Chapter Summaries

• The scandal is exposed: Guests discover An Lei and Youping Commandery Princess entangled together. The unmarried women avert their eyes, but Song Yaoyao tries eagerly to push through for a better view. Her eldest brother, Song Qingyu, carries her away, while Madam Song glares at her and resolves to discipline her at home.
• The families respond: Han Jingwan is horrified and orders servants to intervene; a servant throws cold water on the pair, bringing them to their senses. An Lei realizes the woman is the princess—not Han Manxi—and faints. Prince Xian and Princess Xian rush to Duke Anguo’s Estate. Princess Xian embraces her daughter, Chen Jiaping, and promises justice, while Chen calmly leaves the negotiations to her father, expecting him to secure the best outcome.
• The guests find a way to stay: Duke Anguo’s wife ends the banquet early and asks everyone to leave. Song Yaoyao worries that departing will put her beyond the range of Guagua’s gossip updates. The other guests understand the problem and invent excuses to admire the rear garden, persuading their hostess to let them remain there.
• The aftermath becomes gossip: Guagua reveals that Princess Xian accused An Lei of rape and attacked him, scratching his face and leaving him disheveled. Chen Jiaping eventually pulled her mother away. Song Yaoyao regrets missing the fight and admits she enjoys watching dramatic confrontations; the other guests privately share her interest, though propriety keeps them from saying so.
  Character developments and interactions: Song Yaoyao remains shamelessly curious, while Song Qingyu and Madam Song try to restrain her. Chen Jiaping appears composed and practical, relying on her father to negotiate; Princess Xian is protective and furious on her behalf. The guests cooperate to help Song Yaoyao keep access to the unfolding scandal, revealing that their outward decorum conceals a shared appetite for spectacle.
  Themes: The chapter plays comedy against a serious accusation of sexual assault, highlighting family protection, reputation and negotiation, as well as the gap between respectable public behavior and private curiosity.

Key plot points and events

• Prince Xian demands that Duke Anguo resolve An Lei’s scandalous involvement with the Youping Commandery Princess. Since Han Jingwan is still An Lei’s lawful wife—and cannot be demoted without insulting her powerful family—the Duke proposes waiting until she dies before arranging the marriage.
• A servant reports that Han Jingwan has coughed up blood and collapsed. Both the manor physician and an imperial physician say her incurable illness has worsened after a severe shock and that she is unlikely to survive.
• The Duke tells his family he has agreed to seek the Youping Commandery Princess’s hand for An Lei after Han Jingwan’s funeral. An Lei protests, but his father beats and threatens him, then has him confined.
• The old madam reveals that Han Jingwan had plotted against Han Manxi, but Han Manxi and her sibling knew of the scheme and turned it against her. The family suspects the princess acted willingly and worries that Prince Xian’s household will be formidable opponents.
• Song Yaoyao and her family leave the estate. Two days later, Han Jingwan dies. At the funeral, Song learns through Guagua that the Youping Commandery Princess is already pregnant with twins—one boy and one girl—after her recent encounter with An Lei.

Character developments and interactions

• Duke of An prioritizes the family’s political survival, accepting the proposed marriage and forcing his unwilling son to comply.
• An Lei shows little agency: he objects to marrying the princess, but fear of his father silences him.
• Han Jingwan dies after her illness worsens, with her earlier scheming having backfired and failed to secure the outcome she wanted for her children.
• The old duke and old madam recognize the danger of entanglement with Prince Xian’s family; the old madam also pieces together how Han Jingwan’s plot was reversed.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua provide a humorous, gossipy commentary on events, particularly the princess’s pregnancy and imminent entry into the household.

Significant themes

• Consequences and retribution: Guagua frames Han Jingwan’s downfall as the result of her own wrongdoing.
• Power and political pressure: The Duke’s family bends to Prince Xian’s influence, while An Lei’s personal wishes count for little.
• Marriage, status, and family interests: The household’s plans are shaped by rank, lawful marital status, and the need to avoid offending powerful relatives.
• Innocent children bearing the cost: Han Jingwan’s children may suffer from the consequences of the adults’ schemes and the rapid arrival of a pregnant stepmother.

Key plot points and events

• After visiting Duke Anguo’s estate, Song Yaoyao and her sister, Song Qingling, agree to join Han Manxi, Han Chuyu, and two other women for tea at Quietude House.
• Han Manxi and Han Chuyu emerge from the estate upset. Guagua reveals that the duchess privately scolded them for exposing Han Jingwan’s scheme, blaming them for making the ducal household a subject of gossip.
• Song Yaoyao privately thinks the sisters were too restrained in their retaliation and imagines a much harsher way to disgrace the household.
• At the teahouse, Han Manxi introduces her relatives Mei Yingxue and Mei Ruoting. Song notices Mei Yingxue eating urgently and discovers through Guagua that she has gone two days without food after being punished by her mother-in-law.
• Guagua reveals that Mei Yingxue’s husband, Du Yicheng, has never consummated their marriage. He told her he was unable to father children after an injury and asked her to keep it secret. Mei Yingxue has endured years of abuse and accusations of infertility, while Du intervenes only to prevent his mother from going too far.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao remains outspoken and fiercely protective of women she sees being mistreated, though her response is expressed through irreverent inner thoughts.
• Han Manxi and Han Chuyu, already upset by the duchess’s rebuke, begin to wonder whether their revenge on Han Jingwan was too mild.
• Mei Yingxue is revealed as long-suffering and loyal to her husband’s secret, despite receiving little care or protection in return.
• Du Yicheng is shown as self-protective: he lets his mother torment Mei Yingxue and steps in only when her life might be endangered.

