Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao advises Ji Zhiheng to postpone a photo session for his pregnant wife, Baili Ningxia, since posing all day would be exhausting. Ji Minyue backs her up, and Ji Zhiheng agrees to wait until after the baby is born.
• Madam Song summons Yaoyao to meet Shopkeeper Yao, who wants to buy the twenty-one clothing designs Yaoyao recently created.
• Madam Song negotiates on Yaoyao’s behalf. Shopkeeper Yao first offers 300 taels per design; Madam Song counters with 1,000 taels each, or a lower price in exchange for the Song family receiving 70% of the profits.
• Shopkeeper Yao accepts the fixed price and pays 21,000 taels after signing a contract. She also agrees not to sell garments based on the designs until after Song Qingyu’s wedding.
• Madam Song gives all the money to Yaoyao, explaining that she trusts her to manage her own finances now.
• Yaoyao considers opening a ready-made clothing shop, realizing it could earn more than selling designs alone.

Character developments and interactions

• Yaoyao shows practical concern for Baili Ningxia’s health, while Ji Minyue supports her advice and Ji Zhiheng respects it.
• Yaoyao is eager to profit from her designs but recognizes her lack of experience in business negotiations, so she lets Madam Song handle the deal.
• Madam Song proves to be a capable negotiator, securing a much higher price and protecting the Song family’s plans for the wedding.
• Their exchange over the silver notes shows a change in their relationship: Madam Song once saved Yaoyao’s money for her, but now considers her old enough to manage it herself.

Significant themes

• Family care and trust: Yaoyao’s concern for the pregnant Baili and Madam Song’s confidence in Yaoyao both reflect supportive family relationships.
• Business and self-reliance: Yaoyao turns her creativity into income and begins thinking beyond one-off sales toward running a clothing business.
• Negotiation and value: Madam Song insists that Yaoyao’s innovative designs deserve a premium price and finds a way to protect both their value and the family’s interests.

Key plot points and events

• Song Qingling visits Song Yaoyao, upset that Yaoyao has already chosen a wedding gift for their eldest brother while Qingling still has not.
• Yaoyao helps her search through her many treasured possessions, but finds nothing suitable. She suggests a hand-embroidered gift instead.
• After rejecting a conventional screen as too common and time-consuming, Yaoyao consults Guagua. Inspired by its search results, she proposes a Hundred-Happiness Picture—one hundred embroidered versions of the character for “happiness.” Qingling loves the idea and agrees to make it for the wedding, a month away.
• Qingling spends the following days working on the embroidery.
• Half a month later, Sima Yifeng reports that Gao Yu is recovering well after surgery but wants to remain at the Plum Garden until fully healed. Yaoyao agrees to let him stay.
• Yifeng also reports that Shanzi (Da Shan), another man with a condition like Gao Yu’s, has arrived. Yaoyao arranges to examine him at the Marquis’s Residence the next day. Shanzi hurried to Crimson Feather City, completing a journey expected to take two months in just over twenty days after learning he might be treated.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is supportive and resourceful: she helps Qingling find a personal gift and shows understanding of Gao Yu’s lingering anxiety during recovery.
• Song Qingling is conscientious about giving a meaningful wedding present and commits herself to a demanding embroidery project.
• Gao Yu remains cautious after his illness and surgery, preferring the security of staying near medical care.
• Shanzi is hopeful and determined, pushing himself to reach Yaoyao for treatment.
• Sima Yifeng continues to care attentively for patients and keeps Yaoyao informed.

Significant themes

• Thoughtfulness over expense: A gift matters most when it reflects care and personal effort.
• Recovery and trust: Gao Yu’s reluctance to leave shows how illness can leave someone anxious even after treatment.
• Hope and determination: Shanzi’s rapid journey reflects his eagerness to receive help.
• Different customs and perspectives: Guagua’s suggestion to give cash clashes with the local tradition of exchanging physical wedding gifts.

Character interactions

• Qingling playfully reproaches Yaoyao, then collaborates with her to choose a gift; Yaoyao encourages her once she settles on the embroidery.
• Yaoyao and Guagua banter over modern wedding customs, with Yaoyao rejecting Guagua’s blunt cash-gift idea.
• Yifeng reports on Gao Yu and Shanzi, while Yaoyao reassures him about Gao Yu’s stay and plans Shanzi’s examination.

Key plot points and events

• Sima Yifeng brings Shanzi to meet Song Yaoyao, who examines him and finds the same condition as Gao Yu’s, with larger tumors. She schedules surgery for her next day off and asks Shanzi to stay at the Marquis’s Residence and help Yifeng.
• Shanzi is overwhelmed with relief at learning he can be cured. Three days later, Song Yaoyao performs the operation successfully.
• Song Yaoyao then discusses her plans to open a clothing shop, explaining that she lacks people with the necessary skills. Yifeng reveals that the Divine Healer Valley supports disciples’ children who are unsuited to medicine in pursuing other trades. Its members run businesses ranging from clothing shops to restaurants and teahouses, so he offers to find suitable staff.
• Song Yaoyao also wants to open a cosmetics shop. Yifeng agrees to find people skilled in rouge and face powder.
• Yifeng asks for a VIP card to skip the queues at Song Yaoyao’s barbecue restaurant. She gives him one, and his enthusiasm for Crimson Feather City’s food becomes apparent.

