Chapter Summaries

A planted rumor monger tried to smear Right Chancellor Tan Wenhan by claiming he had expelled a concubine and her son, but Tan Residence’s agents countered with witnesses who had seen Tan and Concubine Jiang together. A second man then spread absurd stories about Tan, leaving the rumor campaign’s outcome unclear.

• An informant told a crowded teahouse that Tan Wenhan had falsely accused a concubine of having an affair with the Mansion’s Head Guard and thrown her and her son out.
• Tan Residence agents and their planted witnesses contradicted the story, saying Tan treated the concubine with affection and had recently walked through the Capital with her.
• A new man stood up and claimed Tan had once loved a sworn male lover who died on the battlefield.
• The man added further outlandish tales about Tan’s marriage and his supposed identity as an earthly immortal, hoping the crowd would dismiss the original accusation as fabricated.

Jiang Tinghuai struggled to manage court affairs while Jiang Yingcheng’s rumor about Tan Wenhan spread wildly and transformed him into a fox spirit. Tan Wenhan demanded justice, and Jiang Yingcheng was shocked that the rumor had lost its story about sworn male lovers.

• A passerby twisted the rumor that Tan Wenhan was a reincarnated mountain god into a tale that he was a fox spirit, and Tan Wenhan overheard it at a teahouse.
• Lu Yao told Jiang Tinghuai that suspicious figures had vanished into Yongqing Alley, which Jiang Tinghuai connected to Prince Xin’s secret base despite Jiang Yingcheng’s claim that Ding Can served Prince Jing.
• Jiang Yingcheng woke from her nap and overheard Lu Yao begin to mention a rumor about Tan Wenhan before an eunuch announced that Tan Wenhan was waiting outside.
• Tan Wenhan knelt before Jiang Tinghuai and complained that people were calling him a fox spirit who had bewitched two sovereigns to become Right Chancellor.
• Jiang Yingcheng revealed in her thoughts that she had started the mountain-god rumor and wondered why the story about sworn male lovers had disappeared.

Jiang Yingcheng’s anger over Zhao Liang’s call for austerity led Jiao Hongmiao to propose cutting officials’ salaries, but Jiang Tinghuai defused the dispute. The little girl then uncovered Zhao Liang’s criminal activities, and the Imperial Guards commander tried to save himself by revealing who had spread a damaging rumor about Chancellor Tan.

• Jiang Yingcheng grew furious when Zhao Liang called for the court to economize while Jiang Tinghuai’s army was away, and threatened to escape and tell her father.
• Jiao Hongmiao proposed cutting officials’ salaries and requiring households to economize, alarming Zhao Liang and the other officials.
• Jiang Tinghuai rejected the salary cuts and suggested that officials perform one good deed each day to pray for the soldiers.
• Jiang Yingcheng discovered that Zhao Liang secretly employed thugs to extort protection fees from merchants, and the Imperial Guards commander admitted he had failed to notice.
• The Imperial Guards commander revealed that thugs had confessed that someone paid them to spread a rumor about Chancellor Tan, leaving Tan to stare at him in silence.

Jiang Yingcheng exposed Chen Shimao’s corruption and uncovered a stream of serious crimes among officials connected to Zhao Liang. The Crown Prince and court officials were left facing a widening investigation and likely punishment by association.

• Jiang Yingcheng admitted that she had spread rumors portraying Tan Wenhan as a supernatural being, humiliating him before the court.
• Lu Yao struck Zhao Liang’s knee with a copper coin, forcing him to kneel and giving Tan Wenhan an opening to question him.
• Jiang Yingcheng revealed that Chen Shimao had been tipping off fugitives for three years, and Lu Yao realized Chen had undermined his investigations.
• Jiang Yingcheng used System Bro to uncover crimes by several officials, including Fu Si, Shu Zhou, and Gong Sheng.
• The court officials realized the revelations implicated a wider network, while the Crown Prince’s icy reaction made them fear a sweeping investigation and punishment by association.

Jiang Yingcheng woke to learn that Fang Yiwan had struck the Grievance Drum to accuse Fang Siwan of switching their children. In Chongyun Hall, Fang Yiwan presented her account and claimed letters from Consort Wan could prove it, while Jiang Tinghuai awaited that evidence.

• Jiang Yingcheng woke when System Bro warned her that Fang Yiwan had struck the Grievance Drum over an alleged child switch.
• Jiang Tinghuai learned Fang Yiwan was making the accusation and returned to Chongyun Hall with the officials.
• Fang Yiwan endured the punishment for striking the drum, then presented her Lawsuit Petition to Jiang Tinghuai.
• Fang Yiwan claimed a midwife had told her that she gave birth to a girl and that Jinshu had been sent out from the palace.
• Fang Yiwan said the midwife had letters written by Consort Wan, and Jiang Tinghuai welcomed the offer of evidence.

