Chapter Summaries

Jiang Shuyue learned about Prince Zhong’s scandalous history and persuaded Murong Tianci and Prince Huai to take her to meet him. At the bathhouse, Prince Zhong offered her a jade pendant, but Prince Huai warned her away after Huahua revealed it came from grave-robbing.

• Jiang An was forced to taste Jiang Shuyue’s Divine Big Apple and fled in disgust.
• Murong Tianci gave Little Peach Pregnancy-Calming Pills, and Huahua revealed that he was going to meet Prince Zhong, a close friend of Jiang Shuyue’s father-in-law.
• Jiang Shuyue persuaded Murong Tianci and Prince Huai to take her along to meet Prince Zhong.
• At the bathhouse, Prince Zhong greeted Murong Tianci and offered Jiang Shuyue a jade pendant as a first-meeting gift.
• Prince Huai stopped Jiang Shuyue from accepting the pendant, and Huahua revealed that Prince Zhong had obtained it by robbing graves.

Prince Zhong returned to the city despite threats from a spurned former lover, and Jiang Shuyue learned that his wealth and generosity came with a history of gambling, tomb-robbing, and seduction. He won her over by giving her an Imperial Artifact, while Murong Tianci watched another person fall under his master’s spell.

• Prince Zhong teased Jiang Shuyue and offered to become her sworn elder brother, while Murong Tianci warned him that enemies had nearly attacked him with Aqua Regia.
• Huahua revealed that Prince Zhong’s wealth came from gambling against corrupt people and that he supported Murong Tianci’s father-in-law and some of Jiang Shuyue’s family businesses.
• Huahua explained that a middle-aged former lover had tried to attack Prince Zhong after seeing him remain youthful, while Jiang Shuyue sympathized with the woman’s anger but questioned her plan to kill him.
• Prince Zhong gave Jiang Shuyue jade beads inherited from his imperial father, and Huahua identified them as an Imperial Artifact that could help her cultivation.
• Jiang Shuyue praised Prince Zhong as generous, and Murong Tianci sighed as she became another person won over by his master.

Prince Zhong revealed that he had borrowed millions of taels from relatives and others, then led Jiang Shuyue and Murong Tianci to a hidden treasury beneath the Celestial Master's Manor. The group discovered a vast reserve of gold and learned how Prince Zhong had amassed his personal fortune.

• Prince Huai confronted Prince Zhong over hundreds of thousands of taels and valuable gifts he had borrowed, while Huahua calculated that Prince Zhong had taken 2.35 million taels in total.
• Prince Zhong offered Jiang Shuyue money and explained that he had hidden wealth in the Celestial Master's Manor because people kept finding the money he stored at home.
• Prince Huai and Murong Tianci bundled Jiang Shuyue into a carriage after she imitated Prince Zhong's swaying walk and considered following Huahua's advice to change her appearance.
• Prince Zhong opened a hidden burial chamber in the Peach Blossom Grove, revealing a treasury filled with gold and jewels.
• Huahua explained that most of the treasury was a reserve collected by past Celestial Masters, while Prince Zhong had amassed his share through auctions, marriage scams, and smuggling defective goods to enemies.

Jiang Shuyue and Huahua stole treasure from the vault, buried it at home, and fell asleep beside Big Flower. Days later, Chen Yongwang celebrated his son’s fourth-place result in the Spring Imperial Examination while Chen Wang and Wang Peng remained at school.

• Huahua revealed the Treasure Vault’s elaborate mechanism and the Imperial Preceptor’s grim possible fate, while Jiang Shuyue secretly pocketed gold beads.
• Jiang Shuyue, Huahua, and Shunai stuffed themselves with treasure and returned to the manor, where Jiang Shuyue and Huahua buried it in an iron box near Big Flower’s bed.
• Zhai Qing and Zhou Sesong covered the sleeping Jiang Shuyue and Huahua with a blanket, then planned a meal out and to call Zhou Yunshen home.
• Chen Yongwang celebrated his son’s fourth-place exam result with hours of firecrackers and handfuls of scattered money.
• Auntie Zhuang boasted about her son’s achievement, while Teacher Lan kept Chen Wang and Wang Peng at school instead of letting them join the celebration.

