Chapter Summaries

• Ministers choose allegiance: An elderly matriarch confronts her stubborn son, a senior official who refuses to pledge allegiance to the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom, calling it betrayal. She argues that Dragon Abyss is already collapsing after devastating internal conflict, and resistance will only get their household killed. When he continues to object, she threatens to sever ties and expel him from the clan, then orders him to contemplate the decision in the ancestral hall without food or water. After a day of pressure from their elders, the holdout ministers relent; they all choose to pledge allegiance.
• Heavenly Phoenix takes control: Chen Yixiao reports the ministers’ submission and requests troops. A secret letter informs the emperor that Heavenly Phoenix forces control Suyu City and the Dragon Abyss Imperial Palace. The Eldest Prince is imprisoned by his own Princess Consort; the Twelfth and Thirteenth Princes have joined Heavenly Phoenix; the Seventh Prince is missing, and the remaining princes are dead. Delighted, the emperor orders Old General Ning to lead troops from the surrendered Heavenly Mystic Kingdom, while Chen Yixiao manages affairs until the general arrives. The court celebrates the impending unification of the Four Kingdoms.
• Song Yaoyao’s next steps: Song Yaoyao is thrilled to hear her grandfather and the others are coming, having missed them. Still, she is overwhelmed with the work of restoring order in Suyu City and searching for Nian Xiaoqing, and has barely had time to eat. While taking a meal, she accepts Guagua’s offer of gossip about Nian Siting, setting up the next development.
  Character developments and themes: The matriarch emerges as a forceful protector of her family, placing their survival above her son’s pride and political convictions. Her son’s rigid patriotism gives way under the threat of family expulsion and death. The chapter emphasizes the collapse of Dragon Abyss, the practical necessity of adapting to political realities, and the tension between loyalty to one’s country and responsibility to one’s family. It also highlights the costs of upheaval: even as victory and reunification approach, Song Yaoyao remains burdened by the work of securing the newly occupied city.

Key plot points

• Song Yaoyao sees that Nian Siting has become physically like Wan Rong—white hair, bloodless skin, red eyes, and purple lips—and learns that his repeated episodes are triggered by sex. Wan Rong has been forcing him to comply.
• After the palace coup, Wan Rong drugs Nian Siting with Ten Fragrance Soft Bone Powder and has him placed outside the carriage.
• Nian Siting tries to placate her by offering to discard his concubines and register their children as Wan Rong’s. Wan Rong rejects the proposal, pointing out the financial burden and the risks of raising children who might resent her.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss how badly Nian Siting has damaged Wan Rong’s trust. Guagua reveals that the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom has already seized Nian Siting’s gold mine, though Wan Rong does not know it. Nian Siting is still secretly counting on the mine to rebuild his power.
• Realizing Wan Rong has interpreted his offer as a scheme, Nian Siting insists he will raise the children elsewhere and keep them away from her.

Character development and interactions

• Wan Rong is cold, wary, and determined to protect herself. She sees through Nian Siting’s self-serving suggestions and refuses to take responsibility for his concubines’ children.
• Nian Siting is weakened and desperate to repair the relationship, but remains calculating: he conceals the gold mine and hopes to use it to regain power. His attempt at reconciliation only deepens Wan Rong’s suspicion.
• Song Yaoyao sympathizes with Wan Rong’s caution, while Guagua stresses that Nian Siting has brought the distrust on himself.
• Wan Rong and Nian Siting’s exchange shows a stark imbalance: he tries to bargain his way back into her favor, while she sees his proposals as attempts to exploit her.

Significant themes

• Broken trust and betrayal: Wan Rong no longer believes Nian Siting’s promises or motives.
• Self-interest and exploitation: Nian Siting treats women and children as pieces in his plans, while Wan Rong refuses to be used.
• Power and secrecy: Nian Siting clings to the hope of recovering through the gold mine, unaware that it is already lost.
• Self-preservation: Wan Rong’s refusal to accept the children reflects her determination to avoid future dependence, financial ruin, and abuse.

Plot points

• Wan Rong rejects Nian Siting’s pleas to restore their former closeness, telling him she will never trust him again.
• She has him bound, gagged, and imprisoned in the Prince’s Manor dungeon, ordering that he be kept isolated.
• When a maid asks whether Nian should simply be killed, Wan Rong says death would be too easy and plans a harsher punishment.
• At Wan Rong’s instruction, her maid Hong Ying gathers seven female beggars—chosen for their strikingly unpleasant appearances—and has them fed.
• Hong Ying gives the beggars pills, claiming they will help them serve a nobleman. They take them, and she leads them to the dungeon to meet Nian.

Character developments

• Wan Rong is resolute and distrustful after Nian’s betrayal. She has reclaimed the title Princess, rejecting the identity of his consort, and turns from grief toward calculated revenge.
• Nian Siting loses his freedom and ability to plead his case; his attempts to resist imprisonment are futile.
• Hong Ying and Wan Rong’s subordinates remain fiercely loyal to Wan Rong and eager to punish Nian. Hong Ying carries out the plan, while the beggars accept the pills in hopes of gaining a meal and an opportunity.

