Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yingcheng led her siblings away from the Academy to seek greeting gifts, but their wandering brought them to a dilapidated courtyard. Before they could explore, a stranger snatched her and identified himself as an assassin.

• Jiang Yingcheng tried to negotiate with System Bro for a way to give Jiang Yanchuan a scar, and Consort Xuan choked when she heard her thoughts.
• Jiang Yingcheng refused Jiang Tinghuai's attempt to take her back to the Academy and led the younger princes on a detour toward the consorts' halls.
• Jiang Yingcheng's group got lost and arrived at a run-down courtyard, where she begged Jiang Tinghuai to let them explore.
• A stranger scooped Jiang Yingcheng up onto the courtyard wall as Jiang Tinghuai ran toward her and demanded to know who he was.
• The stranger introduced himself as an assassin.

Jiang Yingcheng stayed remarkably calm after Zhong Chengwang took her hostage, and her brothers offered to take her place. As Jiang Yanchuan arrived, she was chatting cheerfully with her kidnapper and waved to her father, leaving the confrontation about to begin.

• Jiang Yingcheng persuaded Zhong Chengwang to loosen his grip, while Jiang Tinghuai, Jiang Xingran, Jiang Qiuyu, and Lin Jinshu offered themselves as hostages instead.
• Jiang Yingcheng privately recalled pranks she had played on her brothers, and Jiang Tinghuai interrupted her before she revealed more.
• Zhong Chengwang told Jiang Yingcheng his name, and she called on System Bro to get to work.
• Jiang Yanchuan hurried to the scene, and his party overheard Jiang Yingcheng giving directions to Zhong Chengwang as they traveled.
• Jiang Yanchuan arrived and stared at Zhong Chengwang and Jiang Yingcheng, who cheerfully waved to him from the kidnapper's arms.

Jiang Yingcheng learned that Zhong Chengwang had entered the palace pretending to assassinate Jiang Yanchuan so he could avenge his murdered family, and she offered to help him escape in exchange for pastries. When Jiang Yanchuan confronted them, Zhong Chengwang used Jiang Yingcheng as a hostage and demanded single combat.

• Jiang Yingcheng discovered that Zhong Chengwang's relatives had killed his father and elder sister and seized his inheritance, prompting him to fake an assassination attempt on Jiang Yanchuan.
• Jiang Yingcheng offered to help Zhong Chengwang escape if he bought her pastries, and she decided to make him her father's bodyguard.
• Jiang Yanchuan confronted Zhong Chengwang in the alley as Jiang Tinghuai and the other children caught up with them.
• Jiang Yingcheng prompted Zhong Chengwang to put his hand to her neck so he would look like a convincing assassin, though he used no real force.
• Zhong Chengwang declared his identity and demanded that Jiang Yanchuan face him in single combat, using the Little Princess's safety as leverage.

Jiang Yingcheng and Zhong Chengwang staged a kidnapping so Zhong could escape the palace, while Jiang Yanchuan pursued them in a fury. As Zhong reached the palace gates with Jiang Yingcheng, a dangerous stranger confronted him and asked whether she was the Eleventh Princess.

• Jiang Yingcheng told Zhong Chengwang how to flee and warned him not to hurt Jiang Yanchuan, while Jiang Yanchuan took a saber and demanded that Zhong put her down.
• Zhong Chengwang charged at Jiang Yanchuan, vaulted over his blade, and ran toward the palace gates with Jiang Yingcheng in his arms.
• Jiang Yanchuan chased them over the wall, and Eunuch Changshun ordered the guards to follow.
• Jiang Yingcheng guided Zhong through courtyards and woods until they lost their pursuers, and Zhong promised to bring her the snacks she wanted.
• Zhong escaped through the palace gate during a shift change, but a dangerous stranger approached and asked whether the child in his arms was the Eleventh Princess.

