Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian treated Baobao’s serious wounds in the wine cellar and searched Wang Desheng’s body, finding a map. When Baobao woke and caught Hu Xiaotian searching her, she attacked him.

• Hu Xiaotian forced Baobao to swallow a harmless pill and threatened her with a fabricated slow-acting poison.
• Hu Xiaotian treated Baobao’s shoulder and abdominal wounds with Golden Wound-Healing Medicine and Black Jade Flesh-Regenerating Paste.
• Baobao passed out from the pain, and Hu Xiaotian found a hand-drawn map on Wang Desheng’s corpse.
• Hu Xiaotian searched Baobao and removed the short sword strapped to her thigh.
• Baobao woke, kicked at Hu Xiaotian, then launched herself at him with both feet and fists.

Hu Xiaotian discovered a secret underground route from the wine cellar to the Jade Pool and accidentally overheard Baobao and Lin Wan discussing their search for hidden passages in the palace. The chapter ended with him concealed among the lotuses as he learned that the two women had been searching on their godfather’s orders.

• Hu Xiaotian defeated Baobao, kept her short sword, and sent her back to Lingyu Hall with Xiao Zhuozi and Xiao Dengzi.
• Hu Xiaotian hid Wang Desheng’s body in a barrel, studied the map he had found, and uncovered a secret passage beneath a wine barrel.
• Hu Xiaotian followed the underground route to a submerged opening and swam through it into the Jade Pool.
• Hu Xiaotian hid among the withered lotuses when an Orchid Boat approached and saw Baobao with Lin Wan.
• Baobao told Lin Wan they had made no progress after two months searching for the palace’s secret passages on their godfather’s orders.

Hu Xiaotian uncovered Baobao and Lin Wan’s search for the underground passage, then was sent to Xinning Palace with fruit on suspicious orders. There, Princess Qiqi had him seized and bound, and she confronted him over how he used to threaten her.

• Hu Xiaotian overheard Baobao ask Lin Wan about the emperor and learned that Baobao suspected he knew the location of a secret passage.
• Hu Xiaotian buried Wang Desheng in the underground cavern and restored the wine cellar before leaving.
• Shi Xuedong told Hu Xiaotian that Xinning Palace had requested fruit delivered by him, and Liu Yuzhang ordered him to take it there.
• A palace maid led Hu Xiaotian into Xinning Palace, where Qiqi’s young eunuchs seized and bound him.
• Qiqi revealed herself as the princess and taunted Hu Xiaotian about his former threats.

Qiqi tormented Hu Xiaotian while he was tied upside down in her residence, but after she left, he broke free and mistook Princess Anping for Qiqi when she entered. He hid with Princess Anping in a loft as Qiqi searched for him, and the chapter ended with Qiqi leaving the room to look for her aunt.

• Qiqi taunted Hu Xiaotian and threatened him with another poisoned needle until he finally opened his eyes and argued with her.
• After the Empress summoned Qiqi, Hu Xiaotian broke his rope, drank tea, and hid when he heard footsteps approaching.
• Hu Xiaotian mistook Princess Anping for Qiqi, seized her, and then led her into a study loft to hide from Qiqi.
• Qiqi found the broken rope and searched for Hu Xiaotian, while Princess Anping stayed silent and listened from the loft.
• Qiqi left with her attendants to look for her aunt, leaving Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping hidden together.

Hu Xiaotian escaped Qiqi with Princess Anping’s help, then returned to the Palace Gardens Bureau, where he confronted Wang Decai over his missing younger brother. He struck Wang Decai after he insulted Hu Buwei, and Wang Decai left vowing to remember him.

