Chapter Summaries

Plot and events

• Wenren Luoshui wakes after a three-day fever caused by falling into water and immediately eats an enormous meal, alarming her maid, Yin Xing.
• Her father, Prince Wenren Qiao, and mother, Tie Lihua, visit. As they joke about Luoshui’s appetite, she thinks about how her parents will be killed by her second uncle’s family. Her thoughts—and the voice of her “Salty Fish System”—are somehow heard by her parents, though they pretend not to notice.
• Luoshui’s thoughts reveal that Cook Liu is a spy planted by her second uncle. Her parents quietly take note, but before Luoshui can act, the steward tells her Liu has already been caught poisoning the food with laxatives and expelled.
• Wenren Qiao and Tie Lihua leave, and Luoshui considers how to protect her family. Her younger brother, Wenren Qingluo, invites her to visit their grandmother; Luoshui refuses.
• Qingluo instead persuades Luoshui to accompany him to the palace to claim a jade horse promised by the emperor. As they set off, the emperor sneezes, sensing that his private treasury is in danger.

Character developments and interactions

• Wenren Luoshui is recovering, blunt and food-loving, but newly determined to change the family’s grim fate. She believes she has strong abilities despite the system’s warning that success is uncertain.
• Wenren Qiao and Tie Lihua appear carefree and affectionate. Their playful banter shows their warmth toward Luoshui; their unexpected ability to hear her thoughts also reveals that they may be more perceptive than they seem. Qiao resolves to investigate Cook Liu.
• Yin Xing is a conscientious maid who worries that Luoshui is overeating.
• Wenren Qingluo is an eager, persistent little brother whose desire for the jade horse gets Luoshui moving.
• The family’s history with the old princess consort is strained: she neglected Qiao in childhood and resents that he inherited the title, while Qiao’s second brother is portrayed as the greater threat.

Significant themes

• Changing fate: Luoshui intends to alter the story and prevent her parents’ deaths.
• Family affection amid danger: The household’s humor and closeness contrast with the threat of betrayal.
• Hidden knowledge and dramatic irony: Luoshui’s thoughts reveal dangers others have missed, though her parents’ apparent ability to hear them complicates what she knows.
• Comic tone: Exaggerated eating, casual scheming, and the emperor’s dread of losing money keep the chapter light despite its darker family intrigue.

Plot points and events

• Wenren Qingluo cheerfully greets the emperor and asks for a promised jade horse. The emperor is relaxed and affectionate with Wenren Qiao’s children, who give him a break from the strains of ruling.
• Wenren Luoshui’s Salty Fish System reveals an embarrassing secret: years earlier, the emperor tried to sneak into the Empress’s room, but her dogs chased him, tore down his trousers, and exposed him. Luoshui laughs at the story in her thoughts; the emperor overhears both her and the system.
• The Seventh Princess arrives, pleading not to be married off while she is still young. The system warns that her future is miserable—and says the emperor himself will cause it.
• The emperor has been considering a match for her with the Young Marquis of the Guangping Marquis Estate, partly out of gratitude to the estate’s old madam, who once helped him.
• The system reveals that the estate is corrupt and that the Young Marquis, despite his reputation for having no concubines or maids, is attracted to men. The emperor is stunned and decides he will not tolerate the family concealing this while pursuing a marriage alliance.

Character developments and interactions

• The emperor’s gentle side emerges around Wenren Qiao’s children, though his private past becomes the subject of Luoshui’s amused mental gossip.
• Luoshui is curious and irreverent; she laughs at the emperor’s humiliating courtship story without realizing he can hear her thoughts.
• The Seventh Princess begins by pretending to cry to resist marriage, but the system’s warning frightens her into genuine distress. She appeals directly to her father, while he struggles to balance affection, annoyance, and political judgment.
• The emperor’s gratitude toward the Guangping Marquis Estate has influenced his matchmaking decision. Learning the hidden facts prompts him to reconsider and take a more hard-line stance.

Significant themes

• Hidden truths and overheard thoughts: The system exposes secrets that characters believe are private, changing how others understand events.
• Family affection versus political duty: The emperor’s love for his daughter is complicated by a marriage plan shaped by gratitude and political ties.
• Gratitude and judgment: Repaying past kindness can become misplaced when it blinds a ruler to present corruption.
• Comic embarrassment alongside serious stakes: The emperor’s ridiculous romantic mishap contrasts with the Seventh Princess’s potentially unhappy marriage.

Key plot points and events

• Wenren Qingluo’s thoughts reveal that the Guangping Marquis Estate’s Young Marquis has repeatedly abused and killed boys bought from poor families. The emperor is horrified: he had investigated the man before arranging the Seventh Princess’s marriage and now realizes the estate deceived him.
• The Seventh Princess, devastated by what she learns, cries in the emperor’s arms while Qingluo comforts her. The emperor orders a hidden guard to investigate, and the Chief Eunuch records the revelations as evidence.
• The system exposes the estate’s financial motive: its spendthrift members are deeply strained for money and welcome the princess’s marriage because her dowry would bring them immense wealth.
• It then recounts the old madam’s past. Her husband’s younger twin brother, hidden away as a child because of a family superstition, grew resentful and murdered his elder brother on the wedding night. He assaulted the new bride—the future old madam—and threatened her into silence.
• When she tried to seek help, the impostor marquis had her younger brother beaten and threatened her family. He later arranged her sister’s marriage to a remote, disgraced county magistrate, further binding the old madam to the household.
• Unable to escape, she took medicine that made her permanently infertile. The children of the household were the impostor’s offspring, forced onto her family register. She had once helped the emperor when he was a prince in the cold palace, but died of depression without seeing the estate punished.

