Arc 3Plots, Spies, and a Haunted Courtyard

Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts exposed evidence, spies, military secrets, and threats to people around the court, while her family and allies acted on what they learned. The stretch ended with Xi Youshan preparing to report a rebellion plot and Jiang Yingcheng discovering that Yuan Liangping was missing.

  • Jiang Yingcheng’s revelations led Jiang Yanchuan and Cheng Yunmeng to search the Cold Palace’s dry well, where they found skeletons and a letter clearing Cheng Yunmeng’s name, while Ye Sangning revealed a treasure map.
  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts helped drive preparations for war against Beiming and exposed a plague, a compromised spy, and the plot to forge Tan Wenhan’s calligraphy.
  • Jiang Huai’an confronted Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu at school, but Jiang Yanchuan arrived and punished Jiang Huai’an, Jiang Yunjian, and Jiang Monian.
  • At Old Madam Tan’s birthday banquet, Jiang Yingcheng exposed theft and suspected spies, and Tan Wenhan later used her clues and Chengbi’s letter to identify those behind the household infiltration.
  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed threats to Kan Nianzhen and Kan Ruifeng, Beiming’s resources, and Li Hongjun’s captivity, while she visited the General’s Residence with the young royals.
  • Kan Rongxuan’s staged haunted-courtyard prank turned frightening when Xi Youshan appeared, and Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed Xi Youshan’s family’s future disgrace.
  • Jiang Yingcheng learned that Xi Youshan’s uncle had joined a Guangfu Kingdom prince’s rebellion scheme, and Xi Youshan set out to report it to His Majesty as Jiang Yingcheng noticed Yuan Liangping was missing.
Chapters 51–75 Vol. 1 Read

Ch. 51Chengcheng will help Auntie find evidence!

Cheng Yunmeng learned from Jiang Yingcheng’s inner thoughts that Jiang Xingran would face even worse abuse from the Fourth Prince and that clearing up a misunderstanding with Emperor Mingze might improve their lives. The chapter ended with Jiang Yingcheng deciding to find evidence for Cheng Yunmeng that night.

  • Fang Siwan chased after Jiang Qiuyu while Cheng Yunmeng stayed behind, troubled by what Jiang Yingcheng had revealed about Jiang Xingran.
  • Jiang Yingcheng’s inner thoughts described the Fourth Prince’s future plans to torment Jiang Xingran, and Cheng Yunmeng struck the table in alarm.
  • Jiang Yingcheng comforted Cheng Yunmeng’s injured wrist, while Cheng Yunmeng hid her distress and tried to learn more about her son’s future.
  • Jiang Yingcheng realized that clearing up Emperor Mingze’s misunderstanding about Cheng Yunmeng could improve their lives.
  • Jiang Yingcheng decided to search for evidence for Cheng Yunmeng that night.

Ch. 52Consort Wan and Consort Lan Request an Imperial Audience

Jiang Yingcheng overheard Cheng Yunmeng and Fang Siwan discuss Cheng Yunmeng’s past and revealed that the evidence against her was in a dry well in the Cold Palace. Consort Wan and Consort Lan then requested an imperial audience with Emperor Mingze.

  • Jiang Yingcheng woke from her nap and searched the courtyard for her new playmates.
  • Jiang Yingcheng overheard Cheng Yunmeng and Fang Siwan discussing Cheng Yunmeng’s lack of evidence and the hardship she and Xingran had endured.
  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed that the evidence was in a dry well in the Cold Palace and that she planned to retrieve it that night.
  • Nanny Zhang took Jiang Yingcheng to the schoolroom, while Fang Siwan and Cheng Yunmeng hurried to Xianyang Palace.
  • Yuan Liangping confirmed Jiang Yingcheng’s revelations to Emperor Mingze, and a eunuch reported that Consort Wan and Consort Lan requested an imperial audience.

Ch. 53Let's Take a Stroll Through the Cold Palace!

Fang Siwan and Cheng Yunmeng brought Cheng Yunmeng’s grievance before Jiang Yanchuan, who searched the Cold Palace well and found a letter that moved Cheng Yunmeng to tears. After a startled palace maid cried out about a ghost, Jiang Yingcheng arranged to be left behind so she could visit the Cold Palace.

