Chapter Summaries

Marquis Jing'an returned to court and learned that his household had been stripped of its title, imprisoned, and expelled from the clan after his mother’s crimes and his son’s mistreatment of Liu Wan. At the banquet, the emperor cleared Marquis Jing'an of treason, and the Eldest Princess of Nanmei arrived, prompting him to hope Xu Rourou could reclaim her ancestry.

• Marquis Jing'an entered the banquet and learned from the officials that his son had mistreated Liu Wan, his mother had attempted to assassinate the emperor, and the Xie family had been struck from the Clan Genealogy.
• Marquis Jing'an nearly collapsed as he realized his household had fallen apart while he was away at war.
• Liu Wan arrived with Xia Wanwan and Xia Siheng, and she stopped her daughter from eating a pig’s trotter before receiving her reward.
• The emperor cleared Marquis Jing'an of treason and granted him chests of gold, silver, and jewels.
• The Eldest Princess of Nanmei arrived, and Marquis Jing'an hoped she would help Xu Rourou reclaim her ancestry.
• The Eldest Princess greeted Marquis Jing'an, saying that it had been a long time.

At the banquet, the Eldest Princess gave Marquis Xie a spirit medium, and Commandery Princess Yan'er raised the question of finding a husband in Great Xia. The emperor then proposed granting Wanwan a noble title, leaving the Marquis Jing'an bewildered about who she was.

• The Eldest Princess offered Marquis Xie the spirit medium, and the emperor approved having her sent to his residence after the banquet.
• The baby mistook the spirit medium called a specialty for food, while Liu Wan hurriedly covered her mouth.
• Commandery Princess Yan'er asked the emperor to help her find a husband, and he told the Eldest Princess to teach her the proper etiquette for arranging a marriage.
• The Marquis Jing'an tried to ask the emperor to restore his residence's noble title, but the emperor interrupted him to propose granting Wanwan a noble title for her service with the Gold-and-Jade Glazed Cup.
• The Marquis Jing'an asked a colleague who Wanwan was.

The emperor made Xia Wanwan a princess for opening the Gold-and-Jade Glazed Cup and bringing blessings to the Great Xia Dynasty, while Marquis Jing'an regretted that his family had driven her away. Wanwan resisted kneeling to accept the edict, and the emperor defended her before inviting her to take it.

• Lord Qian revealed that Wanwan was Marquis Jing'an's granddaughter but had been taken away by Liu Wan after Xie Jin'an divorced her, leaving Marquis Jing'an furious and regretful.
• Eunuch Yu read the emperor's decree naming Wanwan Princess Ximing, giving her the surname Xia, and leaving her in Liu Wan's care.
• Wanwan refused to accept the edict when told she had to kneel, and Liu Wan shielded her, fearing the emperor would punish her.
• The emperor kicked Marquis Jing'an for insisting Wanwan kneel, then smiled and encouraged her to accept the edict.

Xia Wanwan’s refusal to accept the Imperial Edict caused heavenly lightning to strike the banquet, leaving Marquis Jing'an scorched and the hall in chaos. After the banquet ended, the Eldest Princess of the Nanmei Kingdom gave Marquis Jing'an a sack, and an old woman outside the palace mistook him for a returned Coal Mine Spirit.

• Xia Wanwan tried to kneel to Marquis Jing'an, triggering heavenly lightning that knocked her unconscious and scorched him.
• Liu Wan checked Xia Wanwan, who revealed she had struck every member of the Xie family with lightning, while the emperor ended the banquet and promised her roasted pig's trotters.
• Xia Wanwan accepted the Imperial Edict after the emperor promised her more pig's trotters, while a little prince asked for some and was refused.
• The Eldest Princess of the Nanmei Kingdom teased the blackened Marquis Jing'an and had a sack containing a person loaded into his carriage.
• Marquis Jing'an slapped the sack and ordered the driver to stop at an inn, where an old woman recognized him as the Coal Mine Spirit and called people over to make wishes.