• Princess Anping escorted Hu Xiaotian away from the Palace of Gathered Elegance, but Qiqi soon spotted him and chased after him.
• Princess Anping learned that the eunuch Qiqi was looking for was Hu Xiaotian and reacted with astonishment at his name.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to the Palace Gardens Bureau and arranged for the injured Liu Yuzhang to be moved carefully after he broke his ankle.
• Wang Decai came looking for his younger brother, Wang Desheng, and Hu Xiaotian concealed that he had killed him and hidden his body in an underground tunnel.
• Wang Decai insulted Hu Buwei, so Hu Xiaotian punched him and had the Palace Gardens Bureau eunuchs back his account before Wang Decai left in anger.

Hu Xiaotian learned that Wei Hualin would replace the injured Liu Yuzhang as seal-bearing eunuch at the Palace Gardens Bureau, threatening his position and freedom to leave the palace. He told Quan Dean that he had killed Wang Desheng and discovered a secret passage, then left with Bone-Dissolving Water and an order to map the passage before Wei Hualin arrived.

• Hu Xiaotian reassured Liu Yuzhang, who had broken his leg, and agreed to send for Wang Desheng.
• Quan Dean told Hu Xiaotian that Wei Hualin would replace Liu Yuzhang and warned that Hu Xiaotian might lose his duties.
• Hu Xiaotian told Quan Dean that he had accidentally killed Wang Desheng and found a man-made secret passage beneath the wine cellar, while hiding where it led.
• Quan Dean ordered Hu Xiaotian to find the passage's exit and draw a map before Wei Hualin took office.
• Quan Dean gave Hu Xiaotian Bone-Dissolving Water to dispose of Wang Desheng's corpse and promised to find him another post if Wei Hualin targeted him.

Hu Xiaotian learned that Liu Yuzhang was leaving the Palace Gardens Bureau and that Wei Hualin would take over, then secretly brought Qiqi into the wine cellar. Qiqi smelled blood there just as footsteps approached from above, leaving Hu Xiaotian unsure who had entered.

• Hu Xiaotian visited Liu Yuzhang, who confirmed he would leave the palace to recuperate and warned that Wei Hualin would replace him.
• Liu Yuzhang asked Hu Xiaotian to keep searching for the missing Wang Desheng.
• Shi Xuedong worried that Wei Hualin would end Hu Xiaotian's influence, while Hu Xiaotian went to the wine cellar on Quan Dean's instructions.
• Qiqi disguised as a young eunuch found Hu Xiaotian and dragged him into the wine cellar to discuss transferring him to her quarters.
• Qiqi went down to the cellar, noticed a smell of blood, and heard footsteps as she and Hu Xiaotian tried to leave.

Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi killed Wei Hualin and his attendant after Wei attacked them in the wine cellar. They returned to the cellar to hide the bodies, but Qiqi warned Hu Xiaotian that the Directorate of Internal Affairs would hold him responsible, leaving him trapped in a dangerous situation.

• Wei Hualin confronted Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi in the wine cellar and drew his sword to kill them.
• Qiqi fired the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles at Wei Hualin, and Hu Xiaotian crushed the attendant’s throat before he could draw his saber.
• When the wounded Wei Hualin rose again, Hu Xiaotian snapped his neck, and Qiqi emptied the rest of the needles into him.
• Hu Xiaotian checked with Shi Xuedong and learned Wei Hualin had brought only one attendant, then ordered Shi to keep watch and stay silent.
• Hu Xiaotian proposed that Qiqi claim she had killed Wei in self-defense, but she pointed out that the Directorate of Internal Affairs would target Hu Xiaotian instead.

Hu Xiaotian and Qiqi dissolved Wei Hualin and his attendant’s bodies, and Hu Xiaotian later destroyed the remaining evidence and Wang Desheng’s body. As Liu Yuzhang prepared to leave the palace, Ji Feihua arrived and announced he was looking for someone.