Character developments and interactions

• The emperor shifts from trust and gratitude toward the Marquis Estate to anger and resolve. His favor had been rooted in gratitude to the old madam, whose kindness he remembers.
• The Seventh Princess is crushed by the revelations and turns to her father for comfort; Qingluo gently supports her.
• The old madam emerges as the estate’s most tragic figure: trapped by threats, stripped of motherhood and agency, yet once compassionate toward the future emperor.
• The impostor marquis and the estate are exposed as cruel and calculating—profiting from the old madam’s silence and hoping to exploit the princess’s dowry.
• The emperor communicates with his hidden guard and Chief Eunuch through practiced signals, setting an investigation in motion while the system’s revelations provide leads.

Significant themes

• Abuse of power and impunity: vulnerable boys, the bride, and the old madam are exploited by those who expect their status to shield them.
• Loyalty repaid—and betrayed: the emperor’s gratitude to the old madam has unintentionally benefited the very household that tormented her.
• Silence enforced through fear: threats against the old madam’s family keep the truth buried for years.
• Justice delayed: the old madam dies before witnessing retribution, while the emperor only now learns the full extent of the estate’s crimes.

Plot points and events

• After hearing how his attempts to repay an old kindness had harmed his benefactor, the emperor suppresses his anger and sends Wenren Luoshui, Qing Luo, and the Seventh Princess away so he can attend a council meeting.
• Luoshui gives the miserable Seventh Princess an ointment to reduce the swelling around her eyes. She then wonders whether revealing the Guangping Marquis household’s secrets might prompt the emperor to intervene.
• In the carriage, Luoshui’s younger brother remembers that he came to ask the emperor for a jade horse. Luoshui reassures him that their uncle will honor his promise.
• At the Prince of Beiping’s Residence, two matrons arrive to summon the siblings to the old princess consort. Luoshui refuses; when the matrons block their way, she kicks them and launches into a loud public protest.
• Luoshui accuses the old princess consort of favoring her own son over the Prince of Beiping, neglecting him as a child, and drugging his food to clear the way for her son to inherit the estate. Her brother joins in the staged mourning, and their cries draw a crowd.
• To make the accusation impossible to ignore, Luoshui threatens to die and drag the matrons with her. She rushes toward a stone lion, knowing the emperor’s covert guards are nearby. They catch her, but the matrons strike their heads against the stone. Luoshui then feigns unconsciousness, leaving the public to spread the story.

Character developments and interactions

• The emperor remains outwardly calm despite recognizing the harm he caused, showing both emotional restraint and concern for the children.
• Luoshui uses boldness, performance, and public pressure to protect herself and her family. She is also shrewd enough to exploit the guards’ presence and avoid real danger.
• Her younger brother readily follows her lead, shifting from excitement over a promised toy to enthusiastically supporting her protest.
• The Seventh Princess is emotionally devastated by the revelations and accepts Luoshui’s practical kindness.
• The confrontation exposes the hostility between Luoshui’s family and the old princess consort’s household; the two matrons’ habitual arrogance backfires when the gathered crowd turns against them.

Significant themes

• Repaying kindness can cause harm when gratitude is misguided or imposed without understanding its consequences.
• Favoritism and neglect can shape a child’s future and damage a family.
• Public reputation and rumor become tools of power: Luoshui turns a private summons into a public scandal.
• Resourcefulness and performative defiance allow the vulnerable to challenge those who mistreat them.

Key plot points and events

• Wenren Luoshui wakes after the previous day’s public confrontation and hears that the old princess consort is furious over the public criticism of her.
• An imperial decree appoints Luoshui to a minor female-official post and orders her to attend morning court. Luoshui is horrified at losing her comfortable, carefree life.
• Her parents drag her out of bed before dawn to ensure she attends court, where she and her father, Prince of Beiping, stand out among the energetic officials as sleepy and reluctant.
• The emperor has appointed Luoshui partly because he believes her unusual insight can expose officials’ secrets and help him distinguish capable servants from useless ones.
• At court, the emperor receives evidence that the Guangping Marquis Estate has long imprisoned and sexually abused boys. A victim escaped and reported the crimes; the Court of Judicial Review investigated overnight, rescued the captives, and gathered testimony.
• The emperor orders the estate’s property confiscated. Its household is sent into exile.

Character developments and interactions

• Wenren Luoshui remains irreverent and comfort-loving, resisting her new duties and joking internally about the inconvenience. Nevertheless, she attends court because she fears refusal could endanger her family.
• The Prince and Princess of Beiping care for Luoshui but push her into fulfilling the imperial order; their affectionate teasing and united effort to wake her highlight their playful family dynamic.
• The emperor uses Luoshui’s appointment strategically, hoping her perspective will help uncover court corruption. His familiarity with his brother’s family also shows that he sees them as lovable but unserious.
• The Court of Judicial Review’s minister and the Crown Prince’s Tutor act decisively on the victim’s testimony, turning the complaint into a swift investigation and a public punishment.
• The episode contrasts Luoshui’s comic reluctance with the serious courage of the escaped victim and the officials who pursue justice.

Significant themes

• Justice and accountability: A powerful aristocratic household is punished once credible evidence reaches the authorities.
• Women’s roles in government: The kingdom’s history of female officials makes Luoshui’s appointment possible, though her own ambitions are far from political.
• Duty versus personal comfort: Luoshui’s carefree habits collide with an imperial summons.
• Power of testimony and information: A victim’s courage, supported by official investigation, exposes crimes that privilege had concealed.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• During court, Wenren Luoshui secretly chats with her system, Salty Fish, whose “gossip” can be heard by the assembled officials and the emperor.
• The system reveals that Minister Xu has a private aversion to dirt and odors, including wiping his chopsticks three times before eating. The officials realize this explains why he once seemed unusually stern.
• The system then shares that the emperor has been repeatedly kicked out of the empress’s bed. The empress was furious because the emperor had arranged a marriage for the Seventh Princess without her approval, based on a disturbing rumor about the prospective groom.
• Wenren Luoshui laughs at the emperor’s predicament, while her father, Prince of Beiping Wenren Qiao, also struggles to hide his amusement. The emperor hears them and is irritated but must maintain his composure.
• Court turns to the delayed winter uniforms for the Northwest Army. Deputy Minister Lü presses the issue, while Minister of Revenue Wang explains that the treasury lacks funds.
• Luoshui’s inner commentary points out that the emperor’s low-tax policy has left the treasury short, and suggests developing trade by selling domestic goods abroad rather than raising taxes. The emperor is struck by the idea.

