Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• After helping Yu Haochuan seize control of the Yu family and remove his rivals, Duanmu Rui asks when he will introduce her to her parents. Haochuan repeatedly puts it off, claiming he is too busy.
• Rui discovers she is pregnant. Concerned about the child’s reputation because they are unmarried, she wants her parents’ blessing before the wedding.
• Haochuan pressures her to marry immediately, citing her pregnancy and the risk of scandal. He swears she will be his only wife and promises to seek her parents’ forgiveness later. Rui believes him, and they marry a month later.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua explain that Haochuan has been deliberately maneuvering Rui into dependence and marriage. Knowing she is a warlock, he secretly searches for someone who can keep her from leaving.
• Eight months into Rui’s pregnancy, she goes out with her maid to shop for the baby. She sees Haochuan helping another woman from a carriage and behaving intimately with her. He notices Rui and lets go of the woman’s hand; Rui leaves without confronting him.

Character developments

• Yu Haochuan moves from a supposedly devoted, vulnerable lover to a calculating schemer. Once he has secured Rui and control of his family, he betrays his vow and secretly keeps a mistress.
• Duanmu Rui is trusting and devoted, repeatedly accepting Haochuan’s explanations and promises. Seeing his betrayal leaves her stunned and silent, hinting at a major change in their relationship.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua interpret the events for the audience, emphasizing that Haochuan’s actions were planned rather than accidental.

Significant themes

• Manipulation disguised as love: Haochuan uses affection, urgency, and promises to steer Rui into marriage.
• Broken vows and betrayal: His oath of lifelong fidelity is quickly contradicted by his affair.
• Control and entrapment: Haochuan fears Rui might leave and seeks supernatural means to prevent it.
• Trust versus calculation: Rui acts in good faith while Haochuan carefully pursues his own interests.

Character interactions

• Haochuan repeatedly soothes Rui’s worries about meeting her parents, then uses her pregnancy to persuade her to marry without their approval.
• Rui accepts his oath and covers his mouth when he makes an extreme vow, showing her affection and trust.
• Rui’s encounter with Haochuan and his mistress is wordless: he is caught off guard, while she turns away rather than demand an explanation.

Plot points and events

• Yu Haochuan’s new woman follows him and Duanmu Rui, acting sweetly and calling Rui her “elder sister.” Rui rejects the address and tries to leave, but Yu grabs her.
• During their struggle, Rui suffers severe abdominal pain and faints. She wakes in her room to discover that she has lost her baby.
• Rui decides she will divorce Yu and leave once she recovers. Yu tries to comfort her, dismissing the miscarriage as an accident, but Rui refuses to reconcile.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua reveal that Yu used witchcraft dolls, Rui’s hair and birth details, and a talisman to suppress her abilities. He also arranged for her arm to be injured so he could obtain her blood and have a spell cast to strip her powers.
• Rui demands a divorce and reminds Yu of his oath to marry only her. He admits he made the promise merely to placate her, then refuses to divorce her, claiming he would rather be widowed.
• Rui plans to return to her father, sever the supernatural marriage bond, and rebuild her sect. Two days later, she secretly leaves the Yu residence, but Yu finds her within hours and orders his men to bring her back.

Character developments and interactions

• Duanmu Rui moves from shock and grief to firm resolve. She sees Yu’s betrayal clearly, rejects his attempts to soothe or control her, and prepares to reclaim her freedom and pursue her mystic studies.
• Yu Haochuan is exposed as calculating and abusive: he has secretly used witchcraft to weaken Rui, deceived her about his vows, and responds to her desire to leave with coercion rather than remorse.
• Yu’s new woman presents herself as affectionate and deferential, but Rui finds her affected manner repellent.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua uncover the hidden magical scheme, explaining why Rui’s abilities failed her and clarifying Yu’s deliberate efforts to control her.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and false affection: Yu’s vows and gentle words conceal manipulation.
• Control versus autonomy: Rui’s supernatural bond and weakened abilities are tools of domination; her attempts to leave represent a fight for independence.
• Grief and resolve: The loss of Rui’s child deepens her pain but strengthens her determination to end the marriage.
• Hidden abuse and revelation: What Rui believed were ordinary limitations during pregnancy were part of a calculated attack.

Key plot points

• Duanmu Rui tries to leave the Yu household, but Yu Haochuan grabs her and reveals that he can somehow neutralize her martial arts. His guards cannot stop her, so he binds her to himself and forces her back to the residence.
• Yu Haochuan locks Rui in a hidden chamber beneath his bedroom and leaves her without food or water for a day. He demands that she admit fault for seeking a divorce and leaving.
• Rui presses him to explain how he subdued her. Haochuan confesses that he hired a warlock to use her hair and a marital bond to restrain her, arranging matters so she would marry him and be unable to escape.
• He admits his affection was entirely an act. He married Rui to bind her to him and, above all, to survive his illness.
• Haochuan demands that Rui teach him the secret of the Paper Effigy Life-Exchange Technique. She refuses, even after he threatens and whips her. The narration says he continues torturing her, but she never gives in.

Character developments and interactions

• Duanmu Rui shifts from determined escape to shock and hatred as she learns Haochuan engineered her marriage and confinement. Despite being physically overpowered and tortured, she remains defiant and protects the technique’s secret.
• Yu Haochuan drops his sickly, devoted-husband persona. He reveals himself as calculating, possessive, and ruthless, willing to deceive and torture Rui to secure his survival.
• Their relationship is exposed as a trap rather than a loving marriage: Rui confronts Haochuan’s betrayal, while he insists that survival justifies his actions. The chapter ends with Song Yaoyao condemning his abuse.