• Qiqi urged Hu Xiaotian to let her help conceal the deaths, and Hu dissolved Wei Hualin and his attendant in wine barrels with Bone-Dissolving Water.
• Hu Xiaotian warned Shi Xuedong to deny seeing Wei Hualin, and Shi and Xiao Zhuozi later repeated that they had not seen him.
• Hu Xiaotian dissolved Wang Desheng’s body, burned the three dead men’s clothes, and buried their belongings and weapons.
• Unable to sleep, Hu Xiaotian visited Liu Yuzhang and spoke with him about his departure and the dangers of palace life.
• Ji Feihua arrived with a group of Directorate of Internal Affairs eunuchs, and Liu Yuzhang challenged him about coming to drive him out.
• Ji Feihua said he had come to visit Liu Yuzhang and to look for someone.

Ji Feihua searched the Palace Gardens Bureau for the missing Wei Hualin, whom Hu Xiaotian had secretly killed and dissolved. As the search reached the Wine Cellar, Quan Dean arrived, forcing Ji Feihua to halt and leaving Hu Xiaotian hopeful that he would intervene.

• Ji Feihua confronted Liu Yuzhang about Wei Hualin’s disappearance and demanded permission to search the Palace Gardens Bureau.
• Hu Xiaotian shielded Liu Yuzhang from Ji Feihua’s men, while the young eunuchs stayed silent about seeing Wei Hualin.
• Liu Yuzhang allowed Ji Feihua’s men to search, and Li Yan divided them into groups that eventually reached the Wine Cellar.
• Hu Xiaotian worried that Qiqi’s Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles might have left evidence in the Wine Cellar.
• Quan Dean arrived, and Ji Feihua went out to greet him respectfully before Quan Dean entered to visit Liu Yuzhang.

Quan Dean backed Liu Yuzhang when Ji Feihua came to search the Palace Gardens Bureau for the missing Wei Hualin, and the search exposed the growing rift between the two powerful eunuchs. Ji Feihua departed after a martial display that showed he had surpassed his former mentor, while Quan Dean told Hu Xiaotian to care for Liu Yuzhang and promised to handle the bureau’s affairs.

• Ji Feihua told Liu Yuzhang and Quan Dean that Wei Hualin had vanished and was due to take over Liu Yuzhang’s post, while Liu denied hiding him and demanded a full search.
• Quan Dean backed Hu Xiaotian as he led Ji Feihua’s party through the storeroom and Wine Cellar, then shattered a barrel containing Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles before the evidence could be found.
• Ji Feihua used his own powerful technique to burst the remaining wine barrels, revealing strength that stunned Hu Xiaotian and rivaled Quan Dean’s.
• Ji Feihua ended the search and warned Hu Xiaotian that he would remember him before leaving the Wine Cellar.
• Hu Xiaotian realized Ji Feihua had grown stronger than the aging, crippled Quan Dean, who told him to look after Liu Yuzhang and said he would handle the Palace Gardens Bureau’s affairs.

Hu Xiaotian consolidated his authority in the Palace Gardens Bureau and secretly traveled to Camel Street to meet Murong Feiyan and Zhan Peng. He learned that his parents were safe but worried about him, while Zhan Peng concealed the depth of their grief.

• Liu Yuzhang remained Seal-Holding Eunuch, and Hu Xiaotian took charge of the bureau’s duties and reassigned its staff.
• Hu Xiaotian agreed to take Shi Xuedong on a purchasing trip, then sent him and two eunuchs to the market while he went to meet Murong Feiyan and Zhan Peng.
• Gao Yuan drove Hu Xiaotian to Three Happiness Tavern, where Murong Feiyan and Zhan Peng waited for him.
• Zhan Peng told Hu Xiaotian that his parents were living in Water Well Alley and were in good health, and said he had reassured them about Hu Xiaotian’s safety.
• Zhan Peng kept quiet about Xu Fengyi’s sobbing and Hu Buwei’s grief over their son entering the palace.

Hu Xiaotian reunited with Murong Feiyan, then asked Gao Yuan to care for his parents while he remained in the palace. On the way, Gao Yuan tried to save a mistreated young horse, and Hu Xiaotian offered to buy it as the dealer demanded forty taels.

