Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• Madam Song announces that the family is invited to Duke Anguo’s estate for An Lei’s wedding. She insists on ordering new clothes for her children, despite Song Yaoyao’s protests about the expense.
• The family attends the banquet. Song Yaoyao and her sister are seated in the women’s section, in conspicuously central seats that turn out to be ideal for hearing gossip.
• Bored while waiting for the bride and groom, Song Yaoyao asks Guagua to share a story. The topic is Anran Commandery Princess Chen Liyue, whose reputation as a romantic widow draws the gathering’s attention.
• Guagua reveals that Chen Liyue was a beautiful royal cousin of the emperor. At fifteen, she fell for handsome scholar Chai Xinghai during his examination procession. Her father sought her approval, then requested an imperial marriage decree; Chai agreed, and the emperor granted it. The chapter ends as their courtship and marriage are introduced.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is exuberant and food-loving, though she tries to be practical about spending. She is excited by her first wedding feast and eager for gossip.
• Madam Song is caring and decisive, ensuring her children are appropriately dressed for the occasion.
• Chen Liyue is presented as strikingly beautiful and accustomed to public scrutiny. Her early romance with Chai Xinghai contrasts with her later scandalous reputation.
• Guagua remains Song Yaoyao’s sharp-tongued companion, trading familiar insults with her.

Significant themes

• Appearance versus nature: Yaoyao and Guagua joke that her pretty dress cannot conceal her unruly personality.
• Public reputation and private history: Chen Liyue is known as an “amorous widow,” but the story begins by showing the sincere young love behind that reputation.
• Gossip as social entertainment: The banquet’s guests eagerly gather around Yaoyao, expecting her to reveal secrets.

Character interactions

• Yaoyao and Guagua bicker affectionately over her appearance, reflecting their long-standing, familiar relationship.
• Madam Song and Yaoyao disagree over whether new clothes are necessary, with Assistant Minister Song settling the matter in Madam Song’s favor.
• At the banquet, the surrounding women silently join Yaoyao’s gossip session, while Chen Liyue calmly tolerates the attention directed at her.

Key plot points and events

• Chen Liyue marries Chai Xinghai, believing him to be an honest, considerate man. Their marriage is shaken when a woman arrives at the Princess’s Residence with two children, claiming Chai is her husband and their father.
• Chai admits that he married in the countryside and later divorced his first wife before receiving the imperial marriage decree. He says she had behaved improperly as a wife, but offers little explanation. Chen is angry and sends him to sleep in the study.
• Guagua reveals that Chai’s former wife is Yang Banxia, an orphan raised by Old Yang, a poor herb gatherer. She learned to identify and collect medicinal herbs, helping support them.
• After Old Yang died, Banxia accepted Chai’s proposal partly for security. During their engagement, she paid his study expenses and helped his family; after marrying him, she cared for his parents, raised their two children, and continued earning money.
• When Chai placed high in the imperial examination, he sent Banxia a divorce letter, accusing her of disgracing the family by going out in public. In reality, she had been working to support them.
• Chai and his parents had secretly ensured that the marriage was never officially registered and that Banxia and the children were excluded from the family genealogy. They had anticipated that he might rise in status and planned to discard her.
• Banxia is devastated by the divorce but can support herself and her children. A mysterious Black-Clad Man approaches her.

Character developments

• Chen Liyue shifts from trust in Chai to anger and suspicion, though she initially agrees to hear both sides before judging.
• Chai Xinghai is exposed as calculating and ungrateful: he benefited from Banxia’s labor, then used a false accusation and a hidden legal loophole to abandon her.
• Yang Banxia is portrayed as hardworking, capable, and devoted to her family, but also vulnerable to the Chai family’s deliberate deception.
• Song Yaoyao reacts with sharp skepticism and condemns Chai’s conduct, emphasizing the injustice done to Banxia.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and ingratitude: Chai abandons the woman whose work enabled his success.
• Gendered injustice and social ambition: Banxia is punished for working outside the home, even though her labor sustained Chai’s family.
• Marriage fraud and power imbalance: The Chai family exploits Banxia’s lack of knowledge and status by withholding official registration.
• Class mobility and hypocrisy: Chai’s rise in rank leads him and his parents to treat Banxia as an embarrassment rather than a partner.

Character interactions

• Chen questions Chai about his past and his reason for divorcing Banxia, while Chai offers a self-serving explanation.
• Banxia approaches Chen’s residence with her children, but refuses to enter without Chai present and promises to return.
• Banxia’s history with Chai’s family contrasts her generous support with their concealed plan to exclude her.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss the story, with Song challenging Chai’s excuses and Guagua supplying the details.

Key plot points

• A mysterious man in black tells Yang Banxia that the Chai Family never officially registered her marriage to Chai Xinghai or entered her and their two children in the family genealogy. He urges her to seek justice publicly, and she brings the children to the Capital.
• At the gates of Princess Chen Liyue’s residence, Yang confronts Chai Xinghai before a crowd. She recounts her sacrifices, exposes the family’s deception, and displays a divorce letter accusing her of improper conduct. She claims Chen used her status to force Chai to abandon her.
• The public condemns Chai for betraying his family and Chen for supposedly stealing another woman’s husband. Though Chen insists she is innocent, she is not believed. Overwhelmed, she decides to seek an amicable divorce and gather evidence.
• Before Chen can clear her name, Yang’s children disappear. A handkerchief bearing Chen’s name is found, making her look responsible. Chen denies involvement, reports the case, and helps search.
• Two days later, the children are found dead. Yang collapses in grief. When she wakes, she learns Chai ordered their cremation, which she sees as a further violation of her children.