Significant themes

• Deception and betrayal: Haochuan’s courtship and devotion were deliberate strategies.
• Coercive control: Marriage, supernatural restraint, and imprisonment are used to deny Rui autonomy.
• Survival versus morality: Haochuan treats his fear of dying as justification for cruelty.
• Resistance under suffering: Rui refuses to surrender the secret despite repeated torture.

Key plot points and events

• Guagua explains that the Paper Effigy Life-Exchange Technique could only extend Yu Haochuan’s life by three years, given Duanmu Rui’s limited cultivation. Duanmu Rui intended to keep improving her skill and repeat the technique later, but she eventually learned the whole arrangement was a fraud.
• Yu Haochuan had kept Duanmu Rui imprisoned because he wanted the technique. Meanwhile, Han Tianzhi, his concubine, schemed to remove Duanmu Rui, who stood in her way as principal wife.
• After Han Tianzhi pretended to suffer pregnancy complications, a corrupt warlock claimed that drinking blood from someone with special abilities would protect her child and make it exceptionally gifted. Yu Haochuan believed him and ordered Duanmu Rui’s blood taken.
• Han Tianzhi secretly discarded the blood rather than giving it to the child. When she later claimed the baby needed more, Yu Haochuan ordered three times the usual amount drawn. Duanmu Rui lost consciousness, and everyone assumed she had died. Yu Haochuan regretted losing her only because he had not obtained the technique; he ordered her body disposed of.
• Back in the present, Duanmu Rui wakes at the inn where Song Yaoyao and her brothers brought her. She thanks them and tries to leave to avoid putting them in danger, but Song Yaoyao reassures her that they can protect her.

Character developments and interactions

• Duanmu Rui is revealed as determined and long-suffering: she endured imprisonment and repeated bloodletting, holding on partly in the hope of seeing Yu Haochuan die when his borrowed years ran out. Upon waking, she remains wary and self-sacrificing, concerned for her rescuers’ safety.
• Yu Haochuan is shown as greedy, cruel, and easily manipulated. He values Duanmu Rui for what she can give him, not for her life, and accepts the warlock’s claim without question.
• Han Tianzhi emerges as calculating and ambitious. She exploits Yu Haochuan’s trust, conspires with the warlock, and uses her pregnancy as a pretext to drain Duanmu Rui’s blood.
• Song Yaoyao recognizes the scheme and openly condemns Yu Haochuan’s gullibility. She offers Duanmu Rui safety, saying her group can handle local threats.
• Guagua supplies the hidden history, while Song Qinghui and Liu Zheheng learn that the affair involves warlocks and occult practices. Duanmu Rui asks who her rescuers are; Song Yaoyao tells her they serve the Imperial Court.

Significant themes

• Exploitation disguised as care: Han Tianzhi’s supposed concern for her unborn child becomes a tool for abusing Duanmu Rui.
• Greed and betrayal: Yu Haochuan’s obsession with extending his life leads him to imprison and sacrifice the person who helped him.
• Deception and misplaced trust: The warlock’s fabricated ritual and Han Tianzhi’s lies succeed because Yu Haochuan is credulous and self-interested.
• Compassion and protection: In contrast to the Yu household’s cruelty, Song Yaoyao’s group offers Duanmu Rui refuge without demanding anything in return.

Key plot points and events

• Duanmu Rui keeps her unusual secret to herself, fearing Song Yaoyao’s group might hand her over to the emperor, who could imprison and exploit her.
• Yu Haochuan tracks Duanmu Rui to the inn after his servants report that Song Yaoyao’s group rescued her. Song Yaoyao asks the county magistrate to bring reinforcements but deliberately makes Yu wait.
• Duanmu Rui panics when she learns Yu has found her. Song Yaoyao reassures her that the group will protect her.
• Yu’s wife, Han Tianzhi, grows impatient and insults the people upstairs. Song Yaoyao orders a guard to slap her; when Han continues cursing, she is struck again. Yu is shoved aside when he tries to shield her.
• Yu says he has come to take his wife, Duanmu Rui, home. Song Yaoyao challenges this claim, describing Duanmu’s severe injuries, emaciation, and scars from repeated bloodletting, and says she cannot believe Duanmu was treated as a wife.

Character developments and interactions

• Duanmu Rui remains deeply fearful and distrustful, but begins to draw some reassurance from Song Yaoyao’s firm promise of protection.
• Song Yaoyao is calm and strategic: she hides her knowledge of Duanmu’s secret, summons local authorities, and confronts Yu by exposing the apparent abuse.
• Yu Haochuan arrives expecting to reclaim Duanmu, but his authority is challenged. He is angered by the treatment of Han yet struggles to defend her initial insults.
• Han Tianzhi is openly arrogant and verbally aggressive; her repeated insults provoke Song Yaoyao’s forceful response.
• Liu Zheheng backs Song Yaoyao and argues that Han’s disrespect deserves harsher punishment.

Significant themes

• Protection versus exploitation: Duanmu’s fear of being used by powerful people contrasts with Song Yaoyao’s promise to defend her.
• Abuse hidden behind social status: Yu claims Duanmu as his wife, while her condition suggests severe mistreatment.
• Power and accountability: Song Yaoyao refuses to defer to Yu’s wealth or position, and Han’s insults have immediate consequences.
• Trust and caution: Duanmu’s silence reflects the danger of revealing a secret to people she does not yet fully trust.