Midwife Gao Lan testified that a palace woman had ordered her to conceal or switch Lin Mansion’s newborn, and Fang Yiwan used forged clues to implicate Consort Wan. Jiang Tinghuai exposed that the letter’s handwriting did not match Consort Wan’s Buddhist scriptures and summoned her to Chongyun Hall.

• Gao Lan told Jiang Tinghuai that a supposed palace confidante had asked her to conceal a baby girl’s sex and possibly switch the babies at the Lin Mansion.
• Tan Wenhan and other officials challenged Gao Lan’s credibility and defended the Little Highness as the Emperor’s child.
• Gao Lan claimed the woman had entered the palace and worn a waist token marked with the character “bamboo,” while Fang Yiwan concealed her satisfaction because she had staged those clues.
• Jiang Tinghuai examined Gao Lan’s letter and asked Fang Yiwan whether it was Consort Wan’s handwriting, which Fang Yiwan affirmed.
• Jiang Tinghuai compared the letter with Consort Wan’s Buddhist Scriptures, declared the handwriting did not match, and ordered attendants to bring Consort Wan to Chongyun Hall.

Jiang Yingcheng escaped the palace with Fang Siwan and Lin Jinshu after learning that Fang Yiwan had accused Fang Siwan of switching the children. As Jiang Tinghuai rushed to deal with the danger, Fang Siwan resolved to leave the palace and raise the two children herself.

• A servant told Jiang Tinghuai that Jiang Yingcheng had fled with Fang Siwan and Lin Jinshu, and he ordered Prince Xin and Prince Jing imprisoned before going after them.
• Liaochen and the others reached the outskirts with Jiang Yingcheng, Fang Siwan, and Lin Jinshu, while Wu Leyong went to buy a carriage.
• Fang Siwan asked Jiang Yingcheng why they had escaped, and Jiang Yingcheng claimed that Fang Yiwan had beaten the Grievance Drum to accuse her of switching Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu.
• Fang Siwan was shaken by the accusation, but Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu comforted her.
• Fang Siwan clasped the children's hands and resolved to take them away and raise them herself, and both children agreed.

Liaochen pursued a notorious bandit while Zhong Chengwang and Yu Xingmian stayed behind to protect Fang Siwan, Lin Jinshu, and Jiang Yingcheng. A masked Martial Arts Grandmaster and more than ten expert fighters surrounded them, and Chengcheng begged her system for hidden weapons as her uncles faced them.

• Liaochen spotted a fleeing bandit and chased after him, telling the others to go on ahead.
• Jiang Yingcheng realized more attackers were approaching, so Zhong Chengwang and Yu Xingmian drew their swords to guard the group.
• A masked attacker struck Yu Xingmian and kicked Zhong Chengwang into a tree.
• More than ten black-clad fighters surrounded the group, but Zhong Chengwang and Yu Xingmian stood in front of Chengcheng despite their injuries.
• The masked attacker urged the two men to play dead, while Chengcheng begged System Bro to exchange for more Hidden Weapon Cases.

Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu ambushed the black-clad men with Hidden Weapon Cases, but the Martial Arts Grandmaster knocked Yu Xingmian and Zhong Chengwang unconscious. The grandmaster captured the children and Fang Siwan, intending to use Jiang Yingcheng as leverage against a monk.

• Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu unleashed Hidden Weapon Cases, striking several black-clad men and forcing the rest to retreat beyond the needles’ range.
• Zhong Chengwang taunted the Martial Arts Grandmaster, but the grandmaster struck; Yu Xingmian took the palm strike meant for Zhong Chengwang, and both men collapsed unconscious.
• Jiang Yingcheng called on System Bro for medicine and secretly received two pills, then slapped Yu Xingmian and Zhong Chengwang while pretending to cry.
• The Martial Arts Grandmaster confiscated the Hidden Weapon Cases, ordered his men to knock out Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu, and had Fang Siwan taken along as well.
• The Martial Arts Grandmaster refused to kill Jiang Yingcheng, saying she needed to stay alive as a burden to that monk.

Jiang Yingcheng used her supposed divinations to expose Sun Qiang for stealing Zhang Ren’s reward money, turning the guards against each other while she planned to escape with Lin Jinshu. Just as the two children prepared to slip away, Prince Jing’s voice stopped them.