Character developments

• Shanzi moves from years of suffering and despair to hope, gratitude, and successful treatment.
• Song Yaoyao continues expanding her business ambitions, looking beyond medicine to clothing and cosmetics.
• Sima Yifeng shows initiative and practical leadership by helping non-medical members of the Divine Healer Valley build independent careers. He also reveals a more playful, food-loving side.

Significant themes

• Healing and hope: Shanzi’s successful surgery offers relief after prolonged suffering.
• Different talents and opportunities: Yifeng believes people should pursue what suits them rather than be forced into medicine.
• Mutual support: The Divine Healer Valley helps its members while encouraging them to succeed through their own efforts.
• Enterprise and growth: Song Yaoyao’s plans show her expanding her work into new industries.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao treats Shanzi with warmth, quickly examines him, and reassures him about the short wait for surgery.
• Yifeng comforts Shanzi after the diagnosis and encourages him to stay emotionally steady before the operation.
• Yifeng offers Song Yaoyao access to the Valley’s network of business owners; she praises his judgment and accepts his help.
• Their discussion ends on a light note when Yifeng asks Song Yaoyao for a barbecue VIP card and admits he has been sampling the city’s food.

Plot points

• Song Yaoyao is driving home when Yuan Jibai suddenly blocks her car, narrowly avoiding an accident. He kneels and asks her to redress an injustice involving a powerful family, saying he trusts her fairness.
• Song Yaoyao takes him to the Capital Prefecture rather than let him walk. Guagua learns that the case involves the Hengyang Duke’s Residence, but is interrupted before explaining the details.
• At the prefecture, Yuan identifies himself as the legitimate son of the late Censor Yuan Zhifeng. After his father was assassinated and his mother later died, Yuan and his younger sister left the Censor’s Residence and settled in West City. He is studying for next year’s imperial examinations.
• Lord Yang recognizes Yuan’s family and speaks warmly of his father. Guagua explains that Yuan Zhifeng was a fearless, upright censor who openly criticized even the emperor. He was killed after investigating a secret report about corrupt officials; the murderers and officials were eventually caught and punished.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao’s initial anger at the reckless interruption gives way to concern and a willingness to help. She insists Yuan follow her instructions and brings him directly to the authorities.
• Yuan appears humble and nervous, but is determined enough to risk stopping a princess’s car because he believes she will pursue justice.
• Lord Yang’s respect for Yuan’s father reveals the late censor’s lasting reputation, even among colleagues who were not close to him.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua exchange private thoughts, with Guagua supplying background that reframes the case as part of a tragic family history.

Significant themes

• Justice and public trust: Yuan seeks out Song Yaoyao because he believes she will not protect the powerful.
• Integrity and courage: Censor Yuan’s fearless remonstrance and investigation made him admirable, but also put his life at risk.
• Loss and perseverance: Despite the deaths of both parents and the family’s decline, Yuan continues studying and hopes to build a future through the examinations.
• Power and corruption: The case points toward another confrontation involving an influential household, while the history of Yuan’s father shows the danger of challenging entrenched corruption.

Plot points and events

• Yuan Jibai, son of the upright Censor Yuan, insists on marrying Zhou Jiuer, daughter of the politically slippery Marquis of Suning. Censor Yuan investigates her reputation and approves the match after finding that her charitable acts appear to set her apart from her father.
• In fact, Jiuer has deliberately cultivated that reputation to secure a good marriage. Song Yaoyao considers her motives self-interested but notes that her charitable deeds still benefited others.
• Three months before the wedding, Censor Yuan is assassinated. Six months later, Yuan Jibai’s mother dies, leaving him in mourning and at a low point.
• Zhou Ningxuan then announces that the engagement is over, claiming Jiuer agreed and is too young to risk waiting years to marry. He returns the Yuan family’s jade token and asks for the Zhou family’s token in return.
• Shocked and refusing to believe Jiuer would end their relationship, Yuan Jibai rushes to find her. At a jewelry shop, he sees her speaking affectionately with Qi Boxun, a young man from the Duke of Hengyang’s household.

Character developments

• Yuan Jibai is devoted to Jiuer and defends her against doubts about her father. After losing both parents, he becomes vulnerable to the broken engagement and is overwhelmed by grief and disbelief.
• Zhou Jiuer is revealed as calculating: she used charitable work to distinguish herself from her father and improve her marriage prospects. Her apparent agreement to end the engagement, and her closeness with Qi Boxun, cast doubt on her feelings for Yuan Jibai.
• Zhou Ningxuan acts pragmatically, ending the match when Yuan Jibai’s mourning delays the wedding. He claims to be protecting his daughter’s reputation, though his haste and manner make the breakup painful for Yuan Jibai.
• Song Yaoyao offers a measured judgment of Jiuer’s strategy, separating her questionable motives from the real good her actions accomplished.

Themes

• Appearance and motive: Public virtue can be sincere, strategic, or both; good outcomes do not necessarily reveal pure intentions.
• Love and trust: Yuan Jibai’s faith in Jiuer is tested by her reported decision and what he witnesses at the shop.
• Misfortune and vulnerability: The deaths of Yuan Jibai’s parents leave him with little support just as his engagement collapses.
• Reputation and social pressure: Zhou Ningxuan frames the breakup around the social consequences of Jiuer waiting to marry.

Character interactions

• Yuan Jibai pleads with his parents to accept Jiuer; Censor Yuan agrees only after investigating her.
• Zhou Ningxuan informs Yuan Jibai of the breakup, and Yuan Jibai challenges whether Jiuer truly consented.
• Yuan Jibai then sees Jiuer exchanging flirtatious remarks with Qi Boxun, ending the chapter on a painful, unresolved discovery.