Jiang Yingcheng stayed outside the palace with Liaochen and Zhong Chengwang while planning to help Xie Jinrou escape prison. Emperor Mingze found her sleeping safely and appointed Zhong Chengwang a sixth-rank Imperial Guard.

• Zhong Chengwang tried to flee with Jiang Yingcheng but surrendered after Liaochen revealed himself as Zhou Qichuan, a Martial Arts Grandmaster.
• Liaochen took Jiang Yingcheng and Zhong Chengwang to the Heavenly Fortune Pavilion, where Jiang Yingcheng insisted she wanted to stay outside the palace for three days.
• Liaochen let Jiang Yingcheng sleep in the room while he and Zhong Chengwang kept watch, knowing she planned to help Xie Jinrou escape prison the next day.
• Jiang Yanchuan arrived at midnight, checked on the sleeping Jiang Yingcheng, and ordered Liaochen to remove her hot-water bottle.
• Jiang Yanchuan appointed Zhong Chengwang a sixth-rank Imperial Guard, leaving him bewildered.

Emperor Mingze spared Zhong Chengwang and appointed him despite his attempted assassination, while Jiang Yingcheng secretly worried that her father would take her back to the palace. The next day, she and the two men visited charitable institutions to earn points, then announced that she would treat them to drinks at the Heavenly Fragrance House.

• Emperor Mingze appointed Zhong Chengwang and showed irritation when Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed she planned to escape with him again.
• Jiang Yanchuan sent Zhong Chengwang and Liaochen outside to talk, then gently stroked Jiang Yingcheng’s head before leaving her room.
• The next morning, Liaochen disguised himself and Zhong Chengwang with veiled hats, and the three traveled toward the refugee camp.
• Jiang Yingcheng and the men visited charitable institutions, spending all the gold nuggets in her purse.
• On the late-night carriage ride back to the city, Jiang Yingcheng offered to treat her uncles to drinks at the Heavenly Fragrance House, alarming them.

Lu Yao exposed Mu Hui’s plan to rescue Xie Jinrou and set his men to track the fugitives. Meanwhile, Jiang Yingcheng, Liaochen, and Zhong Chengwang visited the Heavenly Fragrance House to meet Lin Yin, leaving the madam shocked by their arrival.

• Mu Hui pretended to be drunk, unlocked Xie Jinrou’s cell, and fled with her from the Imperial Prison.
• Lu Yao revealed that he had anticipated Mu Hui’s betrayal and ordered his men to coordinate with Xu Jiu and prepare to capture the fugitives.
• Jiang Yingcheng, Liaochen, and Zhong Chengwang arrived at the Heavenly Fragrance House, drawing stunned silence from the street.
• Jiang Yingcheng asked to see Lin Yin and offered the madam a banknote, while also requesting four portions of Hibiscus Pastry.
• The madam led the group to Lin Yin’s room and announced that she had guests.

Jiang Yingcheng waited at the Heavenly Fragrance House for Wu Leyong, while he followed Xie Jinrou and Mu Something-hui as they tried to escape the city. After soldiers intercepted them, Wu Leyong was driven to Lin Yin’s room, where Liaochen and Zhong Chengwang were waiting to seize him.

• Jiang Yingcheng used pastries to wait with Liaochen and Zhong Chengwang for Wu Leyong, revealing that she expected him to seek out Lin Yin.
• Wu Leyong followed Xie Jinrou and Mu Something-hui toward a city gate as they discussed escaping and marrying.
• Soldiers ambushed Xie Jinrou and Mu Something-hui at the gate and called for Wu Leyong to come out of hiding.
• Liaochen hid the unconscious Lin Yin while Jiang Yingcheng answered Wu Leyong’s signal at the window.
• Wu Leyong entered the room and was immediately attacked by Liaochen and Zhong Chengwang.

Jiang Yingcheng confronted Wu Leyong and revealed what her imperial father had learned about Wu’s family and Xie Jinrou, leaving Wu shaken. Elsewhere, Kan Ruifeng and Lei Zhixin’s men surrounded the Pan Residence and prepared to act.

