Chapter Summaries

Xia Wanwan’s failed pill revived Jing Wu, and Xia Siheng worried about Liu Wan’s safety while preparing for further trouble. The next day, when Li Kengqiang failed to show up for their promised fight, Xia Wanwan set off to confront him at the Vice Minister’s Residence.

• Xia Wanwan gave Jing Wu one of her foul-smelling failed pills, and it restored him to health before Imperial Physician Huang arrived.
• Xia Siheng wrote to His Majesty about the day’s events and worried that Liu Wan might be in danger on her upcoming trip to the Minister’s Residence.
• Xia Wanwan ate the Beggar’s Chicken Xia Siheng had bought for her after he teased her about withholding it.
• Xia Wanwan waited outside her home for Li Kengqiang to keep their fight appointment, then decided to go to the Vice Minister’s Residence and beat him up herself.

Xia Wanwan went to the Vice Minister's Residence to fight Li Kengqiang, while his older brother Li Shuqi tried to provoke her and then obediently welcomed her inside. Li Kengqiang escaped his locked room through a secret passage but got stuck in the dark, and the chapter ended with a servant rushing to announce that he was in trouble.

• Li Shuqi waited at the gate to provoke Xia Wanwan, but she stamped on his toes and demanded that he call Li Kengqiang out to fight.
• Li Shuqi apologized and sent a servant to announce Xia Wanwan, who entered the residence with Qing Sheng and the Hidden Guards.
• Li Kengqiang learned of a secret passage beneath his bed and jumped into it to escape his room, but he got stuck in the opening until his servant pushed him through.
• Xia Wanwan told Attendant Li she would accept the outcome of the fight, and he ordered a servant to bring Li Kengqiang to the Front Hall.
• A servant burst into the Front Hall and cried that Li Kengqiang was in trouble.

Li Kengqiang became trapped in a sealed secret passage beneath his bed as black mist and anguished cries filled the room. After the servants failed to break the entrance, Attendant Li pleaded with Princess Ximing to open the seal and save him.

• The servant told Attendant Li that Li Kengqiang had entered the secret passage and could not get out, while Madam Li rushed to the bed in panic.
• Li Qian revealed that she had dug the passage and explained her bitter history with Li Kengqiang, including his abuse of her maid Ning'er and his seizure of her courtyard.
• The servants hammered and pried at the bed boards, but the entrance would not open, and Li Kengqiang's cries grew weaker.
• Xia Wanwan said the entrance had a seal that ordinary people could not undo, and thought the ghosts in the passage would likely torture Li Kengqiang.
• Madam Li begged the black mist for mercy, but Li Qian warned that fetching help from Golden Mountain Temple would take too long.
• Attendant Li knelt before Princess Ximing and begged her to open the sealed mechanism and rescue Li Kengqiang.

Xia Wanwan opened the bed’s mechanism with a single strike and the servants rescued the badly injured Li Kengqiang. As a physician treated him, Li Qian challenged Attendant Li over choosing their son’s care before his unconscious wife, leaving the household in tense silence.

• Madam Li begged Xia Wanwan to save Li Kengqiang, and Pan Chun warned the family not to blame the princess for what happened.
• Xia Wanwan struck the bed board, dispelled its black energy, and opened the secret passage while warning the remaining black mist not to attack her.
• Attendant Li’s servants pulled the delirious, bloodied Li Kengqiang from the passage, and Madam Li fainted at the sight.
• Li Qian stopped the Residence Physician from treating Li Kengqiang first and accused Attendant Li of caring more about his son than his wife.
• Attendant Li insisted that he loved his wife, and Li Qian pressed him to explain why he had not chosen to save her first while Xia Wanwan watched eagerly.

Li Kengqiang went berserk after losing his three souls and attacked his family and servants, but Xia Wanwan eagerly stepped in to fight him. She chased him through the room with her pink hammer, leaving the witnesses stunned and the little girl ghost applauding.