Jiang Shuyue fled Chen Yongwang and warned Zhou Yunshen about his contagious disease, prompting the Palace to prepare precautions for the next day’s banquet. At the Palace, she spotted Old Madam Jiang and learned that opium paste had left her reeking, while the old woman bristled at Jiang Shuyue’s finery.

• Chen Yongwang boasted that his examination success would win the emperor’s favor, while Huahua told Jiang Shuyue that her father had secretly helped Chen Yongwang and Wang Dapeng pass.
• Jiang Shuyue ordered Qi Ye to drive away from Chen Yongwang’s celebration, and Zhou Yunshen rebuked Auntie Zhuang when she threatened Jiang Shuyue.
• Jiang Shuyue panicked about catching Chen Yongwang’s disease, and Zhou Yunshen warned the Palace to take precautions before the banquet.
• The emperor, empress, and Empress Dowager arranged for Divine Water to be distributed and for Chen Yongwang’s belongings and routes to be secured.
• Jiang Shuyue arrived at the Palace and learned from Huahua that Old Madam Jiang’s smell came from excessive use of opium paste sent by Jiang Shuyue’s mother.
• Old Madam Jiang noticed Jiang Shuyue’s expensive clothes and grew furious as she compared them with her own outfit and jewelry.

At the Palace banquet, Jiang Shuyue faced Old Madam Jiang’s hostility while other noblewomen praised and defended her. Old Madam Jiang was relegated to the seventh row, and the new scholars entered in an order based on appearance, leaving Chen Yongwang at the back.

• Old Madam Jiang scolded Jiang Shuyue for supposedly lacking manners, but Madam Chu and other women defended Jiang Shuyue and praised her pregnancy and status.
• Huahua revealed that Old Madam Jiang had been exploiting poor families with high-interest loans, and the guests quietly distanced themselves from her.
• Zhou Yunshen led Jiang Shuyue to the front rows, while Madam Chu arranged for Old Madam Jiang to sit in the seventh row; Jiang An promised his mother they would earn a better seat next time.
• Jiang Shuyue noticed Chen Yongwang standing at the far edge, and Huahua explained that the scholars’ positions had been assigned by appearance rather than examination rank.
• Prince Zhong hid his amusement and watched the Fourth Prince, who remained unsettled by his great-uncle’s strange looks.

At the palace banquet, Chen Yongwang exposed his ignorance and misogyny when questioned about a legal case, while Lan Ruoyue arrived with a supposedly fortune-telling donkey. The donkey made a proclamation calling Lan Ruoyue a heaven-sent goddess, leaving the court to react to her claim.

• The emperor questioned Chen Yongwang about Great Zhou’s relations with the Southern Barbarians, but Chen Yongwang stumbled over his answer.
• Prince Zhong posed a case about a widow and a man, and Chen Yongwang declared that the woman should be beaten to death while the man went unpunished.
• Princess Zhaohua challenged Chen Yongwang to name the law behind his judgment, while Jiang Shuyue and Huahua revealed his history of favoring sons and harming daughters.
• Lan Ruoyue rode into the inner hall on a donkey and agreed with Chen Yongwang, angering the Empress Dowager, who ordered her to receive fifty strokes.
• Lan Ruoyue announced that her donkey could tell fortunes and had it mark a sheet of paper with the words, “Heaven-sent Goddess, moonlight shines upon all.”

At court, Lan Ruoyue’s divine donkey was put to a new test, while Huahua persuaded Lan Ruoyue’s system to abandon her and join Jiang Shuyue. Lan Ruoyue was left stunned as Prince Zhong approached the donkey, with Jiang Shuyue wondering whether he would be infected by her bad-luck curse.

• Lan Ruoyue presented a question about future disasters, but Prince Zhong challenged the donkey to guess which hand held a pearl.
• Huahua drew Lan Ruoyue’s system into Jiang Shuyue’s Sea of Consciousness and urged it to switch hosts.
• Jiang Shuyue and Huahua convinced the system that Lan Ruoyue was a doomed, disobedient host, and it agreed to leave her.
• System No. 047 detached from Lan Ruoyue, who stared blankly as the court questioned her donkey.
• Lan Ruoyue claimed Prince Zhong was too far away, so he walked closer while Jiang Shuyue wondered if he would be affected by her curse.

