Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yanchuan and his companions entered a city where families were searching for missing children and a suspected trafficker was being confronted at the gate. Jiang Yingcheng pushed through the crowd and introduced herself beside the missing boy, leaving the townspeople stunned.

• Liaochen told Jiang Yanchuan that strict gate inspections followed the disappearance of more than a dozen children.
• Jiang Yingcheng pretended to miss Liaochen so she could leave the carriage and watch the commotion, but Liaochen refused to take her.
• Jiang Yanchuan brought Jiang Yingcheng and the others into the crowd after she complained that she could not see or hear.
• The crowd discovered that the boy who had been standing behind Young Master Wang had disappeared from the confrontation.
• Jiang Yingcheng introduced herself to the boy as Gu Cheng and introduced Guan Zhili as her big brother Xiao Li; the boy said his name was Ji Fuguang.

Jiang Yanchuan’s group was accused of abducting Ji Fuguang, but the boy claimed Jiang Yanchuan was his uncle, ending the confrontation. At the inn, Ji Fuguang felt guilty for involving them with the Wang Family, and Jiang Yingcheng reassured him that her father was not afraid of them.

• Wang Qizhi tried to grab Wang Fuguang, but Jiang Yanchuan dodged him and sent him sprawling.
• Wang Qizhi accused Jiang Yanchuan’s group of abducting a child and blamed them for the city’s missing children, prompting bystanders and soldiers to surround them.
• Ji Fuguang took Jiang Yanchuan’s hand and called him his uncle, persuading the crowd that Jiang Yanchuan had come to collect him.
• Jiang Yanchuan led the children to an inn, where Liaochen arranged a private room for them to talk.
• Ji Fuguang worried that he had dragged Jiang Yanchuan’s group into trouble with the Wang Family, and Jiang Yingcheng comforted him by praising her father’s strength.

Ji Fuguang told Jiang Yanchuan how children had vanished across the city and revealed that Wang Qizhi planned to use him as bait to catch the traffickers. After learning how Wang Qizhi had mistreated him, Jiang Yanchuan asked Ji Fuguang whether he wanted revenge.

• Ji Fuguang explained that children had been disappearing from the city and that the authorities had failed to find them.
• Ji Fuguang revealed that Wang Qizhi had decided to take him to the Bamboo Grove as bait while his men waited disguised as passersby.
• Ji Fuguang apologized to Jiang Yanchuan for involving him and admitted he hoped to escape the Wang Family.
• The little one learned from Ji Fuguang's thoughts that Wang Qizhi had neglected and allowed others to bully him for years.
• Jiang Yanchuan asked Ji Fuguang if he wanted revenge.

Jiang Yanchuan agreed to investigate the missing children in Xiyuan City, and Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts exposed that the apparent mountain bandits were being framed. She uncovered that the disappearances involved both parents selling their own children and a separate culprit, whom she identified as Wang Xiuxian.

• Jiang Yanchuan ordered Xu Jiu to deal with the traffickers and asked Yu Xingmian for leads on the missing children.
• Yu Xingmian reported that mountain bandits had fled to the area around Xiyuan City, while Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed they were innocent and had been blamed after encountering Prince Xin.
• Jiang Yingcheng learned that someone was planting evidence to frame the bandits, so Xu Jiu stopped before dispatching men to investigate them.
• Jiang Yingcheng discovered that the first missing children had been sold by their own fathers and that a later culprit had abducted other children to frame the bandits.
• Jiang Yingcheng identified the mastermind behind the scheme as Wang Xiuxian.

Jiang Yingcheng revealed that Wang Xiuxian planned another kidnapping that night, and Xu Jiu learned the target and location before setting an ambush. As Xu Jiu and his men watched the Zhang Residence, the suspected kidnappers spotted their hiding place.

• Jiang Yingcheng uncovered that Wang Xiuxian had abducted children to sell and planned to kidnap the young master of the Zhang Residence that night.
• Xu Jiu learned the planned target was at the Zhang Residence in Junhua Alley and left with two subordinates to prepare an ambush.
• Xu Jiu and his men waited on a rooftop opposite the Zhang Residence after nightfall.
• The suspected kidnappers surveyed the area, noticed Xu Jiu and his men on the roof, and looked toward them.

Yun Xing and his companions sneaked toward the Zhang Residence to stop a child abduction, but Xu Jiu mistook them for intruders and confronted them on a rooftop. After Zhang Xiao’s Muscle-Softening Powder incapacitated most of them, Yun Xing spotted someone approaching.