Key plot points and events

• Yu Haochuan insists Duanmu Rui is his lawful wife and demands that Song Yaoyao’s group release her. Song Yaoyao challenges him to explain why Rui is emaciated.
• Rui appears and declares that she is staying by choice, denies being Yu Haochuan’s wife, and says Han Tianzhi is his wife. She refuses to return, even if it means death.
• Yu Haochuan orders more than twenty servants to seize Rui. Song Yaoyao’s guards quickly defeat them.
• Magistrate Tan Hanmin arrives. Yu tries to recruit him to his side, but Tan ignores him and pays his respects to Song Yaoyao, revealing that she is Princess Jiahe.
• Song explains that her group witnessed someone disposing of a murder victim’s body at a dry well in the Abandoned Residence. Tan orders the arrest of the Yu Family.
• Realizing he is in danger, Yu considers revealing that Rui knows the secret Paper Effigy Life-Exchange Method in exchange for leniency. Guagua warns Song that this could expose the Duanmu Family to deadly danger, and Song agrees to stop him.

Character developments and interactions

• Duanmu Rui firmly asserts her independence, rejects Yu and Han’s attempts to manipulate her, and openly defends the people who helped her.
• Song Yaoyao protects Rui, confronts Yu’s claims, and takes charge once Tan arrives. Her status as a princess shifts the crowd and the authorities decisively to her side.
• Yu Haochuan moves from pleading to coercion when Rui refuses him, then panics after learning Song’s identity and looks for a way to save his family.
• Han Tianzhi acts conciliatory toward Rui but is intimidated into silence by Song.
• Tan Hanmin shows deference to Song and acts swiftly to arrest the Yu Family, while privately fearing the scandal will damage his career.

Significant themes

• Agency and coercion: Rui’s clear refusal contrasts with Yu’s claim of marital authority and his attempt to seize her by force.
• Justice and abuse of power: Public scrutiny, Song’s intervention, and Tan’s arrest order challenge the Yu Family’s apparent ability to act with impunity.
• Secrets and consequences: Yu’s plan to trade dangerous knowledge for mercy threatens to bring wider violence upon the Duanmu Family.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao has Liu Zheheng silence Yu Haochuan before he can reveal the secret Paper Effigy Life-Exchange Technique. Guagua confirms that only Yu Haochuan and his mother, Madam Yu, know about it.
• Duanmu Rui asks Princess Jiahe for permission to divorce Yu Haochuan. She recounts how he imprisoned and tortured her for nearly three years, while his mistress, Han Tianzhi, repeatedly drained her blood during her pregnancy.
• Song Yaoyao promises to investigate and, if Duanmu Rui’s account is confirmed, grant the divorce. Tan Hanmin leads constables to search the Yu Residence.
• Madam Yu tries to obstruct the search and insults Song Yaoyao, not realizing she is a princess. Tan Hanmin identifies her, and a constable slaps Madam Yu for the insult.
• Constables discover a hidden torture chamber beneath Yu Haochuan’s bedroom, with torture instruments and dried bloodstains, confirming Duanmu Rui’s story.
• Yu Haochuan collapses and dies. Song Yaoyao, who is also an imperial physician, confirms his death. Madam Yu then learns that Duanmu Rui is dead too; overwhelmed by grief and guilt, she declares it retribution, collapses, and dies.

Character developments and interactions

• Duanmu Rui moves from fearful uncertainty to asserting her rights, openly accusing Yu Haochuan and Han Tianzhi and seeking a divorce.
• Song Yaoyao balances compassion with authority: she supports Duanmu Rui, orders a proper investigation, and exposes Madam Yu’s attempted interference.
• Madam Yu shifts from confident obstruction to shock, grief, and remorse when the torture chamber is found and her son dies.
• Yu Haochuan struggles to resist being exposed but cannot speak; his death prevents him from controlling Duanmu Rui any longer.
• Tan Hanmin follows Song Yaoyao’s orders and firmly defends her status when Madam Yu insults her.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: The search verifies Duanmu Rui’s testimony and turns hidden abuse into public evidence.
• Abuse of power and control: Yu Haochuan’s imprisonment and torture of Duanmu Rui reveal the cruelty behind his efforts to keep her captive.
• Retribution: Madam Yu interprets the deaths as the consequence of her son’s crimes and his destruction of his own chance at life.
• Agency and protection: Duanmu Rui speaks for herself and seeks release from an abusive marriage, while Song Yaoyao uses her authority to help her.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao announces that Madam Yu has died; Yu Haochuan had already died when his magically extended lifespan ran out. The crowd sees their deaths as just punishment for their crimes.
• Tan Hanmin confirms that the hidden chamber beneath Yu Haochuan’s bedroom was a torture room, supporting Duanmu Rui’s account of her abuse.
• Duanmu Rui asks to divorce Yu Haochuan. Song Yaoyao advises her to first take control of the Yu family’s property as compensation for her suffering. Duanmu sells the estate quickly, then completes the divorce with Song’s approval.
• Han Tianzhi curses Duanmu and is gagged. Duanmu reminds her that she nearly killed her; Tan Hanmin vows not to spare an attempted murderer. Han Tianzhi is later sentenced to hard labor.
• Song Yaoyao’s party leaves Changning County without taking Duanmu Rui along. Duanmu initially fears they might control or imprison her, then regrets misjudging them. She leaves the county the following day, finally free after three years.
• Six days later, Song and her companions reach Crimson Feather City. A brief exchange with Guagua turns her excitement at returning into playful banter before the group enters the city.