Key plot points and events

• Yuan Jibai overhears Zhou Jiuer discussing their engagement with Qi Baixun and realizes she knowingly agreed to end it. He returns the Zhou family’s betrothal token, formally breaking off the engagement.
• Years later, Yuan and Zhou meet at a medical hall. Zhou is now Qi Baixun’s wife; Yuan lives independently with his younger sister. He avoids her, but she follows him and tries to justify ending their engagement as necessary to protect the other women in her family.
• Yuan rejects her explanation, saying she sacrificed him and made him a laughingstock. He asks her to behave as a proper married woman and leaves.
• Zhou has been unable to conceive despite consulting physicians. Qi Baixun and his mother blame and humiliate her. Qi announces he will take two concubines, promising to register their future children under Zhou’s name.
• The concubines arrive, and Qi favors them while they mock Zhou. After her encounter with Yuan, Zhou becomes fixated on him again and orders people to investigate his life.

Character developments

• Yuan Jibai has moved on from the engagement and is firm about keeping his distance. His hurt and resentment surface when Zhou tries to excuse her choice.
• Zhou Jiuer originally treated Qi as a fallback, but married him after breaking with Yuan. Her position is now unhappy and constrained, and her renewed interest in Yuan suggests she may pursue him.
• Qi Baixun remains affectionate toward Zhou in the past, but in married life he prioritizes producing heirs and his standing in the Duke’s household, turning against her when she cannot conceive.
• Yuan’s younger sister is ill, prompting Yuan’s visit to the medical hall.

Significant themes

• Consequences of self-interested choices: Zhou’s decision to end the engagement protects her family’s prospects but damages Yuan and leaves her with an unsatisfying marriage.
• Women’s status and pressure to bear heirs: Zhou faces blame, ridicule, and the threat of being displaced because she has no child.
• Power and hierarchy within families: Qi’s position as a concubine-born son and the Duke’s household’s succession politics shape his choices.
• Resentment, regret, and unresolved attachment: Yuan wants distance, while Zhou’s renewed attention hints that the past is not settled.

Character interactions

• Yuan and Zhou’s reunion is tense: she seeks an explanation and understanding, but he refuses reconciliation and asks her to respect her marriage.
• Qi and Zhou’s exchanges show a shift from past devotion to present conflict: he insults her, announces concubines, and frames the arrangement as necessary for heirs.
• Qi’s mother and the concubines reinforce Zhou’s humiliation, while Qi protects them when Zhou tries to assert authority.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Jiuer visits Yuan Jibai and his sister, Jinhua, bringing gifts. Jinhua recognizes her and tries to keep her out, resentful of Zhou’s past decision to break off her engagement to Yuan.
• Yuan Jibai returns, also rejects Zhou, and shuts the gate after knocking away her servant’s attempt to hold it open. Zhou leaves without getting inside.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua reveal Zhou’s motive: unhappy and insecure in the Duke’s Residence, Zhou wants a child to secure her position. Suspecting her husband Qi Boxun cannot father one, she has decided to seek a child with another man—and has chosen Yuan Jibai as a suitable candidate.
• Guagua says Zhou’s plan eventually succeeds. The chapter then begins a flashback at the academy: Yuan declines an invitation to join classmates after lessons, until he hears that everyone will be there. The scene cuts off before the rest of the events are shown.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Jiuer is revealed as calculating and persistent, hiding her true purpose behind a polite visit. Her former relationship with the Yuan family has left deep resentment.
• Yuan Jinhua is fiercely protective of her brother. She openly distrusts Zhou and refuses to let her back into their lives.
• Yuan Jibai shares Jinhua’s rejection of Zhou and makes clear he considers them strangers. His forceful intervention ends Zhou’s attempt to enter.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua provide commentary that exposes Zhou’s scheme and foreshadows that it will work, despite the siblings’ hostility.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and lasting resentment: Zhou’s broken engagement still shapes how the Yuan siblings see her.
• Family loyalty and protection: Jinhua and Yuan Jibai act together to keep Zhou away.
• Deception and ambition: Zhou’s respectable appearance conceals her plan to obtain a child through another man.
• Foreshadowing: The academy flashback raises the question of how Yuan, despite his rejection of Zhou, becomes involved in her scheme.

Key plot points and events

• Yuan Jibai agrees to join his classmates for a gathering at the Spring Breeze Restaurant, not wanting to be excluded.
• Zhou Jiuer spots him there and, knowing he gets drunk easily, arranges for her servant to take him to a house she owns.
• Yuan wakes during the journey, but Zhou’s servant restrains him and later silences him. At the house, Zhou gives him a drug that leaves him feverish and unable to resist; she sexually assaults him.
• Afterward, Zhou leaves five thousand taels beside him. Yuan sees the money as an insulting payment and leaves it behind.
• In a later exchange, Song Yaoyao and Guagua reveal that Yuan avoids Zhou afterward. A month later, Zhou discovers she is pregnant and is delighted.
• Zhou’s family celebrates the pregnancy. Her husband, Qi Boxun, is especially happy, while his mother arranges care for Zhou. Zhou takes the pregnancy as proof that she is fertile and suspects Qi is responsible for the concubines’ failure to conceive.