• Ji Nian, Xiao Fei, Yun Xing, and Zhang Xiao crept onto a rooftop near the Zhang Residence to lie in wait for suspected kidnappers.
• Xu Jiu confronted the group and claimed he was guarding the Zhao Residence, while Zhang Xiao prepared a porcelain bottle of poison.
• Zhang Xiao threw Muscle-Softening Powder at Xu Jiu and his companions, but a gust blew the powder back onto them.
• Zhang Xiao, Ji Nian, and Xiao Fei collapsed, while Xu Jiu realized Yun Xing seemed unaffected and accused him of having the antidote.
• Yun Xing insisted they had come to stop kidnappers targeting the Zhang Residence’s children, then cried out that someone was coming.

Xu Jiu joined Zhang Xiao and the others in pursuing suspected child abductors, while Jiang Yanchuan headed to the Mountain Bandits’ hideout to investigate a lead against Prince Xin. At the inn, Jiang Yingcheng heard Wang Qizhi threaten the innkeeper as he came to take his son, Brother Fuguang, and rushed off to intervene.

• Zhang Xiao told Xu Jiu that his group suspected the men entering the Zhang Residence of abducting children, and Xu Jiu agreed to help after receiving the antidote.
• Xu Jiu and Zhang Xiao’s group discovered they were actually at the Pei Residence, then hurried inside to pursue the intruders.
• Jiang Yanchuan followed a map Jiang Yingcheng had drawn to the barren mountain, where he planned to investigate the Mountain Bandits for information that could hurt Prince Xin.
• Jiang Yingcheng woke after dreaming about returning to the palace and heard Wang Qizhi demanding that the innkeeper return his son.
• Wang Qizhi and his hired men entered the inn, and Jiang Yingcheng grabbed her shoes and ran toward the next room to avenge Brother Fuguang.

Liaochen stalled Wang Qizhi while Jiang Yingcheng, Guan Zhili, and Ji Fuguang prepared a trap for him and his thugs. The children fought back with flour, a swinging table, and clubs, but a constable arrived and ordered everyone to come with him.

• Liaochen provoked Wang Qizhi into arguing loudly outside the children's room, drawing attention from the inn's guests.
• Wang Qizhi spotted the room and led his thugs inside, where the children struck them with flour and a swinging table.
• Wang Qizhi and the thugs slipped on the oily floor, and Jiang Yingcheng, Guan Zhili, and Ji Fuguang charged them with wooden clubs.
• A constable arrived after receiving a report of trouble and ordered everyone to come with him.
• Jiang Yingcheng reassured Guan Zhili and Ji Fuguang that they had done nothing wrong.

Chu Zian heard competing accounts after Wang Qizhi and his men were beaten by Jiang Yingcheng and the other children during a nighttime intrusion at their inn. He sided with the children, until Wang Qizhi revealed that he was Wang Fuguang’s son.

• Wu Leyong reported that Wang Qizhi had brought hired thugs to the inn in the middle of the night.
• Jiang Yingcheng tearfully claimed she had set traps to protect herself when intruders entered her room.
• Chu Zian questioned Wang Qizhi and dismissed his accusation that the children had beaten him, insisting they had only defended themselves.
• Wang Qizhi noticed Wang Fuguang behind Jiang Yingcheng and shouted that he was his son.

At the courtroom, Wang Qizhi tried to intimidate the children and demand their goods, but witnesses confirmed that he had attacked them first. Chu Zian stood up for justice, then froze after hearing Jiang Yingcheng think of him as her “Imperial Father.”

• Jiang Yingcheng laughed at Wang Qizhi after he accidentally called someone his father, and the courtroom joined in.
• Wang Qizhi identified himself as the second son of the Southern City Wang Family and demanded that the children return Wang Fuguang, hand over their goods, and apologize.
• Wang Qizhi taunted Jiang Yingcheng about her father and threatened the group, making her search the courtroom for a stick.
• Chu Zian asked the innkeeper and other onlookers to testify, and they confirmed that Wang Qizhi had brought thugs to attack the children.
• Chu Zian silenced Wang Qizhi and raised his gavel, then froze when he heard Jiang Yingcheng think of him as her Imperial Father.

Chu Zian realized Jiang Yingcheng was the Eleventh Princess and learned through her thoughts that a powerful official had sabotaged his career. As Wang Qizhi named his brother-in-law, Qu Kaiyu, the courtroom fell silent and Chu Zian and Jiang Yingcheng reacted in shock.

