Recaps

At the Seventh Prince's Residence, Jiang Xiaobai was brought before Xiao Qingshu, who threatened to cripple him unless he composed a poem. Jiang Xiaobai mocked the assembled guests in verse, then used a hidden technique to immobilize them and confronted Xiao Qingshu over the consequences of harming him.

• Xiao Qingshu celebrated his poem with Du Chong and others, then ordered his men to bring in the captured Jiang Xiaobai.
• Jiang Xiaobai taunted Du Chong and Xiao Qingxiu, and Xiao Qingshu challenged him to compose a poem or lose a leg.
• Jiang Xiaobai recited a poem insulting the gathering, prompting Xiao Qingshu to order his arms and legs crippled.
• Jiang Xiaobai broke free and immobilized the three guards with a concealed martial technique.
• Jiang Xiaobai immobilized Xiao Qingshu, Du Chong, Xiao Qingxiu, and the other guests, then warned Xiao Qingshu to consider what his residence would face if Jiang Xiaobai were harmed.

Jiang Xiaobai beat Xiao Qingshu and Xiao Qingxiu inside the Seventh Prince's Residence, but the arrival of the Jiang Family's people and Gu Xuanying's sudden attack shifted the danger onto him. A woman in white dropped through the roof to intercept Gu Xuanying's palm strike.

• Jiang Xiaobai slapped Xiao Qingshu repeatedly until he looked away, then kicked Xiao Qingxiu into a wall when he tried to reason with him.
• A thunderous explosion shook the hall, and Jiang Xiaobai realized the Jiang Family's people had arrived.
• Xiao Qingshu told Jiang Xiaobai he believed Jiang Xiaobai would be the one to suffer next.
• Gu Xuanying appeared behind Jiang Xiaobai and launched a close-range palm strike at him.
• A woman in white crashed through the roof and raised her hand to meet Gu Xuanying's attack.

Chu Qingci protected Jiang Xiaobai from Gu Xuanying and the Prince's Residence Experts, while Jiang Xiaobai moved to fight the remaining three. Outside the Seventh Prince's Residence, Zhang Xinnian threatened Xiao Jinrong with cannons over the Seventh Young Prince's abduction of their Heir Apparent.

• Chu Qingci arrived and blocked Gu Xuanying's attack on Jiang Xiaobai, then freed the immobilized guests with help from Jiang Xiaobai's Needle Force.
• Chu Qingci kicked Xiao Qingshu aside and sent Gu Xuanying crashing into a pillar with a burst of internal energy.
• Jiang Xiaobai challenged the three Prince's Residence Experts and charged at them using hidden edge force.
• Zhang Xinnian and his soldiers used ten cannons to destroy the Seventh Prince's Residence gates and walls, then demanded the return of their Heir Apparent.
• Xiao Jinrong sent a Household Guard to search the residence and objected to the attack, but Zhang Xinnian aimed a lit cannon at him.

Zhang Xinnian used cannons to force Xiao Jinrong to let Jiang Xiaobai leave the Seventh Prince’s Residence. Jiang Xiaobai departed with Chu Qingci, while Gu Xuanying expected the prince’s retaliation to bring ruin upon the Duke of the State’s Estate.

• Zhang Xinnian fired a cannonball that destroyed a house, then aimed his cannons at Xiao Jinrong when he threatened him.
• Jiang Xiaobai used the Ethereal Cloud Palm, which Chu Qingci had taught him, to defeat three Prince’s Residence Experts and taunted Gu Xuanying.
• Xiao Qingshu called for the household guard to seize Jiang Xiaobai, but the guard recognized the danger of confronting the Duke of the State’s Estate’s forces and escorted Jiang Xiaobai out instead.
• Xiao Qingshu, Xiao Qingxiu, Du Chong, the two Green-Robed Disciples, and Gu Xuanying followed Jiang Xiaobai from the hall.
• Gu Xuanying believed Xiao Jinrong would retaliate and that Jiang Xiaobai’s actions could bring disaster upon the Duke of the State’s Estate.