Themes

• Betrayal and broken trust: Wan Rong makes clear that their former relationship cannot be restored.
• Revenge and power: Rather than grant Nian a quick death, Wan Rong uses her authority to arrange a humiliating punishment.
• Loyalty and complicity: Wan Rong’s followers act on her behalf, while the beggars’ desperation makes them vulnerable to the plan.

Character interactions

• Wan Rong shuts down Nian’s pleas and orders him silenced and confined.
• Her maid offers to dispose of him, but Wan Rong chooses revenge instead and shares her scheme privately with Hong Ying.
• Hong Ying directs the subordinates and persuades the beggars to take the pills; they follow her to the dungeon, unaware of the full situation awaiting them.

Key plot points and events

• Hong Ying enters Nian Siting’s cell and forces him to swallow a pill. He tries to bargain for an antidote, but she says the “antidotes” are seven female beggars she has brought in.
• Hong Ying reveals that Wan Rong herself ordered this punishment. Nian Siting refuses to believe it, insisting Rong’er still loves him, and begs to see her.
• The beggars, hoping to improve their fortunes by sleeping with a prince and possibly bearing royal children, surround the helpless Nian Siting. Already weakened by another dose of Ten Fragrance Soft Bone Powder, he cannot escape.
• The scene cuts to black, leaving the assault implied. Nian Siting cries out in pain, but the beggars dismiss his protests as feigned and continue.

Character developments and interactions

• Hong Ying openly rejects Nian Siting’s claim to authority, affirming that her loyalty is to Wan Rong. Her disgust and hostility reflect her belief that he betrayed and mistreated the princess.
• Nian Siting shifts from hopeful confidence that Wan Rong will rescue him to panic and disbelief when Hong Ying says the punishment was Wan Rong’s idea. He is powerless against the beggars and repeatedly begs them to stop.
• Wan Rong does not appear, but her reported order marks a decisive turn: Hong Ying presents the punishment as an expression of her will, while Nian Siting refuses to accept that she could have sanctioned it.
• The beggars act collectively, viewing Nian Siting less as a person than as an opportunity to gain status. Their banter contrasts sharply with his fear and protests.

Significant themes

• Revenge and power reversal: Nian Siting, formerly a prince accustomed to authority, is rendered helpless and subjected to a punishment arranged by those he once outranked.
• Loyalty and betrayal: Hong Ying’s allegiance to Wan Rong exposes the collapse of Nian Siting’s former bond with the princess.
• Denial and humiliation: Nian Siting clings to the belief that Wan Rong still loves him even as events suggest otherwise.
• Cruelty and exploitation: The beggars’ ambition and disregard for his refusal make the episode deliberately grotesque and unsettling.

Key plot points and events

• Hong Ying visits Nian Siting in the dungeon, where he wakes surrounded by evidence of the previous night’s abuse. She refuses his requests to see Wan Rong or a physician, telling him his suffering is only beginning.
• Hong Ying has a bronze mirror brought in so Nian Siting can see that his hair has turned white and his appearance has changed. Horrified, he calls the reflection a monster and curses Hong Ying and Wan Rong.
• The guards pin him down and force him to look. When he continues cursing, Hong Ying orders him slapped; after twenty blows, he loses consciousness.
• Two days later, Nian Siting wakes hungry and in pain. A jailer brings him scraps of bones and a coarse dark-flour bun. Though Nian Siting complains and demands better food, he gives in when the jailer threatens to take it away. He eats only the bun and drinks water.

Character developments

• Nian Siting is physically weakened, frightened by his changed appearance, and increasingly stripped of his former status. Despite his outwardly submissive behavior with the jailer, he privately vows revenge.
• Hong Ying acts as Wan Rong’s fierce, contemptuous enforcer. She deliberately humiliates Nian Siting and treats his punishment as far from complete.
• The jailer appears unexpectedly sympathetic, though he still enforces the prison’s harsh conditions. Nian Siting distrusts his kindness and remains resentful.

Significant themes

• Reversal and humiliation: Nian Siting, formerly a powerful prince who despised people with Wan Rong’s appearance, is forced to confront a similar transformation in himself.
• Retribution and cruelty: Hong Ying frames his suffering as punishment for what he did to the Princess, while the chapter shows vengeance becoming deliberately degrading.
• Loss of status and control: Nian Siting’s inability to resist, choose his food, or obtain medical care underscores how completely his power has collapsed.

Character interactions

• Hong Ying taunts Nian Siting, rejects his pleas, and arranges for him to be confronted with his reflection; he responds with terror, accusations, and curses.
• The guards physically restrain him, and a jailer beats him on Hong Ying’s order.
• Later, Nian Siting bargains with the jailer over food and water, shifting from arrogance to appeasement when faced with hunger.

