Chapter Summaries

After awakening from a six-day coma, Qi Yuanzuo remembered that he had been reborn as the doomed crown prince and that his family and attendants were dangerously unhinged. Injured while saving the Emperor of Qi from Qi Mingyue’s rebellion, he learned he needed months of rest and resolved to recover before dealing with his future enemies.

• Qi Yuanzuo woke from his coma and recognized the Emperor of Qi, his tutor, and Bolao as three people tied to his future downfall.
• The empress dowager urged the Emperor of Qi to release Qi Mingyue, who had rebelled, and he angrily rejected her interference.
• The imperial physician declared Qi Yuanzuo out of danger but warned that his arrow wound meant he must rest quietly and avoid strenuous activity.
• The Emperor of Qi ordered the servants to protect Qi Yuanzuo and promised to return to keep him company.
• Qi Yuanzuo spoke with system 88, learned it could offer no cheat abilities, and decided to sleep and recover.

The Qi Emperor defied the Empress Dowager after she demanded that he release Mingyue, then focused on caring for the newly awakened Qi Yuanzuo. Qi Chengyou visited his brother, but the emperor assigned him a tutor instead, and Chengyou left bitterly recalling his previous life.

• The Empress Dowager slapped the Qi Emperor and threatened him with consequences involving Annam unless he released Mingyue within seven days.
• The Qi Emperor ordered the kneeling servants removed and replaced staff at the Hall of Inherited Blessing, then stayed beside Qi Yuanzuo.
• The Qi Emperor allowed Qi Chengyou to visit but blocked his view of Qi Yuanzuo and told him to begin studying under Junior Tutor Xi Ming.
• Qi Chengyou obeyed outwardly, then privately cursed the emperor's favoritism and recalled that Qi Yuanzuo had killed Xi Ming in his previous life.

After Qi Yuanzuo woke from his injury, he used his recovered memories to reassure the Qi Emperor that punishing the eldest princess was justified. As he recovered, he recognized his father’s controlling nature and learned from 88 that Qi Chengyou had been reborn, leaving him determined to stop being an obedient son.

• Qi Yuanzuo woke at night, ate porridge, and told the Qi Emperor he had gone to the front hall because the Hall of Inherited Blessing was empty and he had worried about him.
• The Qi Emperor asked whether Qi Yuanzuo would condemn him for severely punishing his aunt, and Qi Yuanzuo supported his decision by reminding him that the emperor was never wrong.
• When Qi Yuanzuo needed to pee, the Qi Emperor tried to hold him up, but Qi Yuanzuo protested until a servant took over.
• The next day, 88 told Qi Yuanzuo that Qi Chengyou had been reborn and showed him a shop of immortal arts before admitting its data had been wiped.
• After learning that 88’s previous hosts had received its best abilities, Qi Yuanzuo decided to act like an unfilial son rather than follow the book’s path.

The Eldest Prince Qi Chengyou recognized Xi Ming’s predatory interest and beat him in the Imperial Study. Brought before the Qi Emperor, he accused Xi Ming of touching him and lusting after the crown prince, leaving the emperor furious and stunned.

• Xi Ming taught Qi Chengyou the Thousand Character Classic while secretly appraising him and planning to molest him.
• Xi Ming took Qi Chengyou’s hand and scratched it with his long fingernail, prompting Qi Chengyou to recognize his depraved intentions.
• Qi Chengyou attacked Xi Ming with an inkstone and stool until the eunuchs rushed in and separated them.
• The Qi Emperor summoned Qi Chengyou and Xi Ming to the Imperial Writing Room to hear what had happened.
• Xi Ming pleaded that Qi Chengyou had beaten him without cause, but Qi Chengyou accused Xi Ming of touching him and making lewd remarks about him and the crown prince.

The Eldest Prince accused Xi Ming of slandering the crown prince, but the Qi Emperor believed Xi Ming and punished the prince while ordering an investigation. Qi Yuanzuo enjoyed the prince’s setback, then watched Bolao closely, unaware that Bolao was already imagining killing him.

• The Qi Emperor questioned Xi Ming and palace staff, found no evidence that Xi Ming had insulted the crown prince, and confined Consort Xian while ordering the Eldest Prince to copy the Three Character Classic a hundred times.
• The Qi Emperor ordered an investigation into Xi Ming and surveillance of the Eldest Prince, Qi Chengyou, after questioning where the boy had learned to lie.
• Qi Yuanzuo laughed with 88 about Qi Chengyou’s humiliation and decided to lie low while recovering.
• Qi Yuanzuo ordered servants to scatter leaves for his amusement, then rebuked a young eunuch for mocking Bolao.
• Qi Yuanzuo told 88 that Bolao was a dangerous psychopath who could only be controlled through fear and submission.
• Bolao swept beneath Qi Yuanzuo’s window and imagined slitting the crown prince’s throat and preserving his body as a masterpiece.

Qi Yuanzuo exposed Wet Nurse Zhang’s schemes to the Qi Emperor, who had her removed and taught his son how to command servants. The injured crown prince received a proper meal and continued recovering under his father’s care.