Significant themes

• Double standards and power: The duchess condemns Han Manxi and Han Chuyu for responding to a scheme while overlooking the original wrongdoing.
• Gendered blame: Mei Yingxue is branded barren despite her husband’s undisclosed inability to have children—and the fact that their marriage has never been consummated.
• Endurance and complicity: Mei Yingxue’s silence protects Du Yicheng’s reputation but leaves her vulnerable to ongoing abuse.
• Public reputation versus private cruelty: The ducal household worries about gossip, while Mei Yingxue suffers mistreatment within another household.

Character interactions

• Han Manxi invites Song Yaoyao and Song Qingling to tea, and later introduces them to Mei Yingxue and Mei Ruoting.
• Song Yaoyao offers Mei Yingxue tea after noticing her hurried eating, while Guagua’s revelations expose the hidden truth behind her suffering.
• Song Yaoyao’s inner commentary challenges the blame directed at the women and mocks Du Yicheng’s behavior.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao learns through Guagua that Du Yicheng’s claim of being unable to consummate his marriage was a lie.
• The Sixth Prince arrives to see Ou Ruoxuan, but Song Yaoyao dismisses him and presses Guagua to continue the revelations.
• Guagua explains that Du Yicheng has long been attracted to men. He met Liu Xu, a male courtesan, bought his freedom, and began a relationship with him.
• To satisfy his family’s expectations while keeping Liu Xu, Du Yicheng chose a wife from a lower-status family. He married Mei Yingxue, then told her on their wedding night that he was physically injured and asked her to conceal it.
• Mei Yingxue believed him and endured years of blame and disgrace. Hearing the truth overwhelms her, and she bursts into tears; Song Yaoyao mistakenly assumes she is grateful for the food.
• Du Yicheng and Liu Xu are still together, though Du has since brought three other young men into their household. The four men, once rivals, have developed relationships with one another and now want Du to support them all.

Character developments

• Mei Yingxue is revealed as an unsuspecting victim who protected Du Yicheng’s lie and bore its social consequences. Her emotional reaction suggests the truth has deeply affected her.
• Du Yicheng is exposed as deceptive and self-serving: he used marriage to Mei Yingxue as cover for his private relationships.
• Liu Xu and the other three men have formed a tangled, affectionate arrangement, shifting from rivalry to mutual attachment.
• Song Yaoyao remains curious and outspoken, reacting to the revelations with comic speculation, while failing to recognize Mei Yingxue’s real distress.
• The Sixth Prince arrives seeking Ou Ruoxuan but receives no attention from Song Yaoyao, who remains focused on the gossip.

Significant themes

• The harm caused by secrecy and social pressure, especially when a marriage is used to preserve appearances.
• Mei Yingxue’s unfair burden: she suffers reputational damage for a situation she did not understand.
• The contrast between public respectability and private lives.
• Comedy built from Song Yaoyao’s blunt curiosity, misunderstandings, and the group’s embarrassed reactions.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao repeatedly questions Guagua, whose revelations drive the scene.
• Mei Yingxue’s brief eye contact with Song Yaoyao and later tears hint at her response to the truth, though Song misreads it.
• The Sixth Prince’s arrival interrupts the conversation, but Song ignores him and resumes questioning.
• The surrounding group reacts with embarrassment and curiosity as Guagua’s account becomes increasingly intimate.

Chapter 72: Spring Willow Alley

• Plot and events: Song Yaoyao learns that Du Yicheng is at Number 72 Spring Willow Alley, where four men live. Suspecting he is visiting them, she persuades the group—including Mei Yingxue and the Sixth Prince—to take a stroll there. They spot Du leaving the house, visiting a shop briefly, and returning. At the lane entrance, Song questions local women, who confirm that four men live at Number 72 and say they have a romantic relationship with one another. The women condemn them as a disgrace to the neighborhood.
• Character developments: Mei Yingxue has moved from shock and anger to controlled resolve; she recognizes Du immediately and quietly watches his movements. Song is eager to expose Du and uses sweets and a fabricated story to coax information from the neighbors. The Sixth Prince knowingly goes along with Song’s plan, though she privately regards him as useful protection.
• Character interactions: The Sixth Prince tries once more to walk beside Ou Ruoxuan, but she avoids him and joins Song and Song Qingling. Song’s irreverent inner commentary about Du and her teasing treatment of the Sixth Prince provide much of the chapter’s humor. The neighborhood women share their suspicions with Song after she earns their trust.
• Themes: The chapter highlights hypocrisy and the harm caused when someone conceals their desires by ruining another person’s life. It also contrasts private conduct with public reputation, while showing gossip and communal judgment shaping how the residents view Number 72. Song’s plan to bring witnesses suggests that exposure may be the first step toward accountability.

Chapter summary

• Mei Yingxue and Song Yaoyao bring the Sixth Prince and others to a courtyard where Mei’s husband, Du Yicheng, is discovered with four men. Mei identifies Du as a liar and attacks him; a guard restrains him so she can safely vent years of anger.
• Mei asks the Sixth Prince for a divorce. Du refuses, but she threatens to expose that he married her to hide his attraction to men, that they never shared a bed, and that his mother mistreated her while he knowingly did nothing. She insists they must divorce.
• Onlookers spread the scandal, and the Sixth Prince has the four men taken into custody. Du’s mother faints when she learns what happened. The commotion ends the group’s shopping trip.
• At court the next morning, a sleepy Song Yaoyao asks Guagua for sensational gossip to wake her up. Guagua begins revealing information about Minister Guo Huaiyu and his family, then turns to Guo’s eldest son, Guo Hongxuan. The chapter ends as Guagua explains that, before marriage, Hongxuan rescued Kang Peiyi and set her up as his kept mistress.