• Madam Li woke and asked about Kengqiang, then rushed to protect him when he suddenly attacked Li Qian.
• Li Kengqiang struck Madam Li and rampaged through the room, while Attendant Li and the servants struggled to restrain him.
• Xia Wanwan realized Li Kengqiang had become an evil ghost and refused Qing Sheng's offer to escort her away.
• Xia Wanwan pulled Li Kengqiang off Attendant Li, smashed his hand with her hammer, and chased him around the room as he fled in terror.

Xia Wanwan and Li Qian exposed Li Kengqiang’s abuse and deaths of children, whose ghosts gathered to confront him. As Attendant Li and Madam Li faced the truth, a vengeful ghost took hold of Li Kengqiang, and Li Qian struck him with a vase.

• Xia Wanwan beat Li Kengqiang until Madam Li begged her to stop, while Li Qian revealed ghosts from her charm pouch.
• Li Qian accused Li Kengqiang’s parents of enabling his cruelty and explained that she had sheltered the souls of his victims.
• Xia Wanwan revealed the ghosts as three girls and two boys, and the children recounted Li Kengqiang’s abuse and Madam Li’s role in silencing one victim’s family.
• Attendant Li confronted Madam Li about her knowledge of the crimes, while she continued to shield their son despite his threats.
• Li Kengqiang seized Madam Li by the throat, and Xia Wanwan revealed that he was a vengeful ghost occupying their son’s body.
• Li Qian smashed a vase against Li Kengqiang’s head.

Xia Wanwan helped resolve the haunting at the Li residence, then went to a restaurant with her Hidden Guards. There, Xie Jinqian learned Xie Jin'an could father a child only once and began suspecting Xia Wanwan’s parentage, deciding to question her when he heard she had arrived.

• The ghosts destroyed Li Kengqiang’s last soul fragment, and Xia Wanwan told Attendant Li that the vengeful ghost had displaced his original son’s soul.
• Attendant Li asked Xia Wanwan how Madam Li could see their original child, and she advised him to ask Yuantong to perform a ritual.
• Xia Wanwan shared winnings from the Hidden Guards’ betting pool and went with them to a restaurant in the Capital.
• Daoist Huiyao told Xie Jinqian that Xie Jin'an could father a child once after taking the finished elixir, and Xie Jinqian ordered Yan to give him that chance.
• Xie Jinqian suspected Xia Wanwan might not be his eldest brother’s daughter and blamed Xia Siheng for supposedly forcing his sister-in-law into marriage.
• When an attendant announced Xia Wanwan’s arrival, Xie Jinqian decided to question her about her parentage.

Pan Chun took Xia Wanwan to a restaurant, where Xie Jinqian paid for her meal and joined her. After sending the others outside, he asked what gift he should give her mother for her wedding, and Xia Wanwan told him not to attend or send anything.

• Pan Chun questioned the restaurant's extra dishes, and the waiter explained that a gentleman had ordered and paid for them.
• After Pan Chun tested the food, Xia Wanwan began eating and agreed to meet the man who had paid for her meal.
• Xie Jinqian entered, and Xia Wanwan invited him to eat with her while suspecting he might be connected to the evil spirits.
• Xie Jinqian asked Xia Wanwan to speak with him alone, and she sent Pan Chun and Qing Sheng to guard the door.
• Xie Jinqian asked what gift to give Xia Wanwan's mother for her wedding, and Xia Wanwan told him not to go; he explained that he had given her mother shoes to repay her for saving his life.

Xie Jinqian took Xia Wanwan to buy her treats and asked who her biological father was. Wanwan pointed to Xia Qianhui, leaving Xie Jinqian stunned while Xia Qianhui hurried to stop her from calling him Father in public.