• Murong Feiyan warned Hu Xiaotian not to visit Lord Hu and the others under surveillance, and she and Zhan Peng described their training in the Divine Strategy Office.
• Zhan Peng left Hu Xiaotian and Murong Feiyan alone, and the two shared an affectionate farewell before Hu Xiaotian departed.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Gao Yuan to look after his parents in Water Well Alley, and Gao Yuan agreed.
• Gao Yuan stopped at the horse market to object to a dealer whipping a young horse, and Hu Xiaotian offered the dealer twenty taels to sell it.
• The dealer recognized Hu Xiaotian as a low-ranking palace eunuch and raised the horse's price to forty taels.

Hu Xiaotian defended Gao Yuan’s claim to a little horse, then fled when Tang Tiehan recognized him and pursued him with four men. Tang Tiehan demanded that Hu Xiaotian crawl between his legs, but Hu Xiaotian ended by reminding him that he had not been castrated when the old incident with Tang Tiehan’s sister occurred.

• The horse dealer broke his agreement with Hu Xiaotian and tried to sell the little horse to Tang Tiehan for eighty taels.
• Gao Yuan fought the dealer to protect the horse, and Hu Xiaotian struck the dealer with a kicked piece of brick when he raised his whip at Gao Yuan.
• Tang Tiehan recognized Hu Xiaotian and advanced on him, so Hu Xiaotian fled while Gao Yuan took the little horse back to his carriage.
• Tang Tiehan and his four men pursued Hu Xiaotian on horseback and surrounded him on an empty stretch of road.
• Tang Tiehan demanded that Hu Xiaotian crawl between his legs, and Hu Xiaotian asked whether Tang had ever asked his sister what he had done before adding that he had not been castrated then.

Hu Xiaotian escaped Tang Tiehan and Tang Tiecheng with help from Fan Zongxi, then returned to the Palace Gardens Bureau and discussed sending Fan a gift with Liu Yuzhang. He left planning to repay the Tang brothers and arrange wine for Fan, while lamenting the damaged Wine Cellar.

• Hu Xiaotian dodged Tang Tiehan’s attacks, kicked him into the mud, and escaped with Gao Yuan before Tang Tiecheng blocked their path.
• Fan Zongxi and Fu Gui arrived, and Fan struck Tang Tiehan for insulting him before ordering the Tang brothers to leave.
• Hu Xiaotian thanked Fan Zongxi, then returned with Gao Yuan to the vicinity of Jadeite Hall and reunited with Shi Xuedong and the others.
• Liu Yuzhang summoned Hu Xiaotian out of concern, heard his account of the clash, and offered to warn the Tang Family.
• Liu Yuzhang advised Hu Xiaotian to choose wine from the Wine Cellar as a gift for Fan Zongxi, and Hu Xiaotian complained about the cellar’s damaged stock.

Hu Xiaotian confronted Baobao in the Wine Cellar after she demanded wine and an explanation about Wang Desheng’s death. Their fight ended with Hu Xiaotian pinning and kissing her, and Baobao responded with a seductive challenge as he held a dagger to her throat.

• Baobao threatened to expose Hu Xiaotian unless he personally took her to fetch more bayberry wine, so he led her into the Wine Cellar.
• Baobao questioned Hu Xiaotian about Wang Desheng’s entry into the cellar and demanded the antidote to the poison he had claimed to give her.
• Hu Xiaotian revealed that he knew Baobao and Consort Lin were secretly like sisters, then warned her to stop interfering with him.
• Baobao attacked Hu Xiaotian with a dagger, but he overcame her and tore her clothing during their fight.
• Hu Xiaotian pinned Baobao and kissed her after she threatened to scream, then let her up when she promised to stay quiet.
• Baobao struck at Hu Xiaotian again, but he pinned her against the wall with his dagger at her throat as she called him a fake eunuch.

Hu Xiaotian threatened to kill Baobao after she discovered he was a false eunuch, but she persuaded him to consider an alliance by revealing her ties to the Heavenly Secrets Bureau and her search for a hidden palace treasure. She began explaining the palace’s political dangers and ended by identifying Ji Feihua as the emperor’s favored person.