Character developments and interactions

• Yang Banxia moves from disbelief about her status in the Chai household to publicly demanding justice. Distrustful of the princess’s household, she refuses to enter and speaks before the crowd. After losing her children, her anger and grief deepen.
• Chen Liyue is caught in a scandal she did not create. Public accusations leave her distraught and resolved to prove her innocence; she responds to the children’s disappearance by contacting the authorities and organizing a search.
• Chai Xinghai faces Yang’s accusations and the children’s pleas for him at the residence gates. His earlier deception and later order to cremate the children make him central to both women’s suffering.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua narrate and interpret events, with Song recognizing both Yang’s and Chen’s victimization.

Significant themes

• Women’s vulnerability and social reputation: A false charge of unchastity can damage a woman’s future and her children’s prospects.
• Deception and injustice: The Chai Family’s unregistered marriage leaves Yang and her children legally and socially unprotected.
• Public judgment and scapegoating: Rumor spreads quickly, and Chen is condemned before she can establish the truth.
• Grief, power, and suspicion: The children’s deaths intensify Yang’s belief that Chen and Chai are responsible, while the planted handkerchief leaves the mystery unresolved.

• Key events: Guagua reveals the full truth behind the scandal involving Chen Liyue. Yang Banxia, devastated by her children’s deaths, kills herself. Public outrage spreads to both the Princess’s Residence and Prince Xin’s Residence, while Chai Xinghai is imprisoned for deceiving the emperor. An investigation and public hearing establish that an enemy-state spy murdered Yang Banxia’s children and manipulated her to provoke unrest; the spy’s actions, along with Chai Xinghai’s lies, caused the disaster. The emperor clears Chen Liyue and the royal households, executes Chai Xinghai, and sentences his relatives to execution or exile. Afterward, Chen Liyue miscarries, and physicians say she is unlikely ever to have children. A year later, unwilling to remarry, she keeps several handsome male companions in a separate house, earning the reputation “Widow Hua.” As the bridal procession is still delayed, Song Yaoyao and Guagua move on to gossip about Marquise Enze’s Wife.
• Character developments: Chen Liyue is revealed to have been innocent and to have endured public blame, bereavement, and the loss of her pregnancy. Though she becomes quiet and withdrawn, she later chooses an unconventional, independent life rather than another marriage. Song Yaoyao openly supports her freedom and challenges the double standard that permits men multiple partners but condemns women for the same. Her comments prompt several women present to reconsider their views.
• Character interactions: Guagua recounts the hidden history to Song Yaoyao, who responds with sympathy and indignation. The assembled women listen, initially sharing sympathy for Chen Liyue and then reacting to Song’s defense of her choices. Chen Liyue cannot hear Song’s thoughts, but notices the room’s unusual attention and politely returns greetings from those who meet her gaze. The group quickly shifts its curiosity to the next subject of gossip.
• Themes: The chapter highlights the destructive effects of rumor and scapegoating, the political danger of manipulating public anger, and the injustice of punishing people before facts are known. It also emphasizes women’s autonomy, unequal sexual standards, and the possibility of rebuilding a life outside society’s expectations.

Summary

Shu Ran, a wealthy and well-bred young woman from the powerful Shu merchant family, married Chu Linfeng, the handsome but impoverished Marquis of Grace. Her father approved the match after investigating the household and asking Shu Ran’s opinion. The family’s finances proved far worse than expected: the residence had no money, owed its servants five months’ wages, and had borrowed even the gifts and funds for the wedding. Shu Ran calmly used her own wealth to clear the debts, while Chu Linfeng and his mother welcomed the rescue.
At first, Chu Linfeng treated Shu Ran reasonably well. But after she became pregnant, he stopped visiting her regularly. Six months into a subsequent journey, he returned apparently gravely ill. Shu Ran was devastated and sought physicians, who all believed he was dying.
The truth was far more calculated. Shu Ran overheard Chu Linfeng and his mother plotting to fake his death so he could escape and live with three concubines—two of them pregnant. He had feigned illness with a drug and planned to take another that would make his death seem real; he could revive with an antidote within seven days. His mother intended to secretly send him money each month, while Shu Ran would be left supporting the household. She also planned to pass the concubines’ sons off as Shu Ran’s adopted children, making her finance their upbringing and future marriages.

Character developments and interactions

• Shu Ran begins as a dutiful wife who invests heavily in her marriage and household, even absorbing its crushing debts. Her grief at Chu Linfeng’s apparent illness shows her sincere attachment, but discovering the conspiracy exposes how badly her trust has been abused.
• Chu Linfeng is revealed as selfish and deceptive: he relies on Shu Ran’s fortune while secretly keeping concubines and plotting to abandon her without surrendering the benefits of her wealth.
• Chu Mother is an active accomplice, helping devise the fake death and the plan to make Shu Ran support Chu Linfeng, his concubines, and their children.
• Song Yaoyao reacts with anger and disbelief, condemning Chu Linfeng and his family for treating Shu Ran as a source of money. Guagua urges her to keep listening, hinting that Shu Ran will eventually rise up.