Key events

• After five days, Nian Siting’s pain from the previous punishment fades. Wan Rong orders Hong Ying to find more beggars.
• Encouraged by stories that the first group had been well fed and rewarded, many beggars eagerly volunteer. Seven more women are selected; the men’s offers are refused.
• Nian Siting is drugged and forced through another night with the women. The next morning, his pain is worse. He begs Wan Rong for mercy and claims to repent.
• Guards force him to see his altered appearance—white hair, red eyes, purple lips, and bloodless skin. He blames Wan Rong and vows revenge, revealing that his apologies are only a ploy to escape and regain her trust.
• Song Yaoyao learns from Guagua that Wan Rong intends to keep Nian Siting imprisoned and repeat the punishment every few days. He is expected to survive for roughly six months.
• Wan Rong sends Chen Yixiao a letter clarifying that the Miao Frontier will stay out of the war between the Heavenly Phoenix and Dragon Abyss kingdoms. She says Nian Siting is imprisoned, will not interfere, and has at most six months to live; afterward, she plans to return home.
• Song Yaoyao and her companions resume patrolling and searching for Nian Xiaoqing. In West City, they encounter a crowd gathered around a residence, where one side begs them to deliver justice.

Character developments and interactions

• Nian Siting shifts between desperate pleas for forgiveness and concealed hatred. His supposed repentance is strategic: he hopes to escape, manipulate Wan Rong, and reclaim what she has.
• Wan Rong remains implacable, using Nian Siting’s imprisonment and punishment as revenge while also informing Chen Yixiao to prevent political misunderstanding.
• Song Yaoyao reacts to Nian Siting’s schemes with scornful humor, but returns to her demanding patrol duties and continues looking for Nian Xiaoqing.
• Guagua explains Nian Siting’s true intentions and the limits of his survival, then reassures Song Yaoyao that rest may come once the current work eases.
• Hong Ying and the guards carry out Wan Rong’s orders, keeping Nian Siting alive while ensuring he cannot leave.

Significant themes

• Revenge and its limits: Wan Rong’s punishment is driven by betrayal, while Nian Siting’s suffering does not produce genuine remorse.
• Deception and distrust: Nian Siting’s false repentance contrasts with Wan Rong’s refusal to trust him again.
• Political caution: Wan Rong’s letter separates her personal revenge from the larger conflict, preventing her actions from being mistaken for Miao Frontier involvement.
• Duty amid exhaustion: Song Yaoyao complains about overwork but continues her patrol and search responsibilities.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao intervenes in a dispute between Hu Qi, steward of the Hu Residence, and Zhang Fangtian, a village laborer, with villagers gathered behind each side.
• Hu Qi claims the workers stole from the residence and says their wages were consumed by their excessive meals. Zhang says they agreed to have extra food costs deducted from their pay, but Hu Qi later claimed the deductions erased all their wages.
• After a month and a half of unpaid work and failed attempts to collect their earnings, Zhang and the villagers entered the residence at night intending to undo the renovations. Hu Qi caught them and accused them of theft and property damage.
• The crowd sympathizes with the workers and condemns the Hu family as dishonest. Hu Qi then adds that their workmanship was poor, while Zhang denies it. The dispute remains unresolved.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao takes charge calmly and insists both sides be heard before judgment, silencing interruptions and questioning each party in turn.
• Zhang Fangtian explains the workers’ agreement and wage calculations clearly, though he admits they planned to damage the work in retaliation.
• Hu Qi presents the workers as thieves and later shifts to criticizing their workmanship, appearing increasingly defensive as the crowd turns against him.

Significant themes

• Fair wages and exploitation: The central dispute concerns whether vulnerable workers were cheated out of their pay.
• Justice and due process: Song Yaoyao’s insistence on hearing both accounts contrasts with the crowd’s quick condemnation.
• Class and public reputation: The villagers’ lack of power and the Hu family’s standing shape how the conflict is understood.
• Retaliation and accountability: The workers’ grievance may be legitimate, but their plan to damage the residence complicates their case.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao restrains both sides and gives Hu Qi and Zhang equal opportunity to speak.
• Zhang and Hu Qi directly contradict each other over the wage agreement, deductions, and quality of the work.
• The crowd shifts from curiosity to strong support for Zhang, publicly pressuring Hu Qi and the Hu family.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao rebukes Steward Hu for interrupting and hears Zhang Fangtian’s complaint that the Hu household has withheld the workers’ wages. She decides to inspect the renovations rather than accept either side’s claims.
• Steward Hu tries to prevent the inspection, but Song Yaoyao insists and leads the group into the residence. He secretly sends an attendant to summon Master Hu.
• In the rear courtyard, Zhang Fangtian admits the workers partially filled in the pond the previous night to protest their unpaid wages. Song Yaoyao criticizes them for taking matters into their own hands and urges them to seek help from the authorities.
• The workers explain that rumors have convinced them the new government will not protect people from the former Dragon Abyss Kingdom. Song Yaoyao reassures them that they are now subjects of the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom and that Prefect Yang remains in office. The workers regain confidence in the authorities.
• Guagua reveals that Nian Xiaoqing arranged for the rumors to be spread. Song Yaoyao vows to deal with him.
• Guagua confirms that the garden renovations are well done, supporting Zhang Fangtian’s account that the dispute is really about avoiding payment.
• Master Hu arrives and offers Song Yaoyao a pouch containing a 100-tael banknote, apparently as a bribe. Song Yaoyao recognizes the hypocrisy: he is willing to spend generously to influence officials but has withheld the workers’ far smaller wages.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao acts firmly but fairly: she restrains Steward Hu, forgives Zhang Fangtian’s outburst while warning him, investigates the work herself, and reassures the laborers. Her anger grows as she uncovers both wage theft and deliberate misinformation.
• Zhang Fangtian is frightened and initially desperate, but speaks honestly about the unpaid wages and later explains why the workers distrusted the authorities.
• Steward Hu shifts from denying wrongdoing to trying to obstruct the inspection, revealing his unease.
• Master Hu presents himself as a gracious host, then attempts to influence Song Yaoyao with a bribe, exposing his priorities.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua privately discuss the evidence, identify Master Hu as the likely mastermind, and trace the public rumors to Nian Xiaoqing.
• Song Qinghui and Liu Zheheng are puzzled by Master Hu’s short-sightedness, since damaging his reputation could hurt his business.