Character developments

• Duanmu Rui acts decisively to secure her financial independence and freedom, though past abuse has left her distrustful and wary. Once safe, she resolves to repay Song Yaoyao’s kindness.
• Song Yaoyao helps Duanmu without seeking anything in return and understands why trauma has made her suspicious. She also rejects the idea of extending her own lifespan, wary of possible consequences.
• Han Tianzhi remains vindictive even as her crimes catch up with her.
• Guagua provides updates and teases Song, while Song’s sharp retorts keep their familiar comic dynamic alive.

Significant themes

• Retribution and justice: The Yu family’s deaths and Han Tianzhi’s punishment are framed as consequences for their cruelty and crimes.
• Freedom and recovery: Duanmu’s divorce, control of the Yu family’s wealth, and departure mark the beginning of a life beyond captivity.
• Trauma and trust: Duanmu’s suspicion of her benefactors is understandable given her past, even though Song’s help was sincere.
• Life and its limits: Song refuses to tamper with her own lifespan, accepting that extending life may carry unknown costs.

Character interactions

• Song guides Duanmu through the practical consequences of divorce and urges her to claim the Yu family’s assets so she can recover safely.
• Duanmu confronts Han Tianzhi about the attempted murder; Tan Hanmin backs her up and ensures Han is restrained.
• Song and Guagua discuss Duanmu’s fears and Song’s refusal to extend her lifespan, then resume their teasing banter upon reaching home.

Plot and events

• Song Yaoyao and her companions return to the capital in self-driving vehicles, attracting crowds wherever they go.
• At the Marquis of Eternal Peace’s residence, Yaoyao reunites emotionally with her mother, Madam Song. She leaves Sima Yifeng and the others in her mother’s care before heading to the palace with Song Qinghui, Liu Zheheng, and the Imperial Shadow Guards.
• The emperor, already informed of their return, orders them to drive their unusual vehicles straight into the palace.
• Yaoyao and her companions give the emperor a detailed account of their year-long mission, taking turns speaking over four hours. Pleased with their service, he promises a welcome banquet.
• Fascinated by the vehicles, the emperor inspects one, questions Yaoyao about it, and rides around the palace five times with Liu Zheheng driving. He asks to keep the vehicle; Yaoyao promises to send him a new one the next day.
• After leaving the palace, Yaoyao is reunited with her father, Lord Song, and embraces him. He tells her she has grown taller, and they exchange affectionate questions about missing each other.

Character developments and interactions

• Yaoyao’s reunion with both parents reveals how deeply she has missed her family. Madam Song initially focuses entirely on her daughter, prompting Song Qinghui to jokingly seek recognition; his mother then praises him for protecting Yaoyao and promises his favorite food.
• The emperor shows both gratitude for the group’s accomplishments and childlike excitement about the unfamiliar technology. Yaoyao responds considerately to his request for a vehicle.
• Song Qinghui and Liu Zheheng support Yaoyao by helping recount the journey, while Liu also drives the emperor.

Significant themes

• Family and reunion: The emotional homecoming underscores the strain of separation and the strength of family bonds.
• Duty and recognition: The emperor acknowledges the group’s hard work and service.
• Wonder at new technology: The self-driving vehicles astonish the capital and symbolize the meeting of unfamiliar worlds.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao returns home after a year away. Her father, Lord Song, waits for her after his shift and greets her warmly, while her brother Song Qinghui is overlooked and quietly follows them home.
• Madam Song welcomes Yaoyao, has a bath prepared, and the family gathers for a celebratory meal. Her siblings remark on how much she has grown; Yaoyao trades compliments with them, prompting a joking exchange with Guagua.
• Yaoyao gives her family gifts: rare books and original calligraphy and paintings for her father, jewelry and fabric for her mother, and presents for her siblings. She then shares some of her experiences from the past year.
• The next day, the emperor’s edict grants Yaoyao the title Princess Who Protects the Nation, with the honorary name Jiahe, high rank, a fief and substantial wealth, and permission to participate in state affairs on equal footing with imperial princes. Qinghui is appointed a Fifth-Rank General and ordered to report to the Forbidden Army in seven days.
• Yaoyao visits the palace with Qinghui, bringing vehicles and modern equipment—including cars, a drone, a telescope, and firearms—for the emperor, as well as gifts for the Empress Dowager and imperial consorts. The emperor is delighted and absorbed in examining his presents.
• As Yaoyao leaves for the rear palace, she gives Eunuch Wang warm jade, knowing that his hands and feet grow cold in winter.

Character developments and interactions

• Yaoyao’s reunion shows her close bond with her parents and siblings. She is affectionate, generous, and thoughtful, using gifts to express her gratitude and care.
• Lord Song’s devotion is clear: he waits at the return point after work, eager to see his daughter. Qinghui’s quiet disappointment at being ignored adds a light comic note.
• The family responds to Yaoyao with warmth, while her playful exchange with Guagua highlights their familiar, teasing relationship.
• The emperor rewards Yaoyao’s achievements with exceptional status and privileges, while Qinghui receives a military appointment. Yaoyao, in turn, honors her obligations by bringing the emperor promised gifts.
• Yaoyao’s gift to Eunuch Wang reflects personal attentiveness beyond formal court courtesy; his initial refusal gives way to gratitude.