Significant themes

The chapter highlights the exploitation of women’s wealth and labor, the contrast between respectable appearances and private corruption, and the danger of misplaced trust. It also emphasizes Shu Ran’s generosity and composure against the Chu family’s calculated greed, setting up the possibility of her eventual resistance.

Key plot points and events

• After discovering Chu Linfeng and his mother had schemed to keep her money, Shu Ran spends a night in shock, then decides to watch them closely and prepare for their next move.
• Five days later, Chu Linfeng appears to die after taking what he claims is a Fake-Death Drug. Shu Ran performs intense public mourning—while secretly striking and scratching him—leaving Chu Mother unable to stop her without seeming cruel.
• Shu Ran arranges a seven-day wake and keeps guards around the coffin, preventing Chu Mother from giving Chu Linfeng the supposed antidote before the deadline.
• On the seventh day, Chu Mother sends the guards away, gives Chu Linfeng the antidote, and prepares a disguised corpse to replace him.
• Chu Linfeng does not wake. Guagua reveals that the “Fake-Death Drug” was actually a real poison with no antidote: Chu Linfeng has died.
• Shu Ran arrives with the clan leaders and coffin-sealers to proceed with the burial. Chu Mother blocks the coffin, refusing to let it be sealed, while the others urge her to step aside.

Character developments

• Shu Ran shifts from trusting and emotionally vulnerable to wary and strategic. She uses her grief as cover to keep Chu Mother under surveillance and thwart the planned escape.
• Chu Mother proves resourceful and determined, having arranged an antidote, a replacement corpse, and bribes—but her plan collapses when Chu Linfeng fails to revive.
• Chu Linfeng is revealed to have fatally misjudged his scheme: the drug he took was genuine poison, not a harmless way to fake death.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua frame the events with humor and suspense, while the onlookers move from sympathy for Shu Ran to amusement at her revenge.

Significant themes

• Betrayal can end a victim’s loyalty and prompt strategic resistance.
• Deception carries consequences: Chu Linfeng’s attempt to manipulate death becomes real.
• Public appearances can conceal private motives, as Shu Ran’s mourning serves both as performance and retaliation.
• The story uses dark comedy to expose the absurdity and cruelty of the family’s scheme.

Character interactions

• Shu Ran’s exaggerated mourning lets her punish Chu Linfeng physically while making Chu Mother appear heartless if she intervenes.
• Chu Mother repeatedly tries to protect her son and control the funeral, but Shu Ran’s guards and the clan’s presence limit her options.
• At the coffin, Shu Ran presents herself as a dutiful daughter-in-law urging a proper burial; Chu Mother’s refusal brings her into conflict with Shu Ran, the clan head, and the elders.

Key plot points

• After Madam Chu’s deception is exposed, a physician examines Chu Linfeng and confirms he died of poison seven days earlier. His supposed “death-feigning pill” was simply poison, with no antidote.
• Madam Chu collapses at the news. After waking to learn Chu Linfeng has already been buried, she suffers a stroke and is left paralyzed. The Chu clan suppresses the scandal.
• Chu Linfeng’s three unregistered mistresses—two pregnant—arrive at the marquis’s residence hoping for support. Shu Ran asks for proof of their status; when they have none, she calls them frauds and threatens to take them to the authorities. They leave.
• Shu Ran remains in charge of the household and raises her child, refusing proposals to remarry.
• The wedding procession arrives: An Lei and the Youping Commandery Princess enter in red wedding robes.
• Guagua reveals that the princess’s parents have sent an extensive protective retinue: Shadow Guards, experienced matrons, and highly trained maids. Duke Anguo’s household accepts this without protest, wary of Prince Xian.

Character developments and interactions

• Shu Ran emerges from the crisis with authority and resolve. She handles the mistresses calmly, protects her household, and chooses independence.
• Madam Chu is devastated by her son’s real death and suffers lasting physical consequences.
• Chu Linfeng is revealed to have died because of his own scheme, while his attempt to conceal his mistresses leaves them unable to prove any claim.
• An Lei and the Youping Commandery Princess begin married life together; the princess enters her new household backed by formidable protection from her parents.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua comment on the Chu family scandal, treating Chu Linfeng’s fate as deserved and discussing the princess’s safeguards.

Significant themes

• Deception and schemes can backfire catastrophically.
• A woman’s security and authority can come from independence, family support, and practical protection.
• Status and legal recognition matter: without official registration or evidence, the mistresses have no enforceable standing.
• Family loyalty appears in contrasting forms: the Chu clan hides its disgrace, while Prince Xian and Princess Xian actively shield their daughter.