• Hu Xiaotian held a dagger to Baobao and considered killing her to protect his secret, while Baobao warned that her disappearance would raise suspicion.
• Baobao offered to cooperate and revealed that she worked for the Heavenly Secrets Bureau, showed Hu Xiaotian its butterfly tattoo, and said she was investigating a treasure hidden beneath the palace.
• Baobao explained that her adoptive father, Mr. Hong, had sent her to find the treasure and described the empire’s unrest under Emperor Long Yelin.
• Hu Xiaotian lowered his dagger and asked Baobao to tell him what she knew, and she said the emperor kept away from the harem because of a secret.
• Baobao named Ji Feihua as the person the emperor favored most, and Hu Xiaotian recognized him as the superintendent of the Directorate of Internal Affairs.

Hu Xiaotian learned more about the power struggle between Quan Dean and Ji Feihua, then accompanied Fan Zongxi to the Red Mountain Racecourse. The chapter left him considering the risks of the internal power Quan Dean had transferred to him.

• Baobao told Hu Xiaotian that Ji Feihua had become powerful through His Majesty's favor, while Quan Dean was secretly building influence through the Divine Strategy Office.
• Baobao identified her adoptive father as the unseen Mr. Hong, and Hu Xiaotian agreed not to kill her and promised to show her the Wine Cellar's secret passage another time.
• After Baobao left, Shi Xuedong told Hu Xiaotian that one of his testicles had remained inside his body after castration.
• Hu Xiaotian brought wine and fruit to Fan Zongxi, who invited him to visit the Red Mountain Racecourse.
• Fan Zongxi told Hu Xiaotian that he had spoken to the Tang Family so its members would stop troubling him.
• While riding to the racecourse, Hu Xiaotian worried that Quan Dean's transferred internal power might eventually cause him qi deviation.

Fan Zongxi brought Hu Xiaotian to Red Mountain Racecourse, where the Third Prince, Long Tingzhen, was choosing a horse. Hu Xiaotian unexpectedly encountered Qiqi and Princess Anping in disguise, and the chapter ended with Princess Anping asking when he had transferred from the Palace Gardens Bureau.

• Fan Zongxi and Hu Xiaotian rode to Red Mountain Racecourse, where Fan Zongxi learned that Long Tingzhen had come to choose a horse.
• Fan Zongxi introduced himself to Long Tingzhen, who asked him to identify a fine horse and selected a bay Ferghana Horse for a speed test.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized Qiqi and Princess Anping disguised as eunuchs, and Qiqi caught him by the ear when he tried to ignore her.
• Princess Anping asked Qiqi to stop troubling Hu Xiaotian, then led them to watch Long Tingzhen test the horse.
• Qiqi spotted a black horse and ran to have it brought over, while Princess Anping asked Hu Xiaotian when he had transferred from the Palace Gardens Bureau.

Hu Xiaotian joined Princess Anping and Qiqi for a horse race at Red Mountain Racecourse, where he chose an odd gray horse that proved astonishingly fast when thunder struck. Qiqi’s horse bolted in the storm, and Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping saw her race away into the distance.

• Hu Xiaotian reassured Princess Anping that Long Yefang was unlikely to be harmed, and she admitted she feared for her imprisoned brother.
• Qiqi challenged Hu Xiaotian and Princess Anping to race to the southern mountain pass, and Hu Xiaotian chose a strange gray horse with long ears and a burned mane and tail.
• The race began, but Hu Xiaotian’s gray horse lagged behind until thunder startled it into a sudden, astonishing sprint.
• As a storm gathered, Princess Anping urged Qiqi to return, but lightning frightened Qiqi’s black horse and sent it galloping southwest with her clinging to its back.
• Hu Xiaotian caught up with Princess Anping, who pointed out that Qiqi had disappeared into the distance on her runaway horse.