason.
• Song Yaoyao watches the looting with amused, cynical commentary, recognizing both the greed of opportunists and the political maneuvering behind the delayed response.
• Lord Yang presents himself as apologetic while blaming Qin and mocking his extravagant promise. His exchange with Qin suggests he is acting with deliberate hostility.
• The commoners are divided between those who honor their promise to return surplus funds and the majority who succumb to greed; opportunists exploit the disorder for personal gain.

Significant themes

• Greed and mob behavior: A grievance over compensation becomes indiscriminate looting, with the crowd taking whatever can be carried.
• Consequences of reckless promises: Qin’s generous pledge fuels the crisis and leaves him exposed to blame.
• Political manipulation and performative authority: Officials arrive too late to help, while Lord Yang uses the visit to publicly needle Qin.
• Uneven integrity: A small minority keeps its word, highlighting the contrast between honest conduct and opportunism.

Key events

• After Lord Yang’s officials abruptly leave the Qin Residence, Minister Qin wonders why they came. Song Yaoyao and Guagua recognize that the visit was merely a formality.
• The Qin household’s belongings have been removed, leaving Minister Qin disgraced and his family without their possessions. The incident becomes citywide gossip.
• Two days later, Guagua tells Song Yaoyao that five princes—Nian Xiaoqing, Nian Hengzhi, Nian Qiyu, Nian Jingyun, and Nian Yuzhou—are going to confront Nian Fengyuan at court. Song watches the proceedings through Guagua’s footage.
• The princes arrive together, drawing the ministers’ attention. In court, they challenge Nian Fengyuan’s legitimacy and accuse him of murdering their father, pursuing their father’s consort, causing the physician Sima Yifeng’s flight and a ban on medicine, and forging the succession edict.
• Nian Fengyuan denies the accusations and insists the edict is genuine, but he refuses to swear an oath to prove it. Nian Xiaoqing then states plainly that they have come to remove him from the throne.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao eagerly anticipates the princes’ confrontation and watches it unfold.
• Nian Fengyuan tries to maintain his authority, but the princes’ direct accusations expose his defensiveness and apparent guilt.
• Nian Xiaoqing leads the challenge, taunts Fengyuan, and cuts off further argument to declare their aim.
• Nian Hengzhi, Nian Qiyu, Nian Jingyun, and Nian Yuzhou each add specific charges. Qiyu confronts Fengyuan over his relationship with their father’s consort; Jingyun condemns the consequences for frontier soldiers; Yuzhou challenges him over the allegedly forged edict.
• The ministers keep their distance from the princes, apparently more interested in witnessing the impending political spectacle than intervening.

Significant themes

• Legitimacy and rightful rule: The princes dispute Fengyuan’s claim to the throne and the authenticity of the succession edict.
• Power and accountability: Fengyuan is publicly confronted with alleged crimes and the harm they caused.
• Public judgment and shame: Both the Qin affair and Fengyuan’s past conduct become subjects of widespread gossip and open criticism.

Key plot points and events

• Nian Fengyuan confronts the princes, who accuse him of murdering their father and forging the imperial edict to seize the throne.
• Nian Xiaoqing’s reinforcements arrive, and a battle erupts between the princes’ larger force and Fengyuan’s smaller but highly trained Shadow Guards.
• While the ministers shelter, Zhu Qin watches, hoping both factions will weaken enough for him to seize control.
• Nian Xiaoqing defeats Fengyuan in combat and kills him with a sword through the heart. The remaining Shadow Guards are also slain.
• Zhu Qin’s men then enter, loudly claiming to avenge the emperor and condemning the princes as rebels.
• Nian Hengzhi exposes Zhu Qin’s alleged plot before the assembled ministers: he says Zhu Qin helped Fengyuan take power, later fell out with him, and now intends to claim the throne himself. The chapter ends with Zhu Qin denying the accusation, but the ministers have already moved away from him.

Character developments

• Nian Xiaoqing takes decisive action, leading the assault and personally killing Fengyuan.
• Nian Fengyuan loses both his throne and his life after his forces are overwhelmed; his pleas for help from Zhu Qin go unanswered.
• Zhu Qin is revealed—or publicly accused—as an opportunistic schemer who waited for the rivals to weaken before making his move.
• Zhu Ting, Fengyuan’s son, reacts to his father’s death with grief and hatred toward Xiaoqing.
• Nian Hengzhi boldly challenges Zhu Qin and lays out the history behind the political conflict.

Significant themes

• Legitimacy and justice: The princes frame their rebellion as a response to a throne obtained through murder and forgery.
• Ambition and betrayal: Zhu Qin’s shifting loyalties suggest that political alliances are driven by self-interest.
• Power through force: The outcome is determined not only by claims of rightful rule but by the balance of numbers and military skill.
• Public exposure: Zhu Qin’s attempt to operate from the shadows is undermined when Hengzhi accuses him openly.