• Chu Zian wondered whether Jiang Yingcheng’s mention of an Imperial Father meant Emperor Mingze, then heard her thoughts and realized she could communicate with a system.
• Jiang Yingcheng looked up Chu Zian’s information and discovered a high-ranking official had arranged his demotion after Chu Zian refused to marry the official’s daughter.
• Chu Zian recognized Jiang Yingcheng as the Eleventh Princess and felt reassured that Emperor Mingze might still be safe.
• Jiang Yingcheng discovered more damaging gossip about the official, and Chu Zian coughed to interrupt her thoughts when he feared the others could hear them.
• Wang Qizhi challenged Chu Zian to ask about the Southern City Wang Family, and Chu Zian prompted him to name his relative in the Capital.
• Wang Qizhi identified his brother-in-law as Qu Kaiyu, leaving Jiang Yingcheng and Chu Zian stunned.

Chu Zian learned that Wang Qizhi’s family had been bluffing about its influence in the Capital, and he revealed that Qu Kaiyu had already been dismissed and placed under investigation. The courtroom’s dispute was interrupted when officers reported that someone had caught the child traffickers, leaving Chu Zian startled by a cry from outside.

• Jiang Yingcheng’s inner voice revealed that the Wang Family’s supposed powerful relative was actually a concubine’s connection, and the family had kept Wang Qizhi uninformed to preserve its intimidating reputation.
• Wang Qizhi continued threatening the courtroom, while Chu Zian and the others struggled to hide their amusement.
• Chu Zian told Wang Qizhi that Qu Kaiyu had been dismissed and investigated for corruption, and Wang Qizhi recalled his family’s recent strange behavior.
• An officer reported that someone outside had caught the child traffickers responsible for the recent abductions, and Chu Zian ordered them brought in.
• A voice outside cried, “Young master?!” and Chu Zian froze.

At Chu Zian’s court, a trafficker first implicated Wang Qizhi, then identified Wang Xiuxian as the one who ordered the abduction of children. Zhang Haogong described the attempted kidnapping at his residence, and Chu Zian ordered Wang Xiuxian summoned.

• A trafficker broke away from a constable, begged Wang Qizhi to save him, and claimed to know him, but Wang Qizhi denied any connection.
• Zhang Haogong arrived and mocked Wang Qizhi, who accused him of framing the Wang Family.
• The trafficker recognized Wang Qizhi as the Second Young Master, then revealed that Wang Xiuxian had ordered the men to target the city’s children.
• Zhang Haogong told Chu Zian that traffickers had used Knockout Incense to enter his residence and try to abduct his eldest son, and credited Xu Jiu and his companions with stopping them.
• Chu Zian ordered the guards to summon Wang Xiuxian for questioning.

Wang Xiuxian arrived at the courtroom and denied trafficking children, while Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts exposed the Wang Family’s motives and history of targeting the Zhang Family. The courtroom’s attention turned to Xu Jiu when Jiang Yingcheng recognized him as one of her Imperial Father’s Shadow Guards.

• Wang Xiuxian greeted Chu Zian and claimed he had been wrongfully accused of trafficking children because his family had plenty of money.
• Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts suggested the Wang Family needed money after Qu Kaiyu lost his position and had sought a new powerful backer.
• Wang Xiuxian accused the Zhang Family of targeting his family, but Jiang Yingcheng recalled how the Wangs had repeatedly harassed the Zhangs, including dumping dung outside a shop and putting snakes and rats in a rouge shop.
• Chu Zian noticed a man among Zhang Haogong’s companions reacting to Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts and asked who he was.
• Jiang Yingcheng recognized the man as Xu Jiu and thought that her Imperial Father’s Shadow Guards had acted quickly.

Chu Zian learned that the little girl’s thoughts were true and became eager to pursue the criminal gang she had mentioned. As Zhang Haogong revealed that he had evidence against Wang Xiuxian, Jiang Yingcheng claimed she could uncover many more of the Wang Family’s crimes.

• Zhang Haogong introduced the helpers, and Chu Zian recognized their Imperial tokens as proof they were Emperor Mingze’s Shadow Guards.
• Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed how Uncle Xu had tricked the traffickers into confessing and mentioned a nearby gang of murder-for-hire desperadoes.
• Chu Zian resolved to investigate the gang, then asked whether Zhang Haogong had other evidence against Wang Xiuxian.
• Wang Qizhi told Wang Xiuxian that the traffickers had called him young master, alarming both brothers.
• Zhang Haogong announced that he had evidence, while Jiang Yingcheng said she could find evidence of the Wang Family’s other crimes.

Chu Zian presided over a court hearing in which Zhang Haogong exposed Wang Xiuxian’s role in a child-trafficking ring, with Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealing further evidence and the locations of the abducted children. The Wang brothers faced defeat as Chu Zian prepared to recover the children and seize the family’s wealth.