Character developments

• Wenren Luoshui remains irreverent and inquisitive, freely enjoying the gossip despite the emperor’s presence.
• Emperor is shown as compassionate about keeping taxes low but financially strained. He is embarrassed by the gossip and frustrated by Luoshui, yet receptive to her practical economic suggestion.
• Wenren Qiao shares his daughter’s amusement, though he invents an excuse when she asks why he is laughing.
• The Empress emerges as protective of her daughter and willing to confront the emperor over his matchmaking.
• Deputy Minister Lü is persistent in advocating for the Northwest Army; Minister Wang is defensive because the Ministry of Revenue genuinely lacks money.

Significant themes

• Public duty versus private life: Court officials discover personal details about colleagues and the imperial couple through Luoshui’s inner voice.
• Unintended consequences of matchmaking: The emperor’s attempt to arrange his daughter’s marriage provokes the empress’s anger and domestic humiliation.
• Practical governance and economic policy: The chapter contrasts the need to equip the army with the limits of a depleted treasury, then introduces foreign trade as a possible solution.
• Humor and power: Even the emperor’s authority cannot prevent him from being the subject of gossip, while Luoshui’s unusual ability to reveal thoughts reshapes the atmosphere of court.

Character interactions

• Luoshui and Salty Fish trade gossip, while the officials and emperor listen silently.
• Luoshui openly studies Lord Xu, making him uncomfortable; the emperor coughs to discourage her from staring.
• The empress’s anger over the Seventh Princess’s proposed marriage leads to the emperor’s repeated attempts to return to bed.
• Wenren Qiao and Luoshui share a quiet exchange after he laughs at the emperor’s misfortune.
• Deputy Minister Lü challenges the Ministry of Revenue over military supplies; the emperor’s response shifts when Luoshui’s suggestion gives him a new economic direction.

Plot points and events

• During Morning Court, Wenren Qiao and Prince Heng whisper together as usual. The emperor tolerates their antics, and the officials recall Qiao’s notorious younger days—chatting during court and once eating a pear in front of the Late Emperor.
• Wenren Luoshui asks her system for gossip about Prince Heng’s family. It recounts the simple, affectionate courtship and marriage between Prince Heng and his wife, Princess Heng.
• The gossip then turns to Princess Heng’s younger half sister. Her mother, a jealous concubine, convinces her that Princess Heng stole her good fortune and that treating her facial birthmark caused her unhappy marriage.
• In fact, Princess Heng had arranged for an imperial physician to remove the birthmark out of kindness. The system stops before revealing what happens next, leaving Prince Heng eager for Luoshui to continue reading.

Character developments

• Wenren Qiao remains playful and irreverent, even in court, and is comically jealous when Prince Heng’s happiness reminds him of his own marriage.
• Prince Heng is shown to be devoted to his wife and appalled that her kindness has been repaid with resentment.
• Princess Heng emerges as generous and caring, having helped her half sister despite no obligation to do so.
• The concubine and her daughter are portrayed as bitter and irrational, blaming Princess Heng for problems caused by the daughter’s unhappy marriage.
• The emperor is exasperated by the princes’ behavior but sympathetic to Prince Heng’s misfortune.

Significant themes

• Good deeds met with ingratitude: Princess Heng’s help is twisted into a supposed cause of her sister’s troubles.
• Jealousy and scapegoating: The concubine feeds resentment by inventing a story about stolen fortune.
• Appearance and social prejudice: The birthmark limited the younger sister’s life, while the false claim that it could have secured her entry into the palace reflects unrealistic beliefs about status and marriage.
• Courtly absurdity and family loyalty: The scene contrasts the solemn setting of Morning Court with the princes’ antics and Luoshui’s revealing gossip.

Character interactions

• Wenren Qiao and Prince Heng whisper and joke together, while the emperor silently puts up with them.
• Qiao stomps on Heng’s foot after seeing him grin fondly at memories of his wife.
• Luoshui questions the system, whose revelations provoke reactions from Heng, the emperor, and the officials.
• Prince Heng silently agrees with Luoshui’s condemnation of the younger sister’s “bandit logic,” then anxiously waits for her to learn the rest of the story.

Key plot points and events

• Wenren Luoshui reveals the original story’s tragic fate for Prince Heng’s family: his younger sister would help frame his wife for adultery, driving the Princess Consort to suicide. Their daughter would be left mute, and Prince Heng would die of grief.
• Prince Heng is so enraged by the revelation that he faints. The emperor orders an imperial physician and is furious at the threat to his beloved brother and sister-in-law.
• The Qi family learns that the concubine-born daughter is not Old Master Qi’s child. The concubine had been assaulted by bandits before joining the household and had deceived her cousin into accepting the child as his own. The Qi family kills the concubine and disowns her daughter.
• After court, Luoshui follows the emperor to the Imperial Study to propose a business venture: selling blind boxes containing copies of past imperial examination papers and essays by court officials. The emperor agrees to partner with her, accepting her proposed 20/80 division of profits.