Significant themes

• Justice and workers’ rights: The chapter condemns employers who exploit laborers by withholding wages.
• Trust in government: False rumors make ordinary people fear they will not receive justice; Song Yaoyao counters them with reassurance and a promise of public clarification.
• Corruption and hypocrisy: Master Hu refuses to pay workers but offers a substantial bribe to an official.
• Misinformation as political manipulation: Nian Xiaoqing’s rumors are intended to unsettle the population, while Song Yaoyao emphasizes the need to resist them.

Key plot points and events

• Master Hu offers Song Yaoyao 100 taels to make the wage dispute disappear. She publicly exposes the attempted bribe and warns that bribing an official is punishable.
• When questioned about the workers’ unpaid wages, Master Hu tries to blame his steward, Hu Qi, and claims he knew nothing about the wrongdoing.
• Song Yaoyao challenges him to explain why he withheld the workers’ pay despite having ample money. She orders him to pay ten times their wages as punishment.
• Fearing a beating after questioning the penalty, Master Hu offers twenty times the wages instead. Song Yaoyao holds him to his offer, and the workers receive twenty times the amount listed in the ledger.
• Song Yaoyao arranges an escort to protect the workers as they leave the city, and cautions them to keep their unexpected wealth discreet.
• The townspeople learn that the workers were paid and praise Song Yaoyao’s fairness and consideration.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao demonstrates that she is bold, unswayed by bribery, and determined to hold the powerful accountable. She also shows practical concern for the workers’ safety after resolving their case.
• Master Hu shifts from attempting to buy his way out and deflecting blame to accepting a costly settlement when faced with punishment.
• Zhang Fangtian and the other workers move from being exploited and unpaid to receiving compensation and renewed confidence in the Government Office.
• The townspeople become more trusting of the authorities after witnessing Song Yaoyao’s actions.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: Wealth and status do not exempt Master Hu from consequences.
• Abuse of power and exploitation: Master Hu took advantage of workers he believed lacked influential protection.
• Integrity versus corruption: Song Yaoyao refuses a bribe and makes the attempted corruption public.
• Justice paired with care: The workers are compensated, then protected and warned to avoid attracting danger.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao confronts Master Hu directly, rejects his excuses, and turns his attempted bribe into evidence of his capacity to pay.
• Master Hu bargains with Song Yaoyao first through money, then through promises of greater compensation to avoid a beating.
• Song Yaoyao reassures and advises the workers, while they thank her and affirm their trust in the Government Office.
• Zhang Fangtian’s account to the townspeople spreads confidence in Song Yaoyao’s impartiality.

Plot and events

Song Yaoyao settles the Hu household’s unpaid wages to Zhang Fangtian and the other workers, then turns to Master Hu’s attempted bribe. She warns that bribery can bring a fine, a beating, and facial tattooing. Although the threat of tattooing is largely a show of severity—the bribe was too small to normally warrant it—she says she will waive it because Hu admitted fault, but imposes fifty strokes and a 30,000-tael fine.
Master Hu pleads to pay instead of taking the beating. Song Yaoyao raises the substitute amount to 70,000 taels, making the total 100,000. Fearing she will increase it again, Hu agrees and sends his steward to retrieve the money. Song Yaoyao and her companions verify the full amount. She promises to share some of it with the men who have been working long patrols, winning their cheers.
At Hu’s gates, she tells the townspeople what happened, urges them to report future abuses to the authorities, and says the Government Office will publish a notice. The crowd recognizes that the Hu household paid the workers’ wages and suffered a huge penalty over a comparatively small debt.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows herself as a forceful, shrewd enforcer: she uses Hu’s fear and her authority to punish wage withholding and attempted bribery. She also rewards her hard-working team, combining intimidation of exploiters with generosity toward her own people.
• Master Hu shifts from expecting the matter to be over to fearfully bargaining and complying. His earlier attempt to bribe Song Yaoyao backfires badly.
• Song Yaoyao and her companions work together to count the money; her promise of shares strengthens their loyalty and morale.
• Song Yaoyao and the townspeople interact publicly: she uses Hu’s punishment as a warning and encourages residents to seek official help.