Jiang Xiaobai arrived at the ruined Seventh Prince's Residence and accused Xiao Qingshu of beating him, though Xiao Qingshu's swollen face told a different story. The Elder Princess arrived and heard both sides begin to trade accusations.

• Jiang Xiaobai arrived with Chu Qingci at the Seventh Prince's Residence, where Zhang Xinnian and Xiao Jinrong saw him unharmed.
• Xiao Qingshu emerged with a badly swollen face, and Jiang Xiaobai claimed Xiao Qingshu had beaten him and asked Xiao Jinrong to discipline him.
• Gu Xuanying privately told Xiao Jinrong what had happened in the hall, darkening his expression toward Jiang Xiaobai.
• The Elder Princess arrived in a Phoenix Carriage, and Xiao Yunshu asked Xiao Jinrong what had happened after checking that Jiang Xiaobai was uninjured.
• Jiang Xiaobai accused Xiao Qingshu of abducting and beating him, while Xiao Qingshu insisted Jiang Xiaobai had beaten him.

Xiao Yunshu protected Jiang Xiaobai after Xiao Qingshu admitted abducting him, while Zhang Xinnian's cannons reduced the Seventh Prince's Residence to ruins. Jiang Xiaobai demanded that Xiao Qingshu serve as a servant for three days, and Zhang Xinnian aimed the cannons at Xiao Jinrong when he questioned the demand.

• Xiao Yunshu slapped Xiao Qingxiu and forced him to admit he had not clearly seen what happened between Xiao Qingshu and Jiang Xiaobai.
• Xiao Qingshu admitted abducting Jiang Xiaobai, and Xiao Yunshu rebuked him for bullying the Duke of the State's Heir Apparent.
• Xiao Jinrong demanded an explanation for the damage to his residence, so Zhang Xinnian ordered ten cannons to destroy its remaining buildings.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Xiao Jinrong for an explanation and demanded that Xiao Qingshu serve at the Duke of the State's Estate for three days.
• Xiao Jinrong asked what would happen if he refused, and Zhang Xinnian aimed the cannons at him and threatened to fire.

After Jiang Xiaobai forced Xiao Jinrong to send Xiao Qingshu to serve at the Duke of the State's Estate for three days, he made Xiao Qingshu drive his carriage. Xiao Jinrong stayed among the ruins of his residence and vowed to impeach Jiang Jingcheng before the Imperial Court the next morning.

• Xiao Jinrong accepted Xiao Yunshu's judgment and ordered Xiao Qingshu to serve at the Duke of the State's Estate, while Xiao Yunshu warned him that choosing the right side mattered.
• Jiang Xiaobai left with Chu Qingci and made Xiao Qingshu drive the carriage, ordering Zhang Xinnian to teach him and whip him if he could not learn.
• Xiao Jinrong rejected Gu Xuanying's call for revenge against Jiang Xiaobai and blamed Xiao Qingshu for bringing the trouble on himself.
• Xiao Jinrong ordered an officer to prepare a carriage and declared that he would impeach Jiang Jingcheng before the Imperial Court the next morning.

Jiang Xiaobai returned to the Duke of the State's Estate after the clash at the Seventh Prince's Residence, where Xiao Yunshu gave him a painful massage and promised to remain his maid. The next morning, with Xiao Jinrong at the Imperial Court and a summons expected, Jiang Xiaobai declared that he would demand an execution, leaving Xiao Yunshu asking whom he meant to execute.

• Jiang Xiaobai had Zhang Xinnian take Xiao Qingshu to the estate and bring him to Jiang Xiaobai the next morning.
• Chu Qingci admitted that he had gone specifically to save Jiang Xiaobai, then left, while Xiao Yunshu chased Jiang Xiaobai into the estate after he dodged her offer of a massage.
• Xiao Yunshu gave Jiang Xiaobai a painful massage and reaffirmed her promise to serve as his maid for life.
• The next morning, Jiang Xiaobai found Xiao Qingshu sweeping his courtyard and made him greet him as the Heir Apparent.
• Xiao Yunshu told Jiang Xiaobai that Xiao Jinrong had gone to the Imperial Court and that the palace would likely summon him.
• Jiang Xiaobai said he would demand an execution, and Xiao Yunshu asked whom he planned to execute.