Character developments

• Yuan Jibai goes from reluctantly joining a social gathering to being betrayed and assaulted. He is furious afterward and becomes vigilant, avoiding Zhou whenever he sees her.
• Zhou Jiuer acts with calculated determination to obtain a child, coercing Yuan and later celebrating her pregnancy. She interprets it as evidence that she—not her husband—is fertile.
• Qi Boxun is portrayed as overjoyed at the prospect of an heir and attentive to Zhou’s care.
• Song Yaoyao reacts with irreverent, joking commentary, while Guagua supplies the later events and corrects her focus.

Significant themes

• Coercion and violation: Zhou’s actions are presented as a serious breach of Yuan’s consent, despite the scene’s comic framing in the commentary.
• Pregnancy and lineage: The pregnancy matters chiefly as a route to an heir and as evidence in Zhou’s suspicions about fertility.
• Reputation and social belonging: Yuan accepts the invitation partly to avoid being treated as an outsider.
• Humiliation and power: Zhou’s payment intensifies Yuan’s sense of insult, while her pregnancy gives her greater confidence within her household.

Character interactions

• Yuan’s classmates pressure him to attend their gathering, and he agrees to preserve his social standing.
• Zhou’s servant helps deceive the restaurant staff and restrains Yuan on Zhou’s behalf.
• Zhou taunts Yuan while he is helpless; afterward, he responds with anger and avoidance.
• Song and Guagua discuss and judge the incident, then describe Zhou’s pregnancy and the household’s reaction.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Jiuer gives birth to a boy, Qi Junyan, believing his arrival has secured her place in the household.
• Three months later, Junyan suddenly convulses and foams at the mouth. A physician diagnoses poison administered in the womb and warns that the child may not live past age three without a Poison Master’s help.
• An investigation reveals that Madam Qi ordered the poisoning. Jealous of the attention given to Zhou Jiuer and afraid Junyan might threaten her son’s claim to the heirship, she had tried to cause a miscarriage.
• When confronted, Madam Qi denies responsibility. The evidence implicates only her servant Nanny Yu, who accepts the blame under pressure and kills herself by striking her head against a pillar.
• With Nanny Yu dead and the evidence insufficient to prove Madam Qi’s involvement, Duke Qi ends the confrontation. He tells Leng Xiangying that Madam Qi cannot be punished and promises to keep searching for a Poison Master to save Junyan.

Character developments and interactions

• Leng Xiangying, Junyan’s grandmother, is devastated and furious. She wants to confront Madam Qi but ultimately follows Duke Qi’s decision, while privately vowing revenge if she finds proof.
• Duke Qi recognizes Madam Qi’s guilt but is constrained by the lack of admissible evidence and her powerful family. He prioritizes finding treatment for Junyan.
• Madam Qi remains composed and denies the accusation, using Nanny Yu as a scapegoat.
• Nanny Yu sacrifices herself after recognizing the threat to her family, taking the blame and dying before she can be questioned further.
• Zhou Jiuer is initially overjoyed by her son’s birth, then overwhelmed by the poisoning and its threat to his life.
• Yuan Jibai appears in the chapter’s recap: he sees Zhou Jiuer pregnant but assumes the child is Qi Boxun’s, never realizing Junyan is his own.

Significant themes

• Power and impunity: Madam Qi’s status and family connections shield her from punishment.
• Sacrifice and coercion: Nanny Yu’s death reflects the danger faced by servants who become entangled in their masters’ schemes.
• Family rivalry and inheritance: Fear of a child disrupting the succession drives the attempted murder.
• Justice versus evidence: The household knows who is responsible, but suspicion cannot overcome the lack of proof.

Plot points and events

• Poison master Wu Xun identifies Qi Junyan’s illness as Ten-Star Powder, a Witch Tribe poison that will kill him within three years without treatment.
• Wu Xun says he can cure it, but his recipe requires blood from the child’s biological father.
• Zhou Jiuer realizes the needed blood is Yuan Jibai’s. She seeks him out and tells him that Qi Junyan is his son, born three months earlier.
• Yuan is shocked to learn that Zhou secretly conceived and raised his child. Zhou explains that Qi Boxun could not father children and that she turned to Yuan after years of pressure to produce an heir.
• Zhou reveals that Qi Junyan has been poisoned and needs Yuan’s blood. Though bitter that she contacted him only out of necessity, Yuan agrees to help.
• Unbeknownst to them, Qi Boxun overhears their conversation from the neighboring room and recognizes Yuan as Zhou’s former fiancé.

Character developments and interactions

• Zhou Jiuer acts out of desperation to save her son, but admits she concealed his existence until she needed Yuan’s blood. Her explanation exposes the abuse and pressure she faced in the Hengyang Duke’s household.
• Yuan Jibai begins guarded and resentful, yet his shock gives way to concern once he learns he has a son. He commits to helping despite Zhou’s deception.
• Qi Boxun is absent from the conversation but becomes an immediate threat when he discovers Zhou’s secret connection to Yuan.
• Zhou and Yuan move from distrust and accusation to a practical agreement, while unresolved resentment remains.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and its consequences: Zhou’s concealed pregnancy and Yuan’s unknown paternity now collide with the child’s illness.
• Family, inheritance, and gendered pressure: Zhou describes being blamed for infertility and forced to endure remedies and concubines because Qi Boxun’s household demanded an heir.
• Parental responsibility and sacrifice: Yuan accepts responsibility for a son he has never known, agreeing to provide what may save him.
• Suspense and impending conflict: Qi Boxun’s discovery threatens to turn a private arrangement into a dangerous family confrontation.

