Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian survived Ji Feihua’s questioning and gained his protection over the Bright Moon Palace fire and Lady Wen’s suicide note. When Emperor Long Yelin suddenly suffered severe abdominal pain and the Imperial Physicians could not help, he summoned Hu Xiaotian to save him.

• Hu Xiaotian seized a guard and drew his saber when Ji Feihua appeared, but Ji reassured him before questioning him about Lady Wen’s suicide note.
• Ji Feihua suggested the note might have been meant to absolve Hu Xiaotian, then promised to protect him from anyone who tried to harm him.
• Hu Xiaotian decided to turn against Quan Dean and side with Ji Feihua, who had shown a willingness to protect him.
• Two eunuchs told Ji Feihua that Emperor Long Yelin was suffering unbearable abdominal pain and had summoned Hu Xiaotian.
• The Imperial Physicians and Li Yifeng were unable to resolve Long Yelin’s worsening condition, while the trusted experts from Heavenly Mystery Hall were away.

Hu Xiaotian examined Long Yelin after the emperor summoned him in severe abdominal pain and diagnosed acute appendicitis. He told Ji Feihua that the illness lay in Long Yelin’s appendix, leaving the dangerous question of treatment unresolved.

• Ji Feihua brought Hu Xiaotian to Xuanwei Palace, where Long Yelin was writhing in pain and asking for him.
• Empress Jian grew suspicious of Hu Xiaotian and objected when Ji Feihua asked her to leave the bedside.
• Ji Feihua gave Hu Xiaotian permission to examine Long Yelin.
• Hu Xiaotian found pain at McBurney’s point and diagnosed probable acute appendicitis, but hesitated to propose surgery on the emperor.
• Hu Xiaotian told Ji Feihua that Long Yelin’s illness lay in his appendix.

Hu Xiaotian persuaded Long Yelin to let him operate for the mysterious worm causing his abdominal pain, despite Empress Jian’s efforts to stop him. Ji Feihua vouched for Hu Xiaotian, and the emperor sent Empress Jian away before asking Hu Xiaotian to treat him.

• Empress Jian hesitated to authorize Hu Xiaotian’s proposed treatment while Long Yelin’s pain worsened and he repeatedly called for Ji Feihua.
• Empress Jian revealed that she had summoned Long Tingsheng, angering Long Yelin, who refused to see his son and called for Hu Xiaotian instead.
• Ji Feihua stopped Hu Xiaotian from approaching until he confirmed he was confident in treating the emperor, then let him go to the bedside.
• Hu Xiaotian explained that he needed to cut open Long Yelin’s body to remove a bloodsucking worm, while Empress Jian accused him of plotting murder and ordered the guards to seize him.
• Ji Feihua vowed to stake his life on Hu Xiaotian’s treatment, and Long Yelin ordered Empress Jian out before begging Hu Xiaotian to begin.

Hu Xiaotian performed an appendectomy on Long Yelin after Ji Feihua put the emperor to sleep, and the operation succeeded. Long Yelin awoke afterward and asked if he was still alive.

• Hu Xiaotian prepared Xuanwei Palace as an operating room and had Ji Feihua press Long Yelin's sleep acupoint when the anesthetic failed to ease his pain.
• Hu Xiaotian and Li Yifeng operated on Long Yelin, removed his inflamed appendix, and closed the incision.
• Ji Feihua and the palace staff watched Hu Xiaotian work and recognized his medical skill.
• Empress Jian entered after the operation, saw the removed appendix, and retched.
• Hu Xiaotian explained that Long Yelin could eat only after passing gas, which he called a "dragon fart."
• Ji Feihua released Long Yelin's acupoint, and the emperor woke and asked if he was still alive.

Hu Xiaotian’s surgery eased Long Yelin’s illness, but Ji Feihua gave the emperor a pill after warning him that his sons might want him dead. Outside Xuanwei Palace, Hu Xiaotian arranged for surgical instruments and met the princes, while Empress Jian complained about him to Long Tingsheng.