Jiang Xiaobai brought Xiao Qingshu to meet Jiang Jingcheng and revealed that Zhang Xinnian had destroyed the Seventh Prince's Residence with ten cannons. He proposed offering someone up to be beheaded to resolve the fallout, leaving Jiang Jingcheng suspecting that his son meant to sacrifice him.

• Jiang Xiaobai led Tang Ningshuang, Xiao Yunshu, and Xiao Qingshu to Jiang Jingcheng's courtyard, where Jiang Jingcheng sparred with Chen Jian and praised his martial arts.
• Chen Jian mistook Jiang Xiaobai's visit for a chance to compliment him by suggesting Jiang Jingcheng was not his real father.
• Jiang Xiaobai introduced Xiao Qingshu as his new servant, and Xiao Qingshu revealed that he was the son of the Seventh Prince, Xiao Jinrong.
• Jiang Jingcheng pulled Jiang Xiaobai aside and scolded him for bringing the Seventh Prince's son to the estate as a servant.
• Jiang Xiaobai told Jiang Jingcheng that Zhang Xinnian had used ten cannons to destroy the Seventh Prince's Residence, then claimed he intended to win the Seventh Prince over.
• Jiang Xiaobai proposed having someone beheaded to take responsibility, and Jiang Jingcheng realized his son might be planning to put him forward.

Jiang Xiaobai and Jiang Jingcheng were summoned to the Imperial Court over the destruction of the Seventh Prince’s residence. Jiang Xiaobai shocked the court by admitting his father’s actions and demanding that the emperor behead him, leaving the accusation unresolved.

• A palace messenger ordered Jiang Jingcheng and Jiang Xiaobai to appear before the emperor, and Jiang Xiaobai invited Xiao Qingshu to come along.
• Zhang Xinnian forced Xiao Qingshu to drive the carriage, and Jiang Xiaobai later left him outside the palace with Zhang Xinnian.
• Jiang Jingcheng and Jiang Xiaobai entered the court hall, where Xiao Jinrong waited angrily over the previous night’s humiliation.
• Before Xiao Jinxuan could question him, Jiang Xiaobai admitted that Jiang Jingcheng had attacked the Seventh Prince’s residence and asked for his father to be beheaded.
• Jiang Jingcheng also declared himself guilty and asked Xiao Jinxuan to behead him, prompting Jiang Xiaobai to repeat his demand.

Jiang Xiaobai turned Jiang Jingcheng’s apparent willingness to die into a trap that forced Xiao Jinrong to withdraw his accusations and reject command of the Northern Frontier’s 800,000 troops. Xiao Jinrong accepted blame for the conflict and agreed to let his son remain at the Duke of the State’s Estate for another month, while Jiang Jingcheng still insisted he felt guilty.

• Meng Xiutang proposed stripping Jiang Jingcheng of his ducal title and compensating Xiao Jinrong, and Xiao Jinrong agreed.
• Jiang Xiaobai rejected the compromise and prompted Jiang Jingcheng to put a saber to his neck and offer to hand the Northern Frontier’s 800,000 troops to Xiao Jinrong.
• Xiao Jinxuan asked Xiao Jinrong whether he would accept command of the army, and Xiao Jinrong refused, withdrew his complaint, and blamed the incident on his son Qingshu.
• Jiang Xiaobai pressed Xiao Jinrong about the ruined residence and his son being made a servant, and Xiao Jinrong accepted both as harmless and agreed to let his son stay for another month.
• Jiang Jingcheng kept the saber at his neck and told Xiao Jinxuan that he would remain guilty if he did not die.

At court, Jiang Xiaobai forced Xiao Jinrong to pay the Duke of the State's Estate another thousand taels of gold and resisted Meng Xiutang's demand for the cannon blueprints. After court, he teased the Seventh Prince about the payment, then received an invitation from the Little Princess.