  • Cheng Yunmeng told Jiang Yanchuan she had been wronged, and Fang Siwan explained what they had learned from Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts.
  • Jiang Yanchuan ordered a search of the Cold Palace’s dry well, where servants found several skeletons.
  • A palace maid discovered a brittle letter among the remains, and Jiang Yanchuan passed it to Fang Siwan and Cheng Yunmeng to read.
  • Cheng Yunmeng wept with relief that Jiang Xingran would no longer have to suffer because of her, while a palace maid screamed after seeing a frightened figure in the corner.
  • After lessons, Jiang Yingcheng told Eunuch Changshun she felt too full to ride with Jiang Xingran and Lin Jinshu, and asked him to take them to Starfrost Hall while she went for a stroll.

Ch. 54If All of This Was an Act, Then What Was Real?!

Jiang Yingcheng went to the Cold Palace with Eunuch Changshun, hoping to uncover evidence about what happened to Cheng Yunmeng. There, she found Jiang Yanchuan, Cheng Yunmeng, and Fang Siwan amid the turmoil, and her thoughts revealed that the woman everyone believed mad might have been pretending.

  • Eunuch Changshun chose to take Jiang Yingcheng to the Cold Palace despite Emperor Mingze's orders to escort the princes back to their lessons.
  • Jiang Xingran and Lin Jinshu went to Starfrost Hall, while Jiang Qiuyu refused to attend his lessons.
  • Jiang Yingcheng and Eunuch Changshun reached the Cold Palace and discovered that Jiang Yanchuan, Cheng Yunmeng, and Fang Siwan were there.
  • Jiang Yanchuan told Jiang Yingcheng that Cheng Yunmeng and Consort Lan had found a Blood Letter, but the woman in the tree had snatched it away.
  • Jiang Yingcheng thought that the woman was not mad and wondered whether she mistook the paper for a lost Treasure Map.

Ch. 55Little darling, you can't go saying things like that!

Ye Sangning’s years of pretending to be mad ended after Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts exposed her secret treasure map. Hearing that Jiang Yingcheng and 007 could locate the treasure, Ye Sangning offered Emperor Mingze the knowledge of its mechanisms in exchange for avenging Linyue Kingdom.

  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed that Ye Sangning had a treasure map, and Ye Sangning pulled it from her sleeve before realizing she had exposed her sanity.
  • Emperor Mingze ordered Ye Sangning down from the tree, and she knelt before him and presented the map.
  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts praised Ye Sangning for protecting Linyue Kingdom’s last hope, then alarmed the court by imagining her own country being destroyed.
  • 007 told Jiang Yingcheng that the treasure held weapons and cultivation techniques and hinted that it knew the treasure’s exact location.
  • Jiang Yingcheng asked 007 to draw a more detailed map for her imperial father, and Ye Sangning offered her knowledge of the treasure’s mechanisms in exchange for Emperor Mingze avenging Linyue Kingdom.

Ch. 56Life was so bitter... how about some gossip?!

Jiang Yingcheng helped Ye Sangning identify Fu Liu as the thief who stole her treasure map, then returned to Starfrost Hall and endured a lesson and test. At dinner, her gossip revealed that Jiang Xingran had been shoved into stone steps, and she realized her Seventh Brother was the culprit.

  • Ye Sangning claimed that Fu Liu had stolen her treasure map, and Jiang Yanchuan ordered the group back to Starfrost Hall.
  • Fang Siwan took Cheng Yunmeng inside to rest and sent Jiang Yingcheng to Teacher Liu, asking Qingbi to keep the good news from Jiang Xingran.
  • Jiang Yingcheng found Lin Jinshu with Teacher Liu, learned Jiang Xingran was absent, and tried to escape a test when he returned.
  • Teacher Liu finished teaching after dark, and Fang Siwan kept everyone for dinner while Jiang Yingcheng lamented her exhausting studies.
  • Jiang Yingcheng's inner voice revealed that someone had shoved the Fourth Prince into stone steps, and she recognized Jiang Xingran as the culprit.