Lan Ruoyue’s attempt to prove the donkey could identify hidden fruit failed when Prince Zhong exposed his trick and the animal dragged her across the hall. The Second Prince and Fourth Prince knelt to answer for supporting her, while Jiang Shuyue and Huahua wondered why the Second Prince looked so different from the other princes.

• Lan Ruoyue secretly tugged the rope to make the donkey turn left, then chose Prince Zhong’s left hand after Zhou Yunshen and Liu Chengze pressed her to decide.
• Prince Zhong revealed that both his hands were empty and pulled the fruit from behind his collar, exposing his sleight of hand.
• Prince Zhong threw the fruit outside, and the donkey dragged Lan Ruoyue across the floor when she could not free herself from the rope.
• The Fourth Prince knelt before the emperor and admitted he had been wrong to believe Lan Ruoyue would bring prosperity to Great Zhou.
• The Second Prince also knelt, and Jiang Shuyue wondered about his appearance as Huahua checked his background.

Jiang Shuyue and Huahua exposed Consort Rong’s affair and Jin Hu’s tangled family secrets while Lan Ruoyue’s donkey stunt ended in injury and punishment. Zhou Yunshen then brought up his wager with Lan Ruoyue, who presented the Medical Hall’s ledger and testimonials as proof of her success.

• Huahua revealed that the Second Prince’s father was Jin Hu and described Jin Hu’s extensive affairs and complicated children.
• Lan Ruoyue was dragged by the donkey, struck her face on the steps, and was sentenced by the emperor to forty strokes and banishment from the Imperial City.
• Five Flower told Jiang Shuyue that her Fortune Value had risen by eighty points and was close to its cap.
• Zhou Yunshen reminded the emperor that Lan Ruoyue had wagered her life if she failed to deceive the sovereign, and Lan Ruoyue offered her ledger and household testimonials as evidence of the Medical Hall’s success.
• Jiang Shuyue hid behind Zhou Yunshen and used Huahua to block Lan Ruoyue’s frightening, bloodied stare.

Lan Ruoyue was exposed for selling an addictive poison and faced punishment, but she tried to use her supposed future knowledge to save herself. After the arsenal exploded because of her faulty gunpowder formula, the emperor’s trust in her collapsed, and she was left raging at Jiang Shuyue.

• Lan Ruoyue presented her medicine to the emperor, but Prince Zhong identified it as addictive poison and challenged her to take it herself.
• Prince Zhong and the Empress Dowager ordered guards to force the medicine into Lan Ruoyue’s mouth, but she pleaded with the emperor by claiming she was a Goddess and offering future knowledge.
• Qing'er's father reported that the arsenal had exploded during gunpowder mixing, destroying the materials and killing people.
• The emperor ordered the deaths concealed, while Liu Chengze called for Lan Ruoyue to be sentenced to death over her crimes.
• Lan Ruoyue blamed the craftsmen, cursed Liu Chengze, and accused Jiang Shuyue of standing in her way.

Lan Ruoyue tried to escape execution by claiming she could predict the future, but the Empress Dowager ordered her sealed instead. The court then tested Chen Yongwang’s learning, and his foolish answers left everyone wondering what he would do next.

• Lan Ruoyue claimed she knew the world was a book and offered to help the emperor rule, but he rejected her offer because the Imperial Preceptor had already predicted heavy rain.
• The Empress Dowager ordered Lan Ruoyue dragged away to be sealed so she could not return from the dead.
• Zhou Yunshen questioned Chen Yongwang about his connection to Lan Ruoyue, while Jiang An and Madam Jiang tried to defend him.
• Jiang Wujie recited a couplet, but the frightened Chen Yongwang answered with a crude line about chickens, eggs, and shit.
• The emperor asked Chen Yongwang to recite “Mountain Dwelling in Autumn Dusk,” and Chen Yongwang stared at Jiang An in confusion.