Significant themes

• Justice for workers: Withheld wages are treated as a serious abuse, and the workers receive what they are owed.
• Authority and deterrence: The new government uses a conspicuous punishment to establish its rule after taking over the Dragon Abyss Kingdom.
• Power, negotiation, and corruption: Hu’s attempt to buy his way out only worsens his position.
• Loyalty through reward: Song Yaoyao argues that people work harder when they share in the benefits.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao and her companions continue searching Suyu City for Nian Xiaoqing but find no trace of him. Guagua suspects he has left the city, though he expects him to return.
• Passing a residence belonging to Commandery Princess Simin of Prince Xiao’s Manor, the group sees a frightened servant break free and cry for help. The household’s female guards claim he is merely a disgruntled servant who needs disciplining.
• Guagua warns Song Yaoyao not to let them take him back. Song Qinghui and the others intervene, but the guards invoke Prince Xiao’s Manor and threaten resistance.
• Song Yaoyao rejects their authority, asserting that the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom controls Suyu City. When the household summons more than thirty fighters, she and her companions use their firearms to kill them almost instantly.
• The servant escapes the guards and reveals that many other men inside the residence need rescuing. After the guards try to kill him, Song Yaoyao shoots them too.
• Guagua knows where the captives are, and the group hurries toward the residence’s rear courtyard to save them.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao acts decisively when she suspects the servant is in danger, prioritizing his rescue despite the household’s threats. Her confidence in the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom’s authority—and her willingness to use overwhelming force—are clear.
• The servant begins in desperate fear but finds the courage to seek help again once freed. He urgently advocates for the other men still trapped inside.
• Guagua serves as Song Yaoyao’s guide and moral prompt, first urging her to intervene and then leading the group to the captives.
• Song Qinghui and the others support Song Yaoyao’s decision to stop the guards, showing their readiness to act as a team.

Significant themes

• Abuse of power and exploitation: The servant’s plea suggests that the residence is holding and mistreating many men under the guise of household discipline.
• Protection and justice: Song Yaoyao’s group steps in when the authorities of the household use force to suppress a victim.
• Power and deterrence: The firearms’ devastating effectiveness frightens the city and strengthens the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom’s control, improving public order while demonstrating the cost of challenging it.
• Uncertainty and looming danger: Nian Xiaoqing remains missing, leaving the group uneasy about a threat that may return.

Character interactions

• The guards try to dismiss the servant’s plea and intimidate Song Yaoyao’s group by invoking Prince Xiao’s Manor; Song Yaoyao counters by asserting her kingdom’s authority.
• The servant’s desperate appeal persuades the group to focus on rescuing others in the residence.
• Witnesses in the street observe the confrontation, and the massacre rapidly spreads through Suyu City as a warning about the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom’s weapons.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao’s group reaches Xiangjun Courtyard, where several men are being attacked by eight armed women.
• Song Qinghui kicks in the door, and the rescuers subdue the women without using firearms, to avoid harming the captives.
• Shuyi, the man who earlier escaped to seek help, explains that he fled when he was being taken to the residence. The officers stopped the guards and fought off the attackers outside, then came to rescue the remaining men.
• The eight women claim they belong to Prince Xiao’s Manor and try to intimidate the rescuers. Song Yaoyao dismisses their threats, and the women are gagged and bound. When one continues glaring, Liu Zheheng blinds her, frightening the others into silence.
• The household servants plead that they were abducted and forced to work under threats to their families. Guagua confirms their story. Song Yaoyao promises they will be released once their innocence is verified.
• Shuyi begins recounting how he was lured into the residence: after arriving in the capital to seek relatives, he ran out of money and food. A Commandery Princess offered him an unusually generous job, and he accepted because he trusted her status and the Xiao insignia on her carriage.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao leads the rescue, responds defiantly to the women’s threats, and shows concern for both the captives and the coerced servants. She also warns Shuyi to question offers that seem unrealistically generous.
• Shuyi proves resourceful and courageous: he risks recapture to reach the officers, then returns with them to save the others. He is grateful and emotional after the rescue.
• Song Qinghui and Liu Zheheng help enforce control of the scene; Liu Zheheng’s brutal response to one woman’s defiance makes the captives back down.
• The rescued men thank Shuyi for seeking help. The servants’ pleas are supported by both Guagua’s verification and Shuyi’s testimony.

Significant themes

• Exploitation and deception: desperate job-seekers can be manipulated by promises of easy work and by the prestige of powerful households.
• Courage and solidarity: Shuyi’s escape and return make the rescue possible.
• Power and impunity: the women invoke their connection to Prince Xiao’s Manor to avoid consequences, while Song Yaoyao refuses to be intimidated.
• Justice and verification: although the servants appear innocent, Song Yaoyao insists their claims be checked before they are released.
• Caution and experience: Song Yaoyao urges Shuyi to be skeptical when an offer is far better than ordinary wages.

Key plot points and events

• Shu Yi explains that he and the rescued men were held in a training compound run under Commandery Princess Simin. The men were forced to learn etiquette, arts, cooking, embroidery, and how to please and obey women. They were starved, beaten, and denied martial training so they could not resist.
• After six months to a year, the men faced three possible fates: Simin could claim one as a male favorite; others were dressed up and auctioned; those returned by buyers were sold as human subjects for drug testing and usually died within months.
• Shu Yi, who had spent ten months there and was about to be auctioned, was rescued by Song Yaoyao. He also reveals that wealthy women sometimes send their male lovers to the compound for forced “training.”
• After questioning Shu Yi, Song has him and the other survivors kept nearby while the investigation continues.
• Song’s system companion, Guagua, sends her a video revealing that the operation is connected to Extravagant Delight Manor, a vast entertainment venue outside the city. Its attractions include monthly auctions of men, women, treasures, and medicinal herbs; hot springs; gambling; dining; and overnight lodging. The manor has been bustling since Suyu City’s lockdown ended.