Significant themes

• Family affection and reunion: The Song family’s welcome emphasizes the comfort of returning home and the bonds strengthened by separation.
• Generosity and reciprocity: Yaoyao’s gifts repay her family’s care and fulfill her commitments to the emperor.
• Recognition and advancement: The imperial honors acknowledge Yaoyao’s accomplishments and elevate both her and Qinghui.
• Modernity meeting tradition: Vehicles and technology fascinate the emperor and offer a striking contrast with the court’s customary world.
• Personal kindness within hierarchy: Yaoyao’s considerate treatment of Eunuch Wang shows warmth and empathy amid formal imperial protocol.

Plot points and events

• Eunuch Wang accepts Song Yaoyao’s gift of warm jade, becoming more sincere toward her and resolving to support the Song Household.
• Song Yaoyao visits the Empress Dowager, Empress, and Noble Consort Liu, bringing each valuable gifts collected from the Dragon Abyss and Night Central Kingdoms. They welcome her warmly, and the Empress Dowager is especially pleased to see her after her long absence.
• The emperor announces that a Welcome Banquet will be held in Song Yaoyao’s honor three days later. At home, she is worn out by the steady stream of visitors and promptly goes to sleep.
• The Empress Dowager, Empress, and Noble Consort Liu send gifts to the Marquis’s Residence over the next two days.
• At the banquet, Song Yaoyao sits in the first place below the emperor. Eunuch Wang publicly recounts her, Song Qinghui’s, and Liu Zheheng’s achievements from the past year and announces their rewards, including Song Yaoyao’s title as first-rank Princess Who Protects the Nation.
• During the entertainment, Song Yaoyao notices that male dancers have joined the palace performances. Guagua explains that they are eligible young men whose families and the imperial household hope to attract her interest.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao’s reputation and influence have grown: officials, nobles, and palace figures admire her accomplishments, and she receives an honored place at the banquet.
• The Empress Dowager expresses genuine affection and says she missed Song Yaoyao during her absence. Song Yaoyao reciprocates with thoughtful gifts and respectful visits.
• Eunuch Wang’s attitude toward Song Yaoyao softens after her generous gift.
• Song Yaoyao remains lively and unselfconscious, treating the marriage-oriented display with surprise and joking that she is still a child. Guagua serves as her playful, well-informed confidant.
• The banquet’s young men are presented as potential suitors, with Guagua teasingly describing their varied personalities and pointing out that one is a prince.

Significant themes

• Recognition and reward: Song Yaoyao’s covert work abroad is formally acknowledged before the court.
• Loyalty and reciprocal favor: Her gifts strengthen ties with powerful palace figures, who return her kindness with rewards.
• Fame and changing expectations: Her accomplishments make her admired—and bring pressure to consider marriage.
• Humor and youthful independence: Song Yaoyao’s candid reaction contrasts with the court’s matchmaking intentions.

Chapter summary

At the emperor’s banquet, a young gentleman tries to stage a fall so he can get close to Princess Jiahe (Song Yaoyao). She dodges by pulling a nearby eunuch in front of her, leaving the man to crash into him instead. Song Yaoyao acts unbothered and jokes that the real tragedy is the food spilled on the floor. Since she chooses not to pursue the matter, the emperor lets the embarrassed suitor go.
Song Yaoyao then notices Ji Zhiheng, who had been enjoying the spectacle. With help from Guagua, she exposes his recent romantic entanglement to the people around them. This surprises everyone: Ji Zhiheng had previously mocked matchmaking and joked that he would rather prepare money for the afterlife than marry. His mother, Madam Ji, is especially eager to learn who has changed his mind.
Guagua reveals that Ji Zhiheng was recently abducted by a masked martial artist. Drugged herself and acting on impulse, the woman chose him because he looked good, knocked him unconscious, and carried him to her residence. In the video Guagua shows, Ji Zhiheng wakes to find her undressing and tries to escape. She calls after him about needing an antidote, immobilizes him when he resists, and insists that she will decide whether he is “sweet” after trying him. The chapter ends on this comic cliffhanger.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao stays quick-witted and irreverent, neatly thwarting the suitor’s scheme and turning the incident into a joke. She is also delighted by Ji Zhiheng’s exposed romantic troubles.
• Ji Zhiheng is shown as a former opponent of marriage now caught up in an unexpected—and decidedly chaotic—encounter with a woman.
• Guagua feeds Song Yaoyao the gossip and supplies the video, while the surrounding banquet guests react to the revelations.
• The masked woman is bold, skilled, and apparently desperate for an antidote, though her behavior toward Ji Zhiheng is forceful and reckless.

Significant themes

The chapter plays with romantic expectations and reversals: a suitor’s planned seduction fails, while the marriage-averse Ji Zhiheng becomes the target of an unusual pursuit. Its humor comes from public embarrassment, gossip, and Song Yaoyao’s irreverent priorities, especially her concern for the wasted food.

Key plot points and events

• The video cuts off during the woman’s strange outburst about caring only about “the twisting,” then resumes the next morning.
• Ji Zhiheng’s mother learns he spent the night with a woman and immediately decides he must pursue her. She insists that family background does not matter and threatens to turn him out unless he wins the woman as his wife. His father backs her up.
• In the video, the woman offers Ji Zhiheng silver—first a thousand taels, then ten thousand—to forget what happened. He refuses, offended at being treated as someone who can be paid off. She has him thrown out anyway.
• A little over a month later, Ji Zhiheng learns that the woman is pregnant and intends to buy medicine to end the pregnancy. He confronts her and insists he has the right to intervene as the father. She refuses both to keep the child and to marry him; he declares he will send a proposal, and she threatens to abort if he does.