Character interactions

• Xiaoqing and Fengyuan clash in a prolonged fight, ending with Xiaoqing’s fatal strike.
• Zhu Qin silently restrains Zhu Ting from rushing forward, even as Ting grieves and vows revenge.
• Zhu Qin’s soldiers confront the princes, while Hengzhi turns their accusations back on them by identifying them as Zhu Qin’s agents.
• The ministers distance themselves from Zhu Qin once his motives are stated publicly, leaving him isolated.

Key events

• Zhu Qin openly admits plotting to seize the throne and argues that power belongs to whoever can take it. He orders his men to attack Nian Xiaoqing’s faction.
• Nian Xiaoqing signals for reinforcements. Hundreds of prepared troops arrive, turning the battle against Zhu Qin; his forces are defeated.
• Zhu Qin tries to kill himself, but Nian Xiaoqing stops him. Zhu Qin and his son, Zhu Ting, are captured. Nian Xiaoqing orders the Zhu residence surrounded, and Empress Dowager Zhu Lianyue is forced to drink poison.
• The Zhu family and their extended kin are exterminated. Zhu Qin and Zhu Ting are executed by the thousand cuts.
• With the throne vacant, Nian Xiaoqing becomes the leading prince and oversees state affairs. The public largely supports him.
• Nian Siting and Nian Zhiyun, both plotting from the shadows, discuss how to remove Nian Xiaoqing. Each sees his growing influence as a threat, though Zhiyun warns against acting rashly.
• The chapter ends as Nian Xiaoqing, exhausted from reviewing memorials, receives the return of agents he had sent to investigate Nian Siting.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Xiaoqing reveals that he anticipated Zhu Qin’s rebellion and had troops ready. He takes control of state affairs but now faces potential rivals.
• Zhu Qin drops all pretense, openly embraces his ambition, and is defeated. Nian Xiaoqing denies him an honorable suicide, insisting he face punishment.
• Nian Siting resents Nian Xiaoqing’s popularity and plans to exploit his early inexperience in government.
• Nian Zhiyun remains cautious and concealed, weighing a plan against Nian Xiaoqing rather than acting immediately.
• The ministers and princes initially expect Zhu Qin to win, then witness Nian Xiaoqing’s decisive reversal. The people, by contrast, celebrate the prospect of Nian Xiaoqing’s rule.

Significant themes

• Ambition and legitimacy: Zhu Qin argues that rulers gain power by taking it, echoing the Nian family’s own rise.
• Preparedness and political calculation: Nian Xiaoqing’s advance planning defeats Zhu Qin, while rival princes quietly position themselves for future conflict.
• Power and public opinion: Nian Xiaoqing’s military reputation earns popular support, but his rise also intensifies court intrigue.
• Merciless retribution: The destruction of Zhu Qin’s family shows the extreme violence used to secure political control.

Key plot points and events

• A spy reports to Nian Xiaoqing that the Eldest Prince has been secretly receiving advisers through a back entrance. The spy’s records reveal that the prince has a hidden family: six concubines, six sons, and four daughters living on a separate manor.
• Nian Xiaoqing realizes he badly underestimated his eldest brother. He suspects the prince has achieved much while appearing harmless and takes seriously reports that the prince is skilled with poisons, gu poison, and poisonous insects. He orders his own poison experts summoned.
• With Suyu City’s gates reopened and shops bustling again, Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss going out. Yaoyao rejects Guagua’s suggestion that they visit a male brothel, fearing her family’s reaction, and chooses to shop for New Year supplies instead.
• Song Qinghui and Liu Zheheng accompany her. Qinghui privately resolves to keep a close eye on his sister, especially as she approaches fourteen, and thinks no man is worthy of her.
• Back at the Marquis’s residence, Madam Song rereads Yaoyao’s letters and worries because it has been twenty days since the last one. Song Qingling reassures her that Yaoyao is safe with Qinghui and Liu Zheheng and should return soon. They note that the Emperor’s cover story—that Yaoyao is ill and recuperating at Baiyun Temple—has prevented curious visitors from discovering her absence.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Xiaoqing grows more wary and strategic after learning how much the Eldest Prince has concealed; he responds by preparing for possible poison-based threats.
• Song Yaoyao remains playful and impulsive, eager to browse and admire handsome men, but ultimately avoids the brothel out of concern for her family’s punishment.
• Guagua tries to coax Yaoyao outdoors, then trades teasing insults and sings nonsensically while she shops.
• Song Qinghui acts as a protective older brother, shadowing Yaoyao and privately worrying about unwanted male attention.
• Madam Song shows persistent maternal anxiety through her repeated reading of Yaoyao’s letters; Qingling comforts her and explains how the official cover story protects Yaoyao’s absence.

Significant themes

• Deception and hidden power: The Eldest Prince’s foolish persona conceals a family, advisers, and dangerous capabilities.
• Family protection and affection: Qinghui guards Yaoyao, while Madam Song anxiously awaits her return.
• Humor amid political tension: Yaoyao and Guagua’s banter contrasts with the escalating struggle for the vacant throne.
• Appearances versus reality: Both the prince’s harmless image and the family’s explanation of Yaoyao’s whereabouts conceal the truth.