Ch. 57Who Would Have Thought the Entire Court Valued Righteousness over Riches!

Lin Jinshu remained distant from Fang Siwan despite her attempt to explain their separation, while Jiang Yingcheng was coaxed into attending court. There, her thoughts about Beiming’s half of a treasure map changed the court’s debate over whether to send troops.

  • Jiang Yingcheng offered Jiang Xingran a piece of braised pork, and he ate it despite disliking greasy food.
  • Fang Siwan walked Lin Jinshu to the palace gates, asked about his life at the Lin residence, and told him Jiang Yingcheng had arranged for him to study in the palace.
  • On the third morning, Fang Siwan tricked the sleepy Jiang Yingcheng into getting ready by saying Jiang Xingran was waiting for her at school.
  • At court, Jiang Yanchuan signaled for an official to propose sending troops against Beiming, prompting officials to argue against another war.
  • Jiang Yingcheng thought that Beiming had seized half of a treasure map from Linyue, and an official abruptly declared support for attacking Beiming.

Ch. 58The will of the people-this was the will of the people!

Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts helped turn the court in favor of war against Beiming, and the decision was quickly finalized. At school, she shared pastries with Jiang Qiuyu and Jiang Xingran, but Jiang Huai’an arrived with Jiang Yunjian and Jiang Monian, looking ready to start trouble.

  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts about the treasure and weapons prompted generals and high-ranking officials to support a war against Beiming, and Jiang Yanchuan approved the decision.
  • Jiang Yanchuan’s court finalized the war preparations, and Eunuch Changshun escorted Jiang Yingcheng to school with pastries from the emperor.
  • Jiang Yingcheng invited her classmates to share the pastries, and Jiang Qiuyu and Jiang Xingran joined her.
  • Jiang Xingran watched Jiang Yingcheng as he tasted the pastries, then she went to invite Lin Jinshu and another boy.
  • Jiang Huai’an kicked open the classroom door with Jiang Yunjian and Jiang Monian beside him and asked if everyone was having a bite.

Ch. 59Don't you dare bully my little brother!

Jiang Huai'an accused Jiang Yingcheng of knowing who had pushed him and had eunuchs seize Lin Jinshu to force her to talk. Jiang Yingcheng defended Lin Jinshu and bit Jiang Huai'an, leaving the confrontation poised to escalate.

  • Jiang Huai'an noticed Jiang Qiuyu hiding behind Jiang Xingran, mocked him for eating meat, and ordered Jiang Yunjian and Jiang Monian to take the pastries.
  • Jiang Huai'an confronted Jiang Yingcheng about the incidents involving her and him, then had eunuchs seize Lin Jinshu.
  • Jiang Yingcheng tried to free Lin Jinshu, biting a eunuch as Jiang Xingran and Jiang Qiuyu rushed to help her.
  • Jiang Huai'an ordered a eunuch to bring out Finger-Crushing Sticks, and Jiang Xingran started to confess that he had pushed Jiang Huai'an.
  • Jiang Yingcheng interrupted Jiang Xingran, bit Jiang Huai'an's hand, and was pulled away by her hair as he erupted in anger.

Ch. 60Chengcheng Tattled!

Jiang Yanchuan arrived as Jiang Huai'an and his brothers confronted Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu, then carried Yingcheng while she tattled on them. After questioning the princes, he sentenced Jiang Huai'an to three months of house arrest and Jiang Yunjian and Jiang Monian to one month, then left with Yingcheng.

  • Jiang Yanchuan burst into the room and found Jiang Huai'an and his companions surrounding Jiang Yingcheng and Lin Jinshu.
  • Jiang Yingcheng cried in Jiang Yanchuan's arms and accused Jiang Huai'an of threatening her little brother and pulling her hair, Jiang Yunjian and Jiang Monian of stealing her pastries, and the eunuchs of attacking her and threatening Lin Jinshu.
  • Jiang Yanchuan questioned Jiang Huai'an about confronting Yingcheng without solid evidence, while Jiang Xingran realized she was trying to protect him.
  • Jiang Yanchuan placed Jiang Huai'an under house arrest for three months and Jiang Yunjian and Jiang Monian under house arrest for one month.
  • Jiang Yanchuan left carrying Jiang Yingcheng, who secretly celebrated getting to skip lessons.