• Jiang Yingcheng tried to comfort Wu Leyong by patting his head and feeding him a pastry while Liaochen restrained him.
• Wu Leyong asked why Jiang Yingcheng was there and demanded to be released, but she refused because he might report to Eastern Li.
• Jiang Yingcheng told Wu Leyong that the ruler of Eastern Li had his family beheaded and that her imperial father had learned of it from a secret letter in Xie Jinrou’s bundle.
• Wu Leyong demanded to know whether Jiang Yingcheng was telling the truth, and she offered to take him to ask Xie Jinrou.
• Lei Zhixin spotted their target fleeing into the Pan Residence, and Kan Ruifeng led the soldiers out to begin their operation with Lu Yao waiting outside.

Kan Ruifeng’s soldiers searched the Pan Residence and captured Xie Jinrou, while Jiang Yingcheng arrived at the Imperial Prison with her companions to begin a rescue plan. The chapter ended with Jiang Yingcheng tearfully greeting Lu Yao, who had just returned to the prison.

• Kan Ruifeng surrounded the Pan Residence and persuaded Pan Jifeng to let his soldiers search for Xie Jinrou.
• Xie Jinrou tried to flee through the garden as the soldiers searched, while Dong Kangsheng slipped out of a hidden passage in the rockery.
• Lu Yao escorted Xie Jinrou out of the residence, and Pan Jifeng hurried to the garden after learning where she had been found.
• Jiang Yingcheng went to the Imperial Prison with Liaochen, Zhong Chengwang, and Wu Leyong, who disguised themselves with Human-Skin Masks.
• Jiang Yingcheng failed to reach the prison gate’s door ring, so Liaochen knocked for her.
• Lu Yao prepared for Jiang Yingcheng’s arrival, then watched her turn from angry to tearful and run toward him.

Jiang Yingcheng staged a tearful act in the prison so Wu Leyong could reach Xie Jinrou, where he learned how she had used him and forced her to swallow poison. Afterward, Jiang Yingcheng discovered someone had given her a packet of pastries, and the surrounding guards fell silent at the giver’s quiet laugh.

• Jiang Yingcheng insisted on visiting the prison, and Lu Yao escorted her there while keeping a watchful eye on Wu Leyong and Zhong Chengwang.
• Jiang Yingcheng pretended to cry about her encounter with an assassin so the guards would gather around her and distract them from Wu Leyong.
• Wu Leyong slipped farther into the prison with Liaochen and his companions’ help and overheard Xie Jinrou call another man useless and compare his efforts unfavorably with Wu Leyong’s sacrifices.
• Wu Leyong confronted Xie Jinrou about her words, then forced her to swallow poison when she eagerly assumed he had come to rescue her.
• Jiang Yingcheng realized her Hibiscus Pastries were missing, accepted a packet from someone behind her, and heard a low voice say, “Heh,” as the guards fell silent.

Jiang Yanchuan caught Jiang Yingcheng planning another trip to the Heavenly Fragrance House and made her catch up on her missed schoolwork during court. When Zhang Ding'an opposed repairing the Moat embankments, Jiang Yingcheng recognized him as a corrupt official and turned her attention to exposing the Ministry of Works.

• Jiang Yanchuan appeared behind Jiang Yingcheng and stopped her from asking Liaochen to take her back to the Heavenly Fragrance House.
• Jiang Yanchuan replaced Jiang Yingcheng's couch at morning court with a desk and ordered her to complete her overdue schoolwork.
• Zhang Ding'an argued that repairing the Moat embankments would waste resources, prompting Jiang Yingcheng to recognize him as the official who had embezzled River Embankment funds.
• Jiang Yingcheng set aside her schoolwork to review System Bro's information and vowed to root out the villains who had schemed against her father.