Key plot points and events

• At Youping Commandery Princess’s wedding, Song Yaoyao enjoys the lavish feast, then learns Guagua is about to undergo another upgrade. Guagua says the system can still protect her while dormant, and Song Yaoyao encourages it to go ahead.
• Guagua’s upgrade is secretly enabled by the merit gained from the plague remedy, which saved tens of thousands of people. Its absence leaves Song Yaoyao feeling unusually lonely.
• Madam Song plans a family outing on the lake to keep Song Yaoyao from getting bored. Song Qingyu invites his fiancée, Ji Minyue, and her siblings Ji Zhiheng and Ji Linlang join the group.
• On the carriage ride, Song Yaoyao teaches the Ji sisters to play Landlord. They quickly improve, leaving her covered in paper “whiskers” after losing repeatedly.
• When they arrive, Song Yaoyao tries to remove the strips and grimaces at the pain. Ji Zhiheng struggles not to laugh; Song Yaoyao catches him and tells him to laugh openly.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is openly fond of Guagua and feels its absence, but remains cheerful and eager for new experiences. Her competitive bravado contrasts with her poor luck at cards.
• Guagua prepares for another upgrade, while reassuring Song Yaoyao that the system will continue to protect her.
• Ji Linlang is curious about Song Yaoyao and quickly grows familiar with her, following her around and linking arms with her.
• Ji Zhiheng shows consideration by trying not to embarrass Song Yaoyao, though his suppressed laughter gives him away.
• Madam Song balances exasperation at Song Yaoyao’s antics with strong maternal concern when she sees her in pain.

Significant themes

• Loyalty and protection: Prince Xian and Princess Xian are famed for defending their own, and Guagua’s continued protective function reassures Song Yaoyao.
• Merit and consequence: Song Yaoyao’s earlier lifesaving remedy brings unseen merit that enables Guagua’s upgrade.
• Family and companionship: The family outing reflects the group’s closeness, while Guagua’s dormancy highlights how much Song Yaoyao values its company.
• Humor and camaraderie: The card game, paper whiskers, and teasing create a lighthearted atmosphere as the two families grow more comfortable with one another.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao and Guagua share a warm, familiar exchange before the system goes dormant.
• Ji Linlang eagerly attaches herself to Song Yaoyao, while Song Yaoyao finds her forwardness puzzling but tolerable.
• Song Yaoyao teaches the Ji sisters Landlord, only to lose to them.
• Song Qingyu and Madam Song respond practically and affectionately to Song Yaoyao’s painful attempts to remove the paper strips, while Ji Zhiheng’s amusement sparks a playful exchange between them.

Key plot points and events

• After the maid removes the fake facial hair from Song Yaoyao’s face, Yaoyao silently vows to get even with the others.
• Song Qingyu and Ji Zhiheng rent a pleasure boat, and the group enjoys the peaceful lake scenery. A woman playing the flute inspires Yaoyao to sing a beautiful song from her modern life, surprising everyone who had previously heard her sing badly on purpose.
• Yaoyao’s graceful moment ends when she becomes severely seasick. Madam Song and Bi Tao stay with her, but Yaoyao insists they return to enjoying the outing rather than waste the day’s boat rental.
• After resting and falling asleep, Yaoyao wakes to hear that a child has drowned near the Heart-of-the-Lake Pavilion. She immediately asks the boatman to bring them closer and offers to try to save the child.

Character developments

• Yaoyao shows a more sincere, unexpectedly refined side through her singing, then quickly returns to her candid, irreverent self when seasickness overwhelms her.
• Despite feeling miserable, she is practical about the cost of the boat and considerate toward Madam Song and Bi Tao, encouraging them to enjoy the outing.
• Her readiness to attempt a rescue reveals her medical knowledge, courage, and urgency in a crisis.
• Madam Song trusts Yaoyao’s abilities and acts quickly on her request.

Significant themes

• Humor and vulnerability: Yaoyao’s brief elegance gives way to an embarrassing bout of seasickness.
• Care and consideration: She sends her mother and maid to enjoy themselves even while she is unwell.
• Compassion and responsibility: Yaoyao risks stepping in to help a stranger’s child without knowing whether she can succeed.
• Beauty disrupted by reality: The tranquil lake outing shifts suddenly from scenic leisure to a life-or-death emergency.

Character interactions

• Yaoyao’s silent glare and vow of revenge reflect her playful grudge against those who covered her face with fake facial hair.
• The group is astonished by her lovely singing, recognizing that her previous awful performances were likely deliberate.
• Madam Song worries over Yaoyao, while Yaoyao reassures her and Bi Tao and urges them both to rejoin the others.
• At the pavilion, Yaoyao asks the gathered crowd to make way. The distraught mother asks whether she can truly save the child, and Yaoyao promises only to do her best.

Key plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao rescues a young boy who has nearly drowned, directing his mother to give rescue breaths while she performs chest compressions. After several rounds, the boy coughs up water and begins crying.
• She urges his mother to take him to a clinic for a checkup, then explains the lifesaving techniques—CPR and artificial respiration—to a household physician, Zhao Ming’an, and the gathered onlookers.
• Exhausted, seasick, and sore, Song Yaoyao returns home and sleeps for two days.
• A few days later, the boy’s family visits to thank her. They reveal they are the wealthy Qian family and bring three chests of gifts, five thousand taels in banknotes, and an estate outside the capital.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows persistence and composure in the emergency, generosity in sharing medical knowledge, and humility when praised or offered thanks. She also cautions the family to keep the child away from water.
• Song Qingyu, protective of his sister’s reputation, offers to perform the rescue breaths himself rather than let her give them in public. The boy’s mother takes over after Song Yaoyao gives instructions.
• The boy’s mother follows Yaoyao’s directions despite her fear and grief, then is overjoyed when her son recovers.
• Zhao Ming’an, initially astonished by the unfamiliar method, respectfully asks to learn it and praises Yaoyao’s generosity.
• The Qian family, especially the boy’s grandmother and mother, express profound gratitude; the grandmother emphasizes that the child is their family’s only male heir.