• Xiao Jinxuan ordered Xiao Jinrong to pay the Duke of the State's Estate another thousand taels of gold, and Jiang Jingcheng accepted the compensation.
• Meng Xiutang proposed that the Duke of the State's Estate surrender its cannon blueprints, but Jiang Xiaobai warned that the cannons could go off accidentally and offered to demonstrate them at Meng Xiutang's residence.
• Xiao Jinxuan dismissed court and summoned Meng Xiutang to the Imperial Study.
• Jiang Xiaobai followed Xiao Jinrong and pressed him to deliver the thousand taels of gold, and Xiao Jinrong promised to send it within a few days.
• Jiang Jingcheng questioned Jiang Xiaobai about alienating Xiao Jinrong, and Jiang Xiaobai said that offending someone could be another way to win them over.
• A maid arrived and invited Jiang Xiaobai to visit the Little Princess.

Jiang Xiaobai went to visit Xiao Zijing after leaving court, while outside the palace Xiao Qingshu learned that his punishment had been extended and was beaten by Zhang Xinnian. The chapter ended with Xiao Yunshu asking Jiang Xiaobai what the court had decided about the Seventh Prince’s complaint.

• Jiang Xiaobai left Jiang Jingcheng and Li Bingzhang and followed a maid to Xiao Zijing’s residence.
• Xiao Qingshu boasted that the court would punish Jiang Jingcheng and Jiang Xiaobai, but Xiao Jinrong emerged and slapped him before ordering him to serve at the Duke of the State’s Estate for a month instead of three days.
• Zhang Xinnian kicked Xiao Qingshu for abducting the Heir Apparent, then greeted Jiang Jingcheng and Li Bingzhang as they left the palace.
• Jiang Jingcheng told Zhang Xinnian that Jiang Xiaobai had gone to visit the Little Princess, and Zhang made Xiao Qingshu drive their carriage back to the estate.
• Jiang Xiaobai entered Xiao Zijing’s residence, where Xiao Zijing welcomed him and Xiao Yunshu asked about the court’s decision on the Seventh Prince’s complaint.

Jiang Xiaobai told Xiao Yunshu that the Seventh Prince had apologized and extended Xiao Qingshu’s service as a household servant. The Empress visited with Xiao Qingheng, asked Jiang Xiaobai to write a poem for her birthday, and discussed Xiao Yunshu’s marriage prospects and the Elder Princess’s return; as they departed, Xiao Qingheng looked at Tang Ningshuang’s Nation-Guarding Sword.

• Jiang Xiaobai told Xiao Yunshu that the Seventh Prince had apologized to the Duke of the State’s Estate and volunteered to extend Xiao Qingshu’s service as a servant.
• The Empress and Xiao Qingheng arrived, and the group greeted them before sitting down together.
• The Empress praised Jiang Xiaobai’s writing and asked him to compose a birthday poem for her, which he agreed to do.
• The Empress asked Xiao Yunshu about her marriage prospects, and Xiao Yunshu said she would wait until she met the Empress’s younger brother.
• The Empress told Xiao Zijing that the Elder Princess would return in a few days, and Xiao Zijing said she wanted to live with her sister.
• As the Empress and Xiao Qingheng departed, Jiang Xiaobai noticed Xiao Qingheng looking at Tang Ningshuang’s Nation-Guarding Sword.

Jiang Xiaobai learned that Xiao Yunshu held a grudge against the Elder Princess, Xiao Zining, after killing her governess and arranging her engagement to the Dingyuan Duke's Estate. Xiao Yunshu then went to the dungeon to question an imprisoned old man about his conclusion.

• Jiang Xiaobai asked Xiao Zijing about the absent Elder Princess, and Xiao Zijing said her sister had been traveling and studying under a great scholar.
• Jiang Xiaobai left the palace with Tang Ningshuang, and Xiao Yunshu followed to warn him to keep his distance from Xiao Zining.
• Xiao Yunshu told Jiang Xiaobai that she had accidentally killed Xiao Zining's governess and later arranged Xiao Zining's engagement to the Dingyuan Duke's Estate.
• A woman summoned Xiao Yunshu, who went to the dungeon and asked an old man what conclusion he had reached.