• Long Yelin confirmed that the worm had been removed, then allowed Long Tingsheng and Long Tingzhen to visit before ordering everyone out so he could speak with Ji Feihua.
• Ji Feihua gave Long Yelin a Red Pill from a Black Porcelain Bottle after telling him that the princes might wish him dead.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Li Yifeng to help make a set of Surgical Instruments, and Li Yifeng agreed to take the designs to the Heavenly Crafts Workshop.
• Long Tingzhen ignored Hu Xiaotian, while Long Tingsheng thanked him for treating their father and promised to seek a reward for him.
• Empress Jian summoned Long Tingsheng and complained that Hu Xiaotian had insulted her before Long Yelin.

After Hu Xiaotian saved Long Yelin by removing a bloodsucking worm, court factions gathered around the emperor, with Quan Dean offering Hu help while Wen Chenghuan accused him of wrongdoing. The chapter ended with Wen Chenghuan demanding justice for his daughter and the Bright Moon Palace fire as Long Yelin questioned whether the accusations had been investigated.

• Long Tingsheng defended Hu Xiaotian’s medical skill, while Empress Jian warned that Hu was ambitious and untrustworthy.
• Quan Dean questioned Hu Xiaotian about the emperor’s surgery and the destroyed worm, then offered to clear him of the Bright Moon Palace affair while warning that Wen Chenghuan wanted someone to bear responsibility.
• Ji Feihua told Hu Xiaotian to stay and attend Long Yelin, and Zhou Ruiyuan noticed their exchange before entering Xuanwei Palace with Wen Chenghuan and Quan Dean.
• Long Yelin told the ministers that Hu Xiaotian had removed the worm and relieved his pain, but Wen Chenghuan condemned the surgery and accused Hu of being connected to the palace fire and forging a final letter.
• Wen Chenghuan pleaded with Long Yelin to punish Hu Xiaotian for Ya’er’s death, while Zhou Ruiyuan doubted Wen’s one-sided account.

After Hu Xiaotian saved Emperor Long Yelin, Quan Dean advised the emperor to spare him for now and use Ji Feihua’s protection of him against Ji Feihua. The chapter ended with Princess Qiqi confronting Hu Xiaotian over the deaths and fire at Bright Moon Palace.

• Long Yelin dismissed Wen Chenghuan and Zhou Ruiyuan, then discussed Hu Xiaotian’s fate with Quan Dean.
• Quan Dean warned Long Yelin that punishing Hu Xiaotian after he saved the emperor could make the emperor seem ungrateful, and proposed turning Ji Feihua’s protection of Hu Xiaotian against him.
• Wen Chenghuan questioned Zhou Ruiyuan about his silence and criticized Hu Buwei, but Zhou Ruiyuan defended Hu Buwei’s usefulness before leaving.
• Long Yelin asked Quan Dean which prince was more suitable to become Crown Prince and complained that the Empress had summoned Long Tingsheng during his illness.
• Princess Qiqi returned to Xuanwei Palace and accused Hu Xiaotian of killing people at Bright Moon Palace and setting the fire that killed Wen Ya and six attendants.

Qiqi confronted Hu Xiaotian over rumors that he had killed Wen Ya and burned Bright Moon Palace, but he denied the accusations and let her punch him after teasing her. At Xuanwei Palace, Hu Xiaotian celebrated Long Yelin’s recovery with extravagant flattery after the emperor passed gas, and Long Yelin began to promise him a reward before interrupting himself with another fart.

• Qiqi accused Hu Xiaotian of killing Wei Hualin, Wen Ya, and others, and he denied responsibility for the Bright Moon Palace fire.
• Qiqi attacked Hu Xiaotian, but he evaded her moves and restrained her before releasing her when she agreed not to attack again.
• Hu Xiaotian falsely claimed he had raped and killed Wen Ya and the palace servants, so Qiqi punched him twice after pointing out that he was a eunuch.
• Long Yelin woke feeling better and passed gas, prompting Hu Xiaotian to declare the surgery a success and lavishly praise the emperor’s “dragon qi.”
• Long Yelin said he was hungry and promised Hu Xiaotian a handsome reward, but he paused to pass gas again, and Little Zhengzi repeated Hu Xiaotian’s flattery.

Hu Xiaotian learned that Zhai Guangmu had framed him in the Bright Moon Palace affair, while Ji Feihua confronted Wen Chenghuan with evidence about Lady Wen and warned him against plotting against the emperor. The chapter ended with Zijuan delivering a painting from Princess Anping to the Wen residence.