Jiang Yingcheng exposed Zhang Ding'an’s corruption through her thoughts, and Lu Yao used the revelations to accuse him before the court. When Tao Yangqiu demanded evidence, Lu Yao waited for Jiang Yingcheng to help, but her next discovery was that Tao’s wife was secretly involved with Zhang Ding'an.

• Jiang Yingcheng recited the names of corrupt officials, while Lu Yao enlisted colleagues to help him remember them.
• Jiang Yingcheng revealed that Zhang Ding'an had stolen farmers’ topsoil for the Moat embankment and arranged for a complainant to be beaten to death.
• Jiang Yanchuan ordered Lu Yao to explain why the River Embankment needed repairs, and Lu Yao publicly accused Zhang Ding'an of the crimes.
• Zhang Ding'an denied the accusations, and Tao Yangqiu challenged Lu Yao to produce evidence.
• Jiang Yingcheng discovered that Tao Yangqiu’s wife had spent his ill-gotten money on Zhang Ding'an and met him in secret, leaving Lu Yao still waiting for evidence.

Lu Yao used Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts to expose the officials’ private scandals in court, leaving Tao Yangqiu and several others humiliated. The chapter ended with Lu Yao shutting down Lei Zhixin when he tried to join in.

• Lu Yao accused Tao Yangqiu’s wife of spending his money on Zhang Ding'an and warned him to check his family storerooms.
• Tan Songsong and Xing Junchu recalled Zhang Ding'an wearing a hand-sewn cloak, leading Tao Yangqiu to realize his wife had made it for Zhang instead of him.
• Tao Yangqiu glared at Zhang Ding'an but held back from confronting him in court because they both had incriminating secrets.
• Lu Yao exposed Luo Chao’s infertility and the secret lives of his concubines, then revealed that one of his maids was a man disguised as a woman.
• Lu Yao told Lord Nie that his new concubine was the daughter he had lost years earlier, and then dismissed Lei Zhixin with a blunt order to get lost.

Lu Yao confronted the ministers over Zhang Ding'an's alleged crimes while Jiang Yingcheng uncovered the details of a murdered farmer's disposal. Lu Yao recited the contents of Zhang Ding'an's destroyed secret letter, leaving him terrified and collapsing to the floor.

• Lu Yao silenced the ministers' objections about the Embroidered Uniform Guard's intelligence work.
• Du Boshan challenged Lu Yao to produce evidence directly related to Zhang Ding'an's case, redirecting Jiang Yingcheng from gossip to business.
• Jiang Yingcheng discovered that Zhang Ding'an had a farmer beaten to death and his remains displayed to intimidate other households.
• Jiang Yingcheng proposed fabricating a replacement for Zhang Ding'an's burned secret letter, and several ministers hoped to help imitate his handwriting.
• Lu Yao recited the letter's contents aloud, and Zhang Ding'an collapsed as he recognized the words he had written.

Lu Yao began investigating the embezzlement of River Embankment repair funds after Jiang Yingcheng revealed evidence against numerous officials. The chapter ended with Lu Yao trying to recruit officials who had heard her thoughts to help him remember the leads.

• Lu Yao asked Emperor Mingze to order a thorough investigation into the embezzled repair funds, and Emperor Mingze invited him to share his leads.
• Jiang Yingcheng revealed that Tao Yangqiu's wife spent money beyond his salary, giving Lu Yao a way to find evidence of his embezzlement.
• Jiang Yingcheng revealed leads involving Luo Chao's wives and concubines and letters hidden in Miss Qin's jewelry box, along with evidence against other officials.
• After court, Emperor Mingze carried Jiang Yingcheng toward Wuyang Hall while Lu Yao rushed to question officials who had heard her thoughts.
• Lu Yao asked Lord Pei, General Gao, and Duke Wang to help supply the details he had failed to remember.