• Lin Jinshu woke and overheard Jiang Yingcheng claim she could prove she was Bodhisattva Jiayue.
• Jiang Yingcheng revealed that Sun Qiang had taken Zhang Ren’s reward money and hidden it beneath a courtyard tree.
• Zhang Ren realized Sun Qiang had stolen his money and attacked him with his saber.
• Jiang Yingcheng hid with Lin Jinshu and planned to escape while the guards fought.
• Prince Jing spoke from outside the door, freezing both children in place.

Jiang Yi'an visited the Small Courtyard, where Lin Jinshu and Jiang Yingcheng had been unable to escape after he surrounded it with guards. He lied about the palace’s response to their flight, then left after warning the children to behave, and denied that he hated them.

• Jiang Yi'an entered the Small Courtyard with his armed men, forcing Sun Qiang and Zhang Ren to kneel while Lin Jinshu led Jiang Yingcheng to face him.
• Jiang Yi'an asked what the children had done to his men, then told them that Jiang Tinghuai had declared Consort Wan guilty and ordered all seven fugitives wanted.
• Jiang Yingcheng asked System Bro whether Jiang Yi'an was lying, and System Bro confirmed that Jiang Tinghuai had only pretended to faint and that no warrant had been issued.
• Jiang Yi'an warned the children to behave and left the courtyard.
• When his steward asked why he had arranged a comfortable place for children he supposedly disliked, Jiang Yi'an stopped and asked who had said he hated them.

Jiang Yi'an told Cui Yue that Jiang Yingcheng had prepared farewell gifts for people she considered family, but Cui Yue mistook this for proof that the children had won his prince’s affection. He told Jiang Yingcheng that Prince Jing liked her, and she seized on the news to persuade Cui Yue to help her make him a secret gift.

• Jiang Yi'an explained that Jiang Yingcheng had spent an hour delivering farewell gifts and medicinal herbs to siblings she cared about before leaving the palace.
• Cui Yue misunderstood Jiang Yi'an's explanation and concluded that Jiang Yingcheng had known her identity was false and planned her departure in advance.
• Cui Yue told Jiang Yingcheng that Prince Jing liked her, and she reacted with surprise before pretending to cry about a doll Prince Jing had once refused.
• Jiang Yingcheng persuaded Cui Yue to help her carve another doll in secret, and Cui Yue resolved to defend Prince Jing's tender heart.

Cui Yue returned to watch over Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu, then helped them sneak into the garden to pick wood. Their outing ended when someone cried that there was a fire in the estate.

• Cui Yue found Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu asleep, woke them, and promised to take them to pick out some wood.
• Cui Yue repeatedly sent the courtyard guards to fetch food and drinks, leaving himself alone with the children.
• Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu pretended to complain that the guards were starving them, convincing the last guard to go to the Kitchen.
• Cui Yue led the children into the garden, where Jiang Yingcheng pointed out a tree for him to fetch a branch from.
• Cui Yue heard an alarm ring through the estate as someone shouted, "Fire!!"

Cui Yue learned that the courtyard where Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu had been staying was on fire, and he believed someone was trying to kill them. While he rushed to the blaze, Jiang Yingcheng knocked out their escort and escaped with Lin Jinshu, leaving Cui Yue to reach Jiang Yi'an without them.

• Cui Yue discovered that the children’s courtyard was burning and suspected Prince Xin was behind an attempt on their lives.
• Jiang Yingcheng suggested an idea to Cui Yue, who then entrusted her and Lin Jinshu to Lin Yuan to guide them to the prince’s courtyard.
• Jiang Yingcheng secretly knocked Lin Yuan unconscious, and she and Lin Jinshu ran away together.
• Cui Yue stopped a servant from reporting that the children were safe, then went to the burning courtyard and pretended to arrive in a panic before Jiang Yi'an.

Jiang Yi'an ordered guards into the burning courtyard to rescue the Little Highnesses, then rushed into the flames himself. Meanwhile, Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu escaped through a hidden hole and made their way through the mountain forest, with Jiang Yingcheng sensing that something was nearby.

• Cui Yue pretended that the Little Highnesses had been left inside the burning courtyard, and Jiang Yi'an ordered guards to search for them.
• Jiang Yi'an declared that the rescue depended on fate, then took a soaked quilt and ran into the flames himself.
• Jiang Yingcheng found a hidden hole beneath some weeds, and Lin Jinshu crawled out first to check for danger.
• Lin Jinshu pulled Jiang Yingcheng through the hole and led her into the forest, repeatedly correcting their direction by sniffing the air.
• As they slowly navigated the mountain paths, Jiang Yingcheng heard an unexpected sound.

Jiang Yi'an learned that Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu were alive and had fled into the mountains, then arranged to have them brought to the secret chamber. Jiang Yingcheng planned another escape, but she and Lin Jinshu were captured and arrived wailing for Jiang Yi'an to stand up for her.