Character developments and interactions

• Mei Yingxue moves from years of silent suffering to openly confronting Du and demanding her freedom. She makes clear that she will no longer accept blame for the harm he caused.
• Du Yicheng shifts from trying to assert authority to helplessly facing public exposure and the consequences of his deception.
• The Sixth Prince supports Mei’s effort to confront Du by helping open the courtyard and restraining the men through his guards.
• Song Yaoyao is upset by Mei’s ordeal, then brings her playful appetite for gossip into the next morning’s court proceedings, making officials nervous.
• Guo Huaiyu’s family is introduced through Guagua’s account: his marriage to Ding Rulan grew distant after he took four concubines. The emerging focus is on his son Hongxuan and Kang Peiyi.

Significant themes

• Truth and accountability: Du’s hidden life is exposed, along with his complicity in Mei’s mistreatment.
• A woman reclaiming agency: Mei refuses to remain trapped in a marriage that has damaged her life.
• Public scandal and gossip: The courtyard crowd treats the discovery as sensational entertainment, while court officials fear becoming the subject of similar revelations.
• Marriage, power, and neglect: The chapter contrasts Mei’s painful marriage with the gradual estrangement in Guo Huaiyu’s household.

Key plot points and events

• Guo Hongxuan began keeping Kang Peiyi as a mistress while still a teenager, and she became pregnant. His parents, Lord Guo and Madam Guo, were furious: they feared the scandal would damage the family’s reputation and marriage prospects. Lord Guo had Hongxuan beaten so severely that he was bedridden for three months.
• When the family arranged a marriage for him, Hongxuan refused because he loved Kang Peiyi. Madam Guo had Kang seized and threatened her life, forcing Hongxuan to comply.
• Hongxuan married Feng Jingwen, a general’s daughter who had fallen for him after he once saved her. He ignored her, abandoned her on their wedding night, and continued to avoid her for months.
• Pressured to consummate the marriage, Hongxuan arranged for his identical shadow to take his place. Feng never realized they were different men; she mistook the shadow’s affection at night and Hongxuan’s coldness by day for contradictory sides of her husband.
• The shadow was revealed to be Hongxuan’s older twin brother. Their father, Guo Huaiyu, had planned to kill one twin because male twins were considered ill omens, but spared the firstborn after Madam Guo pleaded. He then sent the child to the Shadow Guard Camp, where he grew up nameless and was made Hongxuan’s servant and double.
• Hongxuan knew the shadow was his brother but coerced him into the deception by threatening to withhold the monthly antidote required by poisoned Shadow Guards.
• Feng later had two sons with the shadow: Guo Ruizhe and Guo Haochen. Kang Peiyi had already borne Hongxuan’s son, Guo Yifan. The video shocks the onlookers, and Guo Huaiyu turns pale as the general’s family reacts with anger.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao reacts with sharp humor and growing outrage, condemning the family’s treatment of Feng and the shadow.
• Guo Hongxuan is depicted as selfish and coercive: he resents the arranged marriage, mistreats Feng, and exploits his twin despite knowing their relationship.
• Feng Jingwen begins as a hopeful bride but is unknowingly deceived throughout her marriage.
• The shadow has been denied family, identity, and freedom. Although he initially resists, his dependence on the antidote leaves him unable to refuse Hongxuan.
• Madam Guo once fought to save her newborn, but later uses Kang Peiyi as leverage to force Hongxuan’s marriage and consummation.
• Guo Huaiyu’s decision to spare one twin only to consign him to a brutal life exposes his cruelty and the family’s hypocrisy.

Significant themes

• Patriarchal control and coercion: Women and the shadow are treated as tools in the family’s arrangements.
• Class and unequal fate: The twins’ identical origins lead to radically different lives because one is acknowledged as a noble heir and the other is discarded.
• Deception and consent: Feng’s marriage and the shadow’s role in it are built on concealment and coercion.
• Superstition and injustice: The belief that male twins bring misfortune drives an act of cruelty, which Song condemns as ignorance.
• Family hypocrisy: The Guos prioritize reputation and social standing while enabling profound harm within their own household.

Key plot points and events

• Guagua reveals that the person who rescued Feng Jingwen years ago was not Guo Hongxuan, but his identical twin, Shadow. Feng Jingwen has never learned Shadow exists and believes Guo saved her.
• Guo Hongxuan has long wanted to bring Kang Peiyi into the Guo estate, but Madam Guo resists because Kang’s presence would expose Guo Yifan as Guo Hongxuan’s illegitimate son—born before his two legitimate sons.
• Guagua reveals Kang Peiyi’s real identity: she is Miao Peiyi, daughter of Miao Rong, a rebel leader from the Miao Frontier. After her father’s rebellion failed and he was killed, she fled to the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom.
• Miao Peiyi’s story about being orphaned by bandits was fabricated. She was capable of escaping the men who appeared to harass her and carried poisons of her own.
• Miao Peiyi initially took shelter with Guo Hongxuan while planning to recover and eventually return home to avenge her father. Guo’s devoted care led her to fall in love with him.
• Afraid he would leave if he discovered who she was, she secretly infected him with a love gu. It binds his feelings and physical desire exclusively to her. There is no known cure in this era; killing either person would leave the survivor alive but suffering agonizing heart pain.
• The revelation alarms the officials, especially Guo Huaiyu, who fears the Miao Frontier’s retaliation if it learns the Guo household has sheltered a wanted rebel. The threat could endanger the entire kingdom.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao sympathizes with Feng Jingwen’s predicament and condemns Guo Hongxuan’s reckless, shameless conduct. She also questions how Miao Peiyi captivated him, then is horrified to learn he was magically bound to her.
• Guagua exposes the hidden histories behind the Guo family’s relationships and explains the danger posed by Miao Peiyi and the love gu.
• Miao Peiyi is revealed as a calculating fugitive who concealed her identity and used the gu to secure Guo Hongxuan’s devotion. Yet her feelings for him appear to have grown genuine before she acted.
• Guo Hongxuan is portrayed as both foolishly trusting and deeply entangled: he believed Miao Peiyi’s false story, cared for her, and became subject to her magical control.
• Guo Huaiyu becomes visibly terrified by the political consequences of the revelation, while nearby officials support him as he nearly collapses.
• Feng Jingwen, though absent from the scene, is caught in a painful identity mix-up: she unknowingly married Shadow, believing him to be Guo Hongxuan.
• Madam Guo’s refusal to admit Kang Peiyi into the estate reflects her effort to protect the family’s reputation and conceal Guo Yifan’s parentage.