Key plot points and events

• Qi Boxun secretly overhears Zhou Jiuer and Yuan Jibai discussing that Junyan is Yuan’s son and that Zhou forced Yuan to father the child. He is also stunned to learn that he may be unable to father children.
• Seeking proof that he can, Qi visits three Medical Halls. Each physician diagnoses him with congenital eunuchism, destroying his hope of disproving Zhou’s claim.
• He threatens his attendant and the first physician to keep the diagnosis secret.
• Back at the Duke’s Residence, Qi violently beats Zhou and accuses her of betraying him. Zhou realizes he knows about her and Yuan. Qi leaves without hearing her explanation.
• Zhou fears that the household will discover the affair and that she and Junyan will be killed. When no one confronts her the next day, she suspects Qi has stayed silent because his medical diagnosis is too humiliating.

Character developments

• Qi Boxun: His shock and wounded pride turn into rage and violence. The repeated diagnosis leaves him devastated, while his threats show how desperately he wants to conceal his condition.
• Zhou Jiuer: Though injured, she does not plead with Qi, knowing it would worsen the beating. Her fear shifts from immediate punishment to the danger of exposure, and she begins to infer why Qi has kept quiet.
• Qi’s attendant and the physician: Both are intimidated into promising secrecy.

Significant themes

• Pride and humiliation: Qi’s response is driven not only by betrayal but by the revelation that he may be unable to father children.
• Secrecy and power: Qi uses threats to control who knows his diagnosis, while Zhou fears the consequences of scandal within the household.
• Violence and vulnerability: Zhou’s lack of power is emphasized by Qi’s assault and her fear for her son’s safety.

Character interactions

• Qi’s overheard conversation with Zhou and Yuan provides the proof that triggers his actions.
• Qi threatens the physician and his attendant to protect his secret.
• He attacks Zhou, accuses her of cuckolding him, and refuses to hear her explanation.
• Zhou relies on a maid for treatment, then waits anxiously for the household’s reaction.

Key plot points and events

• Zhou Jiuer realizes Qi Boxun is infertile, which explains why he has hidden his anger over her affair with Yuan Jibai: exposing the truth could cost him Duke Qi’s support.
• She proposes that Qi Boxun claim Junyan as his son, promising to end contact with Yuan Jibai once the child is cured and to keep Junyan’s biological parentage secret. Qi Boxun accepts.
• Zhou secretly takes Junyan to see Yuan Jibai several more times. Yuan, who dislikes Zhou but adores the child, helps provide his blood as a medicinal catalyst. Junyan’s poison is cured without the household discovering the truth.
• Zhou then cuts Yuan off. After waiting three months, he encounters her and learns Junyan is well, but she refuses to let him see the boy and insists they have no connection.
• Qi Boxun confronts Yuan, admits he knows Junyan is Yuan’s biological son, and declares that he will raise the child as his own. He has Yuan beaten when Yuan continues to claim Junyan.
• Yuan later tries to reach the Duke’s Residence, but Qi Boxun’s men repeatedly stop him. Eventually, Qi Boxun has Yuan’s younger sister seized and threatens her to make Yuan stop pursuing Junyan.

Character developments

• Zhou Jiuer shifts from anxiety to calculated pragmatism. She secures Qi Boxun’s cooperation to protect her position and Junyan, then ruthlessly severs ties with Yuan once she no longer needs him.
• Qi Boxun accepts an arrangement that preserves his standing, despite the humiliation of raising another man’s child. He increasingly asserts himself as Junyan’s father and uses violence to defend that claim.
• Yuan Jibai is revealed to care deeply for Junyan, even while resenting Zhou. His longing to see the child drives him into repeated confrontations, leaving him vulnerable to Qi Boxun’s retaliation.

Significant themes

• Power and social survival: Keeping Qi Boxun’s infertility secret and presenting Junyan as his heir are strategies for navigating factional pressure.
• Biological versus parental bonds: Yuan is Junyan’s birth father, but Qi Boxun claims that raising the child will make him the boy’s true father.
• Betrayal and possession: Zhou uses Yuan’s affection for Junyan to secure the cure, then denies him access; Qi Boxun treats the child as both family and a claim to protect.
• Coercion and violence: The adults’ struggle over Junyan escalates from secrecy and manipulation to beatings and threats against Yuan’s sister.

Character interactions

• Zhou and Qi Boxun negotiate a quiet pact: he will acknowledge Junyan, and she will conceal the truth and end her relationship with Yuan.
• Zhou and Yuan move from secret cooperation for Junyan’s sake to a sharp, final rejection.
• Qi Boxun and Yuan clash over who has the right to call Junyan his son. Qi Boxun’s knowledge of the truth does not soften his resolve; instead, he uses force to keep Yuan away.

Key plot points and events

• Yuan Jibai explains that Qi Boxun’s men intimidated his sister, prompting him to bring the matter before Lord Yang. His sole request is to have Qi Junyan returned to him as his son.
• At the hearing, Yuan reveals that Zhou Jiuer—his former fiancée—conceived Junyan with him after forcing herself on him, then married Qi Boxun and concealed the child’s parentage.
• When Junyan was poisoned, Zhou sought Yuan’s blood as a medicinal catalyst. After he helped save the boy, she and Qi Boxun denied him access and rejected his claim.
• Yuan further accuses Qi Boxun of being unable to father children and says Qi beat him and threatened his sister to silence him.
• Song Yaoyao offers to examine Qi Boxun’s pulse. Qi refuses, and both he and Zhou insist the accusations are false.
• Leng Xiangying tries to prevent an examination, while Madam Qi argues that the family’s bloodline must be investigated. Duke Qi recognizes that the accused couple’s reactions suggest the claims are true.