• Cui Yue told Jiang Yi'an that Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu were alive, so Jiang Yi'an ordered the search to stop and secretly expanded it to the surrounding area and barren mountain.
• Jiang Yi'an realized Jiang Yingcheng's wooden carving was connected to the Witchcraft Doll used to frame her and ordered trustworthy men to stage a search.
• Jiang Yingcheng learned that Prince Jing's expert men were pursuing her and Lin Jinshu, and resolved to escape again the next day.
• Jiang Yingcheng whispered a new plan to Lin Jinshu as they continued through the mountains.
• Jiang Yi'an waited in the secret chamber after his men reported they had caught the children, then heard Jiang Yingcheng wail for him to stand up for her.

Jiang Yingcheng convinced Jiang Yi'an that she and Lin Jinshu had been kidnapped, but her repeated trips into the mountains made him suspicious. After Jiang Yi'an discovered the opening they had been using, he announced he would seal it that night, leaving Jiang Yingcheng worried about how she would escape.

• Jiang Yingcheng told Jiang Yi'an that a bad man had drugged Cui Yue, kidnapped her and Lin Jinshu, and taken them to the mountains.
• Jiang Yingcheng revealed that the kidnapper had mentioned her new royal uncle and identified a man in her courtyard by the mole at the corner of his mouth.
• Jiang Yi'an kept Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu in the Secret Chamber until he confirmed the man had been sent by Prince Xin, then brought them out two days later.
• Jiang Yi'an repeatedly questioned Jiang Yingcheng after Li Cheng found her and Lin Jinshu in the mountains, while she offered excuses about gathering fruit, carving a doll, and catching a rabbit.
• Jiang Yi'an told Jiang Yingcheng he had found the opening and would seal it that night, and she worried that she would no longer be able to escape.

Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu failed repeatedly to escape Prince Jing’s residence, so Jiang Yingcheng changed tactics and asked to see Jiang Yi'an. During calligraphy practice, she revealed that she had seen a letter about Consort Shu and its threat to disgrace the emperor, leaving Jiang Yi'an startled.

• Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu were caught after escaping through a newly discovered hole, and Jiang Yi'an teased them about their attempt.
• Jiang Yingcheng complained that their escapes had become humiliating and decided to try a different approach.
• Jiang Yingcheng loudly threatened to run away until the guards appeared, then persuaded them to take her and Lin Jinshu to Jiang Yi'an.
• Jiang Yi'an began teaching the children calligraphy, but Jiang Yingcheng instead mentioned seeing Consort Shu’s letter before the New Year's Banquet.
• Jiang Yingcheng said the letter claimed Consort Shu would put a green cuckold’s hat on the emperor, and Jiang Yi'an’s mocking smile froze.

Jiang Yingcheng told Jiang Yi'an about the underground labyrinth to stir his suspicions about Jiang Silin, and the prince’s spies soon found evidence of the secret passage. When Jiang Yi'an brought the children to his courtyard to question them further, Jiang Yingcheng pretended to become a different person, leaving him doubtful and wary.

• Jiang Yingcheng traded details about the underground labyrinth for pastries, prompting Jiang Yi'an to hurry off and verify her story.
• Jiang Yi'an’s spies discovered the Cold Palace secret passage, corroborating Jiang Yingcheng’s account, and he summoned her and Lin Jinshu to his courtyard.
• Jiang Yingcheng pretended to faint on the way and then spoke as though she had entered another person’s body.
• Jiang Yi'an scoffed at Jiang Yingcheng’s act and accused her of playing at gods and ghosts, while she smiled because he did not believe her.

Jiang Yingcheng told Jiang Yi'an that his sweetheart, Tang Chuqing, had been Prince Xin Jiang Silin’s accomplice and might still be alive. Jiang Yi'an dismissed the children for the night but returned before midnight to speak with Jiang Yingcheng.

• Cui Yue reminded Jiang Yi'an that Zhang Ren and Sun Qiang had once reported an unbelievable account of divine possession, but Jiang Yi'an remained skeptical.
• Jiang Yingcheng, pretending to be Venerable Jiayue, insulted Jiang Yi'an and revealed that his sweetheart was connected to Prince Xin, Jiang Silin.
• Jiang Yingcheng said Tang Chuqing had loved Jiang Silin, helped him achieve his goal, and had not died as Jiang Yi'an believed.
• Jiang Yingcheng told Jiang Yi'an to examine Tang Chuqing’s remains, but he ordered Cui Yue to take Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu away instead.
• After Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu went to sleep, Jiang Yi'an woke Jiang Yingcheng before midnight and asked to talk.