Chapter Summaries

Hu Xiaotian secured Xingzhou and faced pressure from Great Yong while Great Kang sent envoys to offer him a pardon and the title of Prince of Suppressing the Sea. The chapter left Hu Xiaotian and Quan Dean confronting each other over the legitimacy of Great Kang’s emperor and Princess Yingyue’s identity.

• Hu Xiaotian welcomed Luo Shifeng and his men into the Engineering Corps, and Luo Shifeng revealed a hidden vault in Guo Guangbi’s garden that yielded a trove of treasure.
• Xia Changming reported that the Great Yong army had camped fifty li north of Xingzhou while the Great Yong Navy and the Yong River Navy remained in a standoff; Hu Xiaotian chose to hold his position.
• Xiong Tianba told Hu Xiaotian that Wu Jingshan and Quan Dean had arrived from Great Kang, and Hu Xiaotian went to meet them.
• Wu Jingshan presented an Imperial Decree clearing Hu Xiaotian’s name and granting him the title of Prince of Suppressing the Sea, but Hu Xiaotian set it aside without accepting it.
• Quan Dean asked Hu Xiaotian about Princess Yingyue’s identity, and Hu Xiaotian challenged him to verify whether the emperor was dead and the current ruler was an impostor.

Hu Xiaotian accepted Great Kang’s decree naming him Prince of Suppressing the Sea, despite distrusting Qiqi’s motives, to preserve peace and gain time to strengthen his position. He publicized the appointment, signaling renewed understanding with Great Kang as Great Yong’s forces threatened Xingzhou.

• Quan Dean urged Hu Xiaotian to accept Qiqi’s Imperial Decree and presented him with her personal letter.
• Hu Xiaotian refused to read the letter unless Qiqi explained herself in person, but accepted the decree and the title of Prince of Suppressing the Sea.
• Hu Xiaotian promised that Great Kang’s Northern Frontier would remain peaceful and sent Quan Dean away.
• Hu Xiaotian ordered news of his new title to be spread far and wide.
• Hu Xiaotian concluded that accepting the title would deter Great Yong and give him time to build strength without risking war.

After the Battle of Yunyang, Great Yong withdrew and Hu Xiaotian accepted the title Prince of Suppressing the Sea, while Western Sichuan reeled from its defeat. In the Western Prefecture, Yang Haoran urged Li Tianheng to recover Western Sichuan’s strength and seek an opening at the Redwood River.

• Qin Yangming’s army withdrew from north of Xingzhou, and Li Yongfu’s Yong River Navy left the Nanyang Water Fortress after Hu Xiaotian became Prince of Suppressing the Sea.
• An assassination attempt by Yuan Jiang and twelve Imperial Guards failed, prompting Xue Daohong to investigate suspected conspirators and focus on securing his rule.
• Guo Guangbi relocated his main force to Ji City, while Li Yan returned to Yangpu after Su Yuchi defeated his army at Yunyang.
• Li Tianheng asked Yang Haoran to assess Hu Xiaotian’s decision to accept Great Kang’s investiture and the changing regional situation.
• Yang Haoran explained that Su Yuchi’s weapons had deterred Hu Xiaotian from targeting Yunyang and that Great Yong’s support had enabled Guo Guangbi to retreat west.
• Yang Haoran advised Li Tianheng to rebuild Western Sichuan’s strength and look for an opportunity at the Redwood River, despite Li Tianheng’s distrust of Shajia.

After Great Kang’s victory, Su Yuchi considered Hu Xiaotian’s new royal title while Qiqi reflected on her complicated motives for granting it and vowed to reclaim Western Sichuan. Hu Xiaotian then learned that Liu Changsheng and Liu Yucheng had been imprisoned in Great Yong and accused of conspiring in an assassination attempt.

• Su Yuchi accepted Hu Xiaotian’s invitation to meet at White Wolf Mound, and he and Yuan Qingshan discussed why Qiqi had made Hu the Prince of Suppressing the Sea.
• Qiqi stood alone on the Altar of Heaven and wondered whether Hu Xiaotian would understand her reasons for granting him the title.
• Zhou Ruiyuan reported that Hu Xiaotian had accepted the title, and Qiqi declared that she wanted to take back Western Sichuan.
• Qin Yutong told Hu Xiaotian that Liu Changsheng and Liu Yucheng had been jailed after the Great Yong Emperor accused them of aiding the failed attempt on his life.