• Zhang Haogong presented evidence linking Wang Xiuxian to the traffickers, including a fingerprint on a silver note and testimony identifying him.
• Jiang Yingcheng revealed that Wang Xiuxian had personally delivered kidnapped children to the ring and that she could locate the missing children.
• Zhang Haogong asked Chu Zian to summon a rescued child, whose testimony left Wang Xiuxian and Wang Qizhi visibly shaken.
• The rescued child’s father testified in court while the mountain bandits celebrated the Wang brothers’ downfall.
• Jiang Yingcheng sensed where other abducted children were being held and suggested confiscating the Wang Family’s wealth to help replenish the treasury.

After the Wang Brothers were arrested, Chu Zian reassured Ji Fuguang that he would not be implicated and proposed creating an orphanage for vulnerable children. Jiang Yanchuan arrived to collect Jiang Yingcheng, while Ji Fuguang chose to stay with Chu Zian, and the supposed mountain bandits revealed they had followed an official who promised to help restore their mountain.

• Chu Zian thanked Zhang Haogong and the others for helping resolve the case, then heard Jiang Yingcheng worry that some rescued children might be sold again by their fathers.
• Chu Zian told Ji Fuguang he would be treated as belonging to the Ji family and asked whether he would help establish an orphanage.
• Jiang Yanchuan arrived at the Government Office, and Jiang Yingcheng happily ran to him and told him she had enjoyed herself.
• Ji Fuguang chose to stay with Chu Zian and watch the Wang Family face justice, while Jiang Yanchuan left with Jiang Yingcheng and their companions.
• The supposed mountain bandits followed an official who had promised to help restore their mountain, prompting Xiao Fei to suspect the official was targeting adults.

Jiang Yanchuan appointed Ji Nian and three other mountain bandits to minor posts and brought them into his party bound for the Capital City. Jiang Yingcheng exposed Ji Nian’s embarrassing past until he knelt and pledged loyalty to Your Majesty.

• Jiang Yanchuan gave Ji Nian and the other three mountain bandits minor official posts as they prepared to travel to the Capital City.
• Ji Nian questioned Jiang Yanchuan’s authority, but Liaochen sealed his mute acupoint with a pebble.
• Jiang Yingcheng mistook Ji Nian’s muffled sounds for a spit at her Imperial Father and began exposing his secrets.
• Jiang Yingcheng revealed that Ji Nian had eaten a Cow-Dung Cake, been stung by a bee while giving a girl flowers, offered her fried cockroaches, and wet the bed.
• Ji Nian dropped to his knees and pledged to follow Your Majesty unto death.

As Jiang Yanchuan’s party hurried toward the capital, Jiang Yingcheng uncovered how Prince Xin had ruined Ji Nian’s group and Yu Xingmian’s association, then imagined spreading rumors to weaken Prince Xin’s allies. Just as she searched for an excuse to stop and send her ideas to her Imperial Father, Jiang Yanchuan called for Yu Xingmian.

• Jiang Yanchuan and his companions left Xiyuan City and continued toward the capital while he handled a growing stream of reports about the coming confrontation with Prince Xin.
• Jiang Yingcheng rode with Yu Xingmian as Ji Nian, Pei Muchen, and the others crowded nearby, hoping to hear her thoughts and learn what she knew about them.
• Jiang Yingcheng’s inner voice revealed that Prince Xin had driven Ji Nian and the others from their mountain and branded them bandits, while Yu Xingmian’s rivals had labeled the Ink Rain Association an evil cult.
• Jiang Yingcheng proposed spreading strange, damaging rumors about Prince Xin to sow distrust among the officials supporting him.
• Jiang Yingcheng tried to think of a reason to stop the convoy and send her ideas to Jiang Yanchuan, but he lifted the carriage curtain and called Yu Xingmian.

Jiang Yanchuan and Yu Xingmian arranged for the Ink Rain Association to spread damaging stories about Prince Xin, mixing gossip with serious allegations. Jiang Silin traced the rumors to Jiang Tinghuai and realized the Crown Prince had underestimated how effectively he could turn public opinion against him.

• Jiang Yanchuan summoned Yu Xingmian and asked the Ink Rain Association to help target Prince Xin through rumors.
• People across several towns spread gossip that Prince Xin took concubines to conceal his infertility and ate human flesh.
• Scholars amplified the rumors by composing poems condemning Prince Xin, and reports of the stories reached Jiang Silin.
• Jiang Silin and Zuo Wei read allegations that Prince Xin had poisoned Prince Jing's soldiers, let his troops prey on the people, and brought plague back from Beiming.
• Jiang Silin concluded that Jiang Tinghuai had released the information and noted that Jiang Yi'an seemed to have lost interest in the throne.