Character developments

• Ji Zhiheng shifts from feeling humiliated and powerless after being dismissed to determinedly claiming responsibility for the child and pursuing marriage.
• The woman remains fiercely independent and blunt, rejecting both Ji Zhiheng’s money and his marriage plans. Her identity and reasons for resisting are not revealed here.
• Madam Ji becomes ecstatic at the prospect of a daughter-in-law and grandchild, and takes charge of pushing her son toward marriage. Ji Zhiheng’s father supports her, though he stops her from revealing too much about their courtship.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua watch and comment on the video; Song finds the exchange between Ji Zhiheng and the woman hilarious.

Significant themes

• The episode contrasts money and personal dignity: Ji Zhiheng rejects the woman’s attempt to settle the night with payment.
• It explores family duty and responsibility, especially through the pregnancy and Ji Zhiheng’s insistence that he must act as the child’s father.
• Personal autonomy versus social expectations drives the conflict: the woman asserts control over her body and future, while Ji Zhiheng argues for marriage and the child’s legitimacy.
• Comedy comes from the gap between the characters’ serious dispute and the Ji family’s enthusiastic matchmaking.

Character interactions

• Madam Ji pressures and teases Ji Zhiheng, while he protests that he has already been “swept out” of the family home.
• The woman repeatedly rebuffs Ji Zhiheng: she offers money, orders him out, and later rejects his claim to influence her decision.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua provide humorous commentary as the video reveals the escalating clash between the pair.

Key plot points

• Ji Zhiheng is repeatedly turned away by Baili Ningxia, who warns him not to act recklessly and insists they are from different worlds. He still does not know her name.
• Madam Ji scolds her son for his lack of progress and urges him to pursue Ningxia. Once she learns a child may be on the way, she is eager for the family to be involved, regardless of whether it is a grandson or granddaughter.
• Guagua reveals that Ningxia is the daughter of the Mystic Ice Gate’s leader. She came to the capital to audit the sect’s businesses, discovered suspicious accounts, and was caught in a trap while investigating the local manager. She escaped and then encountered Ji Zhiheng.
• Because Ningxia belongs to the martial world while Ji Zhiheng is the son of an imperial general, their relationship faces serious barriers. His family and the banquet guests expect his courtship to be difficult. After receiving advice from his mother, Ji reluctantly agrees to try again.
• The gossip about Ji Zhiheng ends without revealing what happens next, leaving Song Yaoyao and the others eager for updates.
• As Song orders more Pear Blossom Wine, Guagua warns her that the replacement eunuch has been bribed by top scholar Bai Yucheng. Bai plans to drug her wine and assault her. The wine has not yet been served, so Song is still safe.

Character developments and interactions

• Ji Zhiheng is embarrassed and discouraged by Ningxia’s rejection and his family’s criticism, but his mother’s encouragement—and her private advice—persuades him to keep trying.
• Madam Ji is protective and forceful, berating her son while insisting he pursue Ningxia and welcoming the possibility of a child.
• Baili Ningxia is shown to be capable and independent: she investigates her sect’s finances, escapes an ambush, and firmly rejects Ji’s advances.
• Song Yaoyao treats the romance as entertaining gossip, but quickly shifts to caution when Guagua exposes the plot against her.
• Bai Yucheng is revealed as a dangerous antagonist, willing to use bribery and a drugged drink to assault Song.

Significant themes

• The divide between the imperial court and the martial world makes romance politically and socially difficult.
• Family pressure and persistence shape courtship, though Ningxia’s clear refusal underscores the tension between pursuit and personal boundaries.
• Gossip provides comic entertainment, but hidden schemes can turn a banquet into a real threat.

Key plot points and events

• During the palace gathering, Bai Yucheng waits anxiously for a eunuch involved in his scheme against Princess Jiahe. The emperor has secretly had the eunuch arrested, leaving Bai’s plan stalled.
• Song Yaoyao is disappointed that the eunuch does not return because she had hoped for a dramatic confrontation. Guagua reveals that Bai is also worried his plot has been exposed, yet still hopes to continue it.
• Guagua recounts Bai Yucheng’s past. Though his once-prominent family is poor, the clan chief provides money to support his studies. Bai resents the modest help and feels entitled to his family’s sacrifices, while his elder brother, Bai Yuming, willingly offers to work to fund Bai’s education.
• Bai Yuming rescues Chang Yuhe, a wealthy woman with lost memories. Respecting her wish not to recover them, he later marries her. Bai Yucheng becomes infatuated with his sister-in-law and believes she should have married someone as talented as himself.
• Bai’s parents arrange his marriage to Lu Ning, a capable and accomplished woman. Three years later, Bai Yuming is beaten to death during a robbery. His killers are never found, and his widow and young daughter are left devastated.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao remains eager for spectacle, even while recognizing Bai’s dangerous behavior.
• Bai Yucheng is portrayed as gifted but entitled, ungrateful, and selfish. His attraction to Chang Yuhe reveals his willingness to covet his brother’s wife.
• Bai Yuming is generous and hardworking, supporting his younger brother and treating Chang Yuhe with compassion and respect.
• Chang Yuhe is introduced as a vulnerable woman with amnesia who chooses not to pursue her past; she finds happiness with Bai Yuming before becoming a grieving widow.
• Bai’s parents try to support both sons and prevent Bai’s fixation from damaging the family.

Significant themes

• Entitlement versus gratitude: Bai interprets others’ sacrifices as obligations rather than kindness.
• Family loyalty and sacrifice: Bai Yuming helps fund his brother’s ambitions, while Bai’s parents work to support their children.
• Compassion and respect: Bai Yuming honors Chang Yuhe’s wishes and earns her affection.
• Selfishness and tragedy: Bai’s lack of grief after his brother’s death foreshadows the depth of his moral failings.