Significant themes

• Deception and mistaken identity: Kang Peiyi’s false background and Shadow’s place in Guo Hongxuan’s life distort the relationships around them.
• Love, coercion, and consent: The love gu turns affection into magical control, raising fears about whether devotion can be genuine when a person’s feelings are manipulated.
• Family reputation and consequences: The Guo family’s forced marriage and later attempts at concealment have produced scandals that now threaten far more than its standing.
• Private choices with political consequences: Hiding a fugitive from the Miao Frontier could trigger conflict between nations, making personal secrets a matter of public danger.

Key events

• Song Yaoyao concludes that there is no local cure for the gu worm, reflecting on the tangled and tragic state of the Director of the Secretariat’s household.
• Two days later, Ou Ruoxuan, Mei Yingxue, Han Manxi, and Han Chuyu visit the Song Residence to say goodbye. All plan to leave the Capital the next day.
• Ou Ruoxuan confirms that she and the Sixth Prince are finished. Though he continues to follow her, she cannot forget what happened and wants them to part permanently.
• Mei Yingxue has divorced Du Yicheng. The Du household is in disarray: four men have moved in, claiming Du Yicheng as their source of support and fighting over household goods. Mei plans to open a shop in Border City selling Capital-style food.
• Han Manxi says her elder sister has died and that her grandfather has urged the family to return home.
• The visitors bring gifts, and the Songs decide to host them—and the servants—for a hot-pot meal. The chapter ends with the guests unsure how to eat the unfamiliar spread.

Character developments and interactions

• Ou Ruoxuan calmly rejects any reconciliation with the Sixth Prince, choosing distance and peace over revisiting a painful relationship.
• Mei Yingxue takes practical steps toward independence after her divorce, hoping to support herself through a business.
• Han Manxi has become disillusioned with marriage after seeing the dangers of household politics; she now wishes to return home.
• Song Yaoyao supports the women’s plans and champions financial independence, though her private fantasy of wealth is mostly about leisure and being pampered. Guagua teases her for preaching independence while avoiding hard work.
• The women share an easy, affectionate farewell. Their reaction to Yaoyao’s extravagant fantasy reveals that, after their hardships, they value comfort and personal happiness—though Han Chuyu finds the idea improper.

Significant themes

• Independence after marriage and divorce: Mei’s business plan and Ou’s firm separation show women seeking control over their futures.
• The cost of household and romantic entanglements: The gu worm and the Du household’s chaos reinforce how damaging manipulation and domestic power struggles can be.
• Female solidarity and healing: The women support one another as they prepare to leave, finding companionship and humor amid painful experiences.
• Comfort, money, and freedom: Yaoyao’s joking wish for wealth highlights the appeal of financial security and a life chosen on one’s own terms.

Chapter summary: “Guo Huaiyu’s demotion”

Key plot points

• After Song Yaoyao and Song Qingling introduce the guests to hot pot, everyone enjoys it. Before the guests leave, Yaoyao gives Han Chuyu several kinds of medicine, including a potentially life-saving pill.
• Inspired by the meal, Yaoyao considers opening a hot pot restaurant—but wants a partner to handle the work while she collects profits and enjoys the gossip.
• At court, Guo Huaiyu is demoted two ranks for failing to keep his household in order. Yaoyao initially guesses that one of his concubines ran off with a man, prompting confusion and anger.
• A bizarre song about a bankrupt leather factory briefly plays on Guagua’s screen before Yaoyao gets the gossip she actually wanted: General Feng Cong confronts Guo Hongxuan over his sons’ household scandal. Feng Jingwen learns the truth, discovers Shadow’s identical face beneath his mask, and demands a divorce.
• Feng Cong obtains the emperor’s approval for the divorce and custody of Feng Jingwen’s children. He returns her dowry and takes her and the boys away from the capital so she can begin again.
• The emperor also arrests Miao Peiyi and Guo Yifan, and imprisons Guo Hongxuan because of his connection to Miao Peiyi’s case. Guo Huaiyu and the rest of his household are spared after the investigation finds they knew nothing about it.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains entrepreneurial but indolent: she imagines profiting from a hot pot restaurant without doing the work. Her curiosity and irreverent jokes also drive the chapter’s gossip.
• Han Chuyu gratefully accepts Yaoyao’s medicine.
• Guo Huaiyu is furious at Yaoyao’s unfounded insinuation about his concubine, but the emperor’s inquiry ultimately clears him and his household of involvement in Guo Hongxuan’s affairs.
• Feng Jingwen moves from disbelief and grief to decisive action, rejecting both Guo Hongxuan and Shadow. She refuses to see Shadow and leaves the capital with her children.
• Feng Cong protects his daughter, confronts the men responsible, and secures her divorce, dowry, and custody.
• Guo Hongxuan faces imprisonment and the consequences of his choices. Shadow is also held responsible for the harm done to Feng Jingwen, despite his own complicated position.
• Miao Peiyi and Guo Yifan are detained while the emperor seeks assistance from the King of Miaojiang; Guo Hongxuan may also suffer from the love gu after Miao Peiyi’s death.

