Chapter Summaries

Jiang Xiaobai drove off a maid who demanded the name of a tune by blasting a hole through a tree, then joined Xiao Jinfeng and Li Bingzhang in the Azure Robe Society’s courtyard. Xiao Jinfeng explained that he had intervened to prevent conflict with the Emperor and warned Li Bingzhang that his marriage alliance with the Marquis’s Residence had protected his family from trouble during the Imperial Civil Service Examination.

• Xiao Jinfeng realized Jiang Xiaobai had deliberately lied to the Emperor about learning the tune’s name and remarked on his audacity.
• The maid rushed after Jiang Xiaobai again, but he blasted a hole through a tree and threatened to kill her if she kept bothering him.
• Jiang Xiaobai, Tang Ningshuang, and Li Zhiwei left the maid behind and followed Xiao Jinfeng and Li Bingzhang to the Azure Robe Society’s courtyard.
• Jiang Xiaobai thanked Xiao Jinfeng for intervening, and Xiao Jinfeng admitted he had acted partly for the Emperor’s sake.
• Xiao Jinfeng revealed that the Emperor had planted men in the Northern Suppression Army and said Jiang Xiaobai’s father likely knew who they were.
• Xiao Jinfeng warned Li Bingzhang that his marriage alliance with the Marquis’s Residence had spared the Chancellor’s Residence from being targeted during the Imperial Civil Service Examination.

Jiang Xiaobai learned that the emperor might use the marriage alliance between the Chancellor's Residence and the Marquis's Residence to bring both families under control. Xiao Jinfeng explained the mysterious master’s background and why the emperor could not force her to become his consort.

• Xiao Jinfeng warned Jiang Xiaobai that the emperor pursued his own interests and might use the marriage alliance to reclaim military command and later ensnare both families.
• Jiang Xiaobai told Xiao Jinfeng to be wary of the emperor, and Xiao Jinfeng acknowledged the warning.
• Li Zhiwei handed over Jiang Xiaobai’s manuscripts, and the Azure Robe Society elders praised the stories and asked him to keep writing.
• Xiao Jinfeng revealed that the master on Heart-Island was Hidden Edge Mountain’s young sect leader, a ninth-rank sect entry master whom the emperor loved.
• Xiao Jinfeng explained that an imperial edict left at Hidden Edge Mountain prevented the emperor from forcing the master to become his consort.

Jiang Xiaobai learned that Hidden Edge Mountain held an imperial edict permitting it to depose an unvirtuous sovereign, then arranged the publication of his stories and continued his liquor deliveries. As he set off with Tang Ningshuang to visit Guanlan Tower, he glimpsed a white-robed figure on a rooftop that vanished when he looked again.

• Xiao Jinfeng told Jiang Xiaobai that Hidden Edge Mountain could execute negligent officials and depose an unvirtuous sovereign, and suggested the Azure Robe Society might hold a similar edict.
• An elder of the Azure Robe Society praised Jiang Xiaobai's manuscripts and said they would arrange publication, asking him to finish the remaining stories.
• Xiao Jinfeng asked Jiang Xiaobai to send him more liquor, but Jiang Xiaobai kept most of the batch for his shops and promised to provide what he could.
• Jiang Xiaobai saw Li Zhiwei off with Li Bingzhang, then instructed Zhang Xinnian to resume liquor deliveries and deal with anyone who refused to cooperate.
• Jiang Xiaobai took Tang Ningshuang toward Guanlan Tower to give them his answer, but saw a white-robed figure vanish from a nearby rooftop.

Jiang Xiaobai met with Liu Guanlan and the Elder Princess at Guanlan Tower after hinting that he had spoken with the Little Princess. He left them waiting for his answer about their proposal, then asked the Elder Princess to massage his shoulders.