Ch. 61Congratulations, You're a Dad! This Gossip Is Delicious!

Jiang Yingcheng accompanied Jiang Yanchuan to Wuyang Hall, where her thoughts exposed Beiming’s military losses and a spy in Tan Wenhan’s household. The court learned that the spy was Xu Ruiming’s pregnant mistress, while Tan Wenhan silently began considering how to handle the breach.

  • Jiang Yanchuan took Jiang Yingcheng to Wuyang Hall after a Shadow Guard reported that Jiang Huai'an had entered her classroom with his men.
  • During the court’s debate over attacking Beiming, Jiang Yingcheng thought that a plague had devastated its army and that Jiang Yanchuan’s spy had betrayed him.
  • Lei Zhixin reported the plague in Beiming’s army, and Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts confirmed the intelligence and revealed a spy in Tan Wenhan’s residence.
  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts exposed Xu Ruiming as the man who had sent his mistress to Tan Wenhan’s son, and revealed that she was pregnant.
  • Tan Wenhan recalled that his concubine-born son had brought a woman home to marry, while courtiers condemned Xu Ruiming.

Ch. 62Get the Hell Out Here!!

Jiang Yingcheng exposed how Tan Siyuan had helped a woman take Tan Wenhan’s calligraphy and paintings, prompting Tan Wenhan to confront the danger of forged evidence. After the court session, Jiang Yanchuan saw through Jiang Yingcheng’s excuse to avoid school, while Tan Wenhan discovered his second son’s plan to marry his lover and summoned him out.

  • Jiang Yingcheng revealed that Tan Siyuan had given a woman Tan Wenhan’s calligraphy and paintings, which she intended to use for forgery.
  • Tan Wenhan rebuked Xu Ruiming for relying on information obtained through a woman, and Xu Ruiming fell silent for the rest of the session.
  • Jiang Yanchuan offered to take Jiang Yingcheng to visit her great-grandmother, but then realized she had raised the subject to avoid the schoolroom.
  • Tan Wenhan brought his family to Tan Siyuan’s courtyard and overheard Tan Siyuan and his lover discussing how to make her his equal wife.
  • Tan Wenhan angrily shouted for Tan Siyuan to come out.

Ch. 63Thanks for asking-probably the same deep waters and scorching flames he was in right now

Tan Wenhan caught Tan Siyuan and Zhang Shiliu with stolen calligraphy and had Zhang Shiliu arrested while punishing his son. Later, Yuan Liangping tried to draw military intelligence from Jiang Yingcheng, but her thoughts instead exposed more shocking gossip about the Tan household.

  • Tan Wenhan ordered servants to search Tan Siyuan and Zhang Shiliu’s room after confronting them about the missing calligraphy.
  • The servants found Tan Wenhan’s calligraphy and practice sheets imitating his handwriting, and Tan Wenhan accused Zhang Shiliu of wanting them for Xu Ruiming.
  • Xing Junchu arrested Zhang Shiliu, while Tan Wenhan ordered Tan Siyuan to receive twenty strokes of the board and three months of confinement.
  • Jiang Yanchuan summoned Yuan Liangping to keep him near Jiang Yingcheng and steer her thoughts toward useful subjects.
  • Yuan Liangping asked Jiang Yingcheng about the coming war with Beiming, but her thoughts revealed that Tan Wenhan’s third son might not be his and that his steward had profited by helping political enemies plant household spies.

Ch. 64Who Do You Think You Are, Carrying This Princess's Gift Box?!

Jiang Yingcheng visited the Tan residence with Jiang Yanchuan, using a birthday banquet as cover to help Tan Wenhan expose the spies in his household. After giving Old Madam Tan a gift box, she stopped a maid from carrying it away, suspecting the woman of stealing its gold beans.