Significant themes

• Consequences and accountability: Guo Hongxuan’s choices bring personal and legal repercussions, while others who were uninvolved are cleared.
• Protection and fresh starts: Feng Cong’s support allows Feng Jingwen to escape a damaging marriage and begin anew.
• Gossip and comedy amid serious events: Yaoyao’s jokes and Guagua’s unusual broadcast contrast with the painful revelations.
• Caution about impulsive choices: Yaoyao concludes that bringing a stranger home can invite serious trouble.

Key plot points and events

• At court, Song Yaoyao hears that deaths are rising after floods in Jiangnan and suspects an epidemic. With Guagua’s help, she compiles treatment, prevention, and disinfection guidance, then secretly gives it to her father, Assistant Minister Song.
• The Empress summons Madam Song and her daughters to Weiyang Palace. They receive sedan chairs, and Song Yaoyao falls asleep during the ride, embarrassing her mother when she has to wake her.
• In the palace hall, Song Yaoyao’s unspoken conversation with Guagua becomes audible to the Empress and consorts. Her thoughts about the many beautiful women—and the emperor’s private life—leave some consorts amused and others blushing.
• Guagua reveals the story of Consort Jiang and Jiang Ziyi, her childhood companion. After Consort Jiang was selected for the palace, Jiang Ziyi became a eunuch so he could remain near her. Consort Jiang recognizes him on the displayed scene but conceals her emotion.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows both concern for people affected by disaster and her usual irreverent curiosity. She works with Guagua to help address the possible epidemic, then becomes distracted by the palace’s beauty and gossip.
• Guagua supplies practical medical knowledge as well as palace gossip, teasing Song Yaoyao about her appetite and comments.
• Assistant Minister Song receives Yaoyao’s compiled medical information, though the chapter does not show his response.
• Madam Song looks after her daughters and is embarrassed by Yaoyao’s sleepiness.
• Consort Jiang is visibly moved by the revelation of Jiang Ziyi’s devotion, but hides her reaction from the others.
• The Empress and consorts respond to Song Yaoyao’s audible inner thoughts with curiosity, amusement, and embarrassment; some are already familiar with the strange phenomenon.

Significant themes

• Compassion and public duty: Yaoyao turns her knowledge toward preventing further deaths after a disaster.
• Hidden thoughts and social exposure: Her private commentary disrupts palace decorum and reveals how differently people react when thoughts become public.
• Unrequited devotion and sacrifice: Jiang Ziyi gives up his former life to stay near Consort Jiang, without expecting recognition or reward.

Chapter summary

Key plot points and events

• The Empress Dowager joins the Empress, Madam Song, and Song Yaoyao, then asks Madam Song about her household.
• Guagua reveals Noble Consort Liu’s past and the cause of her miscarriage. Liu Yubing, once a spirited, martial-arts-loving general’s daughter, entered the palace for love of the emperor. His attention gradually faded, and she later lost her first pregnancy.
• The miscarriage was no accident: the late Consort Li, who had befriended Liu to gain influence, secretly added small amounts of summer grass to pastries she sent her. The substance caused Liu to miscarry and left her unable to conceive again. Repeated inspections failed to detect it.
• After seeing the evidence, Liu realizes Li was responsible. She resolves to take revenge on the surviving Li family.
• Guagua explains that Liu’s elaborate dress is meant to attract the emperor’s attention and reflects her continuing hope of having a child. The chapter ends as Guagua offers to reveal gossip about Liu’s younger brother.

Character developments

• Noble Consort Liu: Her former innocence and freedom have been worn down by palace life. Learning the truth turns long-held suspicion into anger and a determination to retaliate.
• Song Yaoyao: She eagerly welcomes gossip but reacts with sympathy to Liu’s suffering and condemns the emperor’s neglect of his many consorts.
• Consort Li: The revelations portray her as calculating and jealous: she cultivated Liu’s trust, then covertly destroyed her pregnancy and fertility.

Significant themes

• The palace’s apparent civility conceals rivalry, manipulation, and violence.
• A woman’s hopes and identity can be constrained by the emperor’s attention, marriage politics, and the loss of motherhood.
• Long-hidden wrongdoing may remain unpunished until the truth is exposed—and revelation can spark revenge.