Character developments

• Wenren Luoshui shows anger and sympathy over the future suffering of Prince Heng’s family, then quickly turns her attention to an ambitious business idea.
• Prince Heng is shaken by the warning about his family’s possible fate, revealing how deeply he loves his wife and daughter.
• The emperor is protective of his family and readily acts against threats to them. Despite his stern outburst over Wenren Qiao’s misuse of a treasured brush holder, he is affectionate toward his brother and receptive to Luoshui’s proposal.
• Wenren Qiao remains carefree and shamelessly playful, even using the emperor’s prized brush holder as a place to discard melon-seed shells.

Significant themes

• Family betrayal and injustice: The story condemns the younger sister’s attempt to blame her own poor choices on the sister who supported her.
• Fate and intervention: Luoshui’s knowledge of the original story gives the family a chance to prevent catastrophe.
• The limits of family obligation: Supporting relatives does not guarantee gratitude and can expose people to exploitation.
• Practical ingenuity: Luoshui adapts a modern business model to an ancient setting, using the court’s academic resources and influence.

Character interactions

• Luoshui’s account grips the court officials, who are eager for the rest of the gossip, while her father protectively hugs her as Prince Heng nearly reaches for her.
• The emperor reacts to Prince Heng’s collapse with concern, then scolds Wenren Qiao for abusing his treasured brush holder. Qiao responds by playing the victim to his daughter, which diffuses the emperor’s anger.
• Luoshui pitches her plan directly to the emperor, who listens with interest and agrees to the partnership.

Key events

• The Empress Dowager summons Emperor Wenren and Commandery Princess Wenren Luoshui, intending to reprimand the emperor for appointing Luoshui and to demand an official post for her favorite, Wenren Shuang.
• Luoshui’s system reveals that the Empress Dowager suffers from a mental illness and, contrary to the emperor’s belief, caused her youngest son’s death herself—yet has blamed the emperor for it.
• When the Empress Dowager scolds him and throws a teacup, the emperor dodges. Her anger escalates, but Wenren Shuang calms her by soothing her.
• The Empress Dowager then argues that Shuang deserves a post even more than Luoshui. Luoshui’s system explains that Shuang prefers a shortcut to earning a position through the imperial examinations.
• The emperor answers that Luoshui’s appointment follows Emperor Taizu’s rule: eligible children of princes personally invested by Taizu must receive official posts.

Character developments and interactions

• Wenren Luoshui remains irreverent and observant, privately mocking the Empress Dowager’s interference and her father’s decision to abandon her. She briefly threatens to disown him, then revises the punishment to ten minutes.
• The emperor learns that his mother’s behavior may stem from illness, complicating his understanding of their painful relationship. Though he has grown used to her hostility, he avoids provoking her and relies on his authority rather than arguing emotionally.
• The Empress Dowager appears commanding but is emotionally volatile, deeply biased against the emperor, and convinced he wishes her dead. Her history—once protected by her sister and later by her son—suggests she never learned to manage palace politics independently.
• Wenren Shuang presents herself as accomplished and uses her closeness to the Empress Dowager to seek an appointment. She also acts as the Empress Dowager’s calming presence.
• Luoshui’s system supplies comic commentary and crucial revelations, while the emperor can hear Luoshui’s thoughts and its explanations.

Significant themes

• Family estrangement: The emperor and Empress Dowager’s relationship is shaped by years of blame and rejection; Luoshui also feels neglected by her father.
• Power and palace politics: The Empress Dowager tries to influence government appointments, while the emperor asserts control through precedent and practical authority.
• Misunderstanding and hidden truth: The emperor’s long-held belief about his mother and his brother’s death is challenged by the system’s account.
• Comedy through private thoughts: Luoshui’s irreverent inner commentary contrasts with the tense, dangerous court setting.

Plot points and events

• Wenren Luoshui learns that Emperor Taizu had a rule allowing the emperor to appoint relatives of military allies as court ladies—part of a larger strategy to prevent powerful factions from threatening the throne.
• Wenren Shuang asks the emperor for an official post in exchange for a supposedly improved salt-production method. The emperor is interested but watches for Luoshui’s reaction.
• Luoshui uses a system item to let Wenren Shuang hear her thoughts for ten minutes, then mocks her through an intentionally awful “song.” The emperor can hear Luoshui’s thoughts too and tries to keep the two women from fighting.
• Wenren Shuang submits a vague, incomplete formula. Luoshui’s internal commentary reveals that Shuang only remembers the method from a brief acting role and cannot explain how it works.
• When the emperor asks Shuang to explain the method, she cannot answer. She blames Luoshui instead, accusing her of sabotaging the family. Luoshui silently taunts her, and the emperor reprimands Shuang for avoiding his question and disrupting the audience.

Character development

• Wenren Luoshui is irreverent and mischievous, using her system and sharp internal commentary to undermine Shuang while remaining outwardly composed.
• Wenren Shuang is revealed as overconfident and unprepared: she expects her status as the story’s protagonist to earn her influence, but cannot substantiate her promised innovation.
• The emperor is politically alert and skeptical of Shuang’s offer. Though he tries to maintain authority, Luoshui’s thoughts repeatedly frustrate and amuse him.

Themes

• Merit versus entitlement: Shuang expects a position based on her supposed protagonist status, while the emperor demands evidence and expertise.
• Political control and power: The discussion of court appointments and military factions highlights the emperor’s efforts to protect the throne.
• The gap between appearance and reality: Shuang presents herself as capable and righteous, but her method is hollow and her conduct quickly exposes her.

Character interactions

• The emperor balances his interest in salt production against his suspicion, while Luoshui’s thoughts help reveal Shuang’s bluff.
• Shuang directs her resentment at Luoshui when challenged, but Luoshui refuses to engage openly and instead taunts her internally.
• The emperor intervenes to stop the confrontation and insists that Shuang answer the question he actually asked.