• Xie Jinqian offered to take Xia Wanwan shopping and asked if she knew her biological father, while Wanwan demanded that he fight her first.
• Xia Wanwan told Xie Jinqian she would point out her father later, then finished eating and agreed to go shopping with him and Pan Chun.
• At the Su Family's pastry shop, Xia Wanwan chose many snacks and Xie Jinqian bought all the plum blossom cakes for her.
• Xia Qianhui arrived and demanded plum blossom cakes, but the shopkeeper said they had just sold out.
• Xia Wanwan ran to Xia Qianhui and called him Father, and Xie Jinqian realized she had identified him as her father.
• Xia Qianhui covered Xia Wanwan's mouth and urged her not to call him Father in public.

Xie Jinqian took Xia Wanwan shopping and learned that Xia Qianhui claimed to be her father, then brought her home while plotting to use Xia Qianhui and keep Xie Jin'an away. Liu Wan feared Xie Jinqian was investigating Wanwan's parentage, but Wanwan revealed she had told him Xia Qianhui had once wanted to be her father.

• Xia Qianhui took a box of plum blossom cakes from Xia Wanwan for the Empress Dowager and left, provoking Xie Jinqian's jealousy.
• Xie Jinqian took Xia Wanwan home and promised to fight her another time after she asked when they could spar.
• Xia Wanwan spotted Xie Jin'an outside the Liu Residence and told Xie Jinqian that he was also her father.
• Xie Jinqian ordered his attendant to bring Xie Jin'an back and keep him away, while planning to use Xia Qianhui to stir up trouble.
• Xia Wanwan brought cakes home, and Liu Wan worried that Xie Jinqian was trying to uncover her biological father and sabotage her marriage.
• Xia Wanwan proudly told Liu Wan that she had said Xia Qianhui once wanted to be her father.

Liu Wan learned that the emperor had returned the Gold-and-Jade Glazed Cup to Nanmei after moving the Grandmaster’s ashes into a statue, and warned Xia Siheng that Xie Jinqian was probing Wanwan’s parentage. Xia Siheng recognized the danger to the First Prince and assured Liu Wan he would protect him, though his jealousy flared over the snacks Xie Jinqian had bought her.

• Xia Siheng told Liu Wan that the emperor had returned the Gold-and-Jade Glazed Cup after using the Grandmaster’s ashes, with his permission, to make a statue for a new temple.
• Liu Wan warned Xia Siheng that Xie Jinqian had asked Wanwan about her birth father and might be seeking evidence to ruin Liu Wan’s reputation or stop their marriage.
• Liu Wan explained that Wanwan had called Xia Qianhui Daddy, leading Xie Jinqian to believe Xia Qianhui was her birth father.
• Xia Siheng tried to hide his anger, but became jealous when Liu Wan mentioned that Xie Jinqian had bought Wanwan snacks, including plum blossom cakes.
• Liu Wan urged Xia Siheng to focus on the First Prince’s safety, and Xia Siheng said he had considered the danger before kissing her.

Liu Shi met Li Qian at a marriage meeting, but Xia Wanwan’s thoughts revealed that Li Qian liked women and was considering marrying Liu Shi as a shield against society’s judgment. Lady Liu and Liu Wan were shocked as Tian asked whether they approved of Li Qian, leaving Liu Shi unaware of the truth.

• Liu Wan brought Xia Wanwan and Yuanbao, disguised in women’s clothes, to the Minister’s Residence for Liu Shi’s marriage meeting with Li Qian.
• Liu Shi mistook Yuanbao for Li Qian, then learned Yuanbao was a man who had once been his cat.
• Lady Liu welcomed Tian and Li Qian, and Li Qian explained that she had been delayed while helping her sister-in-law.
• Xia Wanwan thought that Li Qian liked women and planned to use Liu Shi as a shield, shocking Lady Liu and Liu Wan.
• Tian asked Lady Liu whether she was satisfied with Li Qian.