Character developments and interactions

• Yuan Jibai stands up for his son and refuses to be intimidated, despite having previously endured violence and threats.
• Zhou Jiuer becomes visibly shaken and denies the allegations, while Yuan confronts her over her secrecy and treatment of him.
• Qi Boxun reacts furiously to the exposure of his infertility but refuses Song Yaoyao’s offer to verify it.
• Leng Xiangying, initially focused on protecting her son, realizes the accusations are likely true and tries to shield him from public humiliation.
• Madam Qi appears pleased by the unfolding scandal and supports a thorough investigation.
• Song Yaoyao and Lord Yang oversee the hearing; Song remains composed and lets the accused reveal their guilt through their responses.

Significant themes

• Truth versus reputation: The Qi family’s efforts to suppress the allegations clash with Yuan’s demand for recognition and accountability.
• Family, bloodline, and legitimacy: The dispute centers on Junyan’s parentage and who has the right to claim him.
• Power and intimidation: Violence and threats were used to silence Yuan, but he chooses to speak publicly.
• Self-interest and betrayal: Zhou’s concealment of the child and rejection of Yuan after using his blood expose the characters’ conflicting loyalties.

Key plot points and events

• Duke Qi initially tries to dismiss Yuan Jibai’s claim that the child is his, but Madam Qi, Lord Yang, Yuan, and Song Yaoyao insist that the child’s parentage be established.
• Song Yaoyao examines Qi Boxun and confirms that he cannot father a child, exposing the truth behind the child’s identity.
• Lord Yang orders Qi Boxun and Zhou Jiuer to return the child to Yuan Jibai. Zhou refuses, hoping to use the child to secure her position, but Qi Boxun strikes her, takes the child, and hands him to Yuan.
• The court is dismissed. Song Yaoyao stops Yuan as he prepares to leave and asks whether he has somewhere to go.

Character developments

• Duke Qi abandons his denial when the evidence becomes unavoidable, but privately blames Yuan for exposing the household scandal and vows revenge.
• Madam Qi openly challenges her husband, insisting that the child’s bloodline must be clarified.
• Yuan Jibai remains focused on reclaiming his son and stands his ground despite Duke Qi’s hostility.
• Zhou Jiuer reveals that her refusal is driven less by maternal love than by her desire to retain status. Once the child is taken, she submits to Qi Boxun’s threats.
• Song Yaoyao uses her medical authority to establish the truth and recognizes the danger Yuan may face afterward.

Character interactions

• Lord Yang and Song Yaoyao support Yuan’s demand for a fair inquiry, while Duke Qi tries to protect his family’s reputation.
• Song’s diagnosis provokes Leng Xiangying’s objection, but Duke Qi quickly affirms his trust in Song’s expertise.
• Qi Boxun’s violence toward Zhou Jiuer secures the child’s return but exposes his cruelty and desperation.
• Song’s final question suggests she may offer Yuan help beyond recovering his son.

Significant themes

• Truth versus reputation: The family’s scandal cannot be concealed once medical evidence is presented.
• Power and justice: Yuan seeks redress despite his reduced social standing, while Duke Qi’s influence makes him a potential threat.
• Women’s vulnerability and status: Zhou’s attempt to use the child for security leaves her exposed to abuse and danger.
• Responsibility and protection: Reclaiming the child may be only the beginning of ensuring Yuan and his son’s safety.

Key plot points

• After their confrontation with Duke Qi, Song Yaoyao warns Yuan Jibai that the powerful duke may seek revenge in secret. She offers to shelter Yuan Jibai, his sister Yuan Jinhua, and the baby at the Marquis’s Residence, then later help them leave the capital.
• Yuan Jibai accepts. With Lord Yang’s encouragement, he and Song Yaoyao return to his home, where Jinhua has been anxiously waiting.
• Jibai explains the danger and the plan to move. Jinhua trusts her brother’s judgment and agrees. After packing, the siblings and baby are welcomed into the Marquis’s Residence by Lord Song.
• Duke Qi learns of the move and, furious at Song Yaoyao’s interference, decides to wait for a chance to attack the family when her protection lapses.
• Meanwhile, rumors about the scandal in Duke Qi’s household spread and grow increasingly sensational. Duke Qi orders Zhou Jiuer’s death to be disguised as an accidental drowning. Concubine Leng and her son are sent to an estate and kept under watch.

Character developments and interactions

• Yuan Jibai moves from having no clear plan for his family’s safety to accepting Song Yaoyao’s help. His fear is sharpened by the memory of his father’s death.
• Yuan Jinhua remains devoted to and trusting of her brother. She is grateful to Song Yaoyao, though initially curious about the princess and why she has come with Jibai.
• Song Yaoyao takes a decisive protective role, arranging the siblings’ relocation despite the risk of antagonizing Duke Qi.
• Duke Qi responds to public humiliation with anger and calculated malice. His steward is too afraid to repeat the rumors directly, while still carrying out his orders.

Significant themes

• Protection and vulnerability: The siblings’ lack of power makes shelter and loyal allies essential.
• Power and revenge: Duke Qi cannot safely act openly, so he plans to strike when Song Yaoyao is no longer guarding them.
• Scandal and reputation: Gossip magnifies the household’s disgrace, showing how public rumor can distort events and deepen political humiliation.
• Family loyalty: Jinhua’s faith in Jibai and Jibai’s concern for his sister and the baby shape their decisions.