Key plot points and events

• Wenren Shuang seeks refuge with the empress dowager after the emperor questions her. The empress dowager scolds her son and throws ornaments at him, while Wenren Luoshui privately marvels at the valuable objects.
• The emperor tries to explain himself, but the empress dowager dismisses his reasoning and sides with Shuang. Luoshui and the system comment on the emperor’s restraint and the strained, familiar pattern of mother-and-son arguments.
• Luoshui suddenly examines the empress dowager’s hair and discovers a silver needle embedded in her scalp. She carefully pulls it out, prompting the system to reveal a hidden plot.
• The system identifies the empress dowager’s “frenemy” as Liu Yuner, Luoshui’s step-grandmother and the current Princess Consort of Beiping.
• Liu Yuner once befriended the empress dowager, then manipulated her own marriage prospects through her friend. After marrying into the Prince of Beiping’s household, she secretly inserted silver needles into the empress dowager’s head, using a curse meant to make a mother feel revulsion toward her children and eventually kill them.

Character developments and interactions

• Wenren Luoshui shifts from irreverent, comic commentary to alert action, uncovering a serious threat hidden in the empress dowager’s hair. She also recognizes Liu Yuner as the likely culprit.
• The empress dowager fiercely protects Shuang and openly berates the emperor, but the revelation suggests she has unknowingly been subjected to a long-running scheme.
• The emperor remains outwardly patient with his mother, though he is curious and alarmed when the needle is found. He joins Luoshui in demanding the system explain the mystery.
• Wenren Shuang is comforted by the empress dowager, reinforcing the dowager’s protective loyalty toward her.
• Liu Yuner is revealed as a calculating former friend who engineered her way into the prince’s household and sought to keep the empress dowager’s attention exclusively for herself.

Significant themes

• Betrayal disguised as friendship: Liu Yuner exploits the empress dowager’s trust for personal advantage.
• Manipulation and control: The curse is intended to sever the empress dowager’s bond with her own children.
• Family conflict and loyalty: The empress dowager defends Shuang while clashing with her son, and the hidden plot threatens her relationships with her children.
• Humor amid danger: Luoshui’s modern, irreverent thoughts and the system’s banter contrast with the sinister discovery.

Chapter Summary

Key plot points and events

• Wenren Luoshui continues treating the Empress Dowager, removing the silver needles used in the Child-Aversion Art and using spiritual energy to stabilize and heal her. She tells the emperor that his mother may wake with some memory loss.
• The emperor learns that the Empress Dowager’s estranged feelings toward her children were artificially induced. He is devastated to realize that the kind, affectionate mother he remembers truly existed before someone interfered with her.
• Wenren Shuang tries to stop Luoshui’s treatment, but the emperor kicks her down. His anger is fueled by the revelation that Shuang’s grandmother, the Old Princess Consort, was behind the harm to his family.
• Luoshui’s system warns that the original story predicted the Empress Dowager would become unresponsive. Luoshui counters that the spiritual energy she left behind should help her recover, easing the emperor’s fear.
• Back home, Luoshui playfully complains to her mother that her father abandoned her to go to the palace. Her parents ignore her in favor of one another, so she takes a deed for an empty shop and decides to turn it into a blind-box store.
• The next morning, Luoshui is dragged to court by her father. Court officials are unusually cheerful because they now enjoy hearing gossip about their colleagues.
• A burly civil official, Grand Commandant Chu—the Second Prince’s maternal uncle—presses the emperor to name an heir. The emperor dislikes the demand and already favors his capable eldest daughter, the Eldest Princess, as successor.

Character developments

• The emperor gains a clearer understanding of his mother’s past and feels grief, guilt, and anger over the manipulation that damaged their relationship. His fear for her recovery briefly overwhelms him, but Luoshui’s reassurance restores his confidence.
• Wenren Luoshui demonstrates confidence in her healing abilities and continues to act independently, including planning a business venture. Her playful, irreverent side is also evident in her teasing complaints at home.
• Wenren Shuang is increasingly isolated: the emperor now sees her as connected to the family’s suffering and treats her with open hostility.
• The emperor’s eldest daughter emerges as his preferred heir, valued for her intelligence and ability as well as his affection for her.

Significant themes

• Manipulation and damaged family bonds: The Child-Aversion Art distorted the Empress Dowager’s emotions, showing how unseen interference can fracture a family.
• Hope and human agency: Though the original story predicts a disastrous outcome, Luoshui believes her intervention can change it.
• Power and succession: The court’s demand for an heir raises questions about who is fit to rule and whether a woman can inherit the throne.
• Family affection and comedy: Luoshui’s teasing and her parents’ romantic attention provide a lighter contrast to the palace’s tension.

Character interactions

• Luoshui’s treatment of the Empress Dowager and explanations to the emperor build trust between them; he relies on her judgment and healing.
• The emperor’s kick and contempt toward Wenren Shuang mark a sharp break in their relationship.
• Luoshui’s comic exchange with her parents highlights their closeness—and her irritation at being overlooked.
• At court, Grand Commandant Chu’s demand challenges the emperor’s authority and his preference for the Eldest Princess.

Key plot points and events

• During court, Wenren Qiao bluntly challenges Grand Commandant Chu for repeatedly urging the emperor to name an heir. When Chu takes offense, Qiao hides behind his daughter, Wenren Luoshui, and asks her to defend him.
• Luoshui’s Salty Fish System reveals that Chu’s nephew, Chu Siqi, was sent to the capital under the pretense of studying after killing a classmate back home. Chu had taken him in without knowing the full story.
• The system exposes the nephew’s family as cruelly abusive toward the victim’s relatives: they broke the grandfather’s leg, sold one sister to a brothel, and forced the other to become a county magistrate’s concubine.
• A further revelation reveals that Chu Siqi has tortured and killed Chu’s granddaughter’s Persian cat, displaying its remains so grotesquely that one granddaughter faints and her younger sister is left mentally impaired by the shock.
• Alarmed, Grand Commandant Chu rushes home. He catches Chu Siqi grabbing the cat, kicks him down, and has servants restrain him and take him to the authorities. The two granddaughters are confirmed safe from further harm. Chu Siqi is expected to be executed, while his parents face prison.