• A woman in white watched Jiang Xiaobai's carriage leave and warned her maid to behave properly.
• Liu Guanlan worried that Jiang Xiaobai had not replied about cooperating with him and the Elder Princess.
• Jiang Xiaobai arrived at Guanlan Tower with Tang Ningshuang and told Liu Guanlan that the Little Princess had invited him to visit her.
• Liu Guanlan repeatedly panicked as Jiang Xiaobai slowly recounted his brief exchange with the Little Princess.
• Jiang Xiaobai postponed discussing Liu Guanlan's matter and asked the Elder Princess, whom he called the Little Princess's personal maid, to massage his shoulders.

Jiang Xiaobai pressed Liu Guanlan for information and favors before deciding whether to cooperate with him. He requested details about the Elder Princess and his enemies, then asked for the Elder Princess to become his personal maid.

• Jiang Xiaobai made Liu Guanlan gesture to the Elder Princess, who massaged Jiang Xiaobai’s shoulders while Tang Ningshuang watched in shock.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Liu Guanlan for three more conditions before giving his answer, beginning with information about the Elder Princess.
• Jiang Xiaobai claimed a blood letter had warned him to beware of the Elder Princess and said he suspected her involvement in his brothers’ troubles.
• Liu Guanlan said the Elder Princess had been in the capital when Jiang Xiaobai’s brothers were harmed, offered to compile information about her, and agreed to provide details on the Ministry of Justice Chief Office and Zhao Sheng.
• Jiang Xiaobai asked Liu Guanlan to persuade the Little Princess to let the Elder Princess become his personal maid.

Jiang Xiaobai agreed to cooperate with Liu Guanlan and deliberately enjoyed the Elder Princess’s shoulder massage despite knowing who she was. After leaving Guanlan Tower with Tang Ningshuang, he promised to write Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio for her.

• Jiang Xiaobai agreed to help the Little Princess if she needed anything, and Liu Guanlan promised to look into information for him.
• Jiang Xiaobai stayed at Guanlan Tower and had the Elder Princess continue massaging his shoulders, then asked Liu Guanlan to tell her he wanted her to do it again.
• Liu Guanlan coaxed the Elder Princess into smiling for Jiang Xiaobai before escorting him and Tang Ningshuang out.
• After Jiang Xiaobai and Tang Ningshuang left, the Elder Princess clenched her hands in anger while insisting she was fine.
• Tang Ningshuang asked why Jiang Xiaobai had provoked the Elder Princess, and he said he wanted to enjoy the massage before she resumed her true identity.
• Jiang Xiaobai promised to write Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio when they got home, though Tang Ningshuang doubted the latter would keep her awake.

Jiang Xiaobai wrote the frightening tale Painted Skin for Tang Ningshuang, who fled from the story but later read it to the end and was too scared to sleep alone. She went to Jiang Xiaobai’s bedside in the middle of the night and glared at him as he woke in surprise.

• Zhang Xinnian reported that Jiang Xiaobai’s wine had reached nearly half the Capital City’s shops, and Jiang Xiaobai told him to expand distribution and reward the workers with wine.
• Jiang Xiaobai began writing Painted Skin after Tang Ningshuang insisted she wanted to read a story that would keep her awake.
• Tang Ningshuang became frightened as Jiang Xiaobai wrote about the woman removing and painting her human skin, then hurried out of the room.
• Tang Ningshuang returned, read the manuscript to the end, and went to Jiang Xiaobai’s room because she was afraid to sleep alone.
• Jiang Xiaobai woke to find Tang Ningshuang glaring at him beside his bed.

Jiang Xiaobai found a letter from Lake Pavilion Guest, the Hidden Edge Mountain Sect Master, who had entered his room unnoticed to apologize and ask about his music. He showed the letter to Tang Ningshuang, who recognized the sender and was shocked.

• Tang Ningshuang denied being frightened by Jiang Xiaobai’s stories, then returned to sit beside his bed after pretending to leave.
• Jiang Xiaobai found a letter on his writing table after waking and realized Lake Pavilion Guest had entered his room without either of them noticing.
• Jiang Xiaobai watched Tang Ningshuang practice her sword and asked whether she had noticed anyone in the room overnight.
• Jiang Xiaobai handed the letter to Tang Ningshuang, who recognized Lake Pavilion Guest as the expert from the lake pavilion.