Hu Xiaotian agreed to help Qin Yutong and learned that the Beggar Gang was splitting apart, prompting him to prepare for a trip to the Yong Capital. He then met Xue Shengjing in secret, where Xue Shengjing began explaining how others had turned against him despite his lack of ambition.

• Hu Xiaotian promised Qin Yutong that he would send help to the Yong Capital.
• Long Xiyue told Hu Xiaotian that Shangguan Tianhuo had gained Great Yong's support and split the Beggar Gang's northern branches from the gang.
• Hu Xiaotian decided to travel to the Yong Capital, while Long Xiyue stayed behind to preside over the coming assembly.
• Xue Shengjing received a message from Hu Xiaotian and met him at the Hundred Flavors Restaurant's Pleasure Pavilion.
• Xue Shengjing told Hu Xiaotian that he had once wanted only a peaceful life, but others had treated him as a threat and plotted against him.

Hu Xiaotian sought Xue Shengjing’s help to save Liu Changsheng and his son, and learned that Li Chenzhou had exploited the assassination attempt to purge his enemies while pursuing power. Xue Shengjing said the empress dowager could protect the prisoners, but advised Hu Xiaotian to approach his younger sister instead.

• Xue Shengjing recounted how Xue Shengkang had deceived him into believing his lover and children were to be executed, and Hu Xiaotian suspected Xue Shengjing still sought revenge.
• Hu Xiaotian asked Xue Shengjing to intercede for Liu Changsheng and his son, who had been caught up in events in the Yong Capital.
• Xue Shengjing warned that Xue Daohong suspected him after the assassination attempt and that intervening directly could endanger Hu Xiaotian’s friends.
• Xue Shengjing claimed Li Chenzhou had known of the assassination in advance and used it to stir turmoil and eliminate opponents.
• Xue Shengjing revealed that Shangguan Tianhuo had allied with Li Chenzhou, who also had ties to the Beggar Gang, Sword Palace, and Falling Cherry Palace.
• Xue Shengjing said the empress dowager could save Liu Changsheng and his son, but urged Hu Xiaotian to seek help from his imperial younger sister.

Xue Lingjun warned Empress Dowager Jiang that Xue Daohong’s purges and Li Chenzhou’s growing influence threatened Great Yong, and urged her mother to counterbalance Li. Back in her residence, she burned a letter before Hu Xiaotian unexpectedly appeared in her private chambers.

• Empress Dowager Jiang lamented that Xue Lingjun and her brothers were unsettled and urged her daughter to marry again, but Xue Lingjun refused.
• Xue Lingjun told Empress Dowager Jiang that the assassination investigation had led to mass arrests and warned that Xue Daohong was using suspicion to eliminate rivals.
• Xue Lingjun argued that Li Chenzhou’s growing power needed a counterweight, and Empress Dowager Jiang agreed to raise the matter with Xue Daohong.
• Xue Lingjun reflected on her mother’s declining influence and anticipated a future power struggle between Xue Shengjing and Xue Daohong.
• Xue Lingjun burned a letter in her study, but Hu Xiaotian startled her, causing the letter to land on her skirt and set it alight.
• Hu Xiaotian stamped out the flames, and Xue Lingjun teased him for intruding into her private chambers at night.

Hu Xiaotian asked Xue Lingjun to rescue Liu Changsheng and his son, who had been imprisoned after the Divine Farmer Society was implicated in an assassination attempt. Xue Lingjun agreed only in exchange for Hu Xiaotian killing Jian Rongxin, leaving him with a dangerous bargain to fulfill.

• Hu Xiaotian visited Xue Lingjun and asked her to intervene on behalf of Liu Changsheng and his son.
• Xue Lingjun explained that more than three hundred people had been imprisoned after the attempt on the emperor’s life and warned that intervening could put her at risk.
• Xue Lingjun agreed to help if Hu Xiaotian killed Jian Rongxin, Li Chenzhou’s wife.
• Hu Xiaotian questioned her motive and learned that Xue Lingjun wanted to strike at Li Chenzhou, who was squeezing the imperial family’s influence.
• Hu Xiaotian agreed to make arrangements to kill Jian Rongxin, and Xue Lingjun promised to rescue Liu Changsheng and his son in return.