Character developments and interactions

• Wenren Qiao remains crude and reckless, but his instinct to hide behind Luoshui adds comic relief. His teasing of Chu prompts the system’s gossip.
• Wenren Luoshui serves as the channel for the system’s revelations; the court eagerly gathers around the gossip.
• Grand Commandant Chu is initially angry at Qiao, then shocked and horrified by what he learns. Though he is unfairly blamed for his nephew’s past, he acts decisively once he sees the danger firsthand.
• Chu Siqi is revealed as a violent, sadistic offender whose apparent good behavior was only temporary.
• The emperor enjoys the court’s gossip at first, but grows anxious about the consequences for Chu’s household and the reactions of the women in his harem.

Significant themes

• Abuse of privilege and family protection: Chu Siqi’s family shields him and terrorizes his victim’s relatives.
• The limits of reputation and authority: Chu’s strict household reputation cannot prevent a relative’s concealed crimes from entering his home.
• Justice and accountability: Once the truth emerges, Chu acts to stop further harm, and the authorities are expected to punish both the perpetrator and his accomplices.
• Comic gossip against grim realities: The court’s playful appetite for scandal contrasts sharply with the brutality of the crimes revealed.

Plot points and events

• Capital officials, alarmed by recent scandals involving sheltered relatives, warn their families to investigate any kin seeking refuge.
• On her day off, Wenren Luoshui plans a grand opening for her shop. She spends system points to copy exam papers and essays, then recruits her little brother to arrange a gong-and-drum troupe, lion dancers, and dragon dancers.
• Wenren Chun is demoted from Subordinate Third Rank to Principal Fifth Rank, and his frustration makes him increasingly irritable. Wenren Shuang, meanwhile, uses her knowledge of the novel’s events to plan how to earn Minister Yun’s gratitude: she intends to warn her father that Yunjian will be kidnapped on the road to Jingxin Nunnery.
• Yunjian, newly transmigrated from an apocalypse and still linked to her Taobao System, is attacked by bandits. She stuns one with a baton, throws chili powder at the others, and escapes.
• Seeking a dramatic way to advertise her shop, Wenren Luoshui ventures into the mountains, tames a tigress with a talisman, and brings along the tigress’s two white cubs.
• Near the mountain’s foot, Luoshui finds Yunjian fleeing the bandits. She immobilizes the pursuers with leaves, recognizes Yunjian, and reunites with her.

Character developments and interactions

• Wenren Luoshui is resourceful and audacious, turning her shop opening into a spectacle and confidently using her system and talisman magic. She also shows concern and affection toward her friend.
• Yunjian demonstrates quick thinking and toughness under threat, using her system’s supplies to defend herself. Her reunion with Luoshui brings out her emotional relief.
• Wenren Shuang remains ambitious and determined after her setback at court, relying on her foreknowledge to influence events and gain political favor.
• Wenren Chun reacts poorly to demotion, revealing his entitlement and short temper.
• Luoshui’s little brother eagerly accepts her assignment, while Yunjian greets Luoshui with an exuberant, tearful embrace.

Significant themes

• Self-reliance and resourcefulness: Both women use unusual tools and quick judgment to face danger.
• Knowledge as power: Shuang’s familiarity with the novel’s plot shapes her plans.
• Public image and spectacle: Luoshui sees a memorable opening as essential to promoting her shop.
• Family, friendship, and protection: The chapter contrasts warnings about risky family obligations with Luoshui’s genuine loyalty to Yunjian.
• Reversals of fortune: Chun’s sudden demotion unsettles him, while Yunjian’s escape and reunion turn danger into relief.

Plot points and events

• Yunjian tells Wenren Luoshui that she died during a mission after her squad was overwhelmed by zombies, then woke in another era. Luoshui explains that she was reborn as an infant more than ten years earlier, leaving Yunjian puzzled by their different timelines.
• Yunjian remembers her former life and joins Luoshui on the way back. She uses her Taobao System to buy beef for Luoshui’s three tigers, confirming that her system came with her into this life.
• The women take the tigers into the city, startling residents. Luoshui’s father, Wenren Qiao, eagerly rides the adult tiger; her young brother, Wenren Qingluo, is promised a turn later.
• Luoshui and Yunjian promote and open their Blind Box Shop with a lively city procession. Officials rush to buy boxes, partly hoping to stay on Luoshui’s good side because they fear her talent for exposing secrets.
• The shop’s stock includes imperial examination materials and plush-toy cushions. The exam papers attract students who lack influential connections, while the plush toys delight the officials’ daughters.

Character developments and interactions

• Yunjian and Luoshui renew their close, affectionate friendship, teasing and indulging one another as they did in their previous life. Yunjian’s system and Luoshui’s tigers show how extraordinary resources from their new lives intersect.
• Wenren Qiao reveals a playful, exuberant side as he eagerly rides the tiger and boasts to his son that he got to ride first.
• Wenren Qingluo wants to ride too and good-naturedly answers his father’s teasing with confidence that he will get his turn.
• The officials approach the shop nervously but supportively, motivated less by the merchandise than by fear of becoming the target of Luoshui’s gossip.