Character interactions

• The Empress Dowager joins the gathering and speaks warmly with Madam Song.
• Li once acted as Liu’s confidante, offering comfort and advice, while secretly plotting against her.
• Song and Guagua discuss Liu’s story aloud, making private palace history public; Liu watches and learns the truth about her past.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao learns that Noble Consort Liu’s younger brother, Liu Zheheng, is a handsome twenty-year-old Flying Cavalry Commandant who earned his rank through his own efforts after joining the army under an assumed identity.
• Guagua explains that Liu Zheheng has close comrades-in-arms. Song Yaoyao briefly jumps to the conclusion that he may be attracted to men, but Guagua clarifies that he is simply devoted to military life and has not considered marriage.
• One of Liu Zheheng’s comrades, Cao Dashan, has a younger sister, Cao Xiaolan. Orphaned siblings, Cao Dashan brought her to live near his post and introduced her to his brothers-in-arms, who treated her like a little sister.
• Cao Xiaolan fell for Liu Zheheng at first sight. Cao Dashan, fearing the dangers of a soldier’s life, warned her against marrying a soldier and later stopped bringing the men to visit.
• Separated from Liu Zheheng, Cao Xiaolan became increasingly lovesick, grew ill, and was eventually visited by her worried brother. The excerpt ends there.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao openly admires Liu Zheheng’s looks in her thoughts, but insists that appreciating his appearance does not mean she has romantic feelings for him. Her playful, unfiltered inner commentary embarrasses the people around her.
• Noble Consort Liu is proud of her brother’s accomplishments, then anxiously wonders whether he might like men because he is unmarried; she is relieved when Guagua clears up the misunderstanding.
• Cao Dashan is protective of Cao Xiaolan and tries to steer her away from a dangerous life as a soldier’s wife, even hiding Liu Zheheng from her to discourage her attachment.
• Cao Xiaolan develops an intense crush on Liu Zheheng, and her longing deepens when she can no longer see him.
• Song Yaoyao’s blunt speculation about Liu Zheheng’s sexuality makes the Empress Dowager choke on her tea, prompting concern from the consorts.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus character: Song Yaoyao’s admiration of Liu Zheheng’s looks is played for comedy, while Cao Dashan emphasizes that a life partner should be dependable, not merely handsome.
• Love and separation: Cao Xiaolan’s feelings intensify when she is kept apart from Liu Zheheng, eventually affecting her health.
• The cost of military life: Cao Dashan fears that loving a soldier means enduring constant uncertainty and possible loss.
• Private thoughts and public decorum: The contrast between Song Yaoyao’s lively inner voice and her outward composure drives much of the humor.

Plot points

• Song Yaoyao and Guagua reveal that Cao Xiaolan has developed an intense, obsessive love for Liu Zheheng. She confesses to him, but he tactfully rejects her, explaining that he has no intention of marrying and cannot freely decide his future.
• Cao Dashan overhears the confession. He dismisses it to Liu as delirious talk caused by Cao Xiaolan’s illness, then angrily tells his sister he will never marry her to a man in the army.
• Heartbroken, Cao Xiaolan repeatedly stages crises—including hunger strikes and simulated suicide attempts—to pressure her brother. Cao Dashan remains firm, but eventually becomes so wary of her scenes that he checks on her from the doorway.
• Half a year later, Cao Xiaolan’s fixation has only worsened. Liu Zheheng and his men are ambushed while scouting; Cao Dashan is badly wounded while saving Liu.
• Liu and the other soldiers take Cao Dashan to his home so Cao Xiaolan can care for him. She shows brief concern for her brother, then focuses almost entirely on Liu, who leaves as quickly as possible.
• Afterward, Cao Xiaolan repeatedly tries to make Cao Dashan summon Liu by claiming her brother is unwell. When he refuses, she comes to resent him and sees him as an obstacle to her happiness.
• Cao Xiaolan begins secretly sabotaging Cao Dashan’s recovery: she weakens his medicine with water and wipes his wounds with a filthy handkerchief before bandaging them.

Character developments and interactions

• Cao Xiaolan shifts from lovesick and manipulative to openly resentful and dangerous. She interprets Cao Dashan’s refusal to help her pursue Liu as deliberate obstruction, despite her brother’s long-standing care.
• Cao Dashan tries to protect his sister while maintaining his boundary against marrying her into the army. His compassion leaves him vulnerable when he later depends on her for care.
• Liu Zheheng rejects Cao Xiaolan, avoids her advances, and feels guilty when Cao Dashan is injured saving him. He relies on Cao Dashan’s judgment when the confession is dismissed as illness.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua narrate and react to the events; Song expresses disbelief at Cao Xiaolan’s obsession and sympathy for Cao Dashan. The assembled listeners also feel sorry for him and become anxious to learn what happens next.

Significant themes

• Obsession and entitlement: Cao Xiaolan mistakes her desire for Liu for a claim on him and expects others to make it possible.
• Care turned against the caregiver: Cao Dashan’s devotion to his sister is repaid with blame and, eventually, covert harm.
• Manipulation and family boundaries: Cao Xiaolan’s staged crises pressure her brother, but his refusal to yield does not resolve her fixation.
• Vulnerability and betrayal: Once Cao Dashan is injured and reliant on Cao Xiaolan, her private resentment puts his recovery—and possibly his life—at risk.

Key plot points

• Cao Xiaolan deliberately leaves her wounded brother, Cao Dashan, without proper care. When his wound becomes infected and he develops a fever, she delays seeking a physician until it is too late. Cao Dashan dies believing in and calling for her.
• Liu Zheheng and the others investigate, but Cao Xiaolan pretends innocence and grief. They accept that her inexperience caused an accident, arrange Cao Dashan’s funeral, and do not suspect murder.
• Afterward, Cao Xiaolan invokes her brother’s dying wish that Liu look after her. Feeling indebted to Cao Dashan, Liu promises to treat her as a sister and provide for her future.
• Cao Xiaolan actually wants to marry Liu. She hides her intentions and grows frustrated when Liu’s companions visit together, preventing her from getting him alone.
• Planning to force a marriage, she prepares a meal and adulterated wine for their next visit. Her scheme is to get the men drunk, lie beside Liu, and accuse him of assault so that guilt over Cao Dashan’s sacrifice will pressure him to marry her.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua recognize the danger and agree Cao Xiaolan must be exposed and arrested, though Song does not yet know how to alert the authorities.

Character developments

• Cao Xiaolan is revealed as calculating and ruthless: she murders the brother who raised her, then uses his death to manipulate Liu and plans to trap him.
• Cao Dashan remains devoted to his sister even as he dies, unaware she has caused his death.
• Liu Zheheng is compassionate but deceived by Cao Xiaolan’s performance and his guilt over Cao Dashan’s sacrifice.
• Song Yaoyao moves from shock and anger to urgent concern for Liu, determined to find a way to stop Cao Xiaolan.