Jiang Xiaobai prepared music scores to attract the mysterious Lake Pavilion Guest, while Tang Ningshuang tried to catch her visiting. The guest entered undetected, read the scores, and left a letter and a box, leaving Jiang Xiaobai curious about her gift.

• Jiang Xiaobai asked Tang Ningshuang to watch for the Lake Pavilion Guest and continued expanding his liquor business and writing the Numerical Calculation Method.
• Jiang Xiaobai wrote out A Laugh Amidst the Vast Sea, also titled The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, and prepared the score for High Mountains and Flowing Water.
• Tang Ningshuang heard a faint sound and went outside, but she found no one; when she returned, the scores had vanished and an envelope had appeared.
• The next morning, Tang Ningshuang gave Jiang Xiaobai the guest's letter, which praised the music and asked him to name the second piece.
• Tang Ningshuang admitted she had sensed the guest but never seen her, then handed Jiang Xiaobai an exquisitely made box the guest had left.

Jiang Xiaobai received a scented sachet from the Lake Pavilion Guest, along with a promise of help from the ninth-rank master. After arranging liquor deliveries and urging Pei Shen to investigate Du Chong, Jiang Xiaobai learned that Zhang had been detained.

• Jiang Xiaobai opened the box and found a scented sachet and a note offering help from the Lake Pavilion Guest if he ever faced difficulties.
• Tang Ningshuang was shocked that Jiang Xiaobai had earned the favor of a ninth-rank master with his musical scores.
• Jiang Xiaobai arranged for Zhang Xinnian to distribute liquor around the Capital City and sent Pei Shen a reminder to investigate Du Chong if the Ministry of Rites yielded no leads.
• A servant reported that Pei Shen had only replied that he understood, leaving Jiang Xiaobai unsure whether the investigation was progressing.
• An officer from the Marquis's Residence rushed in and told Jiang Xiaobai that Thousand-household Commander Zhang had been detained.

After the Ministry of Justice detained Zhang Xinnian, Jiang Xiaobai rejected his father’s cautious approach and ordered all thirty thousand Northern Guardian Marquis’s Estate soldiers in the capital to assemble. Tang Ningshuang warned that the confrontation could spiral out of control, but Jiang Xiaobai insisted on making a major show of force and expected someone else to end the crisis.

• An officer told Jiang Xiaobai that the Ministry of Justice had seized Zhang Xinnian after its expert subdued him at a restaurant.
• Jiang Xiaobai refused the officer’s suggestion to involve his father and the emperor, criticizing the Marquis’s cautious response to past provocations.
• Jiang Xiaobai ordered every soldier of the Northern Guardian Marquis’s Estate stationed in the capital to muster within two hours.
• Tang Ningshuang warned Jiang Xiaobai that assembling thirty thousand soldiers could make the situation difficult to contain.
• Jiang Xiaobai told Tang Ningshuang he would not back down and planned to make the confrontation big enough that someone would bring it to a close.

Jiang Xiaobai assembled thirty thousand soldiers from the Northern Guardian Marquis's Estate and led them toward the Ministry of Justice to demand the release of Zhang. Jiang Jingcheng chose not to restrain him, trusting that his son had a plan.

• A general told Jiang Jingcheng that Jiang Xiaobai had assembled the estate's soldiers after the Ministry of Justice detained Thousand-household Commander Zhang.
• Jiang Jingcheng decided to stay out of the affair and pretended to be gravely ill so the general would not expect him to intervene.
• Jiang Jingcheng told Shen Yun he trusted Jiang Xiaobai and believed the boy had his own plans.
• Jiang Xiaobai and Tang Ningshuang faced the assembled thirty thousand soldiers outside the Marquis's Residence.
• Jiang Xiaobai ordered the army to march to the Ministry of Justice and called on them to fight.

Jiang Xiaobai led thirty thousand soldiers of the Marquis's Residence out of the capital, riding with Tang Ningshuang at the head of the army. As they marched toward their target, Tang Ningshuang grew eager for battle, while Jiang Jingcheng watched them depart and pretended to be unconscious when a physician arrived.

