Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian arranged to withdraw most of the Great Kang delegation and urged Long Xiyue to leave the Yong Capital after revealing that the false Princess Anping was Xi Yan, who planned to kill Xue Daoming and provoke war. He entered Qichen Palace to seek Xi Yan’s weakness and persuade her to abandon the plot, while the others prepared to protect Long Xiyue and leave Great Yong.

• Hu Xiaotian and Wu Jingshan agreed that Wu Jingshan would return to Great Kang with most of the delegation while Hu Xiaotian stayed with a small group.
• Hu Xiaotian told Long Xiyue that the false Princess Anping was not Zijuan and might kill Xue Daoming to incite war between Great Kang and Great Yong.
• Long Xiyue agreed to leave the Yong Capital for Hailing Commandery with Zhan Peng, though she worried about Hu Xiaotian and the danger of war.
• Xiao Tianmu, Zhou Mo, and Zhan Peng learned that the impostor was Xi Yan of the Five Immortals Cult and discussed stopping her without exposing Princess Anping’s absence.
• Xiao Tianmu ordered Hu Xiaotian to enter Qichen Palace, find Xi Yan’s weakness, and try to persuade her, while the delegation arranged its withdrawal.

Hu Xiaotian and Xiao Tianmu discussed the looming war between Great Yong and Great Kang as Xiao Tianmu prepared to return to the Kang Capital. In the Kang Capital, Empress Jian poisoned Long Yelin and demanded that he honor his promise to support Tingsheng, leaving the emperor with only two hours to live.

• Hu Xiaotian agreed to keep Xiong Tianba close, while Xiao Tianmu arranged for Gao Yuan to accompany the others to Hailing Commandery.
• Xiao Tianmu warned Hu Xiaotian that war between Great Yong and Great Kang was inevitable and said he would leave for the Kang Capital the next day.
• Empress Jian brought Long Yelin ginseng soup and confronted him about naming Tingsheng Crown Prince.
• Long Yelin declared that he would name Ting Zhen Crown Prince, struck Empress Jian, and threatened to depose her.
• Empress Jian revealed a medicine bottle and told the poisoned Long Yelin he had only two hours left to live.

Empress Jian and Ji Feihua forced Long Yelin to sign an edict naming Tingsheng Crown Prince and handing over authority, then Long Yelin went mad after taking the pills Empress Jian gave him. Ji Feihua moved against Wen Chenghuan, who learned of the upheaval at court while remaining committed to destroying Great Kang.

• Empress Jian pressured Long Yelin to name Tingsheng Crown Prince, while Ji Feihua presented an edict that would let Tingsheng conduct court affairs in the emperor’s place.
• Long Yelin tore up the first edict, but Ji Feihua revealed that the Imperial Jade Seal was fake and left a second edict for him to sign.
• Long Yelin signed the edict, and Empress Jian gave him pills that briefly eased his pain before he began hallucinating and screaming that he had gone mad.
• Ji Feihua ordered Xuanwei Palace sealed, while Empress Jian told He Mu to keep Long Yelin’s condition secret.
• Li Yan arrived with troops to search the Chengen Residence for Quan Dean, who was missing.
• Ji Feihua surrounded the Grand Tutor’s Residence and told Wen Chenghuan that Long Yelin had fallen gravely ill, lost his reason, and settled the Crown Prince succession by edict.

Ji Feihua secured Wen Chenghuan’s support for Long Tingsheng and arranged for him to help govern as regent ministers while Empress Jian sought Chancellor Zhou Ruiyuan’s backing. Meanwhile, Qiqi sheltered Quan Dean and criticized his failed attempt to steer Long Yelin’s succession plans.

• Ji Feihua pressured Wen Chenghuan to support the First Prince, Long Tingsheng, and Wen agreed that Quan Dean should be executed while the Third Prince’s fate went to the emperor.
• Ji Feihua proposed that Wen Chenghuan and Chancellor Zhou Ruiyuan assist the Crown Prince while Empress Jian oversaw government, and Wen agreed to preside over the next court audience.
• Empress Jian visited Zhou Ruiyuan and claimed Long Yelin had gone mad after naming Tingsheng Crown Prince; Zhou agreed to assist the Crown Prince and remain loyal to Great Kang.
• Empress Jian told Zhou that Wen Chenghuan was the other minister named to receive the emperor’s final charge, and Zhou warned her that Great Kang could not withstand overly harsh measures.
• Qiqi revealed that she had saved Quan Dean from Ji Feihua’s control and told him that his effort to oppose Ji Feihua and favor the Third Prince had been a mistake.