Plot points and events

• Duke Qi orders the manor overseer to keep Yuan Jibai’s sister and her child confined, while his men watch the Marquis’s Residence for Yuan and his sister.
• Song Yaoyao notices the surveillance and grows alarmed when Song Qingyu and Yuan Jibai fail to return from school. Guagua reveals that Duke Qi’s assassins attacked them; the pair drew the fight outside the city to protect bystanders.
• Song Yaoyao arrives with reinforcements and helps defeat the assassins. She identifies Duke Qi as their employer, though the dead men carry no identifying evidence.
• After Song Qingyu and Yuan Jibai are treated, Song Yaoyao vows revenge. She has Song Yi dispose of the bodies and persuades Guagua to produce a convincing piece of evidence implicating Duke Qi, offering treasured ancient jade in return.
• The group storms into Duke Qi’s residence. Song Yaoyao demands that he come out, while Duke Qi privately realizes the assassination failed and assumes he can deny responsibility because the assassins left no trace.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao is fiercely protective of her family and Yuan Jibai. She acts decisively in the rescue, then shifts from defense to a calculated plan to retaliate, even manufacturing evidence.
• Song Qingyu is wounded after defending Yuan Jibai, but reassures him that the attack was not his fault. He trusts Yaoyao to handle the response.
• Yuan Jibai feels guilty that Song Qingyu was hurt while helping him and regrets underestimating Duke Qi’s ruthlessness.
• Guagua helps guide the rescue and agrees to create evidence in exchange for Song Yaoyao’s valuable jade.
• Duke Qi remains ruthless and confident that lack of proof will shield him, though he is unsettled when Song Yaoyao arrives at his residence.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and protection: Song Qingyu risks himself for Yuan Jibai, and Song Yaoyao rallies to protect them both.
• Revenge and justice: With no direct evidence against Duke Qi, Song Yaoyao chooses to manufacture proof and confront him openly.
• Abuse of power and impunity: Duke Qi uses assassins and confinement, expecting his status and secrecy to protect him.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao confronts Duke Qi at his residence, accusing him of sending assassins after her eldest brother, Song Qingyu. She deliberately avoids bringing up his earlier attempt against Yuan Jibai, keeping the confrontation focused on the attack she can use as leverage.
• Duke Qi denies involvement and feigns ignorance, but Song Yaoyao threatens to report him for keeping death soldiers and killing witnesses.
• She produces a waist token she claims was taken from an assassin’s body. Though Duke Qi tries to seize it, she hides it away. The token’s connection to his household unsettles him.
• Duke Qi threatens to keep Song Yaoyao and her companions from leaving unless she hands it over. She responds with threats of her own, daring him to test her military and assassination skills. He backs down.
• Song Yaoyao demands 200,000 taels, claiming the money will compensate Song Qingyu for his injuries and fright—and, more bluntly, will buy the lives of everyone in Duke Qi’s household. Duke Qi protests that he cannot pay, but she insists she is informing him, not negotiating.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is bold, sarcastic, and openly intimidating. She uses bluffs, threats, and a carefully chosen piece of evidence to dominate the exchange, while making clear she is willing to use covert methods herself.
• Duke Qi begins confident in his ability to deny and deflect, but the waist token and Song Yaoyao’s reputation shake him. He retreats from direct confrontation, though he still tries to resist the extortion.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Reputation and perceived capability can matter as much as proof or force.
• Deception and performance: Duke Qi pretends not to understand the accusation, while Song Yaoyao spins a story about the token and uses bluffing as a weapon.
• Justice versus revenge: Song Yaoyao frames her demand as compensation, but her threat to destroy Duke Qi’s household makes the confrontation feel more like coercion and retaliation.
• Escalation and restraint: Both sides threaten violence, but Duke Qi ultimately chooses not to act.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao refuses Duke Qi’s courteous small talk and repeatedly mocks his evasions.
• Duke Qi tries to regain control by denying the accusation, challenging her claims, and threatening to detain her.
• Song Yaoyao counters every move with sharper threats and confident taunts, leaving Duke Qi rattled and forcing the conversation onto her terms.
• Guagua provides comic commentary on Song Yaoyao’s fabricated explanation and boastful self-image.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao gives Duke Qi fifteen minutes to choose between paying 200,000 taels in compensation or losing his life, insisting the payment is fair and may be made in property.
• Madam Qi refuses to let Duke Qi use her dowry, but suggests he sell estates and shops or draw on his private treasury.
• Duke Qi agrees to pay after negotiating fails. While he checks the accounts, Song Yaoyao and her companions eat pastries and drink the residence’s finest tea.
• Duke Qi returns with 160,000 taels in silver, making up the remaining 40,000 with land and shop deeds.
• After receiving payment, Song Yaoyao returns the Qi family waist token. She warns that any further attack on Song Qingyu or Yuan Jibai will be blamed on Duke Qi’s household, and next time money will not settle the matter.
• Once Song Yaoyao leaves, Duke Qi discovers the token is genuine and blames his people for carrying it on missions. He orders the household to accept the loss and avoid the Marquis’s family, especially Song Yaoyao.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is shown as forceful, pragmatic, and protective of her companions. She drives a hard bargain, enjoys the Qi household’s hospitality while waiting, and makes clear that future threats will bring harsher consequences.
• Duke Qi is frustrated and regretful but ultimately submits, recognizing that opposing Song Yaoyao is too dangerous.
• Madam Qi is cautious and financially protective of her son’s inheritance. She bluntly criticizes her husband and advises him to pay rather than risk further trouble.
• Song Qingyu, Yuan Jibai, and the others recover from their ordeal by eating and drinking as Song Yaoyao handles the dispute.