  • Jiang Yanchuan read Yuan Liangping's report about Tan Wenhan's household and learned Jiang Yingcheng planned to stage an accident to visit the residence and drive out its spies.
  • At court, Jiang Yingcheng imagined staging accidents at the Tan residence and having the spies beaten and thrown out, so Tan Wenhan invited Jiang Yanchuan to his mother's birthday banquet.
  • Madam Zhang hurriedly arranged a birthday banquet at the Tan residence after receiving Tan Wenhan's message.
  • Jiang Yingcheng gave Old Madam Tan a mahogany gift box filled with toys and gold beans, and Old Madam Tan accepted it before taking the princess's hand.
  • Jiang Yingcheng blocked a maid carrying the gift box and accused her of trying to steal it, thinking the woman had stolen Old Madam Tan's jewelry before.

Ch. 65Good grief! A perfectly good spy residence, and somehow a few people from the Tan household had moved in!

At Old Madam Tan’s birthday banquet, Jiang Yingcheng exposed servants and spies hidden in Chancellor Tan’s residence, including a shocking secret about Tan Yueze’s parentage. She kept identifying infiltrators by staging falls, but after more than twenty attempts, many spies remained.

  • Old Madam Tan ordered Zhang Yanjun to take Cailü after Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed that the maid had been stealing and selling her jewelry.
  • Old Madam Tan led Jiang Yingcheng away, and the little princess noticed several suspected spies among the banquet’s servants while Tan Wenhan listened in alarm.
  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed that Tan Yueze was not Tan Wenhan’s biological son, and Tan Wenhan recognized Kou Zhixing as the boy’s father.
  • After the officials entertained Old Madam Tan, they followed Jiang Yingcheng as she staged falls to identify spies in the residence.
  • Jiang Yingcheng ended up bruised and crying after more than twenty falls, while 007 still marked many spies as undiscovered.

Ch. 66How Was This a Threatening Letter? It Was Clearly a Lifeline!

Jiang Yingcheng enlisted Yuan Liangping to help write a coded list of spies hidden in the Tan household, which she passed to Tan Wenhan. Tan Wenhan and Madam Zhang recognized the papers as a warning and prepared to use the information against their enemies.

  • Jiang Yingcheng approached Yuan Liangping and persuaded him to help write unfamiliar characters instead of giving her a primer.
  • Jiang Yingcheng and Yuan Liangping used paper and a brush to create a stack of coded sheets while whispering in a corner.
  • After the birthday banquet, Tan Wenhan showed the papers to Madam Zhang and Old Madam Tan in the ancestral hall.
  • Madam Zhang recognized names from the list as suspected spies and realized Jiang Yingcheng had exposed the household’s hidden danger.
  • Tan Wenhan stopped Madam Zhang from immediately expelling the spies and hinted that he would return his colleagues’ grand gift.

Ch. 67A dignified third-rank official, reduced to this sorry state!

At morning court, Ji Yingrui accused Tan Wenhan of taking bribes, but Tan revealed that the letter was a trap set after his guards caught Ji’s spy stealing confidential documents. Jiang Yanchuan ordered Xing Junchu to take Ji away and show him the evidence.

  • Jiang Yingcheng worried that Tan Wenhan had not yet driven the spies from his residence, while ministers considered asking her to inspect their own homes.
  • Ji Yingrui accused Tan Wenhan of accepting bribes and described a hidden room of gold and silver.
  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed that Ji had sent the spy Mingyi and exposed scandalous gossip about Tan’s household.
  • Tan Wenhan explained that his guards had caught a spy copying confidential documents, and that his son Chengbi had written the anonymous letter to expose the people behind him.
  • Tan Wenhan presented Chengbi’s writing samples and the spy’s intercepted letter to Jiang Yanchuan.
  • Jiang Yanchuan ordered Xing Junchu to take Ji Yingrui away and show him what the letter contained.

Ch. 68Is this my crown prince brother who dies young?

Jiang Yingcheng returned to the Academy, where Jiang Xingran offered her a foul-smelling Egg Pancake, and Jiang Tinghuai discovered he could hear her thoughts. The chapter ended with Jiang Yingcheng offering her portion to her Crown Prince Brother after thinking that he would die young.