Significant themes

• Compassion and perseverance: Yaoyao continues treating the child despite repeated lack of response and public doubt.
• Sharing knowledge: She teaches lifesaving techniques freely, contrasting with the era’s guarded professional traditions.
• Family, reputation, and responsibility: Qingyu protects Yaoyao’s public standing, while the rescue prompts a reminder that adults must supervise children near water.
• Gratitude and social status: The Qian family’s elaborate gifts reflect both their immense wealth and the value they place on Yaoyao’s deed.

Key plot points

• The Qian family presents Song Yaoyao with five thousand taels and a Capital Suburb Estate to thank her for saving their young grandson. Though she initially refuses, she accepts after Madam Song gives permission—then quickly hides the gifts from her mother.
• Song arranges to visit Old Madam Qian privately, bringing ingredients and equipment to demonstrate hot pot.
• She and Bi Tao prepare a Yin-Yang Hot Pot at the Qian residence. The family is puzzled by the unfamiliar pot and raw ingredients, but soon enjoys cooking and eating the meal.
• Song proposes a business partnership: she supplies the recipes, while the Qian family handles operations. After negotiating, they agree to split profits 40 percent to Song and 60 percent to the Qians, sign a contract, and exchange the recipes.

Character developments and interactions

• Song is quick-witted and entrepreneurial. She turns her connection with the Qian family into a business opportunity while asking for less than they initially offer.
• Old Madam Qian proves shrewd and experienced: she investigates Song’s background, recognizes the value of an official connection, and negotiates carefully while showing gratitude for her grandson’s rescue.
• Song and Old Madam Qian build a practical partnership based on mutual benefit and respect. Bi Tao supports Song by preparing the hot-pot seasonings.

Significant themes

• Gratitude and reciprocity: The Qians repay Song for saving their child, and Song responds with an opportunity to work together.
• Entrepreneurship and negotiation: Song’s recipes and the Qian family’s resources form the basis of a mutually agreed venture.
• Family protection and social influence: The Qians value the security and advantages that come with ties to Song’s powerful household, while Song’s playful attempt to keep her new wealth from her mother adds comic relief.

Key plot points and events

• After finalizing a profit-sharing business partnership at the Qian Residence, Song Yaoyao returns home delighted at the prospect of steady income and no longer having to hide savings from her mother.
• Guagua returns after an upgrade. Its gossip range has expanded from thirty to one hundred meters.
• The upgrade gives Song Yaoyao a soul-bound, endlessly supplied firearm that only she can use, that returns to her on command, and can transform into different weapons.
• Guagua also unlocks a personal space. Song Yaoyao discovers it is a modern, three-story villa with ordinary living facilities, a garden, and a medically equipped third floor. Supplies—including medicine, food, and personal-care products—replenish automatically.
• She enjoys ice cream and fruit unavailable in her current life, briefly leaves the space when Bi Tao calls, then stores her banknotes and land deeds there.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao’s confidence and excitement grow as she gains both financial security and useful new tools. She is especially thrilled by the space’s storage and familiar comforts.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua trade playful banter: she affectionately claims to love it, while Guagua repeatedly insists that a human and a system cannot be together.
• Bi Tao delivers sweet soup from Song Yaoyao’s mother. She notices the bolted door but, though curious, doesn’t question Song Yaoyao.

Significant themes

• Independence and security: Song Yaoyao’s business income and secure storage give her greater control over her money.
• Modern comforts in an unfamiliar life: The villa and replenishing supplies reconnect her with things she has missed.
• Humor and companionship: Song Yaoyao and Guagua’s teasing keeps the chapter lighthearted.
• New possibilities and responsibility: The weapon and medical facilities broaden what Song Yaoyao may be able to do, though she has not yet decided how to use them.

Plot points and events

• During morning court, Guagua announces that an impostor has become a fourth-rank official. The emperor signals the court to contain the suspect, and military officers surround the newly promoted Lord Mu.
• Guagua reveals that the man posing as Lord Mu is actually Wang Zhifang, who murdered the real Mu Qingyang and stole his identity.
• Mu Qingyang, a gifted young scholar from a farming family, traveled to the capital for the examinations. He met Wang Zhifang on the way, accepted his help, and became close to him.
• Mu Qingyang earned the top score and was appointed prefect; Wang Zhifang failed the examinations. Though Mu Qingyang tried to comfort him, Wang had never regarded him as a genuine friend and resented his success.
• When Mu Qingyang planned to return home before taking up his post, Wang invited him to travel together. He pushed Mu into the water, took his papers, and assumed his identity. He had even paid a large sum for a human-skin mask that could only be removed with a special solution.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao is startled by Guagua’s sudden announcement, then asks questions that uncover the impostor’s identity and past.
• Wang Zhifang is exposed as calculating and envious: his apparent friendship with Mu Qingyang was motivated by self-interest, and he planned the murder and impersonation in advance.
• Mu Qingyang is presented as talented, trusting, and generous, making his betrayal especially tragic.
• The emperor and officials react cautiously, recognizing the danger and acting to surround the suspect.