Qiqi enlisted Quan Dean to help oppose Ji Feihua, planning to gain control of the Imperial Guards’ nine commanders. Meanwhile, Hu Xiaotian told Tang Qingxuan that Long Xiyue was missing, but Tang refused to leave him and the delegation behind.

• Qiqi warned Quan Dean that Ji Feihua’s power threatened Great Kang and asked him to continue serving her; he pledged his loyalty.
• Qiqi said they would wait for Ji Feihua to grow complacent and focus on bringing the nine Imperial Guard commanders under control.
• Hu Xiaotian remembered Long Xiyue after she left for safety, then Tang Qingxuan confronted him about being kept from the princess.
• Hu Xiaotian tricked Tang Qingxuan into swearing secrecy and told her that Long Xiyue had gone missing when the ship sank on the Yong River, while Zijuan impersonated her.
• Tang Qingxuan fainted from grief, then refused to leave the Yong Capital, insisting that she would face danger alongside Hu Xiaotian and the delegation.

Hu Xiaotian arrived at Qichen Palace with Tang Qingxuan and Liang Yinghao, where Huo Shengnan directed him to meet Princess Anping. Alone with Xi Yan, he learned she resented him for not letting another woman take her place in the marriage, and she grabbed his ear in anger.

• Tang Qingxuan refused to leave Hu Xiaotian, threatening to reveal Princess Anping's secret if he forced her to go.
• Hu Xiaotian brought Tang Qingxuan and Liang Yinghao to Qichen Palace, while Zhou Mo and the others remained at the inn.
• Hu Xiaotian met Cao Xi outside the palace and learned Cao Xi had been transferred from his post there.
• Yang Xuan showed Hu Xiaotian's group to their quarters, and Huo Shengnan told him Princess Anping wanted to see him immediately.
• Hu Xiaotian met Xi Yan in the garden and warned her through Secret Voice Transmission that their actions were being watched.
• Xi Yan confronted Hu Xiaotian about refusing to let another woman take her place in the marriage, then seized him by the ear.

Xi Yan revealed that Hu Xiaotian’s needle wound had been poisoned and used the Sacred Spirit Soft Jade to draw out the poison, while Hu Xiaotian joked and complained his way through the treatment. The Prince of Yan visited Hu Xiaotian to seek treatment, and Hu tried to win his favor by pretending they shared a brotherly bond.

• Xi Yan asked Hu Xiaotian to show his wound, then used the Sacred Spirit Soft Jade to draw poison from his body and warned that she had let him live because he returned.
• Hu Xiaotian emptied the basin of blackened water and learned from Yang Xuan that the Prince of Yan had arrived.
• The Prince of Yan complained that Huo Shengnan had stopped his attendants outside and claimed his mother was investigating the delegation’s mistreatment.
• Hu Xiaotian and the Prince of Yan exchanged elaborate flattery as the prince sought his treatment and Hu prepared to ask a favor.
• Hu Xiaotian claimed the Prince of Yan resembled his late sworn elder brother and asked permission to call him elder brother.

Hu Xiaotian swore brotherhood with Xue Shengjing and promised to operate on him the next morning, then prepared to attend a banquet at the Eldest Princess’s residence. Before leaving Qichen Palace, he let Tang Qingxuan go to meet Princess Anping, though he remained wary of what might happen.

• Hu Xiaotian agreed to become Xue Shengjing’s sworn younger brother, and the two performed a public brotherhood ceremony at Qichen Palace.
• Xue Shengjing told Hu Xiaotian that following his treatment instructions had left him weak, and Hu Xiaotian scheduled the operation for the next morning.
• Hu Xiaotian told Huo Shengnan about his invitation to the Eldest Princess’s residence and offered her Double-Eyelid Surgery, but she declined.
• Hu Xiaotian prepared to leave with Liang Yinghao after Liang said he had discovered something.
• Tang Qingxuan chose to follow Zhao Xuan into the inner grounds after learning that Princess Anping wanted to see her, while Hu Xiaotian worried briefly before deciding Xi Yan could handle the situation.