  • Jiang Yingcheng worried about warning Grandpa Tan about Tan Yueze and Tan Siyuan before arriving at the Academy.
  • Jiang Xingran welcomed Jiang Yingcheng with an Egg Pancake that looked like coal, and she feared it was poisonous.
  • Jiang Qiuyu and Lin Jinshu tried to avoid eating the Egg Pancake, while Jiang Yingcheng divided it among the boys and herself.
  • Jiang Yingcheng recoiled from the Egg Pancake's terrible smell, and Jiang Tinghuai entered the Academy and asked whether someone had stomach trouble.
  • Jiang Tinghuai heard Jiang Yingcheng's unspoken thoughts for the first time, including her claim that he would die young.
  • Jiang Yingcheng offered Jiang Tinghuai her share of Jiang Xingran's Egg Pancake.

Ch. 69He Fainted. He Was Faking It.

Jiang Tinghuai faked fainting after eating Jiang Yingcheng’s egg pancake, then discovered his mother could hear the girl’s inner thoughts. Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed that Kan Nianzhen was being poisoned, leaving the empress shaken but with a possible cure in reach.

  • Jiang Tinghuai accepted Jiang Yingcheng’s egg pancake after hearing her think it could help him escape a villain’s plot, then vomited and pretended to faint so he could skip class with the younger children.
  • At Lingxi Palace, Kan Nianzhen caught Jiang Tinghuai faking illness and scolded him, but froze when she heard Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts and saw the prince signal her not to reveal that she could hear them.
  • Kan Nianzhen treated Jiang Yingcheng and the other children gently while Jiang Yingcheng asked 007 about the plot involving the empress and Jiang Tinghuai.
  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed that Yue Tao had been bribed to poison Kan Nianzhen, and the empress realized the maid’s recent family troubles might have been connected.
  • Jiang Yingcheng thought that she could redeem an affordable antidote by helping officials in poor health the next day, giving Kan Nianzhen hope of surviving the poisoning.

Ch. 70This is a high-level match!

Kan Nianzhen learned through Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts that she, Kan Ruifeng, and Jiang Tinghuai would die within two years, while Kan Ruifeng learned his household sheltered many hidden wrongdoers. Kan Ruifeng brought Jiang Yingcheng and the others to his residence, where she planned to help identify them.

  • Kan Ruifeng arrived at Lingxi Palace, reassured Kan Nianzhen about his campaign against Beiming, and learned that Jiang Yingcheng wanted to prevent his future death.
  • At lunch, Jiang Yingcheng realized Kan Ruifeng’s household contained many bad people and worried about how to expose them without making him dismiss longtime servants.
  • Kan Ruifeng announced he would arrange retirement residences for elderly members of his household, and Jiang Yingcheng asked to visit so she could choose who went first.
  • Jiang Yingcheng persuaded Kan Ruifeng to bring Lord Yuan along, and the group traveled to the General's Residence.
  • Lord Yuan greeted the group at the entrance as Jiang Yingcheng and the others called him “Sucker.”

Ch. 71The Terrain Map Is in Your Hands, Lord Sucker!

At Kan Ruifeng’s banquet, Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed Beiming’s plague, valuable mineral deposits, and the captive mechanism master Li Hongjun. Kan Ruifeng left to urge Emperor Mingze to advance the campaign, while Yuan Liangping was left to keep the young princes and princess company as Jiang Yingcheng prepared to draw a terrain map.

  • Yuan Liangping asked Kan Ruifeng about the planned march, and Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts revealed that Beiming’s great general had caught the plague.
  • Kan Ruifeng and Yuan Liangping learned through Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts that Beiming held vast copper and gold deposits and had abducted Li Hongjun.
  • Jiang Yingcheng decided to draw a terrain map showing Li Hongjun’s hidden location, and Kan Ruifeng left Yuan Liangping to stay with the young royals.
  • Kan Hongxi apologized for his father’s abrupt departure and turned his attention to Jiang Yingcheng.

Ch. 72It's Just a Haunted House-Lead the Way!

Kan Rongxuan took Jiang Yingcheng and the princes to investigate a supposedly haunted courtyard, hoping to impress the little princess by protecting her. Just as they approached the open gates, an eerie woman’s voice sounded behind them, and the group screamed.