Significant themes

• Betrayal of family loyalty and the contrast between Cao Dashan’s devotion and Cao Xiaolan’s treachery.
• Deception and manipulation, especially the exploitation of guilt, gratitude, and social obligation.
• The danger of mistaken trust: Liu’s kindness leaves him vulnerable, while Cao Xiaolan’s apparent grief conceals her crimes.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss Cao Xiaolan’s crimes, with Guagua revealing the events and confirming the threat she poses.
• Liu and his companions mistakenly comfort and support Cao Xiaolan, while she privately resents their presence and schemes to isolate Liu.
• Song and the onlookers react with anger and disgust, united in wanting Cao Xiaolan stopped.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao follows Guagua’s instructions and slips printed evidence into Noble Consort Liu’s clothes while Liu draws her closer. Those present notice but quietly help the plan succeed; Liu even holds her clothes together so the papers will not fall out.
• Guagua then reveals gossip about Consort Duan’s younger sister, Duan Sangyu. After losing her purse at a restaurant, Sangyu is rescued from an angry proprietress when the newly appointed Top Graduate, Gao Muran, pays her bill. They become acquainted, go on outings, and Gao confesses his love. Sangyu likes him but says she must first seek her family’s approval.
• Guagua explains that Gao’s apparent rise from hardship was supported by Miss Nan Xing, a courtesan who entertained guests through her artistic talents. Gao and Nan Xing fell in love, and she financed his studies and living expenses for years. As his success grew, so did his requests: he eventually used her money to buy a residence and provide comfortably for himself and his mother.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is nervous but resourceful, completing the paper-delivery scheme and then eagerly welcoming more gossip.
• Duan Sangyu is presented as cautious about marriage and respectful of family approval, despite her growing affection for Gao.
• Gao Muran is initially portrayed as a hardworking, impoverished scholar, but the account complicates that image: he becomes accustomed to Nan Xing’s financial support and increasingly asks for money.
• Miss Nan Xing is generous and intellectually compatible with Gao, but her devotion leaves her funding his ambitions and comfortable life.

Themes and interactions

• The chapter contrasts public appearances with hidden realities: Gao seems like a self-made scholar, while Nan Xing’s money helped make his success possible.
• It explores gratitude, love, dependence, and exploitation, leaving open whether Gao’s relationship with Nan Xing is genuine or increasingly transactional.
• Social expectations shape Sangyu’s choices; she will not accept Gao’s proposal without her elders’ consent.
• Song’s interactions with Guagua are playful and conspiratorial, while the palace gathering’s participants cooperate silently in her covert delivery.

Key plot points and events

• Guagua reveals how Gao Muran repaid Nan Xing’s years of support: after passing the imperial examinations, he abandoned her, paid the brothel madam to keep her quiet, and eventually arranged for Nan Xing to be killed when she tried to find him.
• Gao’s ambition also shaped his pursuit of Duan Sangyu. Hoping to marry into a powerful family, he researched noblewomen and staged “chance” meetings. He arranged for Sangyu’s purse to be stolen so he could appear to help her; she is now captivated by him.
• Song Yaoyao condemns Gao and worries that he will discard Sangyu if a more advantageous match appears.
• Consort Duan overhears the revelations. Determined to protect her younger sister, she plans to alert their father, investigate Gao’s role in Nan Xing’s death, and have him punished if the evidence supports it.
• Before Guagua can reveal more gossip, the emperor arrives with several princes, explaining that he came to see Song Yaoyao and her mother. Song suspects they have also come to enjoy the palace gossip.

Character developments

• Gao Muran is exposed as calculating and ruthless, having traded gratitude and affection for status and self-interest.
• Song Yaoyao responds with anger and sympathy for Nan Xing, and becomes increasingly concerned for Sangyu.
• Consort Duan shifts from listener to protector, resolving to take action against Gao.
• Duan Sangyu, absent from the scene, is portrayed as unsuspecting and emotionally invested in Gao.
• The emperor and princes appear curious about the unfolding gossip, giving the palace gathering a lightly comic turn.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and exploitation of a vulnerable woman.
• Ambition corrupting character and turning relationships into tools for advancement.
• The dangers of mistaking calculated manipulation for genuine affection.
• The contrast between private cruelty and the pursuit of public respectability.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao and Guagua exchange revelations and condemn Gao’s conduct.
• Consort Duan hears their discussion and privately resolves to enlist her father’s help.
• The emperor greets the Empress Dowager and addresses the assembled court before joining the gathering.

Key plot points and events

• Guagua shifts the gossip to the Eighth Prince, the War King, whose real name is Chen Jinbai. The court sees footage revealing that he spent fifteen years on the frontier, rising from an anonymous ordinary soldier through hardship and earning his title.
• The footage shows his many battle scars. Consort Han is overcome with grief as she sees how badly her son has been wounded.
• Guagua recounts an ambush from the previous year: while traveling with just ten guards to buy grain for the army, the War King was attacked by more than a hundred enemy soldiers. His guards were killed, and he was forced over a cliff into a river. Though badly injured and unconscious, he survived after the current carried him downstream.
• His rescuer is revealed as Bai Yinyin, a beautiful young woman from the renowned Imperial Sword Manor. Her father, Bai Zhanpeng, had arranged her marriage to Cang Wuyuan despite her objections. Bai Yinyin pretended to accept the match, then escaped the manor with her maid while supposedly shopping for wedding supplies.