Character developments and interactions

• Shu Yi recounts his ordeal in detail, showing both the abuse he endured and his lingering fear and deference. He answers Song’s questions but admits he knows little about the auctions themselves.
• Song Yaoyao is shocked by the scale and cruelty of the system. She questions Shu Yi, recognizes the training compound as a “Men’s Virtue Academy,” and turns to Guagua for information beyond what the survivors know.
• Guagua supplies crucial investigative context through the video, explaining the manor’s layout and activities.

Significant themes

• Coercion and exploitation: The men are treated as commodities, disciplined through starvation and violence, and sold or discarded according to their usefulness.
• Gendered power and hypocrisy: The facility imposes absolute obedience and chastity on men while enabling wealthy women to control and exploit them.
• Human trafficking as business: Training, auctions, resale, and drug testing form a commercial pipeline disguised by respectable-looking surroundings.
• Appearance versus reality: Extravagant Delight Manor looks ordinary from the outside, but conceals a sprawling center of vice and exploitation.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Guagua explains that Alluring Beauty Court had been struggling while Suyu City was sealed off, but resumed business after the city reopened. This is its first auction since reopening.
• A video shows the venue’s lavish, privacy-conscious auction setup: masked guests are assigned private rooms with refreshments, item booklets, and attendants to place bids.
• The first auction item is a handsome young man in a cage, advertised for his many domestic and entertainment skills. After competitive bidding, he is sold for 20,000 taels.
• At Mandarin Duck Court, women relax in hot springs while handsome men serve them; a nearby men’s section offers the same arrangement with women serving men.
• Passion Court is a gambling venue. Young Master Qi, having lost more than 100,000 taels and run out of money, wagers his left hand. When he loses, the staff threaten to cut it off. Terrified, he begs to buy it back and ultimately pays 50,000 taels, signing another IOU. The staff had never intended to maim him; the threat was a way to extract more money.
• The footage then shows Relaxation Court, a quieter area with round-the-clock dining and lavish rooms for resting.

Character developments

• Young Master Qi shifts from boastful confidence—insisting his wealthy family can cover his losses—to panic and humiliation when his bluff leaves him facing the loss of his hand. He even wets himself before agreeing to pay an enormous sum.
• The auction and gambling staff present themselves as strict enforcers of their rules, but their real aim is to profit from guests’ desires and desperation.

Significant themes

• Extravagance and indulgence: Alluring Beauty Court offers luxury, entertainment, gambling, food, and rest on a grand scale.
• Exploitation beneath glamour: The auction treats a person as merchandise, while the gambling den uses threats and debt to squeeze money from customers.
• Pride and recklessness: Qi’s refusal to stop gambling, driven by his confidence and fear of losing face, deepens his losses.
• Privacy and spectacle: Bidders are shielded in private rooms, while the auction itself turns its human “item” into a public display.

Character interactions

• Guagua and Song Yaoyao: Guagua describes the venue’s business history, and Song Yaoyao reacts to its extravagance.
• Auctioneer and bidders: The auctioneer promotes the young man’s abilities and fields questions before bidding begins.
• Young Master Qi and gambling staff: Qi demands to continue despite mounting losses; staff remind him he has nothing left to wager, then use the agreed rules to pressure him into paying to reclaim his hand.

Key plot points and events

• After uncovering the abuse at the Extravagant Delight Manor, Song Yaoyao learns from Guagua that it belongs to Prince Xiao and includes establishments where men and women are trained as “pets.”
• Guagua explains Prince Xiao Xiao Jingche’s history: as a child, he saved the old emperor from assassins and was adopted into the imperial family. His own family had been massacred, and he grew up in poverty.
• Xiao Jingche became a formidable martial artist and general, but after helping Nian Cenyi take the throne, he surrendered his military command to ease the emperor’s suspicions. Nian Cenyi continued trying to have him killed, leaving Xiao Jingche bitter and distrustful.
• Xiao established the manor to generate money and build a private force for his family’s protection. He now commands sixty thousand troops and lives beside the manor.
• Song Yaoyao concludes that the manor’s forced exploitation must be stopped. Though Xiao Jingche has not sought the throne, the events have created a feud, and Song is prepared to confront his other establishments as well.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains strategic and defiant. She hints that her stored resources and money have a larger purpose, and treats the coming conflict as a problem to be handled rather than a reason to retreat.
• Guagua provides background on Xiao Jingche and warns Song that their actions have made him an enemy.
• Xiao Jingche is revealed as a capable but deeply wounded figure: once loyal to Nian Cenyi, he became disillusioned after repeated assassination attempts and built power to protect himself and his family.
• Nian Cenyi’s suspicion and betrayal of Xiao Jingche damaged their former close relationship. When Nian later asks for help, Xiao refuses and burns the appeal.
• Those present are shocked by the manor’s history, but agree that coercing its men is unacceptable and that intervention is justified.