After Lu Yao reported to Emperor Mingze, they discussed how to handle the officials implicated by Jiang Yingcheng and placed Zhang Ding'an beside a closely watched prisoner. Jiang Yingcheng tried to uncover the identity of “that person,” but after her father reprimanded her for neglecting her schoolwork, she pressed Eunuch Changshun for the secret instead.

• Emperor Mingze told Lu Yao to let Tao Yangqiu, Luo Chao, and Du Boshan remain at large so their protectors could be exposed, and ordered Zhang Ding'an placed beside “that person.”
• Lu Yao tried to ask what Jiang Yingcheng was drawing, but she hastily covered her weapon blueprint and worried that he had discovered it.
• Emperor Mingze scolded Jiang Yingcheng for meddling in official business and asked how much of her overdue schoolwork she had completed.
• Jiang Yingcheng left with Eunuch Changshun for a walk and asked him who “that person” was.
• When Eunuch Changshun did not answer, Jiang Yingcheng threatened to make a fuss.

Jiang Yingcheng learned about Yu Xingmian and the Ink Rain Association, then goaded Liaochen into carrying her out of the palace. After returning to the Eastern Depot, she asked Lu Yao to accompany him while he interrogated Zhang Ding'an, hoping to see Yu Xingmian.

• Liaochen and Zhong Chengwang explained that Yu Xingmian had founded the Ink Rain Association, which the orthodox factions branded a Demon Cult, and that he had sacrificed his freedom to help it hide.
• Jiang Yingcheng teased Liaochen about Yu Xingmian's talent and whether he might lose his place among the Martial Arts Grandmasters, prompting Liaochen to scoop her up and flee the palace with Zhong Chengwang and Wu Leyong in pursuit.
• Outside the palace, Jiang Yingcheng asked Liaochen to buy pastries as a gift for her imperial father's intelligence organization's manager, then dodged his question about how she would explain leaving the palace.
• Lu Yao received word that Jiang Yingcheng had returned to the Eastern Depot and prepared to interrogate Zhang Ding'an, but Jiang Yingcheng asked to go with him because she wanted to see Yu Xingmian.

Jiang Yingcheng visited Zhang Ding'an in the Imperial Prison, where Yu Xingmian revealed how Zhang had risen through the ranks using cases discarded by Pan Chengbi. The chapter ended with Yu Xingmian pulling Zhang close and kicking him to the ground.

• Lu Yao led Jiang Yingcheng and the others through a hidden entrance to Zhang Ding'an's cell, where Zhang claimed he had never taken bribes and asked to plead his case before the Emperor.
• Jiang Yingcheng mocked Zhang for standing straight after the Imperial Guards had dragged him out of court like a heap of sludge, then offered him meat buns.
• Yu Xingmian spoke from the neighboring cell, delighting Jiang Yingcheng, and Lu Yao realized he had sneaked out again.
• Yu Xingmian recounted Zhang Ding'an's rise through the ranks and revealed that Pan Chengbi had discarded the cases Zhang used to earn promotions.
• Zhang lunged toward Yu Xingmian, who grabbed his arm, pulled him close, and kicked the back of his knee.

Jiang Yingcheng befriended Yu Xingmian in his cell, and the two exposed Zhang Ding'an’s corruption and crimes until he fainted. Lu Yao hoped to record more revelations, but Zhang collapsed before Jiang could finish.

• Jiang Yingcheng brought pastries to Yu Xingmian and tried unsuccessfully to squeeze through the cell bars.
• Yu Xingmian opened his cell door for Jiang Yingcheng, while Lu Yao was restrained from intervening.
• Zhang Ding'an recognized Yu Xingmian as the leader of the Ink Rain Association and threatened him.
• Yu Xingmian revealed that he possessed a ledger linking Zhang Ding'an’s bribery to the Pan Residence, and Jiang Yingcheng cited evidence of Zhang’s embezzlement.
• Yu Xingmian and Jiang Yingcheng exposed more crimes involving Zhang Ding'an and the Pan family, causing Zhang to faint before Jiang could finish.