Hu Xiaotian arranged for Liang Yinghao to investigate a possible escape route from Qichen Palace and sought anesthetics from Liu Yucheng before visiting the displaced blacksmiths on Purple Cloud Mountain. There, Zong Tang gave Xiong Tianba a pair of exceptionally heavy hammers that suited his strength.

• Liang Yinghao told Hu Xiaotian that Qichen Palace’s wide drains might contain another exit and agreed to investigate with Zhou Mo.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Liu Yucheng to provide anesthetics for two operations and learned that Liu Changsheng was recovering.
• Xiong Tianba arrived at the Divine Farmer Society with orders from his master to stay with Hu Xiaotian and escort him to Qichen Palace.
• Hu Xiaotian and Liu Yucheng visited the Blacksmith Shop, where Zong Tang explained that the Ministry of War was relocating the damaged workshop to the Ironworks.
• Zong Tang showed Xiong Tianba a pair of old iron hammers weighing three hundred and two hundred and ninety jin, and gave them to him after he lifted and swung them easily.

Xiong Tianba received a pair of great iron hammers from Zong Tang, while Hu Xiaotian discovered that chan fish bladders could be made into flexible surgical gloves and condoms. That evening, Hu Xiaotian reached the Eldest Princess's crowded residence for a banquet but realized he had no invitation card.

• Xiong Tianba gratefully accepted Zong Tang's iron hammers and promised to repay him with a mountain of iron someday.
• Hu Xiaotian and Liu Yucheng visited the recovering patients, then discussed the growing demand for double-eyelid surgery with Zong Tang and Xiong Tianba.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized the elasticity of a chan fish bladder and worked with Zong Tang to make flexible gloves and designs for condoms.
• Hu Xiaotian took several finished items and arranged for more to be made, planning to sell the thicker condoms to the Prince of Yan.
• Hu Xiaotian traveled with Xiong Tianba to the Eldest Princess's residence, where the crowded entrance and invitation checks left him worried he would be turned away.

Hu Xiaotian attended the Eldest Princess Xue Lingjun’s banquet, where he reunited with Li Chenzhou and Huo Shengnan. The gathering took a diplomatic turn when First Prince Xue Daohong arrived with Black Hu’s fourth prince, Wanyan Chixiong.

• Jian Ping welcomed Hu Xiaotian and escorted him into Xue Lingjun’s residence, where she told him to stay after the banquet to speak with the princess.
• Hu Xiaotian shared a table with Li Chenzhou and Jian Rongxin, exchanged polite conversation with them, and then watched Huo Shengnan join them.
• Xue Lingjun made a striking entrance, drawing the guests’ attention before an announcement summoned them to welcome Xue Daohong.
• Xue Daohong arrived beside Wanyan Chixiong, whom Huo Shengnan recognized as the fourth prince of the Black Hu.
• Hu Xiaotian doubted Li Chenzhou’s claim that he had not expected Wanyan Chixiong’s visit, since Li was a close supporter of Xue Daohong.

At Xue Lingjun’s banquet, Wanyan Chixiong’s crude behavior and Xue Daohong’s favoritism angered Huo Shengnan and Hu Xiaotian, though Hu Xiaotian answered Wanyan’s insult with a clever retort. The banquet continued with speeches about friendship between Great Yong and Black Hu, and Wanyan presented Xue Lingjun with a pure white camel.

• Xue Daohong introduced Wanyan Chixiong to Xue Lingjun, whose appearance captivated the Black Hu prince.
• Huo Shengnan objected to Wanyan Chixiong’s presence, but Xue Lingjun persuaded her to stay when she tried to leave.
• Xue Daohong introduced Hu Xiaotian as a eunuch, and Wanyan Chixiong mocked him before Hu Xiaotian turned the insult back on him.
• Wanyan Chixiong called the Central Plains people “southern barbarians,” uniting the guests against him, and Xue Daohong moved him to the head table.
• Xue Daohong toasted Wanyan Chixiong and friendship between the countries, while Huo Shengnan comforted the slighted Hu Xiaotian.
• Wanyan Chixiong toasted Great Yong and announced a gift for Xue Lingjun, then a Black Hu man led a pure white camel into the hall.