Hu Xiaotian weighed Xue Lingjun’s demand that he kill Jian Rongxin in exchange for help rescuing Liu Changsheng and his son, while he and Xia Changming planned to use her offer to learn more about Great Yong’s power struggles. Xue Lingjun secured control of the Liu family through Empress Dowager Jiang’s sudden illness, leaving Hu Xiaotian under growing pressure to act.

• Hu Xiaotian told Xia Changming that Xue Lingjun had agreed to help Liu Changsheng and his son only if he killed Jian Rongxin, and Xia Changming warned that she might betray them afterward.
• Hu Xiaotian said he had agreed for the time being and intended to use Xue Lingjun’s scheme to gain assistance and investigate Great Yong’s internal conflicts.
• Li Chenzhou urged Xue Daohong to move against his enemies, and Xue Daohong said he would no longer show Empress Dowager Jiang deference.
• Empress Dowager Jiang suddenly fell ill and summoned Liu Changsheng and his son to treat her, allowing them to leave Li Chenzhou’s control and enter Xue Lingjun’s hands.
• Hu Xiaotian realized that Xue Lingjun’s maneuver gave her the power to decide whether Liu Changsheng and his son lived or died, and his urgency increased.

Hu Xiaotian weighed the Beggar Gang’s plan to eliminate Shangguan Tianhuo against the greater threat posed by Li Chenzhou, while trying to secure allies in the Yong Capital. An Zhai offered Hu Xiaotian the help of his trusted informants, leaving Hu with a potential network to investigate the North of the River Branch.

• Xue Zhenhai and An Zhai arrived in the Yong Capital with sixteen Beggar Gang experts disguised as a tea caravan and went to meet Hu Xiaotian.
• Xue Zhenhai told Hu Xiaotian that Shangguan Tianhuo had sided with Li Chenzhou and was purging his opponents, and he urged Hu to help eliminate Shangguan Tianhuo and his sons.
• Hu Xiaotian argued that Li Chenzhou remained the key threat, but Xue Zhenhai objected to drawing the Beggar Gang into political conflict and left after Hu dismissed the discussion.
• An Zhai returned alone, explained the Beggar Gang’s reluctance to engage in politics, and offered Hu Xiaotian his support.
• Hu Xiaotian asked how many reliable people An Zhai had in the Yong Capital, and An Zhai said he could trust about a dozen with gathering information.

Hu Xiaotian and An Zhai considered how to reunify the Beggar Gang by striking at the forces behind its division. In the Li Family ancestral hall, Li Mingfu confronted Li Chenzhou over his role in recent political upheavals, but Li Chenzhou denied plotting against the Prince of Yan and the Eldest Princess.

• Hu Xiaotian judged An Zhai more willing than Xue Zhenhai to help address the Beggar Gang's crisis and believed the gang's younger leaders needed support.
• Li Chenzhou entered the ancestral hall, honored his grandfather's tablet, and reflected on his father Wen Chenghuan and his dead half brother Wen Boyuan.
• Li Mingfu ordered Li Chenzhou to remain kneeling and reminded him of the Li Family's loyalty to Great Yong.
• Li Mingfu challenged Li Chenzhou over the investigation into the attempt on the emperor's life and the hundreds of people it had implicated.
• Li Mingfu accused Li Chenzhou of engineering upheaval in Bohai and using the Treasure-Gathering Studio affair to kill the Prince of Yan and the Eldest Princess.
• Li Chenzhou denied making that proposal and argued that the Prince of Yan had drained the treasury, while Li Mingfu urged him to avoid further court strife.

Li Chenzhou’s political suspicions and resentment toward his wife, Jian Rongxin, erupted into a bitter confrontation at home. After striking her down and accusing her of loving Hong Xinglian, he ordered her to leave and return to her parents’ home.

• Li Mingfu reprimanded Li Chenzhou in the ancestral hall for endangering the Li Family, and Li Chenzhou remained convinced that the family’s caution would lead to ruin.
• Jian Rongxin came to the ancestral hall to check on Li Chenzhou, but he left ahead of her and ignored her attempts to shelter him from the snow.
• At home, Li Chenzhou questioned whether Jian Xihe had influenced Li Mingfu against him, and Jian Rongxin explained that her father had visited to discuss chess and grandchildren.
• Li Chenzhou misread Jian Rongxin’s explanation as blame for their childlessness, shoved her to the floor, and accused her of loving the late Hong Xinglian.
• Jian Rongxin defended her innocence and condemned Li Chenzhou for treating her as a prop in their marriage, after which he ordered her to return to her parents’ home.