At the imperial court, Chen Yongwang’s inability to recite his own essay exposed his lack of learning and intensified accusations that Jiang An had abused his authority. Madam Jiang demanded a divorce, and Jiang Wujie presented evidence that Jiang An had ordered Jiang Shuyue abandoned; the emperor condemned Jiang An, while Huahua wondered if Madam Jiang wanted a new husband.

• The emperor asked Chen Yongwang to recite his essay, but Chen could not remember it, prompting officials and Jiang An’s sons to accuse him of being unqualified and Jiang An of favoritism.
• Madam Jiang disavowed the Chen Family, defended her sons, and accused Jiang An of failing as a father, husband, and subject before requesting a divorce.
• Madam Chu revealed the scandal involving Jiang An’s mistresses and daughter, and Madam Jiang explained that Jiang An had brought home a cousin’s daughter while his own daughter had been abandoned.
• Jiang Wujie presented a blood-written letter reporting that Jiang An had ordered Jiang Shuyue abandoned because a Daoist priest had called her a calamity star.
• The emperor read the letter, threw it at Jiang An, and angrily condemned him; Huahua wondered whether Madam Jiang wanted a new husband.

The emperor granted Madam Liu a divorce from Jiang An and ordered him to leave the residence within three days. As Jiang Shuyue learned about Jiang An’s public humiliation and the Liu family’s booming scandal-inspired books, Jiang An lay sick and unaware of the spectacle.

• Liu Chengze and the Empress urged the emperor to grant Madam Liu a divorce, and he ordered Jiang An to move out within three days.
• Old Madam Jiang objected, but Liu Chengze asserted the residence and household goods belonged to Madam Liu’s dowry, while ministers offered to help settle the property and renovate her home.
• After the divorce, Jiang An followed Madam Liu from a distance, and she and her family stayed with the Liu Family under guard.
• Huahua told Jiang Shuyue that Jiang An had serenaded Madam Liu outside the gates, where the Liu Family doused him with foot-washing water, and that his humiliation had inspired popular illustrated stories and novels.
• Jiang Shuyue went to the Market to buy the books and learned that Liu Chengze, Jiang Chen, and their scholarly allies had produced them overnight; Jiang An had caught a chill and was sick in bed, unaware of their success.

Jiang Shuyue overheard Chen Yongwang buying poison to use against the Liu Family and Jiang An, then took it and altered it for the Second Prince. Zhou Yunshen delivered the new drug to the emperor, who arranged for the Second Prince and Lan Ruoyue to drink it in the Dungeon.

• Jiang Shuyue and Huahua overheard Chen Yongwang buy poison, which a seller working for the Second Prince had supplied.
• Jiang Shuyue tripped Chen Yongwang, stole the poison, and decided with Five Flower to alter it and return it to the Second Prince.
• The Second Prince learned Sangshen had reported Lan Ruoyue’s actions to the emperor and decided to ask the Crown Prince for help reaching the Dungeon.
• Jiang Shuyue had Three Flowers deliver the altered drug to Zhou Yunshen, who took it to the emperor.
• The emperor ordered Eunuch Qin to arrange a Dungeon visit and make the Second Prince and Lan Ruoyue drink the drug, then proposed sending the Second Prince as an envoy to the Jin Kingdom.

The Second Prince visited Lan Ruoyue in the Dungeon, hoping to gain her cooperation, but she mocked him and revealed that she had been transported into this world by a system. After scratching him, the two became captivated by each other, and the chapter left them embracing under an unexplained influence.

• The jailer gave the Second Prince wine and led him into Lan Ruoyue’s cell while Er Huo waited outside.
• The Second Prince offered to help Lan Ruoyue escape, but she mocked his status and accused him of wanting to take advantage of her.
• Lan Ruoyue provoked the Second Prince by comparing him to Jiang Shuyue, then raged about how events had diverged from what she expected.
• Lan Ruoyue revealed that a system had brought her into the world to complete missions and pursue fortune value, but had abandoned her.
• After Lan Ruoyue scratched the Second Prince, the two found each other irresistibly alluring and began embracing.