At a banquet, Wanyan Chixiong showcased Lahan’s ability to withstand blades and spears, then provoked Hu Xiaotian into producing a champion of his own. Hu Xiaotian summoned his groom Xiong Tianba, whose iron hammers startled Lahan into charging him.

• Xue Lingjun challenged Wanyan Chixiong to demonstrate Black Hu’s warriors, and Lahan entered the hall.
• Lahan endured a saber strike, broke a saber and two spears against his body, and impressed the guests with his strength.
• Wanyan Chixiong mocked the Kang Kingdom and challenged Hu Xiaotian, who agreed to pit his groom against Lahan.
• Huo Shengnan and Li Chenzhou warned Hu Xiaotian about Lahan, but Hu Xiaotian summoned Xiong Tianba anyway.
• Wanyan Chixiong laughed at Xiong Tianba’s appearance, then Lahan charged him after seeing his iron hammers.
• Xiong Tianba raised his hammers and warned Lahan to stop or be beaten to death.

At a Hu Kingdom banquet, Hu Xiaotian’s groom Xiong Tianba competed against Lahan by carrying a massive water vat, after Lahan recognized the hammers belonging to his late elder brother. Both men completed the course almost simultaneously, leaving the winner unclear.

• Lahan recognized Long Tuotuo’s hammers, and Hu Xiaotian revealed that Xiong Tianba was his groom rather than a warrior.
• Hu Xiaotian rejected Wanyan Chixiong’s demand for a fight, and Xue Lingjun proposed a contest carrying water vats without spilling a drop.
• Lahan carried his vat into the hall, and Xiong Tianba followed with his raised overhead, drawing cheers from the spectators.
• Xiong Tianba and Lahan alternated the lead as they carried their vats back, while Li Chenzhou warned Xiong Tianba to keep steady.
• The two men reached their starting positions and set down their vats almost simultaneously, leaving the spectators unable to tell who had won.

Xiong Tianba defeated Lahan with one punch after Lahan attacked him for the hammers, escalating tensions with Wanyan Chixiong. Hu Xiaotian left the banquet with Huo Shengnan, and they went to a tavern near Qichen Palace to discuss serious business.

• Lahan attacked Xiong Tianba over the great hammers, but Xiong Tianba struck him hard enough to make him spit blood.
• Wanyan Chixiong challenged Hu Xiaotian, then apologized to Xue Lingjun and promised not to use force in her residence.
• Hu Xiaotian and Huo Shengnan left the banquet, while Jian Ping urged Hu Xiaotian to trust that Xue Lingjun would handle the incident.
• Hu Xiaotian sent Xiong Tianba back to the inn and invited Huo Shengnan to dinner, saying they had both not eaten enough.
• Huo Shengnan brought Hu Xiaotian to Feng Bao's tavern near Qichen Palace, where they arranged a quiet table to discuss serious business.

Huo Shengnan told Hu Xiaotian that the Black Hu people had killed her family, while their conversation turned to uneasy peace talks and Great Yong’s ambitions. In Great Kang, Long Tingzhen escaped, and Ji Feihua urged Zhou Ruiyuan to help restore the state as Ji took on the burden of political upheaval.

• Huo Shengnan recalled Feng Bao’s battlefield injuries and explained to Hu Xiaotian that she distrusted Black Hu’s peace overtures because its people had killed her family.
• Hu Xiaotian admitted he felt unsettled about Great Yong’s political intentions and homesick as Princess Anping’s wedding approached.
• Long Tingsheng discovered that the man captured in Long Tingzhen’s place was an impostor, learned that Long Tingzhen had fled, and killed the captive in anger.
• Ji Feihua told Zhou Ruiyuan that the emperor’s madness and Long Tingzhen’s disappearance were the only changes, then offered him control of the secret treasury to help restore Great Kang.
• Empress Jian warned Long Tingsheng not to insult Ji Feihua after he reported that Long Tingzhen had escaped.