• The soldiers echoed Jiang Xiaobai's calls to fight, and Tang Ningshuang helped him mount her horse before leading the army out.
• Jiang Xiaobai clung to Tang Ningshuang as the horse charged forward, then held her waist as she steadied it.
• The thirty thousand soldiers marched through the streets, frightening the commoners and prompting several Wulin People to hide their weapons and pretend to be ordinary people.
• Tang Ningshuang felt that the army was where she belonged and began looking forward to a real battlefield, while Jiang Xiaobai reveled in the army's strength.
• Jiang Jingcheng watched the troops depart and praised Jiang Xiaobai's flair, then a physician arrived and was told to write a prescription for the supposedly unconscious Marquis.

The Northern Guardian Marquis's Estate mustered thirty thousand troops under Jiang Xiaobai and marched toward the Ministry of Justice, alarming the capital's officials and imperial family. At the Ministry, Zhang Xinnian endured abuse and refused to sign a confession as officials mocked Jiang Xiaobai and threatened to detain him.

• A messenger told Liu Guanlan and the Elder Princess that the Northern Guardian Marquis's Estate had mustered thirty thousand troops, and they hurried to find out where the army was going.
• An Imperial Guards officer told Xiao Jinxuan that the troops were headed for the Ministry of Justice, so Xiao Jinxuan set out there with Xiao Qingheng and Xiao Zijing following.
• Li Bingzhang learned that Jiang Xiaobai was leading the troops and hurried to the Ministry of Justice.
• At the Ministry of Justice, Zhao Sheng warned a fair-faced official that arresting Zhang Xinnian was rash, but the official insisted he could arrest anyone he wanted.
• Zhang Xinnian refused to sign a confession admitting he had coerced merchants into buying wine and warned the official that Jiang Xiaobai would retaliate.
• After the official mocked Jiang Xiaobai and threatened to detain him, Zhang Xinnian sprang up and was kicked into a wall by a young Ministry of Justice man.

Jiang Xiaobai arrived at the Ministry of Justice with thirty thousand soldiers from the Northern Guardian Marquis's Estate to rescue Zhang Xinnian. He disarmed the Ministry's guards and promised to get Zhang Xinnian justice, leaving the Fair-skinned Man and Zhao Sheng shocked by the force outside.

• The Fair-skinned Man ordered his man to keep beating Zhang Xinnian until he put his fingerprint on a document.
• A servant announced that people from the Northern Guardian Marquis's Estate had arrived, and the Fair-skinned Man told them to wait.
• Thirty thousand soldiers surrounded and entered the Ministry of Justice as Jiang Xiaobai and Tang Ningshuang arrived on horseback.
• Jiang Xiaobai ordered the Ministry's guards to throw down their weapons, and they surrendered.
• Jiang Xiaobai found the bruised Zhang Xinnian and promised to get him justice, shocking him, the Fair-skinned Man, and Zhao Sheng by revealing he had brought thirty thousand troops.

Jiang Xiaobai confronted the Ministry of Justice over Zhang Xinnian’s detention and used deadly force against those who had mistreated him. He waited for the Emperor to arrive while Zhao Sheng tried to avoid becoming his next target.

• Jiang Xiaobai asked Zhang Xinnian who had hit him, and the fair-skinned official admitted he had ordered the beating.
• Jiang Xiaobai shot and killed the man who had struck Zhang Xinnian, then told the horrified official he had done it because he felt like it.
• When the official threatened to accuse him of rebellion before the Emperor, Jiang Xiaobai shot him in the leg and said he wanted to make him howl.
• Zhang Xinnian fetched a stool for Jiang Xiaobai and kicked the wounded official as he passed.
• Jiang Xiaobai sat down, had Tang Ningshuang massage his shoulders, and questioned Zhao Sheng, who began howling before Jiang Xiaobai could shoot him.

Jiang Xiaobai held the Ministry of Justice under guard after wounding Cheng Xiao and killing an official, then confronted Minister Zheng Yu and Zhao Bintian. The Imperial Guards arrived, and Jiang Xiaobai waited to see whether the Emperor would intervene.