Character interactions

• Guagua informs Song Yaoyao about Bai’s scheme and past, while Song reacts with curiosity and amusement.
• Bai’s parents rebuke his arrogance and try to redirect him by arranging a marriage.
• Bai Yuming’s kindness toward Chang Yuhe contrasts with Bai Yucheng’s possessive attraction to her.
• After Bai Yuming’s death, the family shares in the grief—except Bai Yucheng.

Key plot points and events

• After three years of marriage, Lu Ning becomes pregnant and suffers severe morning sickness. Her mother takes her to the family home to recover.
• With Lu Ning away, Bai Yucheng goes to his widowed sister-in-law Chang Yuhe’s room and tries to force himself on her. Chang Yuhe resists, and Bai Father and Bai Mother arrive in time to stop him.
• Bai Father confronts his younger son, who shows no remorse for exploiting the elder brother who supported his education. Bai Yucheng insists he loves Chang Yuhe and argues that, rather than let her remarry, he should take her in as his partner.
• He invokes a Bai family ancestor who supposedly supported two family branches, and claims that keeping Chang Yuhe and her daughter, Nannan, within the family would spare the child from losing her mother too.
• Despite Chang Yuhe’s resistance, Bai Father and Bai Mother ultimately yield, worrying about Nannan’s future and their own inability to care for her indefinitely. They tell Bai Yucheng to be careful.
• Afterwards, Chang Yuhe avoids Bai Yucheng, eats alone in her room, and bolts her door. The chapter ends by foreshadowing that he still finds another opportunity.

Character developments and interactions

• Bai Yucheng is revealed as selfish, entitled, and manipulative. He disguises his pursuit of Chang Yuhe as love and concern for Nannan, while openly dismissing the sacrifices his late brother made for him. He also plans to conceal the situation from Lu Ning.
• Chang Yuhe firmly rejects Bai Yucheng and becomes increasingly fearful and guarded after his assault.
• Bai Father and Bai Mother initially stop Bai Yucheng, but ultimately prioritize Nannan’s circumstances—and their fear of entrusting her to their son—over Chang Yuhe’s wishes.
• Song Yaoyao, watching the events, condemns Bai Yucheng’s behavior and is shocked by the parents’ willingness to accept his proposal. Guagua refuses to engage with the disturbing situation.

Significant themes

• Entitlement and exploitation: Bai Yucheng treats his brother’s sacrifices and Chang Yuhe’s vulnerability as things he can claim.
• Women’s agency and coercion: Chang Yuhe’s clear refusal is overridden by family pressures and decisions made without her consent.
• Family duty versus self-interest: Nannan’s welfare is used to justify a coercive arrangement, while the parents’ concerns also reflect their distrust of Bai Yucheng.
• Hypocrisy and moral decay: Bai Yucheng invokes family tradition and concern for a child while planning secrecy and disregarding both women’s wishes.

Key plot points and events

• In a flashback, Bai Yucheng climbs through Chang Yuhe’s open window and forces her to submit, silencing her with threats to destroy her reputation and harm her daughter, Nannan.
• He claims his parents have approved of the arrangement, but insists Chang remain publicly his late elder brother’s wife and secretly his mistress. He also threatens her into keeping the affair hidden from his lawful wife, Lu Ning.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua reveal that Bai regularly coerces Chang whenever Lu Ning is away. Chang secretly made herself infertile with safflower to prevent him from fathering a child with her; Bai does not know.
• Bai has also targeted Princess Jiahe. He intends to drug her and, if his plan succeeds, later arrange Lu Ning’s murder during a trip outside the city.
• After hearing the revelations, the banquet guests—including the emperor and Song Yaoyao’s family—are horrified. Song considers exposing Bai and turning his scheme against him, but Guagua notes that the timing may make a staged drugging unconvincing.

Character developments

• Chang Yuhe is trapped by social prejudice and Bai’s threats, especially the danger to Nannan. Her secret use of safflower shows a desperate effort to retain some control over her future.
• Bai Yucheng is exposed as a calculating predator: he exploits his scholarly reputation, abuses Chang, deceives Lu Ning, and plans further violence for his own ambitions.
• Song Yaoyao shifts from reacting with disgust to considering how to expose Bai and prevent him from remaining in imperial service.
• The emperor and banquet guests lose their favorable impression of Bai and recognize the danger hidden beneath his gentlemanly appearance.

Significant themes

• Abuse of power and reputation: Bai relies on his status as a xiucai and society’s willingness to blame women to silence Chang.
• Coercion and control: Threats against Nannan keep Chang trapped, while Bai’s secrecy allows him to maintain a respectable public image.
• Appearance versus character: Bai’s outward propriety conceals cruelty and ambition.
• Justice and responsibility: The chapter raises the question of how to expose a powerful wrongdoer before he can harm others.

Character interactions

• Bai dominates Chang through threats, while Chang’s fear for Nannan prevents her from resisting openly.
• Song and Guagua exchange information, revealing Bai’s crimes and discussing how to stop him.
• Song’s family react protectively and angrily toward Bai, while the emperor and other guests reassess the man they had considered respectable.