Significant themes

• Betrayal and false friendship: Wang’s warmth concealed a desire to exploit Mu.
• Envy and ambition: Wang’s resentment of Mu’s achievement drives him to murder.
• Class and merit: Mu’s rise from a farming family reflects the emperor’s effort to promote talent regardless of background.
• Appearance versus truth: Wang’s disguise allows him to pass as someone he is not, while Guagua exposes the hidden reality.

Character interactions

• Song Yaoyao questions Guagua, whose account reveals the truth to her and the court.
• Muqingyang treats Wang as a companion, sharing his journey and comforting him after his failure.
• Wang exploits that trust, presenting himself as a friend before killing Mu and taking his place.
• The officials respond collectively to the emperor’s signal, repositioning themselves to contain the impostor.

Key plot points and events

• Wang Zhifang murdered Mu Qingyang, whose appearance and build were similar to his, and assumed his identity. He then had Mu Qingyang’s family watched; when two of Mu’s brothers went to search for him, Wang’s men killed them. The family, already burdened by debt, stopped looking.
• Wang’s family knew the truth. Rather than report him, Wang Zhifang’s father helped conceal the murder by announcing that his son had died of illness in the Capital. The family used Wang’s position to gain influence and became powerful local tyrants.
• As a subprefect, Wang Zhifang took bribes, abused the law, and used a gang of dangerous criminals to commit murder, arson, and other crimes in exchange for money and protection. Officials who tried to report him were killed, while the local prefect aided him.
• Guagua reveals that Wang embezzled roughly 500,000–600,000 taels, and the Wang family amassed more than a million through plunder and gifts. Song Yaoyao urges the emperor to confiscate their wealth for the treasury.
• Wang Zhifang’s promotion was supposedly a reward for exposing General Pei in a rebellion case. Guagua begins explaining the connection: Pei Jingtian, a military commander guarding the frontier, and Wang, a low-ranking civil official, should have had little reason to interact—yet they did. The chapter ends before that story is revealed.

Character developments

• Song Yaoyao grows increasingly furious as she learns the scale of Wang’s crimes. She also openly questions the emperor’s judgment, unaware that the court can hear her remarks.
• Guagua supplies the hidden history behind Wang’s rise and points toward the unresolved General Pei case.
• Wang Zhifang is exposed as a calculating murderer and corrupt official who built a criminal network to protect his power.
• Wang Zhifang’s father and family are shown to be willing accomplices, choosing profit and advancement over justice.
• The emperor and ministers react tensely to the revelations and to Song’s blunt criticism, while the emperor’s true response remains unreadable.

Significant themes

• Power and corruption: Wang turns office into a tool for personal gain and intimidation.
• Complicity: His family, local officials, and hired criminals help sustain his rule.
• Silenced justice: Witnesses and would-be whistleblowers are killed, leaving people afraid to seek redress.
• Truth versus appearances: Wang’s false identity and public “death” conceal his crimes, while his apparent service to the court masks a darker story.

Character interactions

• Song’s private conversation with Guagua exposes Wang’s crimes before the emperor and assembled officials through the displayed images and narration.
• Wang and his father are shown plotting together to turn his official position into greater family influence.
• Wang’s men intimidate officials and murder Mu Qingyang’s searching brothers, while the compromised prefect enables Wang’s conduct.
• Song’s comments about the emperor alarm the ministers, who fear his reaction; Guagua then redirects the discussion to General Pei and the reason for Wang’s promotion.

Key plot points and events

• The emperor has long suspected that General Pei was framed for rebellion. Though a dragon robe was found in the Pei residence, the emperor knows Pei’s character and has imprisoned the family without ordering their execution. He has been quietly searching for proof.
• Guagua reveals that Wang Zhifang and a corrupt prefect exploited local officials and ordinary people. They extorted money through usurious loans and an illegal extra tax, seized land, and abused those who resisted. The prefect protected Wang and exposed complainants, silencing further reports.
• With no other recourse, the people went to General Pei. He initially hesitated to intervene in local affairs, but investigated after their complaints mounted. He rejected Wang’s attempted bribe and prepared a memorial detailing the corruption.
• Wang’s men intercepted the memorial. Wang and the prefect plotted to eliminate Pei, first through repeated failed assassinations, then by framing him: they planted a dragon robe in his residence and accused him of treason.
• General Pei denied the charge to the emperor and identified Wang and the prefect as the real conspirators. However, the emperor’s investigators have been unable to find evidence because the pair control the region and threaten witnesses’ families.

Character developments

• The emperor is enraged by Wang’s cruelty but remains loyal to his longstanding trust in Pei. His decision to keep the Pei family alive reflects his refusal to accept the treason charge without proof.
• General Pei is shown as principled and cautious: he listens to the people, investigates before acting, refuses a bribe, and reports what he uncovers to the emperor.
• Wang Zhifang and the prefect are exposed as corrupt, calculating men willing to intimidate witnesses, attempt murder, and frame an innocent general to protect themselves.
• Song Yaoyao reacts with indignation and strongly supports the people and General Pei.

Significant themes

• Corruption and abuse of power: Wang and the prefect use their offices to exploit the people and suppress accountability.
• Justice versus intimidation: People risk everything to seek justice, while threats against their families keep witnesses silent.
• Trust and loyalty: The emperor’s personal knowledge of Pei withstands apparently damning evidence.
• Truth concealed by conspiracy: The planted dragon robe and compromised investigations show how easily evidence and institutions can be manipulated.