Significant themes

• Power and intimidation: Song Yaoyao’s authority compels Duke Qi to comply.
• Accountability and consequences: The Qi household pays for the evidence against it, while Song Yaoyao warns that any future harm will carry a greater price.
• Family loyalty and protection: Song Yaoyao’s anger and threats stem from her concern for Song Qingyu and Yuan Jibai.
• Prudence versus pride: Madam Qi urges a practical settlement, while Duke Qi’s resentment cannot undo the cost of his household’s carelessness.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao and Duke Qi clash over the compensation amount, with her refusing to bargain it down and him trying to reduce the payment.
• Madam Qi sides with the practical solution but refuses to sacrifice her dowry, provoking Duke Qi’s frustration.
• Song Yaoyao treats her companions warmly, sharing food and tea while they wait.
• Duke Qi and Madam Qi argue afterward over responsibility for the loss; he blames careless subordinates, while she reminds him that the trouble is his own fault.

Key plot points and events

• After surrendering a total of 200,000 taels to settle matters with Song Yaoyao, Duke Qi is overwhelmed with regret.
• Back at the Marquis’s Residence, Song Yaoyao gives Song Qingyu and Yuan Jibai the remaining 160,000 taels, divided equally, along with the property and land deeds. Both men initially refuse, but she insists they accept what they deserve.
• Yuan Jibai and his sister, Yuan Jinhua, ask to enter Song Yaoyao’s service. After confirming they have both considered the decision, she accepts them and welcomes them to live at the residence. Yuan Jinhua also asks to study medicine, and Song Yaoyao arranges for her to learn alongside Leng Lingyi and Xia Wanyun.
• Song Jibai renames the child Yuan Youxi. Meanwhile, preparations for Song Qingyu’s wedding intensify. Song Yaoyao is impressed by how much work Madam Song must handle and considers starting a wedding-planning business.
• The chapter ends on Song Qingyu’s wedding day, with the household dressed and gathered for the occasion. Song Yaoyao takes out her camera to capture the family.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows generosity and decisiveness: she insists the brothers accept compensation, takes the Yuan siblings into her service, and supports Yuan Jinhua’s ambitions.
• Song Qingyu displays humility by trying to give up his share, but accepts it when Song Yaoyao reminds him of his upcoming marriage and expenses.
• Yuan Jibai and Yuan Jinhua express gratitude by choosing to serve Song Yaoyao. Their decision is mutual and deliberate; Yuan Jinhua also demonstrates independence by seeking medical training.
• Madam Song takes personal responsibility for the wedding preparations, while Song Yaoyao worries about her workload.
• Niuniu provides comic relief: it demands rewards for delivering messages to Song Qingyu’s fiancée, yet is too timid to bring her to the residence.

Significant themes

• Generosity and mutual obligation: Song Yaoyao shares the compensation, while the Yuan siblings respond to her help with loyalty.
• Agency and opportunity: Yuan Jinhua is given the chance to pursue medicine, and Yuan Jibai’s academic promise is noted.
• Family and care: The chapter centers on supporting loved ones, preparing for marriage, and welcoming new members into the household.
• Tradition and change: Song Yaoyao contrasts the exhausting traditional wedding preparations with modern wedding-planning services and imagines bringing the idea to this world.

Key plot points and events

• Song Qingyu is formally recognized as heir to the Marquis of Eternal Peace, and celebrates his wedding to Ji Minyue in elaborate heir-appropriate attire.
• The imperial household sends wedding gifts. Song Yaoyao’s vehicles lead a grand procession to fetch the bride, attracting crowds; the family distributes treats directly to spectators to prevent a dangerous crush.
• At the Loyal Warrior General’s Residence, Qingyu is stunned by Ji Minyue’s beauty. The couple returns in the decorated convoy, circling the city three times so they arrive at the Marquis’s Residence at the auspicious hour.
• The wedding follows traditional rites: rice and auspicious fruits are scattered, and the couple performs three bows each to heaven and earth, their parents, and one another before going to the bridal chamber.
• After the banquet, Madam Song gives Yaoyao the task of checking wedding gifts against the register, seemingly keeping her occupied.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Qingyu is openly delighted to marry Ji Minyue and is bashful when others tease him for staring at her.
• Ji Minyue appears graceful and radiant in her wedding clothes, but is shy around Qingyu and the guests.
• Song Yaoyao helps make the procession spectacular and safe, but privately admits she wants to eavesdrop outside the newlyweds’ room. Her family overhears and is embarrassed; Madam Song appears to divert her with work.
• Song Qinghui insists he only wants to practice martial arts and has no interest in marriage. Qingyu playfully tells him he may change his mind when he meets the right person.
• Song Yaoyao’s family and the gathered nobles react uneasily to her eagerness for gossip, while her mother quietly takes responsibility for watching her.

Significant themes

• Marriage, family, and tradition: The ceremony’s bows and customs emphasize gratitude, filial duty, good fortune, and the couple’s lasting bond.
• Change and spectacle: Modern vehicles reshape a traditional wedding procession and draw public excitement.
• Affection and humor: Teasing, bashfulness, and Yaoyao’s irrepressible curiosity bring a playful tone to the formal celebration.