Marquis Jing'an was mistaken for the Coal Mine Spirit and trapped by worshipping commoners, while Liu Wan returned home with Xia Wanwan and found Xia Siheng waiting with gifts. Xia Siheng gave Wanwan rare jade beads and offered Liu Wan a bouquet of palace plum blossoms, then worried that he had overstepped.

• Commoners mistook Marquis Jing'an for the Coal Mine Spirit, crowded around him with wishes, and kept him from escaping into the inn.
• Liu Wan rode home with Xia Wanwan, who playfully sought a kiss from her mother while eating a pig's trotter.
• At the Liu Residence, Liu Wan greeted Xia Siheng, who gave Xia Wanwan a brocade box to celebrate her becoming a princess of the Imperial House.
• Xia Wanwan opened the box and found the Begonia Jade Beads she had lost in her Cosmic Bag.
• Xia Siheng presented Liu Wan with rare Ice Jade Bone plum blossoms from the Imperial Palace, then lowered them and worried that he had overstepped.

Liu Wan wondered whether Xia Siheng had given her winter plum blossoms to reveal his feelings, then summoned Mama Qing to ask why Xia Wanwan resembled him. Mama Qing began explaining how the Old Madam had used the Ninth Prince to manipulate Liu Wan, but had not yet revealed what she arranged.

• Xia Siheng gave Xia Wanwan a large bouquet of rare winter plum blossoms, while Liu Wan grew flustered and hurried inside.
• Jing Er told Jing Wu that Xia Siheng liked Liu Wan, and Jing Wu realized the prince had gone to great lengths to obtain the Begonia Jade Beads for Xia Wanwan.
• Pan Chun recalled that Xia Siheng had asked about Liu Wan's plum tree, and Wang Xia suggested the bouquet was really intended for Liu Wan.
• Liu Wan met Mama Qing privately and asked why Xia Wanwan resembled Xia Siheng.
• Mama Qing admitted she had helped the Old Madam find an assassin, then explained that the Old Madam had arranged Xie Jin'an's marriage proposal and devised a plan after the Ninth Prince refused to see Liu Wan.

Mama Qing revealed that Old Madam had drugged Liu Wan and arranged for her to be taken to Xia Siheng, who later helped protect her and their daughter Wanwan in secret. Liu Wan decided to arrange Old Madam’s death, while realizing Xia Siheng had loved her; the chapter ended with Xia Siheng asking whether the people involved in Minister Liu’s arrest twenty years earlier had been found.

• Mama Qing told Liu Wan that Old Madam had drugged her and arranged for an assassin to take her to Xia Siheng, and that only Mama Qing and Old Madam knew the truth about Wanwan’s father.
• Mama Qing explained how Xia Siheng had secretly protected Liu Wan and Wanwan, while Liu Wan feared the consequences if Wanwan’s parentage became known.
• Liu Wan wrote a crooked note and instructed Mama Qing to deliver it to someone when Old Madam returned, setting a plan in motion to kill Old Madam through another person.
• Liu Wan reflected on Xia Siheng’s love and the help he had given her, but remained afraid to risk marriage again after her experience with Xie Jin'an.
• Xia Siheng learned that Mama Qing had visited Liu Wan and told Jing Wu not to keep the truth from her; he then asked whether the people involved in Minister Liu’s arrest twenty years earlier had been found.

Xia Siheng investigated Marquis Jing'an's suspected treason and sought a way to ask Liu Wan about the Xie family's accounts, while Marquis Jing'an returned home to find himself mistaken for an impostor. The chapter left Marquis Jing'an fighting the household guards after Qing Da struck him from behind.