Character interactions

• The people appeal to Pei, whose investigation gives their grievances a path toward the emperor.
• Wang and the prefect work together to silence complainants and destroy Pei, escalating from bribery and assassination attempts to false accusations.
• Pei speaks privately with the emperor, denying treason and naming the conspirators; the emperor believes him but has yet to overcome their control over witnesses and evidence.
• Song Yaoyao and Guagua discuss the revelations, with Yaoyao condemning the conspirators and asking what happened next.

Key plot points and events

• Through her thoughts and Guagua’s help, Song Yaoyao learns how Wang Zhifang maintains his false identity: he wears a human-skin mask and keeps the removal solution in a secret compartment in his study, behind a wall hanging.
• A vision shows Wang Zhifang using the solution to peel off the mask, revealing a corpse-pale, wrinkled face. The court is shocked by how far he has gone to impersonate the real Mu Qingyang.
• Song discovers that the Prefect and Wang Zhifang are holding kidnapped officials’ and commoners’ families beneath a dried lotus pond at the Prefect’s estate. Guagua explains how to open the concealed entrance.
• Song also notices that court officials have switched places. Guagua offers no explanation, and Song jokes that it is another of the emperor’s whims.
• The emperor recognizes that the captives’ testimony was suppressed by threats. With their location known, he expects General Pei’s case to be resolved and his family released.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao is outspoken and determined to expose Wang Zhifang, punish those involved, rescue the captives, clear General Pei, and compensate the real Mu Qingyang’s family. Her irreverent thoughts about the emperor and his court continue despite the danger.
• Guagua supplies crucial intelligence, including the mask-removal solution and the hidden prison, while also helping deflect suspicion when Song notices the officials’ rearranged positions.
• The emperor stays outwardly composed despite Song’s private insults. He is pleased by the new information and chooses to ignore her thoughts, since he cannot reveal that he can hear them.
• Assistant Minister Song grows increasingly anxious about his daughter’s fearless comments, while the other officials are relieved when Guagua smooths over Song’s question.

Significant themes

• Impersonation and stolen identity: Wang’s grotesque disguise embodies the lengths he has taken to steal another man’s life.
• Justice and accountability: Song insists that Wang, the Prefect, and their accomplices must answer for their crimes, while the innocent victims deserve release and restitution.
• Truth suppressed by fear: The hostages’ captivity explains why earlier investigations failed to uncover the truth.
• Power and irreverence: Song’s private criticism contrasts with the emperor’s authority, while his inability to punish thoughts creates darkly comic tension.

Key plot points and events

• Court lasts three hours, and Song Yaoyao privately complains about standing so long. When court is dismissed, she runs to her father, Assistant Minister Song.
• Her teasing questions about his secret money and bathroom habits anger him. She flees the palace, but in the carriage he cannot bring himself to hit her and simply asks the driver to take them home.
• Back at the residence, Song has Guagua compile and print evidence against Wang Zhifang, then leaves it outside her father’s study. Assistant Minister Song takes the documents to the emperor and asks him to forgive Song for cursing him in court.
• The emperor pardons her, saying her exposure of Wang Zhifang’s crimes helped clear General Pei of rebellion and that her merit outweighs her offense. Wang Zhifang is arrested, and the authorities move to arrest the corrupt prefect, rescue the hostages, and confiscate the Wang family’s property.
• That night, Guagua warns Song that assassins are coming for her. She wakes and goes outside, where the emperor’s Shadow Guards and her father’s men are already fighting them.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao remains irreverent and impulsive, joking with her father and privately mocking his anger, yet she follows through on providing the evidence that helps the investigation.
• Assistant Minister Song is shaken by his daughter’s conduct in court and frustrated by her teasing. Still, his affection wins out: he lowers his hand rather than striking her, and later pleads with the emperor to spare her.
• The emperor shows both authority and pragmatism, forgiving Song because of her valuable contribution to the case.
• Song and her father move from a comic confrontation to a quiet reconciliation: she delivers the evidence, and he recognizes her good intentions.

Significant themes

• Merit and forgiveness: Song’s useful actions outweigh her disrespectful outburst in the emperor’s judgment.
• Family affection beneath conflict: Assistant Minister Song’s anger is tempered by his love and concern for his daughter.
• Justice and accountability: Wang Zhifang’s crimes trigger arrests, a hostage-rescue operation, and the seizure of his family’s property.
• Ongoing danger: The assassination attempt suggests that exposing powerful wrongdoing has put Song in greater peril.