• Jiang Xiaobai spared Zhao Sheng but refused to spare Cheng Xiao, who vowed revenge.
• Zheng Yu entered the hall and demanded to know why Jiang Xiaobai had brought soldiers to the Ministry of Justice.
• Zhao Bintian rushed to Cheng Xiao, expressed concern for his wound, and accused Jiang Xiaobai of committing capital crimes.
• Jiang Xiaobai challenged Zhao Bintian and Cheng Xiao to wait for the Emperor to arrive.
• The Imperial Guards approached the hall, and Jiang Xiaobai remarked that someone able to stand up for them had arrived.

Jiang Xiaobai confronted Xiao Jinxuan after the Marquis's soldiers refused to yield to the Imperial Guards, then accused the Ministry of Justice of unjustly arresting his people and falsely alleging rebellion. He demanded that the person responsible be executed, leaving Xiao Jinxuan to decide how to answer amid the army's show of force.

• The Marquis's soldiers refused to move for Xiao Jinxuan, saying they obeyed military orders, and the officer went to summon Jiang Xiaobai.
• Xiao Jinxuan arrived at the Ministry of Justice, while Chen Zhanqiu urged him to punish Jiang Xiaobai and the Elder Princess predicted he would have to soften the matter.
• Jiang Xiaobai told the officer to invite Xiao Jinxuan inside and urged Zheng Yu and the others to lodge complaints against him.
• Xiao Jinxuan entered the hall and saw the corpse and the Fair-skinned Man's bloody legs before Jiang Xiaobai asked him to uphold justice.
• Jiang Xiaobai accused the Ministry of Justice of arresting Marquis's Residence people without cause and falsely accusing the Northern Guardian Marquis's Estate's 800,000-Strong Army of rebellion, then demanded the culprit's execution.

Jiang Xiaobai confronted Emperor Xiao Jinxuan over the Ministry of Justice’s treatment of the Northern Guardian Marquis’s Estate and forced the emperor to reject accusations of rebellion. He then accused Ministry officials of colluding with northern enemies and asked for authority to investigate the Ministry of Justice, leaving its defenders afraid to speak.

• Jiang Xiaobai demanded that Xiao Jinxuan uphold justice for the Northern Guardian Marquis’s Estate and its 800,000-strong army, while Cheng Xiao accused the estate’s men of bullying commoners.
• Zhao Bintian and Zheng Yu accused Jiang Xiaobai of rebellion for surrounding the Ministry of Justice with 30,000 troops and killing an official, but Xiao Jinxuan affirmed the estate’s loyalty to Great Hua.
• Jiang Xiaobai claimed Cheng Xiao and the dead official had ties to hostile forces beyond the northern border, and Zhang Xinnian backed his accusation as a witness.
• Zheng Yu and Zhao Bintian vouched for Cheng Xiao, so Jiang Xiaobai accused them of possible complicity and requested a decree to investigate the Ministry of Justice.
• Zhao Sheng and Chen Zhanqiu abandoned their attempts to defend the officials, fearing Jiang Xiaobai would implicate them as well.

Jiang Xiaobai forced the emperor to order an investigation into both the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice, then killed Cheng Xiao after the court party departed. He spared Zhao Bintian and Zhao Sheng for now, withdrew his troops, and left the Ministry of Justice shaken by his ruthless maneuvering.

• Xiao Jinxuan ordered Jiang Xiaobai to investigate the Ministry of Justice for colluding with an enemy nation and commanded him to withdraw the Marquis's Residence troops.
• After Xiao Jinxuan and the others left, Jiang Xiaobai shot Cheng Xiao dead when he took too long to answer.
• Zhao Bintian swore revenge, but Jiang Xiaobai spared him so he could investigate the assassins Zhao Bintian had sent after him.
• Jiang Xiaobai urged Zheng Yu to retire and warned Zhao Sheng that he was being spared out of respect for Elder Lin.
• Jiang Xiaobai ordered Zhang Xinnian to take the troops home, while Zhao Sheng left the Ministry of Justice wary of Jiang Xiaobai's methods.