Liu Shi tried to meet Li Qian in the rear courtyard, while Xia Wanwan watched his awkward attempts at courtship. Their conversation was interrupted when Yuanbao emerged from hiding and accused Liu Shi of abandoning him for a new sweetheart.

• Lady Liu agreed to let Liu Shi meet Li Qian, and Liu Wan suggested they visit the peonies in the rear courtyard.
• Liu Shi took Li Qian and Xia Wanwan to the courtyard and nervously tried to start a conversation by praising his niece.
• Liu Shi offered Li Qian a peony, then picked her a lily after she said she preferred lilies.
• A song from behind the rockery caught Liu Shi and Li Qian's attention, and Liu Shi dragged Yuanbao out from hiding.
• Yuanbao tearfully accused Liu Shi of taking up with someone else and changing how he addressed him.

Yuanbao staged a dramatic accusation against Liu Shi, turning Li Qian against him during their matchmaking meeting. Liu Shi’s family arrived and tried to smooth things over, while Xia Wanwan revealed that Li Qian only wanted to marry Liu Shi for appearances because she liked women.

• Yuanbao pretended to be Liu Shi’s abandoned lover and threatened to throw himself into the lake, prompting Li Qian to defend him.
• Liu Shi tried to expose Yuanbao as a man by pulling at his clothes, but Li Qian shoved him away and sheltered Yuanbao.
• Liu Shi realized that Li Qian’s tenderness toward Yuanbao made him jealous and believed Yuanbao was stealing his prospective bride.
• Lady Liu and Liu Wan arrived with Tian after hearing someone had threatened suicide, and Liu Shi asked his sister to explain that nothing was happening between him and Yuanbao.
• Li Qian told Tian what had happened, and Lady Liu apologized for failing to discipline her household.
• Xia Wanwan’s babyish thoughts revealed that Li Qian liked women and wanted to marry Liu Shi only to maintain appearances.

After Yuanbao attempted to take his own life, Li Qian comforted him and promised to take him in once he left the Liu Residence. In the reception hall, the families discussed sending Yuanbao away and asked for Liu Shi’s opinion, unaware that Liu Shi was outside Yuanbao’s room with Xia Wanwan, eavesdropping again.

• Li Qian comforted Yuanbao and told him Liu Shi was not worth dying for.
• Li Qian promised Yuanbao a place with her after he left the Liu Residence and gave him a handkerchief to bring to Attendant Li’s Residence.
• Tian suggested Yuanbao could live with Li Qian if Li Qian and Liu Shi married, but Liu Wan objected to making Li Qian suffer.
• Liu Wan suggested giving Yuanbao money and sending him away, and Lady Liu and Tian agreed to ask Liu Shi what he wanted.
• Liu Shi stood outside Yuanbao’s room with Xia Wanwan, listening in again.

Liu Shi overheard Li Qian and Yuanbao discussing their feelings and confronted them, turning their matchmaking meeting into a fight over Yuanbao. After the adults intervened, Li Qian rejected the marriage and accused Tian of forcing her into it, while the chapter revealed how Tian had previously destroyed Li Qian’s relationship with another woman.

• Liu Shi overheard Li Qian and Yuanbao’s conversation, kicked open the door, and declared that he would end the marriage arrangement.
• Li Qian asked to take Yuanbao away, while Liu Shi insisted Yuanbao belonged in his household, and they fought over who Yuanbao would choose.
• Xia Wanwan refused Yuanbao’s plea for help, and Liu Shi and Li Qian began fighting until Liu Wan, Lady Liu, and Tian arrived and had them separated.
• Li Qian told Tian she had never wanted to marry a man and condemned her mother for forcing the matchmaking meeting.
• Li Qian recalled that Tian had broken up her earlier relationship by arranging for the woman she loved to marry Li Qian’s elder brother.