  • Kan Hongxi asked Yuan Liangping to join him in the study so he could question him about the court.
  • Kan Rongxuan told Jiang Yingcheng and the princes that a courtyard was haunted, and Jiang Xingran tried to lead the frightened children away.
  • Kan Rongxuan provoked Jiang Yingcheng and Jiang Qiuyu into agreeing to enter the courtyard, while Jiang Xingran kept Jiang Yingcheng clinging to his arm.
  • A cold gust pushed the courtyard gates open, and Kan Rongxuan realized the movement did not match any of his planned pranks.
  • An eerie woman’s voice asked who they were from behind the group, and everyone screamed.

Ch. 73Ghosts! There Are Ghosts!!

Jiang Yingcheng and the other children met Xi Youshan in the supposedly haunted courtyard and grew suspicious of her. When strange noises and slamming doors frightened Jiang Yingcheng and Jiang Qiuyu, Kan Rongxuan realized the commotion came from traps he had set, but he did not explain.

  • Jiang Xingran stopped Jiang Yingcheng from screaming by telling her Xi Youshan was the pretty auntie she liked, but Jiang Yingcheng still panicked when Xi Youshan came close.
  • Xi Youshan invited the children into her tidy but dilapidated room, and they suspected her because she claimed to live in the courtyard without recognizing Kan Rongxuan.
  • Kan Rongxuan told Xi Youshan they had hidden belongings in the courtyard, and she offered to retrieve them while he watched her cautiously.
  • Kan Rongxuan remembered that he had set traps in the room just as the window slammed, a vase crashed, and the door shut.
  • Jiang Yingcheng and Jiang Qiuyu ran around in terror as Xi Youshan spoke in a chilling voice, and Jiang Yingcheng cried for Mother Consort.

Ch. 74The little princess hadn't opened her mouth, but she spoke!

Kan Hongxi brought Kan Rongxuan and Xi Youshan to apologize for frightening the children, but Jiang Yingcheng’s inner voice revealed Xi Youshan’s family would face a terrible fate. Xi Youshan collapsed after realizing the little princess knew about her family’s future and was arguing with her System Bro over a gossip fee.

  • Kan Hongxi confronted Kan Rongxuan and Xi Youshan for scaring the children with a knife and sent them to apologize.
  • Jiang Yingcheng silently blamed her System Bro for abandoning her during the scare while Jiang Tinghuai held her.
  • Xi Youshan began apologizing, but Jiang Yingcheng’s inner voice praised her name and revealed that her ending would be awful.
  • Jiang Yingcheng’s thoughts described the Xi Family’s confiscated property, exile, and deaths, prompting Xi Youshan to realize everyone could hear the princess’s inner voice.
  • Jiang Yingcheng argued with System Bro about paying Merit Points for gossip, and Xi Youshan collapsed onto the floor.

Ch. 75Even if I Took Ten Thousand Steps Back, Couldn't It Have Been My Crown Prince Brother's Fault?!

Jiang Yingcheng uncovered that Xi Youshan's uncle had been drawn into a rebellion-funding scam and imagined a plan for the Xi household to infiltrate and expose the plot. Xi Youshan went with Jiang Tinghuai and the others to report the matter to the emperor, while Jiang Yingcheng suddenly remembered she had misplaced her large sucker.

  • Xi Youshan pretended to be upset, and Jiang Yingcheng blamed Jiang Tinghuai for not protecting her quickly enough.
  • Jiang Yingcheng checked her points history, found that System Bro had spent her points on sunflower seeds, and received information about Xi Youshan's uncle.
  • Jiang Yingcheng learned that Xi Youshan's uncle had joined a scheme run by a Guangfu Kingdom prince seeking to restore his kingdom by raising money for troops and horses.
  • Jiang Yingcheng thought the Xi household could pretend to join the rebels before exposing them, and Xi Youshan resolved to report the plot to His Majesty.
  • Jiang Tinghuai and the others left for the imperial palace with Xi Youshan, and Jiang Yingcheng realized her large sucker was missing.
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