• Jing Wu told Xia Siheng that a surviving child of the bandit chief might help them find evidence against Marquis Jing'an.
• Xia Siheng concluded Marquis Jing'an had prepared the Xu and Liu families as escape plans and wanted the Xie Residence's account books to uncover his motives.
• Jing Wu suggested asking Liu Wan about the accounts and bringing Jing Er to advise Xia Siheng on how to make amends with her.
• Jing Wu reported that Lord Qin had jailed Xie Jin'an for using a forged betrothal contract, and Xia Siheng ordered that Xie Jin'an be kept locked up and beaten.
• Marquis Jing'an returned to the Xie Residence late at night, where Qing Da mistook him for an impostor and called the guards to beat him.
• Marquis Jing'an knocked down several guards, but Qing Da sneaked up and struck him with a stick.

Qing Da beat Marquis Jing'an on Xie Zimu’s orders and sent him to the Government Office Jail, where he was reunited with Xie Jin'an and Madam Li. The next day, Marquis Jing'an was returned to the Xie residence as a soot-blackened prisoner, leaving the household afraid of what would happen next.

• Qing Da beat Marquis Jing'an and delivered him to the Government Office, then told Xie Zimu that he had carried out the order.
• Jailers told Xie Jin'an that Liu Wan’s daughter had become Princess Ximing, but refused to accept his claim that she was his daughter.
• Marquis Jing'an was placed in Xie Jin'an’s cell and beat him, then recognized Madam Li when she was thrown in with them.
• Jing Wu watched as Marquis Jing'an, Xie Jin'an, and Madam Li fought and cursed one another in the cell.
• The Government Office returned a soot-blackened Marquis Jing'an to the Xie residence the next day, and Qing Da gathered the household to face him.

Marquis Jing'an returned to the Xie Residence and violently confronted the household, accusing Xie Zimu of helping the Liu Family secure a divorce. He ordered Xie Zimu and Qing Da beaten, then discovered that the burlap sack he had brought contained his delirious, paralyzed mother, who pointed at Xu Rourou.

• Marquis Jing'an slapped Xie Jinzhao and Xie Jinqiu, then tried to strike Zhong Youyan, who dodged and refused to be his punching bag.
• Marquis Jing'an accused Xie Zimu of conspiring with the Liu Family and ordered guards to lock him and Qing Da in the Wood Shed and beat them.
• Zhong Youyan told Marquis Jing'an that Xie Jinqiu was too ill to withdraw the complaint against his mother.
• Marquis Jing'an revealed that the Eldest Princess had sent back the Old Madam in a burlap sack, and he realized she had been tortured and paralyzed.
• The Old Madam looked over the household and pointed at Xu Rourou, struggling to say that she was not...

Xu Rourou took control of the Xie household and tried to silence the Old Madam, whose regret over betraying Liu Wan deepened after learning Liu Wan and Jin'an had divorced. Liu Wan then arranged a chance for Zi Mu to rescue Qing Sheng's parents and revealed that Xia Wanwan knew Uncle Xia had prepared a jade pendant for Zi Mu.

• Marquis Jing'an named Xu Rourou Mistress of the Household, and she ordered the servants to take the Old Madam back to Charity Hall.
• Xu Rourou forced the Residence Physician to add medicine to the Old Madam's tonics, struck her, and poured the medicine down her throat when she refused it.
• The Old Madam regretted helping Xu Rourou and learned from her that Liu Wan and Jin'an had divorced.
• Xu Rourou praised Yinliu, took Xie Huaishan, and planned to ask Marquis Jing'an to name him Heir Apparent.
• After Qing Sheng learned her father had been imprisoned, Liu Wan told her Zi Mu could help take her parents away and asked her to pass a message to Fourth Madam.
• Liu Wan learned Xia Wanwan knew Uncle Xia had prepared a jade pendant for Zi Mu and asked her daughter how she knew.

Liu Wan asked Xia Siheng to help investigate the Xie family's illegal trade with Southern Yue, and he agreed to prepare an operation. After they discussed the case and Zi Mu, Xia Siheng placed gifts on the table and turned the conversation toward their relationship.