Yuanbao exposed Tian’s attempt to conceal Li Qian’s attraction to women and use the Liu Family matchmaking to secure her marriage, ending the match and forcing Tian to promise not to arrange another. Xia Wanwan then revealed that Li Qian had suffered abuse from her maternal uncle and faced further danger at home, leaving the Liu Family alarmed.

• Lady Liu and Liu Wan rejected the match after Yuanbao condemned Tian for hiding Li Qian’s circumstances and accused her of marriage fraud.
• Tian tried to blame Li Qian, but Yuanbao and Liu Wan called out her plan to punish her daughter and send her to meet another family.
• Tian promised to take Li Qian home, arrange no more matchmaking meetings, and keep the incident secret; Lady Liu accepted the Vice Minister’s Residence’s debt of a favor.
• After Li Qian and Tian left, Liu Shi thanked Yuanbao for exposing the truth, and Lady Liu regretted arranging the meeting.
• Xia Wanwan revealed that Li Qian’s maternal uncle had abused her and that Tian had protected him and forced Li Qian through ordeals, prompting Liu Shi to blame himself for fighting with her.

Li Qian confronted Tian over years of abuse and betrayal, then revealed that Ning'er had gone to the Tian Family and attacked Tian's brother. The Tian Family brought the gravely injured Ning'er to the Li Residence, where the news that Young Master Tian had been unmanned sent Tian fainting; Xia Wanwan, Yuanbao, and Liu Shi watched from the wall, still intending to help Li Qian.

• Tian slapped Li Qian and berated her for ruining her marriage prospects, but Li Qian accused Tian of protecting her own family after her brother abused Li Qian when she was ten.
• Li Qian recalled how Tian separated her from the older girl she loved and sent men to her when she was fourteen, then defended herself over Kengqiang's death.
• Li Qian told Tian that Ning'er had gone to the Tian Family and implied she had attacked Tian's brother, prompting Tian to send someone to investigate.
• The Tian Family arrived with Ning'er, badly wounded and barely alive, and reported that Young Master Tian had been unmanned and might not survive.
• Tian fainted as the Li Family recoiled from the news, while Xia Wanwan, Yuanbao, and Liu Shi watched from the wall and prepared to help Li Qian.

The Tian Family brought the injured Tian Peng to the Vice Minister's Residence to demand an explanation, where Li Qian admitted ordering his mutilation and revealed that he had abused her when she was ten. The chapter ended with Tian Peng demanding that Li Qian be forced to marry him, as Attendant Li finally believed his sister and attacked Tian Peng.

• The Tian Family carried Tian Peng, whose injury had left him unable to father children, to the Vice Minister's Residence and accused Li Qian of ordering it.
• Tian tried to punish Li Qian, but Tian Peng stopped her from taking the matter to the authorities to conceal his own past actions.
• Li Qian admitted that she had arranged for Ning'er to attack Tian Peng as revenge for his role in abusing her.
• Li Qian accused Tian of covering up Tian Peng's abuse of her when she was ten, and Tian denied the accusation.
• Tian Peng demanded that Li Qian be made his wife, and Attendant Li kicked him in his injured spot after believing Li Qian's account.

Xia Wanwan used an accidental laughter talisman to interrupt Tian as her family pressured her to force Li Qian into marrying Tian Peng. Tian laughed uncontrollably before she could answer, while Liu Shi went to fetch help from the Government Office.

• Tian Peng and the Tian Family Elders pressured Tian to make Li Qian marry him, and Attendant Li protested and threatened to seek justice through the authorities.
• Liu Shi asked Xia Wanwan how to make the Tian Family reveal evidence, and she searched her Cosmic Bag but found no Truth-Telling Talisman.
• Liu Shi left to return to the Government Office, while Xia Wanwan threw a talisman onto Tian to delay her decision.
• The Uncontrollable Laughter and Itching Talisman made Tian laugh and scratch herself as she tried to answer her family.
• Tian rolled on the floor laughing, and the servants and others began losing their composure as Xia Wanwan watched from the wall.