Significant themes

• Friendship and continuity: Luoshui and Yunjian’s bond survives death, rebirth, and radically different timelines.
• The fantastic meeting everyday life: Systems, tigers, and unusual goods become part of ordinary family life and commerce.
• Power, reputation, and self-interest: Officials buy from Luoshui to protect themselves, while the shop’s examination papers offer students access to resources normally controlled by privilege.
• Family humor and affection: The tiger ride becomes a playful contest among father, daughter, and son.

Key plot points and events

• Wenren Chun acts on Wenren Shuang’s directions to ambush a mountain location where she expects Minister Yun’s younger daughter, Yunjian, to appear. No one comes. Enraged, he returns home and beats Shuang.
• Shuang learns that events have not followed the novel she remembers: Yunjian’s disappearance has not become public, and the rescue opportunity she expected never arose. She blames Yunjian for trying to change her fate and clings to her confused belief that her own branch of the Wenren family is unfairly disadvantaged.
• The emperor, still irritated by Wenren Qiao’s previous visit to boast about Luoshui riding a tiger, asks Luoshui to bring the tiger to the palace.
• During court, Luoshui’s inner voice turns to General Zhu Yulou. She first praises him for taking a sterility-inducing medicine himself so his wife would not risk another dangerous childbirth.
• Her next revelation shocks the court: General Zhu’s beloved wife was not the woman he originally fell in love with. The real Lady Zhu was murdered by the impostor’s accomplices shortly before Zhu returned from war; the woman who replaced her was a spy trained by the Wa nation.

Character developments and interactions

• Wenren Shuang is shaken when her remembered plot fails, but responds with resentment rather than reconsidering her assumptions. Wenren Chun reacts violently to the failed plan, whipping her.
• Wenren Qiao remains oblivious to the emperor’s annoyance and continues boasting about Luoshui and her tiger.
• General Zhu is shown as devoted and protective: he limited his family to one child to spare his wife further danger. Hearing Luoshui’s ominous hint, he grows alarmed about his wife and daughter, briefly revealing his readiness to defend them.
• The emperor and courtiers secretly listen to Luoshui’s inner thoughts. They restrain Zhu when he nearly acts on his suspicions, hoping to keep Luoshui from realizing they can hear her.

Significant themes

• Fate versus attempts to change it: Shuang’s confidence in the novel’s plot proves unreliable, while Yunjian appears to be acting against her expected role.
• Hidden identities and deception: The revelation about Lady Zhu transforms a seemingly happy marriage into a story of murder and espionage.
• Love expressed through sacrifice: General Zhu’s choice to undergo sterilization underscores his devotion to his wife.
• Gossip as a source of danger and knowledge: Luoshui’s casual inner commentary exposes secrets that could reshape court relationships and put loved ones at risk.

Key plot points and events

• At court, officials cannot identify Wakoku. Wenren Luoshui’s thoughts reveal that it is an overseas nation east of Li, separated by sea, and that she fears its future aggression.
• She recalls brutal acts Wakoku will commit centuries later. The emperor and officials are horrified and begin considering the country a serious threat. The emperor, whose treasury is depleted by past wars, resolves to ask Luoshui how to raise money.
• Luoshui reveals that General Zhu’s late wife was a Wakoku spy chosen for her appearance and that she sent cultural works from Li back to her homeland. General Zhu is relieved to learn she never obtained his military secrets.
• Luoshui then exposes Zhu’s supposed daughter as a more capable spy. The girl has cultivated ties with powerful young nobles and obtained border-defense information, hidden in a concealed compartment in her bed.
• Before Luoshui can explain, General Zhu kneels and reports his wife and daughter to the emperor, including the hidden military maps. The emperor credits him for exposing the spies, cancels his fault for failing to recognize them, and orders a search and arrests.

Character developments and interactions

• Wenren Luoshui uses her historical knowledge to warn the court about Wakoku and identify the spies’ activities, though she is surprised General Zhu acts on his own.
• General Zhu moves from grief and fear over his wife’s death to relief that he did not betray state secrets, then takes responsibility by reporting his family.
• The emperor shifts from financial restraint to alarm about the overseas threat, while rewarding Zhu and mobilizing officials to investigate.
• Prince Qi and Prince Chen draw attention when Luoshui reveals the fake daughter’s connections to them; unaware of the accusation, they assume something is wrong with their clothes.

Significant themes

• Historical knowledge and forewarning: Luoshui’s knowledge of the future reshapes the court’s understanding of a distant threat.
• Patriotism, loyalty, and responsibility: Zhu’s separation of private life from official duty limits the damage, and his confession helps protect the kingdom.
• Espionage and cultural appropriation: Wakoku’s agents exploit personal relationships and gather both cultural works and military intelligence.
• The costs of war and state security: The emperor must balance an empty treasury and the people’s welfare against the danger of invasion.

Key events

• Injured and frustrated, Wenren Shuang recalls a plot detail she might use to pressure General Zhu. But when she reaches the Zhu residence, Madam Zhu and Miss Zhu are already being arrested, leaving her baffled and suspecting Wenren Luoshui interfered.
• After returning to the capital, Eldest Princess Lang Yuqiao and Seventh Princess visit Luoshui’s mystery-box shop. Luoshui proposes opening paper mills using an improved papermaking method, making paper affordable at home and profitable to export.
• The Eldest Princess presents the method to the emperor and recommends Yun Jian, whom she recognizes as a gifted researcher in agriculture and animal husbandry. Yun Jian becomes a female official in the Ministry of Revenue.
• At court, Luoshui and Yun Jian discover they can communicate mind-to-mind. The ministers can hear both women’s thoughts as well, though the pair do not realize it.
• The emperor assigns the Eldest Princess to oversee the new paper mill. Her calm acceptance contrasts with the significance of the responsibility.