Key plot points and events

• The emperor, who had already been looking for a pretext to deal with Bai Yucheng, hears Song Yaoyao’s thoughts and quietly arranges for the eunuch to return.
• Song Yaoyao drinks the wine despite learning it has not been drugged. She then pretends to be ill and leaves the banquet, with the eunuch leading her toward a palace hall.
• Her family follows at a distance. Bai Yucheng slips after her, while the emperor arrives with a large crowd of officials and guests, all eager to witness what happens.
• Inside the hall, Bai Yucheng reveals his intention to exploit the situation and threaten Song Yaoyao’s reputation. Song Yaoyao springs up, slashes his arm with a dagger, and confronts him.
• She exposes his past misconduct, including taking his sister-in-law, and says she will report him to the emperor. When Bai Yucheng threatens her, she overpowers him and kicks him in the groin, making him scream.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao shows herself to be composed and strategic: she feigns being drugged to lure Bai Yucheng into a trap, then takes control of the confrontation.
• Bai Yucheng shifts from smug confidence to fear and pain when his scheme fails and Song Yaoyao reveals that she knows about his past.
• The emperor supports Song Yaoyao’s plan, while her family remains protective but trusts that she is safe.

Significant themes

• Turning a trap back on its maker: Song Yaoyao uses Bai Yucheng’s plan to expose and punish him.
• Justice and accountability: Bai Yucheng’s status as top scholar cannot shield him from his misconduct.
• Female agency and self-defense: Song Yaoyao refuses to be intimidated by threats to her reputation and uses both wit and force.
• Public spectacle and political consequences: The crowd’s presence suggests Bai Yucheng’s actions may soon be exposed before the court.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao’s playful internal banter with Guagua contrasts with her careful performance in front of others.
• Madam Song worries about her daughter, while Lord Song and Song Qinghui help the family keep watch.
• The emperor and assembled guests quietly follow the unfolding trap.
• Song Yaoyao directly challenges Bai Yucheng, and their confrontation ends with her physically defeating him.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao beats Bai Yucheng severely after he tries to drug her. The emperor, empress, and others burst into the hall, interrupting the beating.
• The empress assures everyone that nothing improper happened between Song Yaoyao and Bai, protecting the princess from damaging rumors. The emperor orders Bai taken away for interrogation.
• Bai confesses quickly, including his scheme with a bribed eunuch. The eunuch is found with the bribe and executed; Bai’s fate is left pending. Guagua says Song’s kicks have also left him permanently impotent.
• The banquet resumes. Before leaving, the emperor orders Song to attend court in three days.
• As the chapter ends, Guagua excitedly tells Song to follow Ji Zhiheng’s family carriage, hinting at a new development.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is fierce and unapologetic when defending herself, but comically dreads the duties attached to her rank. She realizes the emperor had planned from the outset to involve her in state affairs.
• Bai Yucheng is exposed as a criminal and proves cowardly, confessing as soon as he sees the torture instruments.
• The empress acts decisively to shield Song’s reputation; the emperor punishes the conspirators and expects Song to serve at court.
• Madam Song shows affectionate concern for her daughter, worrying that Song hurt her hands while beating Bai.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: Bai and the bribed eunuch face consequences for their actions.
• Female agency and self-defense: Song takes control of the situation and refuses to be intimidated.
• Duty versus personal comfort: Song’s reluctance to attend court contrasts with the responsibilities of her title.
• Humor and family affection: Song’s dramatic complaints and Madam Song’s practical concern lighten the chapter’s darker events.

Character interactions

• The empress publicly reassures Song and warns against rumors, while the emperor orders Bai’s arrest.
• Madam Song comforts Song and suggests her brothers handle future beatings.
• Song’s playful inner exchanges with Guagua reveal her thoughts about Bai’s punishment, the eunuch’s execution, and her coming court duties.

Key plot points and events

• After learning that Baili Ningxia is pregnant, Madam Ji eagerly has Ji Zhiheng taken to her residence, hoping to bring the couple together and secure a grandchild.
• Song Yaoyao and a crowd of curious onlookers follow the Ji family’s carriage to witness the encounter.
• Madam Ji tells Baili Ningxia that she may discipline Ji Zhiheng however she likes, then the Ji parents leave him at her door.
• Though Baili initially objects to being left responsible for him, she lets him stay in a guest room rather than risk his becoming ill outside.
• After returning home, the Ji parents are relieved to learn that Baili has let their son inside and hope he will win her approval.
• Song asks Guagua to keep watch on Ji Zhiheng. Guagua explains that Baili has not taken abortion medicine: she is using the pregnancy to restrain Ji, while remaining wary of Shi Xiao’s people.

Character developments and interactions

• Madam Ji is eager, affectionate, and unconventional, openly urging Baili to “train” her son and treating her like a future daughter-in-law.
• Baili Ningxia is startled and embarrassed by Madam Ji’s assumptions, but ultimately acts cautiously and compassionately by giving Ji a place to stay. She has not yet agreed to a relationship or marriage.
• Ji Zhiheng is literally delivered to Baili by his parents. He persuades her to let him in by pointing out that leaving him outside could make him ill and cause trouble with his family.
• Lord and Madam Ji work together to push their son toward Baili, then anxiously hope their plan succeeds.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua provide a comic, spectator-like commentary on the scene, while other onlookers trail the carriage to watch.

Significant themes

• Family pressure and matchmaking: The Ji parents intervene directly to bring the couple together.
• Pregnancy as leverage: Baili’s pregnancy shapes the family’s actions, but she also uses it strategically to keep Ji from acting rashly.
• Boundaries and responsibility: Baili resists being forced into taking Ji in, yet feels responsible for the consequences if she leaves him outside.
• Comedy through misunderstanding: Madam Ji’s bold assumptions and the crowd’s eagerness to watch turn a serious situation into a farcical spectacle.