• Hu Xiaotian learned from Murong Zhan that Zhai Guangmu had confessed to framing him and that another expert had cleared him of forging Lady Wen's final letter.
• Ji Feihua showed Wen Chenghuan a portrait and other evidence suggesting that Lady Wen's identity concealed a secret, then warned him against harming the emperor or continuing the affair.
• Wen Chenghuan told Ji Feihua that he would fight anyone who betrayed the emperor, and Ji Feihua left after noting that they shared an aim but differed in their methods.
• Zijuan arrived at the Wen residence on Princess Anping's orders and returned a painting Lady Wen had once given the princess.

Wen Chenghuan learned that Wen Boyuan’s painting for Long Xiyue could be used to threaten the Wen family, and he agreed to let Hu Xiaotian go. Hu Xiaotian returned safely to the Palace Gardens Bureau and began celebrating, but Zhang Fuquan’s arrival left him suspicious.

• Zijuan showed Wen Chenghuan the painting and warned that Princess Anping could expose the original if he continued pursuing Hu Xiaotian.
• Wen Chenghuan confronted Wen Boyuan, who admitted sending Long Xiyue a painting and identified the one she returned as a forgery.
• Wen Boyuan blamed Hu Xiaotian for Long Xiyue’s intervention and vowed to kill him.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to the Palace Gardens Bureau, where Shi Xuedong and the other young eunuchs welcomed him and prepared a celebration.
• Hu Xiaotian recalled his encounter with Wen Ya while bathing, then joined Shi Xuedong, Xiao Zhuozi, and Xiao Dengzi for wine and food.
• Zhang Fuquan arrived to congratulate Hu Xiaotian, who suspected him of setting another trap.

Hu Xiaotian spoke with Zhang Fuquan about the Bright Moon Palace fire and became more wary of the competing agendas within the palace. He later met Qin Yutong at the Imperial Medical Academy, where they discussed Princess Anping and his recent troubles.

• Zhang Fuquan joined Hu Xiaotian for wine and insisted that his invitations to the Directorate of Imperial Cuisine and his visit that day had both been his own decisions.
• Hu Xiaotian reflected that Quan Dean had treated him as a pawn while Ji Feihua had helped him, and he wondered what Zhang Fuquan was trying to imply.
• Xiao Zhuozi told Hu Xiaotian that Li Yuncong had sent a reminder to return the Great Kang Annals, signaling that they should meet.
• Xiao Dengzi told Hu Xiaotian that Qin Yutong had returned and wanted to consult him, so Hu Xiaotian went to the Imperial Medical Academy.
• Qin Yutong explained that she had prepared medicines for Princess Anping’s journey to Great Yong, and Hu Xiaotian asked her to support the princess and help cheer her up.

Hu Xiaotian traded knowledge of the emperor’s surgery to Qin Yutong for human-skin masks and disguise lessons that could help him escape with Long Xiyue. On his way back, he encountered Left Chancellor Zhou Ruiyuan, whose family had once broken off an engagement with him, and wondered bitterly at Zhou’s concern.

• Qin Yutong told Hu Xiaotian that Princess Anping had sent Zijuan to the Grand Tutor’s Residence with Wen Ya’s painting to intervene in his affair, and she warned him not to risk Long Xiyue’s life without a reliable plan.
• Hu Xiaotian explained the emperor’s appendicitis and surgery to Qin Yutong in exchange for two human-skin masks and lessons in disguise, while promising to draw anatomical diagrams for her.
• Qin Yutong gave Hu Xiaotian a list of medicinal ingredients to collect from the Palace Gardens Bureau’s storehouse.
• Hu Xiaotian left the Imperial Medical Academy pleased that Qin Yutong’s help could support his escape with Long Xiyue, then nearly collided with Left Chancellor Zhou Ruiyuan.
• Zhou Ruiyuan urged Hu Xiaotian to call him Uncle, but Hu Xiaotian silently resented Zhou’s past role in his family’s downfall.

Zhou Ruiyuan visited Qin Yutong at the Imperial Medical Academy, but she rejected his attempt to revisit their painful past. Back at the Palace Gardens Bureau, Hu Xiaotian received a visit from Yin Zheng, who offered to share information from the emperor’s side, though Hu remained wary.