Character developments and interactions

• The War King, newly returned from the frontier and unfamiliar with Song Yaoyao’s unusual ability, realizes that others can hear her thoughts. He becomes tense when Bai Yinyin appears in the footage, suggesting the rescue and their connection are personal matters he has not yet shared with his parents.
• Consort Han’s distress at seeing her son’s scars reveals her deep maternal concern.
• Song Yaoyao cheerfully treats the revelations as entertainment, while her mother, Madam Song, is exasperated by her daughter’s irreverent comparison between Bai Yinyin’s escape and her own arguments with her mother.
• Song Qingling recognizes Madam Song’s familiar pattern: she threatens to punish Yaoyao but cannot bring herself to do it, and the siblings help her save face.

Significant themes

• Endurance and sacrifice: The War King’s hard-won status and scars reflect years of danger and service.
• Survival and resilience: Both the War King and Bai Yinyin endure life-threatening or coercive circumstances through courage and ingenuity.
• Autonomy versus parental control: Bai Yinyin’s escape highlights her resistance to a marriage chosen for her.
• Family affection beneath frustration: The Song family’s teasing and threats conceal Madam Song’s tenderness toward Yaoyao.

Key plot points and events

• While fleeing her father, Bai Yinyin and her maid, Leng Qiu, found the badly injured War King beside a river and rescued him.
• Bai Yinyin, attracted to his looks, ignored Leng Qiu’s objections and nursed him in a nearby village. Both hid their identities: he called himself Han Jinbai, while she claimed to be a merchant’s daughter.
• After the War King woke, they lived together for months as he recovered. Their affection grew into mutual love, and they secretly married with Leng Qiu as witness.
• Once healed, the War King was summoned back to the Capital. He promised to return, explain their marriage to his family, and bring Bai Yinyin home properly.
• Bai Yinyin had overheard that he was a prince and realized their different worlds—and her father’s opposition—could keep them apart. She planned to leave, then discovered she was pregnant and resolved to keep the child and raise it alone.

Character developments

• Bai Yinyin shifts from impulsive attraction to deep love and, after learning the truth, chooses independence and motherhood rather than relying on the War King’s promise.
• The War King grows attached to Bai Yinyin and marries her, but his royal duties force him to return to the Capital.
• Leng Qiu remains cautious and practical, first warning against rescuing the stranger and later witnessing the couple’s marriage.
• Song Yaoyao reacts humorously to the romance, while Guagua reveals that the happy marriage may face serious obstacles.

Significant themes

• Love across social boundaries: The divide between the Rivers and Lakes and the Imperial Court threatens the couple’s future.
• Hidden identities and trust: Both lovers conceal who they are, complicating their relationship.
• Duty versus personal happiness: The War King must answer the emperor’s summons despite his marriage.
• Self-reliance and sacrifice: Bai Yinyin decides to raise her child without the father rather than wait uncertainly.

Character interactions

Bai Yinyin’s care for the War King turns initial fascination into intimacy; his gratitude and affection develop into marriage. Leng Qiu’s skepticism contrasts with Bai Yinyin’s boldness, while the War King’s farewell leaves Bai Yinyin facing the consequences of their unequal worlds.

Key plot points and events

• Guagua reveals that Bai Yinyin and Leng Qiu were caught after fleeing the village and returned to the Imperial Sword Manor. Bai Yinyin refused an arranged marriage to Cang Wuyuan, declaring that she was already married and pregnant.
• Her father, Bai Zhanpeng, tried to force her to end the pregnancy, but relented when she threatened to die too. He cancelled the arranged marriage and compensated the other family.
• After interrogating Leng Qiu, Bai Zhanpeng learned that the child’s father was a member of the imperial family. He vowed never to coexist with the imperial court. He plans for the child to carry the Bai surname and, after the birth, to find Bai Yinyin a husband willing to marry into the family.
• Song Yaoyao privately admires Bai Yinyin’s resolve and jokes that she has abandoned the War King while keeping the child. Her increasingly provocative thoughts make Madam Song redirect her attention to palace pastries.
• After the Song family leaves, the War King kneels before the emperor and asks permission to marry Bai Yinyin. The emperor agrees not to obstruct the marriage or interfere in the martial world, but insists the War King must persuade Bai Zhanpeng himself.
• Noble Consort Liu and Consort Duan send for their fathers to address the unresolved matters involving Liu Zheheng and Duan Sangyu.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Yinyin is shown as determined and willing to defy her father rather than surrender her child or marry someone else. She remains protective of the War King’s identity, refusing to reveal it under interrogation.
• The War King is distressed by the thought that Bai Yinyin may leave him, but remains committed to claiming responsibility for her and their child. His brothers stop him from kneeling in public while Song Yaoyao’s thoughts expose his panic.
• Bai Zhanpeng shifts from anger and coercion to reluctant protection of his daughter, though he still intends to control her future and keep the child within the Bai family.
• The emperor supports his son’s choice in principle while preserving the court’s longstanding separation from the martial world; the War King must win Bai Zhanpeng’s consent on his own.
• Madam Song quietly manages Song Yaoyao, steering her away from potentially inflammatory thoughts with food.

Significant themes

• Personal choice versus family authority: Bai Yinyin resists both an arranged marriage and her father’s attempts to dictate her pregnancy and future.
• Love across political divides: The War King’s marriage would cross the longstanding boundary between the imperial court and martial-world clans.
• Family, lineage, and control: Bai Zhanpeng’s insistence that the child bear the Bai surname contrasts with the War King’s claim to his imperial bloodline.
• Comic contrast: Song Yaoyao’s modern-sounding commentary clashes with the solemn political stakes, while the War King’s anguish is heightened by her teasing interpretation of events.