Significant themes

• Abuse of power and exploitation: The manor’s practices prompt the group to distinguish between voluntary participation and coercion.
• Betrayal and distrust: Xiao Jingche’s break with Nian Cenyi shows how fear and political suspicion can destroy loyalty.
• Survival and security: Xiao’s painful past drives him to build wealth and military strength as protection.
• Justice amid political change: With the former kingdom’s territory now under new rule, Song and her companions feel responsible for confronting wrongdoing.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao leads Song Qinghui and Liu Zheheng’s group to a second residence associated with Prince Xiao’s people. Guided by Guagua’s map, they enter, fend off hidden weapons, and clear the guards hiding in the front courtyard.
• In the rear courtyard, they find women held against their will—many lured there with promises of work—and confront guards who invoke Prince Xiao’s authority. Song Yaoyao rejects their threats, arguing that the former Dragon Abyss lands now belong to the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom and its laws apply.
• The officers fight at close quarters to avoid harming the captives. Song Yaoyao secretly switches her Gatling to a pistol and quickly kills the guards.
• The rescued women and men have their identities checked. The group distributes money confiscated from the residence and guards, giving each woman ten taels of silver before sending them home.
• Guagua reports that Commandery Princess Simin and Heir Apparent Sifan have heard of the incident and sent people to investigate. Song Yaoyao recognizes that the raid has thoroughly antagonized Prince Xiao, then decides she wants to visit the Extravagant Delight Manor.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao is decisive and fearless, openly challenging the guards’ reliance on Prince Xiao’s influence. She also shows practical compassion by ensuring the captives are verified and given money for the journey home.
• Song Qinghui protects Yaoyao when hidden weapons are thrown, dodging while knocking them aside, and joins the rescue operation.
• Liu Zheheng and the other officers follow Yaoyao into the residence and help subdue its guards.
• The captives move from despair to gratitude and hope once they are freed.
• Guagua provides maps and intelligence, while teasingly recognizing Yaoyao’s real interest in the Extravagant Delight Manor.

Significant themes

• Law versus privilege: Yaoyao insists that Prince Xiao’s status cannot place his followers above the law.
• Rescue and justice: The officers act against human trafficking and restore the captives’ freedom.
• Power and defiance: Yaoyao’s bold raid escalates the conflict with Prince Xiao’s household.
• Humor and audacity: The chapter ends on Yaoyao’s unexpected eagerness to inspect a notorious pleasure house.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao decides to visit Extravagant Delight Manor, which she has learned belongs to the powerful Prince Xiao. She wants to assess his influence and prevent him from growing too powerful.
• Before leaving Suyu City, she summons Eagle One and several Shadow Guards, gives them weapons—including a Gatling—and trains them to use them. They are to remain hidden near the manor and Prince Xiao’s residence, ready to respond to her signal.
• Song Yaoyao travels with Song Qinghui, Liu Zheheng, and the Twelfth and Thirteenth Princes, Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu. The princes agree to help her enter because they hold the manor’s highest-ranking, purple identity tokens.
• On the way, Song Yaoyao asks about the princes’ visits and reveals that the manor belongs to their imperial uncle, Prince Xiao. They are surprised, having known only that its owner was mysterious.
• The group reaches the manor and enters. Song Yaoyao is captivated by its immense, lavish grounds, while the two princes return to her when they notice she has stopped to admire them.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao shows herself to be strategic and determined: she prepares armed backup while keeping the mission’s purpose vague to her companions.
• Eagle One and the Shadow Guards are positioned as a discreet support force, equipped and briefed to follow Song Yaoyao’s instructions.
• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu prove cooperative, but they remain wary of Song Yaoyao. They recognize her exceptional status and formidable nature, despite not knowing her identity.

Significant themes

• Power and political vigilance: Song Yaoyao sees Prince Xiao’s growing influence as a potential threat that must be investigated.
• Secrecy and uncertainty: The manor’s hidden ownership, Song Yaoyao’s concealed identity, and her unstated intentions keep the characters—and the reader—guessing.
• Beauty and danger: The manor’s breathtaking elegance contrasts with the political risk surrounding its owner and the armed preparations made outside.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao consults Guagua about the mission and the princes, then coordinates with the Shadow Guards, giving Eagle One weapons, a map, and strict instructions.
• She questions the princes about their familiarity with the manor; their surprise at learning its owner is Prince Xiao sparks discussion of his wealth and secrecy.
• The princes escort Song Yaoyao inside using their imperial-family tokens. Although they sense a storm may be brewing, they do not challenge her, and they let her take in the scenery at her own pace.