The Second Prince was drugged in prison, then received an imperial order to lead an envoy mission to the Jin Kingdom. Jiang Shuyue and Zhou Yunshen spent a leisurely day visiting her family, where Liu Chengze scolded Zhou Yunshen over his calligraphy.

• Er Huo and Old Man entered the dungeon cell and found the Second Prince and Lan Ruoyue tangled together, then carried the unconscious prince away.
• The Second Prince woke furious at the jailer, but Eunuch Qin arrived with an imperial edict ordering him to lead an envoy mission to the Jin Kingdom in seven days.
• Five Flower showed Jiang Shuyue a 3D recreation of the night in the dungeon, and Zhou Yunshen joined her soon after.
• Zhou Yunshen took Jiang Shuyue to visit her family, bringing pearls and jade for Lin Shuangshuang and their babies.
• Liu Chengze criticized Zhou Yunshen's handwriting and ordered him to rewrite it a hundred times before he could eat.

Jiang Shuyue and the Liu family confronted Jiang An and Old Madam Jiang, who blocked the carts carrying Liu Yuyan’s belongings and publicly accused the family of cruelty. As Jiang An pleaded his case, Jiang Shuyue exposed his hidden past through Huahua, while Liu Chengze protected his son from being drawn into an argument.

• Liu Chengze made Zhou Yunshen practice calligraphy, then learned that Jiang An and Old Madam Jiang were blocking Liu Yuyan’s belongings from entering the gate.
• After hearing that defeating Jiang An could earn his fortune, Liu Chengze decided to meet them, and Jiang Shuyue, Zhou Yunshen, Zhou Luming, and Jiang Wujie went with him.
• Old Madam Jiang wailed outside the gate, accusing the Liu family of forcing a divorce and taking the Jiang family’s property, while Jiang An acted distressed beside her.
• Huahua revealed that Jiang An had performed for wealthy men before rising to power and had destroyed one benefactor’s family to conceal his past.
• Jiang Shuyue’s eldest uncle tossed silver toward Jiang An and challenged him to sing for it, but Jiang An instead pleaded that the family not break up his marriage.
• Liu Chengze pulled his son behind him to prevent Jiang An from manipulating him into an argument that could damage the Liu family’s reputation.

Liu Chengze rejected Jiang An’s pleas and ordered the Jiang Family out of Liu Yuyan’s residence, while Jiang An’s lies and Old Madam Jiang’s greed turned the crowd against them. Liu Yuyan confronted the Jiang Family over twenty years of mistreatment and ended by slapping Jiang An.

• Liu Chengze demanded that Jiang An name his daughter and condemned him for forgetting Liu Yuyan’s name while exploiting her and her dowry.
• Liu Chengze told Jiang An to leave the residence so the Ministry of Works could repair it, and Old Madam Jiang clung to the dowry chests and spat on them.
• Jiang An appealed to Jiang Shuyue, but Jiang Shuyue exposed the truth about her marriage and Jiang Wujie confirmed that Jiang An had substituted her for Jiang Liuli.
• Jiang Shuyue learned Jiang An had only 4 fortune points left and gained 20 points of her own.
• Liu Yuyan confronted Old Madam Jiang and Jiang An about years of abuse and deceit, then slapped Jiang An twice.

Liu Yuyan beat Jiang An and exposed how her wealth had supported his family, while Jiang An’s oath brought down a bolt of lightning. After he begged too late for mercy, Liu Yuyan set fire to the cartload of possessions as the Jiang family panicked.

• Liu Yuyan pummeled Jiang An while Old Madam Jiang threatened to report her to the Imperial Court.
• The neighbors defended Liu Yuyan and mocked the Jiang family, and Jiang An swore that he had never wronged his wife or children.
• Lightning struck beside Jiang An, and Jiang Shuyue learned that his oath had violated the world’s principles because of her high Fortune Value.
• Liu Yuyan revealed that her money had supported Jiang An’s family and said she would rather burn the possessions than let them keep them.
• Liu Yuyan dropped her fire striker, the flames spread to the carriage, and the Jiang family cried out for help.