• Liu Wan told Wanwan to keep her outings with Xia Siheng from becoming public and not to hide her plans from her mother.
• Liu Wan visited Xia Siheng and gave him Zhong Youyan's letter about a secret involving the Xie family's Golden Radiance Jewelry Shop.
• Liu Wan explained that the shop was trading with Southern Yue, and Xia Siheng agreed to prepare for the handover at a temporary dock on the night of the eighteenth.
• Xia Siheng told Liu Wan he had caught Zi Xing's former martial arts instructor, and Liu Wan asked him to expose the Xie family's mistreatment of adopted children at their gates.
• Xia Siheng assured Liu Wan that Zi Mu would not be imprisoned, then placed gifts on the table and said they should discuss their own affairs.

Xia Siheng confessed that he had loved Liu Wan since before her marriage and gave her a residence deed and Hidden Guard token, asking her to decide whether she could accept his feelings. Liu Wan left dazed, while Xia Siheng took her visit and acceptance of the gift as proof that she loved him.

• Xia Siheng offered Liu Wan a Hidden Guard token and the deed to his residence, explaining that he wanted her and Wanwan to be safe and independent.
• Xia Siheng told Liu Wan he had done more than help Wanwan and admitted that he had loved Liu Wan before she married.
• Xia Siheng apologized for his role in what had happened between them and promised to respect her choice and wait for her decision.
• Liu Wan said she could not blame Xia Siheng, then left feeling dazed and overwhelmed.
• Jing Wu brought Xia Siheng intelligence reports, and Xia Siheng kicked him away and ordered him to clean the latrines for a month.
• Xia Siheng told Jing Er that Liu Wan had accepted his gift and declared that she loved him.

Xia Wanwan set out to challenge a boy at the Vice Minister’s Residence, but masked men abducted her after knocking Pan Chun unconscious. Liu Wan arrived to find Pan Chun in an alley and realized something had happened to Wanwan.

• Jing Er told Xia Siheng that Liu Wan’s blush and acceptance of his gift showed she liked him, and Xia Siheng decided not to wash the hand he had touched her with for three days.
• Xia Wanwan rode Yuanbao toward the Vice Minister’s Residence, hoping to fight the young master there, while Pan Chun tried to guide her properly.
• Masked men ambushed Xia Wanwan and Pan Chun in an alley, and Xia Wanwan let the men carry her away in a pink sack.
• Liu Wan returned home, learned that Pan Chun had taken Wanwan to the neighboring residence, and followed Yuanbao to the alley, where she found Pan Chun unconscious.

After Xia Wanwan disappeared outside Attendant Li's Residence, Xia Siheng ordered the Capital sealed and mobilized officials and guards to search for her. Meanwhile, Xia Wanwan emerged from a sack in front of Commandery Princess Yan'er and Daoist Wumo and boldly asked which of them wanted to fight her.

• Pan Chun told Liu Wan that Xia Wanwan had disappeared after Pan Chun was knocked unconscious near Attendant Li's Residence.
• Liu Wan sent Hidden Guards to report Xia Wanwan's disappearance, and Xia Siheng rushed to her side.
• Xia Siheng ordered Jing Wu to seal off the Capital and organize a citywide search, while Liu Wan went with him to the Government Office.
• Attendant Li sent his household guards to search for Xia Wanwan and prepared to ask government soldiers to search his residence.
• Xia Wanwan crawled out of a sack before Commandery Princess Yan'er and Daoist Wumo, then asked which of them wanted to fight her.

Xia Wanwan was kidnapped but turned the tables on Daoist Wumo and the guards who were supposed to watch her. Meanwhile, the Eldest Princess revealed Southern Mei’s plans for Great Xia and ordered that Xia Wanwan be sacrificed.