Long Tingsheng and Qiqi suspected Ji Feihua of plotting to seize the Long dynasty, while Empress Jian tried to keep them compliant. Ji Feihua revealed that Long Tingzhen was his prisoner and left him hoping to use the prince against Empress Jian and her son.

• Long Tingsheng warned Empress Jian that Ji Feihua might have hidden Long Tingzhen and intended to take the throne, but she urged him to endure.
• Qiqi stormed into Xinning Palace demanding to see her father, and Empress Jian slapped her before ordering her confined.
• Long Tingsheng escorted Qiqi back to the Palace of Gathered Elegance, where she warned him about Ji Feihua and gave him a sealed wax pellet containing a letter.
• Ji Feihua visited the imprisoned Long Tingzhen, blamed Empress Jian for his predicament, and let the prince believe he might help him.
• He Mu reported that Qiqi had caused trouble at Xinning Palace, and Ji Feihua corrected him for calling Long Tingsheng Crown Prince before the appointment was public.

Ji Feihua confronted Long Tingsheng over a message from the Retired Emperor, just as Long Tingsheng was poised to become Crown Prince. Qiqi revealed that the Retired Emperor had sent a hidden letter and promised Long Tingsheng the real Imperial Seal, leaving Ji Feihua in possession of the evidence.

• Ji Feihua told Empress Jian and Long Tingsheng that the next day's court assembly would make Long Tingsheng the rightful Crown Prince.
• Ji Feihua questioned Long Tingsheng about what Qiqi had given him, and Long Tingsheng denied receiving anything.
• Murong Zhan brought Qiqi into Xinning Palace, where she tearfully explained that the Retired Emperor had made her swallow a wax pill and ordered her to deliver it to Long Tingsheng.
• Long Tingsheng admitted Qiqi had given him the wax pill, and Ji Feihua broke it open and read the letter inside.
• Qiqi said the Retired Emperor had told her the Imperial Seal was fake and promised to give Long Tingsheng the real one later.

Ji Feihua took control of Xinning Palace after Qiqi exposed her secret dealings, while Hu Xiaotian told Xi Yan about the political tensions stirred by Black Hu’s envoy. Xi Yan suspected Great Yong planned to use an alliance with Black Hu to attack Great Kang, and Hu Xiaotian dismissed the marriage alliance as meaningless.

• Empress Jian ordered Qiqi killed, but Ji Feihua stopped her and placed Xinning Palace under guard.
• Ji Feihua assigned Murong Zhan to protect Princess Yongyang and said he would take Qiqi to visit the Retired Emperor.
• Xi Yan teased Hu Xiaotian over dinner, then frightened him with a spider and threatened Long Xiyue.
• Hu Xiaotian recounted the events at the Eldest Princess’s residence, including the arrival of Wanyan Chixiong.
• Xi Yan and Hu Xiaotian concluded that Black Hu sought an alliance with Great Yong, and Hu Xiaotian suggested Great Yong intended to attack Great Kang.

Hu Xiaotian persuaded Xi Yan that provoking a war between Great Yong and Great Kang would endanger Western Sichuan, and urged her to target Wanyan Chixiong instead. The next morning, he went to the Prince of Yan’s Residence to begin treating Xue Shengjing, who had prepared for surgery.

• Hu Xiaotian warned Xi Yan that her plan to kill Xue Daoming and frame Long Xiyue would strengthen Great Yong and threaten Western Sichuan.
• Hu Xiaotian urged Xi Yan to kill Wanyan Chixiong to disrupt the alliance between Great Yong and the Black Hu people.
• Hu Xiaotian returned to his quarters, where Tang Qingxuan told him she planned to go out with her eldest brother the next day and said she had visited Her Highness.
• Tie Zheng escorted Hu Xiaotian to the Prince of Yan’s Residence, where Xue Shengjing awaited treatment.
• Hu Xiaotian inspected the sterilized operating room and told Xue Shengjing to bathe and change before they began surgery in an hour.