• Zhou Ruiyuan spoke with Hu Xiaotian and wondered whether the rumors about Hu Xiaotian’s former foolishness had been deliberately spread by Hu Buwei.
• Zhou Ruiyuan visited Qin Yutong, claimed his illness was in his heart, and asked why she would not forgive him over her mother’s death.
• Qin Yutong told Zhou Ruiyuan to forget the past and left him alone in the consulting room.
• Yin Zheng visited Hu Xiaotian, praised him, and asked whether the emperor’s stitches could be replaced with gold thread; Hu explained that he would remove them after the incision healed.
• Yin Zheng offered to inform Hu Xiaotian about benefits and anyone speaking ill of him near the emperor, but Hu Xiaotian said servants should focus on serving His Majesty and remained suspicious.

Hu Xiaotian recruited Yin Zheng as an informant and learned that Wen Chenghuan had tried to blame him and his father for the Bright Moon Palace fire. Later, Li Yuncong accused Hu Xiaotian of stealing the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram and trapped him beneath the Library Pavilion, leaving Hu Xiaotian to insist the drawing was only his own anatomical diagram.

• Hu Xiaotian accepted Yin Zheng's pledge of loyalty and gave him a jadeite thumb ring in return for information.
• Yin Zheng told Hu Xiaotian that Wen Chenghuan had tried to pin the Bright Moon Palace fire on him and had also brought up his father, while Zhou Ruiyuan had said nothing.
• Hu Xiaotian went through the secret passage to meet Li Yuncong beneath the Library Pavilion.
• Li Yuncong used an invisible force and the Literary Sage Statue to pin Hu Xiaotian, then demanded to know whether he had the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram and what his connection was to Gong Wuxin.
• Li Yuncong showed Hu Xiaotian his anatomical drawing and accused him of stealing the Library Pavilion's missing diagram, but Hu Xiaotian denied knowing anything about it.

Hu Xiaotian convinced Li Yuncong of his anatomical expertise, then used their conversation about the Bright Moon Palace attack to probe Li’s connection to Hong Beimo. The chapter left Li Yuncong asking why Hu suspected Wen Ya was Sumeru Heaven, revealing that the suspicion had originated with Li himself.

• Hu Xiaotian drew a detailed anatomical diagram, persuading Li Yuncong that his claims about the Heavenly Man Myriad Images Diagram were true.
• Li Yuncong offered to teach Hu Xiaotian martial arts in exchange for hearing what he knew about Bright Moon Palace, and Hu said Wen Ya might not be dead.
• Hu recounted Ji Feihua’s treatment of Wen Ya and the ambush by Xie Long, while Li denied knowing about the assassination attempt and claimed little connection to Hong Beimo.
• Hu brought up Baobao’s poisoning with Seven-Snake Life-Taking Powder, prompting Li Yuncong to suggest that Wen Ya might be Sumeru Heaven.
• Hu outlined why Wen Ya, Li Yuncong, and others could have been behind the attack, then asked whether Wen Ya might have staged it herself.
• Li Yuncong asked why Hu suspected Wen Ya was Sumeru Heaven, exposing that the theory had come from Li rather than Hu.

Hu Xiaotian learned that Wen Ya might be Sumeru Heaven, who had used the Demon-Seeding Great Art to preserve her consciousness in a younger host, and he struggled with the danger this posed. He kept a low profile in the palace and then arrived at Xuanwei Palace to remove the emperor’s stitches.

• Hu Xiaotian told Li Yuncong about Le Yao, Wen Ya, and the Breath-Severing Pill, leading Li Yuncong to explain the Demon-Seeding Great Art and suggest that Sumeru Heaven had implanted a demon embryo in Wen Ya.
• Hu Xiaotian worried that Sumeru Heaven might return and seek revenge, then left Li Yuncong without revealing everything about himself.
• At a fork in the secret passage, Hu Xiaotian considered fleeing the palace but chose to stay because of Long Xiyue’s kindness, and he returned to the Wine Cellar instead of visiting her that night.
• Hu Xiaotian kept a low profile, practiced the Formless Divine Skill, and received word from Lin Wan that Baobao was recovering and that she would arrange a meeting later.
• Hu Xiaotian went to Xuanwei Palace to remove Long Yelin’s stitches, where he found Empress Jian, Long Tingsheng, and Long Tingzhen keeping the emperor company.