Jian Rongxin left the Duke of Jing's Residence in despair after Li Chenzhou rejected her, and Hu Xiaotian escorted her through the snow toward her family home. Meanwhile, Eunuch Dong poisoned and killed Empress Dowager Jiang, while Li Chenzhou prepared for a plan disrupted by an unidentified passerby.

• Li Chenzhou rejected Jian Rongxin, who walked out of the Duke of Jing's Residence into the snow without her cloak.
• Eunuch Dong revealed his martial skill, silenced Empress Dowager Jiang, and let her die from poisoned medicine before calling for help.
• Hu Xiaotian recognized Jian Rongxin leaving the residence, canceled his investigation with Xia Changming, and draped his cloak over her shoulders.
• Li Chenzhou took up Tiger Soul and learned from a black-clad man that an unknown passerby had interfered with their plan.
• Jian Rongxin reached her family home with Hu Xiaotian beside her and pushed open the gate after no one answered her knock.

Hu Xiaotian rescued Jian Rongxin from an ambush at her family home after discovering that Jian Xihe and the household had been slaughtered. Meanwhile, the Old Empress Dowager’s death sparked suspicion at court, and Eunuch Dong implicated Xue Lingjun by revealing her connection to the physicians blamed for the poisoning.

• Jian Rongxin found the steward Jian An’s corpse and then discovered her father Jian Xihe dead in his study.
• Hu Xiaotian carried the unconscious Jian Rongxin through an arrow attack and escaped the encircling troops on Xia Changming’s snow eagle.
• Xue Lingjun learned that troops had surrounded her residence and calmly asked Jian Ping to help comb her hair.
• Xue Daohong ordered Liu Changsheng and Liu Yucheng executed after Eunuch Dong blamed their prescribed decoction for the Old Empress Dowager’s death.
• Xiang Liren urged Xue Daohong to investigate before punishing the physicians, and Eunuch Dong revealed that Xue Lingjun had pleaded for their release.

Li Chenzhou confronted Xue Lingjun after the Grand Empress Dowager died, revealing evidence of her political schemes and offering an alliance against the emperor. Their discussion ended with Xue Lingjun admitting Hu Xiaotian had approached her, leaving Li Chenzhou to suspect Hu Xiaotian was behind Jian Rongxin’s abduction.

• Li Chenzhou surrounded the Prince Consort's Residence and told Xue Lingjun that the Grand Empress Dowager had died after taking medicine from Liu Changsheng.
• Xue Lingjun realized she would be blamed for bringing Liu Changsheng and his son to Benevolence Garden, while Li Chenzhou said the emperor’s real target was someone else.
• Li Chenzhou revealed that the Grand Empress Dowager had plotted to overthrow the emperor and gave Xue Lingjun a letter exposing her own secret plans.
• Xue Lingjun burned the letter, and Li Chenzhou confessed his hatred of the emperor and his grief over losing the woman he loved.
• Li Chenzhou killed Jian Ping for eavesdropping and told Xue Lingjun that Jian Xihe was dead and Jian Rongxin had been abducted.
• Xue Lingjun admitted she had saved Liu Changsheng and his son because Hu Xiaotian had approached her, making Li Chenzhou suspect Hu Xiaotian was connected to Jian Rongxin’s disappearance.

At Empress Dowager Jiang’s funeral, Xue Daohong accused Xue Lingjun of conspiring with Hu Xiaotian, but she implicated Xue Shengjing, who escaped through a hidden passage beneath the funeral bed. Xue Daohong then turned back on Xue Lingjun and demanded that she confess, while she challenged his own role in the Liu family’s release.

• Xue Daohong asked Xue Daoming whether he would stand by him if trouble arose, and Xue Daoming promised he would.
• Xue Lingjun arrived at the Spirit Hall and defended herself against Xue Daohong’s accusation that she had conspired to murder Empress Dowager Jiang.
• Xue Lingjun revealed that Hu Xiaotian had approached Xue Shengjing before asking her to rescue Liu Changsheng and his son.
• Xue Shengjing accused Xue Daohong of betraying those who had helped him take the throne, then used a hidden passage beneath the funeral bed to escape with Empress Dowager Jiang’s body.
• Xue Daohong ordered the Golden Scale Guards to search for Xue Shengjing and accused Xue Lingjun of causing the Empress Dowager’s death.
• Xue Lingjun denied guilt and argued that Xue Daohong was also a suspect because he had arrested and then released the Liu family.