Key plot points and events

• Nian Qiyu and Nian Hengzhi show Song Yaoyao’s group around the scenic courtyard, then take them to the Alluring Beauty Court’s monthly auction.
• Guests wear identical masks and present identity plaques before being assigned private rooms. Song notices that a mysterious auction listing has been replaced with a rare medicinal herb, likely because they rescued the person originally meant to be auctioned.
• During the auction, Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu offer to buy Song anything she wants. Seeing a beautiful woman on the platform, they suggest purchasing her as Song’s bed-warming maid. Song refuses emphatically.
• Mistaking Song’s refusal for a sign that she is impotent, the two men then see Song Qinghui step in front of her and assume the pair are romantic partners. They apologize for their earlier offer, only to learn that Song and Qinghui are blood brothers.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains composed while observing the auction, but becomes increasingly embarrassed and annoyed as the men misread her identity and preferences. She privately resolves that they will be embarrassed if they ever learn she is a woman.
• Nian Hengzhi and Nian Qiyu try to show generosity toward Song, but their assumptions lead them from one misunderstanding to another. Once corrected, they apologize, then wonder how Song’s many “brothers” fit together.
• Song Qinghui protects Song by stepping between her and the men’s scrutiny, though he misunderstands why they are acting oddly.
• Guagua teases Song over the absurd sequence of mistaken assumptions, stopping only when Song’s irritation becomes clear.
• Song’s group and the Nian brothers interact on friendly terms, but Song’s disguised identity creates comic confusion.

Significant themes

• Misunderstanding and mistaken identity: Song’s male disguise fuels the increasingly ridiculous assumptions about her.
• Appearances versus reality: The characters infer relationships and personal traits from incomplete information.
• Humor and embarrassment: The chapter’s comedy comes from the gap between what the Nian brothers believe and what is actually true.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao learns that the woman still being auctioned was not one of the women her group had rescued. She had willingly gone to Heir Apparent Sifan, who sent her to the auction; Guagua warns that her meek appearance is an act. Song Yaoyao decides the woman’s choices are her own.
• The auction is interrupted by masked wealthy women angry that the promised auction of handsome young men was canceled. The organizers calm them by offering to take them to Relaxation Court and find them handsome men.
• After the auction ends, the group shares a meal and agrees to meet at the manor’s main entrance the next afternoon to return to Suyu City.
• Song Yaoyao’s party separates from Nian Qiyu and Nian Hengzhi. Planning a separate operation, they wait until after 2 a.m., when the manor’s lights will go out and activity will quiet down.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao remains pragmatic and respectful of personal choice: she distinguishes the auctioned woman’s situation from the women her group rescued and does not interfere.
• She shows patience and strategic judgment, postponing her group’s plans until conditions are more favorable.
• Guagua acts as Song Yaoyao’s source of information, explaining both the woman’s background and the disturbance outside.

Significant themes

• Agency and responsibility: Song Yaoyao believes the woman’s voluntary choices should be respected, even if those choices seem unwise.
• Deception and appearances: Guagua cautions that the woman’s innocent manner conceals a calculating nature; the masked customers also exploit anonymity to speak freely.
• Strategy and timing: The group delays its “real business” until the manor is darker and likely less alert.
• Luxury and exploitation: The manor’s auctions and entertainment reveal a wealthy world built around buying access to people.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao consults Guagua privately for information and uses it to decide how to respond.
• The wealthy ladies confront the auction staff, accusing them of cheating; the staff apologize and negotiate a solution.
• The group discusses food and plans together, then splits from Nian Qiyu and Nian Hengzhi so the latter two need not be involved in the coming operation.

Key plot points

• After exploring every courtyard in Extravagant Delight Manor, Song Yaoyao uses Guagua’s map to find the only unguarded way out: the attendants’ privy. Song Qinghui carries her over the wall with his lightness skill, and Liu Zheheng follows.
• They reunite with Eagle One and the hidden team. Song Yaoyao orders them to remain concealed and heads with Song Qinghui and Liu Zheheng to scout Prince Xiao’s residence.
• Guagua explains that Commandery Princess Simin and Heir Apparent Sifan are staying there with Prince Xiao, and warns that both are dangerous. Prince Xiao, once a respected general, has grown bitter after being forced out of the capital; he favors Sifan as his successor, fuelling Simin’s resentment.
• Song Yaoyao studies a map of the residence and uses her drone to poison its guards and patrols in two passes. Once the defenses appear to be down, the trio enters.
• In the main hall, however, they find Prince Xiao, Simin, and Sifan waiting. Prince Xiao accuses them of poisoning his people. Song Yaoyao admits it, and he condemns their actions.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains composed and strategic, relying on Guagua’s intelligence, careful reconnaissance, and her drone rather than risking a direct fight. She also takes responsibility openly when confronted.
• Song Qinghui and Liu Zheheng follow Song Yaoyao’s lead and assist in the escape and infiltration.
• Prince Xiao is revealed as a once-honorable warrior embittered by betrayal and convinced that kindness made him vulnerable. His favoritism toward Sifan and disregard for Simin’s claim to inherit have damaged their relationships.
• Simin resents both Sifan and her father’s unequal treatment; Sifan is described as outwardly gentle but ruthless beneath the surface.
• The chapter ends with a tense face-to-face confrontation between the three intruders and the ruling family at the residence.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and bitterness: Prince Xiao’s experiences have reshaped his ideals and outlook.
• Power, succession, and gender: Simin’s resentment reflects her belief that she is denied inheritance because she is a woman.
• Strategy versus force: Song Yaoyao avoids a direct clash by gathering intelligence and using the drone, though the unexpected confrontation shows her plan has not fully secured the outcome.