Plot points and events

• While preparing for court the next morning, Song Yaoyao is furious when a large force of assassins attacks her and her companions. More than two hundred attackers overwhelm her guards, leaving several people injured.
• Song Yaoyao reveals a submachine gun from her system and orders her allies to move aside. She shoots down the attackers, then switches to a longer-range weapon when some flee to rooftops and trees.
• When the surviving assassins try to escape, she uses a flash gun to blind them, then switches back to the submachine gun. Nearly all the attackers are killed; she deliberately lets one or two escape so they can report the outcome to their employer and discourage future attacks.
• Afterward, Song Yaoyao checks on her father, Assistant Minister Song, and gives medicine to the injured. The group begins cleaning up the battlefield.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao shows anger, confidence, and lethal resolve, using weapons unknown to those around her with surprising tactical skill.
• Her companions—including Assistant Minister Song’s men and the emperor’s Shadow Guards—trust her command and obey her warnings, though they are stunned by the weapons’ power and their sudden changes.
• Assistant Minister Song asks whether she is safe, and they exchange concern for each other. He does not question her weapon, and she does not explain it to him.
• The Shadow Guards are openly curious about the gun. Song Yaoyao tells them it is bound to her and unusable by anyone else, then orders them back to work.
• In private, she wonders to Guagua whether the guards believe her explanation. Guagua confirms it is true but points out that the display has shocked the people around her and asks how she will explain it.

Significant themes

• Power and secrecy: Song Yaoyao’s hidden, modern weapons give her a decisive advantage, but their appearance raises questions she must manage.
• Protection and loyalty: Her allies risk injury to shield her, and she responds by defending them and treating their wounds.
• Deterrence and escalation: Rather than pursue every survivor, she lets a few escape as a warning to whoever ordered the attack.
• Clash between worlds: The ancient characters interpret modern weapons as fantastical hidden devices, emphasizing the gulf between their knowledge and Song Yaoyao’s abilities.

Key plot points and events

• After the assassins are defeated, Song Yaoyao gives the Shadow Guards Corpse Dissolving Powder and divides the stolen money—40,000 taels—into four equal shares for herself, Assistant Minister Song and his men, the emperor’s guards, and the emperor.
• Song worries about explaining Gun, the futuristic weapon she received from Guagua, but no one asks her about it. The Shadow Guards already know its nature and report it to the emperor.
• The emperor is astonished by Gun’s power but orders the Shadow Guards to continue protecting Song. He sees her as a major asset to the kingdom, provided she has no intention of rebelling.
• Exhausted after the attack, Song struggles through the next morning’s court session. When Guagua says it knows who ordered the assassination, Song immediately perks up.
• Guagua identifies Cai Mingkun, a seemingly gentle court official, as the mastermind behind the attack, and displays his image. Song is shocked and cannot recall having ever offended him.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao is practical but anxious about concealing Gun’s origin. She also remains irreverent, complaining about the early court schedule and cursing whoever tried to kill her.
• Guagua teases Song about worrying that nobody asked about Gun, then reveals the assassin’s patron.
• The emperor reacts cautiously to the weapon and orders Song’s protection, while recognizing her potential value.
• The Shadow Guards accept Song’s unusual weapon without questioning her and faithfully report what they witnessed.
• Cai Mingkun is revealed as far more ruthless than his refined public manner suggests; his motive remains unexplained.

Significant themes

• Secrecy and trust: Song hides the weapon’s true origin, while those around her choose not to challenge her.
• Power and loyalty: The emperor’s response reflects both awe at Song’s abilities and concern about where her allegiance lies.
• Appearances versus reality: Cai Mingkun’s gentle image contrasts sharply with his alleged attempt to have Song killed.
• Humor amid danger: Song’s complaints, curses, and exhaustion lighten the aftermath of a deadly attack.

Plot points and events

• Song Yaoyao asks Guagua to reveal Cai Mingkun’s secrets. Guagua exposes that his mother, Ren Linglong, was actually Qi Bijun, a princess of the neighboring Night Central Kingdom.
• Qi Bijun had been sent to the Heavenly Phoenix Kingdom as part of a long-term espionage plan. The two kingdoms were military rivals, and Night Central’s leaders hoped to weaken their opponent by sowing discord through a “beauty trap.”
• The emperor realizes Cai Mingkun’s family is implicated and has officials seize him. Cai tries to resist but is restrained and taken away.
• Guagua explains that Qi Bijun volunteered for the mission at fourteen. She infiltrated the border region, staged an apparent attack on herself, and arranged for Cai Yan—the border commander—to find her. Pretending to have lost her memory, she persuaded him to marry her.
• Cai Yan eventually fell in love with Qi Bijun. They had three sons: Cai Mingkun, Cai Jikun, and Cai Zikun.

Character developments and interactions

• Song Yaoyao is indignant about Cai Mingkun’s hostility, since she cannot understand why he hates her. She dismisses him as a lunatic and eagerly prompts Guagua to continue the revelation.
• Cai Mingkun is exposed and arrested. Though unable to speak, he glares at Song with murderous hatred and regrets failing to kill her.
• Qi Bijun is revealed as a patriotic but calculating princess who willingly sacrifices her old life to infiltrate a rival kingdom.
• Cai Yan is portrayed as a capable, stern soldier whose compassion for Qi Bijun—and eventual love for her—leaves him vulnerable to her deception.
• The emperor and officials respond to Guagua’s revelation by surrounding and detaining Cai Mingkun.

Significant themes

• Espionage and political intrigue: A personal marriage conceals a long-term plan to undermine a rival kingdom.
• Deception and appearance: Qi Bijun’s staged vulnerability and cultivated beauty allow her to gain Cai Yan’s trust.
• Patriotism and sacrifice: Qi Bijun sees the mission as service to her imperial family, despite her youth and the personal cost.
• Consequences and exposure: Guagua’s revelations turn hidden family history into an immediate political crisis.