• Daoist Wumo and Commandery Princess Yan'er mocked Xia Wanwan until she cried, so Daoist Wumo agreed to let her fight him.
• Xia Wanwan struck Daoist Wumo with her spiritual power, beat him unconscious, and left the room.
• Xia Wanwan knocked out the two guards outside, using her fist against one and her iron hammer against the other.
• The Eldest Princess told her ancestors that Southern Mei planned to take Qingli City and eventually claim Great Xia through Commandery Princess Yan'er’s marriage.
• Commandery Princess Yan'er told the Eldest Princess that Xia Wanwan had been kidnapped, and the Eldest Princess ordered Xia Wanwan used as a sacrifice.

The Eldest Princess and Commandery Princess Yan'er planned to determine whether Xia Wanwan was the Spirit Child before sacrificing her, but she escaped while they were away. As the Embassy searched for her, Xia Wanwan fell into a hidden chamber and encountered two ghosts who threatened to eat her.

• The Eldest Princess ordered Daoist Wumo to examine Xia Wanwan and planned to take her to Southern Mei if she was the Spirit Child, or sacrifice her if she was not.
• The Eldest Princess and Commandery Princess Yan'er found Daoist Wumo unconscious and discovered Xia Wanwan was missing.
• A guard reported that government soldiers were searching the Capital, so the Eldest Princess sent A Shu to search the Embassy and went to the Front Courtyard to stall for time.
• A Shu sent a messenger pigeon, while Xia Wanwan hid behind the spirit tablets and fell into a hidden compartment beneath the offering table.
• Two ghosts appeared before Xia Wanwan, and after she offered them a chicken drumstick, they threatened to eat her.

Xia Wanwan escaped the hidden room with two ghosts trapped in gourds and a sack full of food and spirit tablets. The Eldest Princess caught her in the corridor and ordered the guards to open the sack.

• Xia Wanwan sneezed the two ghosts away, then used a Purple-Gold Gourd to suck the old woman into it and trapped the old male ghost in a second gourd when he stayed silent.
• Xia Wanwan packed food and spirit tablets into a burlap sack, split the tablets with Spiritual Power to fit them inside, and dragged the sack out of the room.
• The Eldest Princess returned after the Government Soldiers failed to find Xia Wanwan and considered taking another child for the sacrifice.
• The Eldest Princess tripped Xia Wanwan as she dragged her sack past, then accused her of stealing and called the guards to inspect it.

Xia Wanwan played with the Eldest Princess before Imperial Court troops surrounded the Embassy and demanded Princess Ximing. A guard secretly carried Xia Wanwan away, but Daoist Wumo pursued her after she was left at Attendant Li's Residence.

• Xia Wanwan offered the Eldest Princess an apple and two protective gourds in exchange for keeping the roast chicken in her sack.
• The Eldest Princess played sword fighting with Xia Wanwan, and Xia Wanwan broke their wooden swords before they continued with halves of a wooden tablet.
• A guard reported that Old General Mo and Imperial Court troops had surrounded the Embassy and demanded Princess Ximing.
• The Eldest Princess ordered a guard to secretly take Xia Wanwan home, but Xia Wanwan resisted because she wanted her roast chicken.
• Daoist Wumo chased after the guard with an Instant-Shift Talisman and confronted Xia Wanwan after she was left beneath the perimeter wall of Attendant Li's Residence.

Old General Mo searched the Embassy for Princess Ximing while the Eldest Princess discovered that Xia Wanwan had broken and stolen her great-grandparents’ spirit tablets. The search found no one, but Daoist Wumo returned triumphantly with someone he had caught.

• Old General Mo led soldiers into the Embassy to search for Princess Ximing despite the Eldest Princess’s protests.
• Commandery Princess Yan'er found fragments of the Eldest Princess’s great-grandparents’ spirit tablets in Xia Wanwan’s sack, and the Eldest Princess realized she had played with one of them.
• The Eldest Princess discovered that the ancestral shrine’s altar mechanism was broken and its divine souls were missing, then tried to reassemble the tablets.
• Old General Mo’s soldiers searched the shrine and reported that they had found no one, prompting the Eldest Princess to boast that he would lose his post.
• Daoist Wumo kicked open the shrine door and announced that he had caught someone and brought them back.