Character developments and interactions

• Wenren Shuang remains determined to use her knowledge of the original novel to gain influence, but her attempt to approach General Zhu fails before it begins.
• Wenren Luoshui continues turning modern knowledge and system resources into plans to strengthen the Li Kingdom, while drawing talented allies into her projects.
• Lang Yuqiao returns from flood relief, warms to Luoshui, and takes a major role in advancing the paper industry. She also recognizes Yun Jian’s potential and promotes her.
• Yun Jian and Luoshui reaffirm their close friendship across two lifetimes through their newly discovered mental communication.
• The Seventh Princess responds with open enthusiasm to the prospect of cheaper paper, while the emperor is visibly delighted by the commercial possibilities.

Significant themes

• Knowledge as statecraft: New technology and practical expertise can expand the kingdom’s prosperity and power.
• Women’s public leadership: The princesses and Yun Jian gain meaningful roles in governance and economic development.
• Friendship and connection: Luoshui and Yun Jian’s bond is strengthened by their unusual ability to communicate mentally.
• Comic dramatic irony: Others can hear the women’s private thoughts, creating humor as they discuss money, national ambitions, and their friendship without knowing they are overheard.

Chapter summary

• Wenren Luoshui prepares for Princess Wenshu’s flower-viewing banquet, a gathering widely understood to be a matchmaking event. She struggles to choose clothes and happily lets her maid Yin Xing decide for her.
• Her younger brother, Wenren Qingluo, insists on bringing the tiger cubs Little White and Second White. He has to leave the grown tiger Big Yellow behind, and promises to keep the cubs safe.
• At the banquet, Luoshui and Qingluo attract attention by carrying the cubs. The guests are also wary of Luoshui’s reputation for knowing everyone’s gossip—and of the possibility that others can hear her thoughts.
• Luoshui joins the Eldest Princess, the Seventh Princess, and Yunjian in a secluded pavilion. Yunjian has been diligently studying rice cultivation, even visiting the fields herself.
• Commandery Princess Nanyi approaches the group, prompting Luoshui’s gossip system to reveal her motive: Nanyi hopes to arrange a marriage between one of the imperial princesses and her youngest son, who is nineteen.
• The sisters already know that Nanyi’s son is spoiled and that several families have rejected him. The emperor’s consorts have even threatened to leave the palace rather than let a princess marry him.
• The system explains why the young man’s reputation is so bad: he constantly repeats “My mother says,” treats any challenge to his mother’s views as an insult, and has had his guards publicly beat all four of his former fiancées after humiliating them.

Character developments and interactions

• Luoshui remains easygoing and dependent on others for small decisions, but her private knowledge of gossip gives her unusual influence at social gatherings.
• Qingluo shows affection for his animal companions and a solemn sense of responsibility, while still eating eagerly once seated.
• Yunjian is increasingly committed to practical agricultural research, especially rice cultivation.
• The Seventh Princess becomes visibly angry at the prospect of Nanyi trying to manipulate the princesses into a marriage. The Eldest Princess reins her in with a light knock.
• The princesses and Yunjian listen discreetly as Luoshui’s thoughts expose Nanyi’s intentions, creating a contrast between their polite public greeting and their private understanding.

Significant themes

• Gossip as hidden knowledge: Luoshui’s inner commentary reveals motives that polite conversation conceals.
• Marriage and power: Nanyi treats a princess’s marriage as a way to secure a match for her son, while the imperial women resist being used.
• Maternal influence versus personal character: The son’s insistence on invoking his mother—and his violent response to criticism—marks him as an extreme “mama’s boy.”
• Public manners and private judgment: The characters maintain courteous appearances even as they recognize the danger behind Nanyi’s approach.

Plot points and events

• At a flower-viewing banquet, Commandery Princess Nanyi presses the Seventh Princess about marriage, proposing that she marry Nanyi’s nineteen-year-old youngest son. The Eldest Princess tries to end the conversation, but Nanyi ignores her.
• The Salty Fish System reveals why the match would be disastrous: Nanyi controls her household, has mistreated her older daughters-in-law, and intends to keep the Seventh Princess isolated and unable to complain. She also sleeps beside her grown youngest son and plans to interfere in his marriage.
• The Eldest Princess breaks her teacup in anger and takes the Seventh Princess away to change clothes. Nanyi privately resolves to force the match by arranging for the couple to be compromised.
• The system later reveals that the Eldest Princess has arranged for Nanyi to be beaten, stripped of her outer robe, and thrown into a lake, publicly humiliating her.
• After the banquet, women who cannot hear Wenren Luoshui’s thoughts begin doubting their husbands’ claims that they can. Some suspect Luoshui is manipulating the men. Whenever they think this, an invisible force chokes and pains them until they stop.

Character developments and interactions

• The Seventh Princess shifts from wary politeness to disgust once she learns Nanyi’s true intentions. She relies on the Eldest Princess to remove her from the encounter.
• The Eldest Princess moves from coolly defending her sister to openly protecting her, recognizing the danger and arranging Nanyi’s punishment.
• Commandery Princess Nanyi appears solicitous but is revealed as calculating and coercive: she sees the Seventh Princess as an easier target than other noblewomen and intends to trap her in marriage.
• Wenren Luoshui and Yunjian remain present as listeners to the system’s disclosures, reacting with shock and ridicule. Their unusual ability to hear Luoshui’s thoughts also fuels suspicion among the other women.

Significant themes

• Abuse hidden behind family respectability: Nanyi uses kinship and social status to disguise the control and mistreatment she inflicts on her family.
• Female protection and solidarity: The Eldest Princess acts decisively to shield her younger sister from a predatory marriage.
• Power, coercion, and reputation: Nanyi intends to exploit the Seventh Princess’s palace upbringing and restrict her ability to seek help; her public humiliation reverses that power dynamic.
• Uneven access to truth: The system’s disclosures expose secrets, while those unable to hear them are left doubting one another—and face supernatural consequences for their suspicions.