Hu Xiaotian navigated the emperor’s court after healing Long Yelin, while Qiqi tried to have him assigned to her palace. Long Yelin instead sent Hu Xiaotian to Purple Orchid Palace to assist Princess Anping with her upcoming wedding.

• Hu Xiaotian removed Long Yelin’s stitches, and the emperor praised his skill in front of Long Tingsheng and Long Tingzhen, deepening Long Tingzhen’s resentment.
• Hu Xiaotian reassured Empress Jian after she apologized for doubting him, but Qiqi arrived and prompted her to leave.
• Qiqi embarrassed Long Tingsheng and Long Tingzhen by asking which brother would become crown prince, and both princes departed.
• Qiqi reminded Long Yelin that Hu Xiaotian had saved her and Eunuch Quan, then proposed making him chief steward at the Palace of Gathered Elegance.
• Long Yelin rejected Qiqi’s proposal and assigned Hu Xiaotian to Purple Orchid Palace to help Princess Anping prepare for her wedding.

Hu Xiaotian escorted Qiqi to the Palace Gardens Bureau, where she revealed she knew about his secret passages and demanded to explore them. They emerged at the Jade Pool, but Hu Xiaotian could not tell her whether an underwater exit led outside.

• Qiqi insisted on accompanying Hu Xiaotian, feigned an ankle injury, and made him carry her to the Palace Gardens Bureau.
• Qiqi told Hu Xiaotian she wanted to help him escape the Imperial City because he had saved her life, but he denied wanting to leave.
• Qiqi showed Hu Xiaotian the map of the Wine Cellar’s secret passages that she had obtained from Quan Dean and threatened him against harming her.
• Hu Xiaotian led Qiqi into the passages, and she chose the far-left route toward the Jade Pool.
• At the end of the passage, Qiqi asked whether an underwater opening led outside, and Hu Xiaotian said he had never gone out that way.

Hu Xiaotian followed Qiqi into the freezing pool and discovered that his internal power could protect him from the cold, then escorted her out of the Palace Gardens Bureau. He later met Baobao among the ruins of Bright Moon Palace and learned that Lin Wan had treated her much better than before.

• Qiqi entered the pool in special cold-resistant gear while Hu Xiaotian searched her robe and found that she had bluffed about carrying Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles.
• After Qiqi stayed underwater for an hour, Hu Xiaotian jumped in to find her and discovered that his Formless Divine Skill warmed his body as he swam after her.
• Qiqi accused Hu Xiaotian of lying about being unable to swim, but he claimed he had jumped in because he feared for her safety.
• Hu Xiaotian escorted Qiqi out and warned her to visit the Palace Gardens Bureau less often, while she threatened him not to tell Eunuch Quan about the secret passages.
• Hu Xiaotian stopped at the ruins of Bright Moon Palace and wondered whether Wen Ya had been Sumeru Heaven before Baobao appeared.
• Baobao told Hu Xiaotian that Lin Wan had not made things difficult for her and that her attitude toward her had suddenly improved.

Hu Xiaotian learned he would serve Princess Anping at Purple Orchid Palace, while Wen Chenghuan and Wen Boyuan discussed how to oppose Ji Feihua and the growing power of the Heavenly Secrets Bureau. The chapter left Hu Xiaotian considering whether he might be appointed to escort Anping to Great Yong, and the Wens weighing their next move.

• Baobao told Hu Xiaotian she had decided to remain at Lingyu Hall, and he told her he had been assigned to serve Princess Anping at Purple Orchid Palace.
• He Mu told Hu Xiaotian that he might be chosen to escort Princess Anping to Great Yong, prompting Hu Xiaotian to consider whether he could use the trip to rescue her.
• Wen Chenghuan accused Hu Xiaotian and Ji Feihua of involvement in the Bright Moon Palace tragedy, while Quan Dean urged him to let the matter rest.
• Wen Chenghuan told Wen Boyuan that Quan Dean intended to use their family as pawns against Ji Feihua.
• Wen Boyuan argued that the Divine Strategy Office could surpass the weakened Heavenly Secrets Bureau, but Wen Chenghuan warned him not to underestimate its legacy and renewed strength.