Xue Lingjun revealed the late emperor’s genuine succession edict, turning the court against Xue Daohong and exposing his usurpation. Xue Daohong killed Worthy Consort Dong under an unseen force, and Xue Daoming avenged her by killing him.

• Liu Changsheng accused Xue Daohong of ordering the attempt on the Grand Empress Dowager, but Li Chenzhou killed him before he could finish.
• Xue Lingjun produced the late emperor’s final edict and declared that Xue Daohong’s succession edict and Imperial Seal were false.
• Xiang Liren, Sun Weiyuan, and Li Chenzhou judged Xue Lingjun’s edict genuine, while Worthy Consort Dong declared that it named Xue Daoming as heir.
• Li Chenzhou used an unseen force to restrain Xue Daohong as Xue Lingjun condemned his rule and explained how the Grand Empress Dowager had entrusted her with the edict.
• The force on Xue Daohong suddenly eased, and he fatally stabbed Worthy Consort Dong; Xue Daoming then killed Xue Daohong in revenge.
• Li Chenzhou took the sword from Xue Daoming after the two had fallen dead.

After Xue Daohong’s death, Xue Daoming was recognized as the rightful emperor, while Li Chenzhou burned the forged edict and revealed his secret to Xue Lingjun. Their encounter transformed Li Chenzhou’s virility and bound the pair together, and he later confronted his uncle Li Mingfu about a childhood meeting.

• Xue Daoming accepted the ministers’ support as emperor, and Xue Lingjun took possession of the bloodstained edict.
• Li Chenzhou burned the edict in Xue Lingjun’s chamber, and she discovered that he was not a man.
• Xue Lingjun urged Li Chenzhou to prove his love, and he regained his virility as they became lovers.
• Li Chenzhou promised to protect Xue Lingjun, who wept as he comforted her.
• Li Chenzhou told Li Mingfu that the Grand Empress Dowager and Xue Daohong were dead, then asked him to remember the person they had met in Benevolence Garden when Li Chenzhou was seven.

Li Chenzhou confronted Li Mingfu over the secret behind the court’s upheaval, while Jian Rongxin learned of her father’s death and suspected her husband had played a part. As Yong Capital searched for the fugitive Xue Shengjing, Hu Xiaotian set out, believing he might be the only one who could find him.

• Li Chenzhou accused Li Mingfu of preserving the Li Family at any cost, gave him white silk, and revealed that his father was still alive.
• Jian Rongxin awoke in Hu Xiaotian’s care and learned that the Grand Empress Dowager’s failed plot, Xue Daohong’s actions, and Li Chenzhou’s intervention had reshaped the throne.
• Hu Xiaotian, Zhan Peng, and An Zhai discussed the deaths of Jian Xihe, Li Mingfu, and Worthy Consort Dong, and suspected Li Chenzhou and Xue Lingjun were working together.
• Hu Xiaotian told Zhan Peng to protect Jian Rongxin and announced that he would go out to find Xue Shengjing.
• Golden Scale Guards searched snowbound Yong Capital for Xue Shengjing and his remaining followers as the city remained under martial law.

Hu Xiaotian visited Zan Buliu in disguise and asked him to find the Prince of Yan and investigate Liu Changsheng and his son. Zan Buliu agreed to help and was told to bring news to the Eight Directions Pavilion at noon the day after tomorrow.

• Hu Xiaotian used the Seven-Colored Crystal Seahorse Pendant to gain entry to Zan Buliu's residence, where Zan recognized him after hearing his voice.
• Hu Xiaotian revealed his true face and asked Zan Buliu to find the Prince of Yan, who he believed was still hiding in the Yong Capital.
• Zan Buliu warned Hu Xiaotian against involving himself in Great Yong's politics, but Hu Xiaotian pressed him to help and pointed out the risks of refusing.
• Zan Buliu agreed to investigate the Prince of Yan's supporters and make inquiries about Liu Changsheng and his son.
• Hu Xiaotian set a meeting with Zan Buliu at the Eight Directions Pavilion for noon the day after tomorrow, and Zan promised to attend.