• Wet Nurse Zhang skimmed money by ordering lavish meals for Qi Yuanzuo, then feeding him only egg custard and planning to keep him nursing.
• When Wet Nurse Zhang ordered the servants to kneel and slap themselves, Qi Yuanzuo questioned her authority and called for his father.
• Wet Nurse Zhang complained to the Qi Emperor that the servants had defied her, while Qi Yuanzuo described being left hungry and told he could no longer nurse.
• The Qi Emperor recognized Wet Nurse Zhang’s deception and had his attendants cover her mouth and drag her away.
• The Qi Emperor let the Hall of Inherited Blessing staff divide the untouched dishes, ordered congee for Qi Yuanzuo, and taught him how to punish unruly servants.

The Qi Emperor visited Lady Zhou after she gave birth to the frail Third Prince, whose brief, strange gaze startled him. After recovering from his wound, Qi Yuanzuo went to the Imperial Garden, gathered chrysanthemums, and exposed Bolao’s attempt to manipulate his visit to the baby.

• Qi Yuanzuo asked the Qi Emperor to visit his newborn brother, and the emperor agreed only after the crown prince cried and reopened his wound.
• The Qi Emperor saw the premature Third Prince open one eye, was briefly shaken, and named him San'er until he turned one.
• The Third Prince revealed that he was reborn and vowed to bring down the crown prince, whom he blamed for his previous death.
• Once allowed to walk again, Qi Yuanzuo went to the Imperial Garden and had servants pick chrysanthemums to make cakes for the Qi Emperor.
• Bolao suggested that Qi Yuanzuo give the flowers to the Third Prince as a first-meeting gift, but Qi Yuanzuo slapped him and rejected the idea.

Qi Yuanzuo visited the Third Prince and used gifts and affection to persuade the Eldest Prince to support him rather than compete for the throne. The Eldest Prince resolved to guide and protect him, unaware that Qi Yuanzuo was deliberately showing weakness to secure his help.

• Qi Yuanzuo visited the Third Prince with the Eldest Prince, gave Beauty Zhou a gold dragon bracelet for the baby, and promised to send Chrysanthemum Cakes.
• The Eldest Prince suspected that Qi Yuanzuo might remember his past life, but concluded that the crown prince’s warm treatment showed genuine affection.
• Qi Yuanzuo gave the Eldest Prince his other dragon bracelet and told him that he was his favorite brother.
• The Eldest Prince decided not to compete for the throne unless Qi Yuanzuo proved unfit, and offered to supervise his studies and help him rule Great Qi.
• After the Eldest Prince carried him back to the Hall of Inherited Blessing, Qi Yuanzuo told System 88 that he had been showing weakness to gain the Eldest Prince’s support.

The Eldest Prince learned that Qi Yuanzuo could no longer practice martial arts, and struggled with what that meant for the future and his own plans. Qi Yuanzuo kept Bolao close because he was the only person in the Hall of Inherited Blessing who did not belong to the Qi Emperor, while the emperor approved of the crown prince’s developing skill at managing people.

• The plump eunuch told the Eldest Prince that Qi Yuanzuo’s injuries had damaged his lungs and internal organs, preventing him from training in martial arts.
• The Eldest Prince considered how Qi Yuanzuo’s inability to fight would affect the succession and wondered whether he should protect him from Third Brother.
• Qi Yuanzuo discussed Chrysanthemum Cakes with Simiao while Bolao watched, and told 88 that Bolao was the only person in the Hall of Inherited Blessing who did not belong to the Qi Emperor.
• The Qi Emperor heard reports about Qi Yuanzuo’s conduct and praised his use of the art of managing subordinates.
• The fat eunuch realized that the Qi Emperor had no objection to Bolao staying with the crown prince for now.

Qi Yuanzuo shared chrysanthemum pancakes with the Eldest Prince and brought him to the Qi Emperor, who urged him to build bonds with his brothers. As the Qi Emperor invited him to court to meet his maternal grandfather, Qi Yuanzuo wondered if his father believed only the crown prince was his biological son.

• Qi Yuanzuo and the Eldest Prince watched Simiao make chrysanthemum pancakes, then shared them in the Hall of Inherited Blessing.
• Qi Yuanzuo left Bolao behind, explaining to 88 that he wanted to see whether the Qi Emperor would allow Bolao to remain in his service.
• Qi Yuanzuo brought the Eldest Prince and pancakes to the Qi Emperor, who welcomed them and teased Qi Yuanzuo with his old nickname, Piglet.
• The Qi Emperor questioned the Eldest Prince about his tutor and told him he had not been falsely accused, while the Eldest Prince remained indifferent and prepared to leave.
• The Qi Emperor told Qi Yuanzuo to spend time with his younger brother and taught him that a crown prince should not stand alone; Qi Yuanzuo said he would be with the Eldest Prince.
• Qi Yuanzuo speculated that the Qi Emperor might believe only he was biologically his son, then heard the Qi Emperor invite him to court to meet his maternal grandfather.

Qi Yuanzuo watched the emperor pressure Grand Commandant Yin into supporting his plans for Annam and the Elder Princess, then astonished both men by demonstrating his extraordinary memory. The Qi Emperor resolved to investigate the crown prince’s origins at Lingsue Temple, while Qi Yuanzuo considered how the Yin Family might maneuver for power.

• The Qi Emperor brought Qi Yuanzuo to court, where officials debated the Elder Princess’s rebellion and the Prince of Annam’s heir, and later questioned Grand Commandant Yin about his ties to General Chang Gui.
• The Qi Emperor pressured Grand Commandant Yin to send his grandson into the palace and help secure military support, and Yin offered advice about Annam and agreed to the request.
• Qi Yuanzuo stole a dragon pearl, then recited passages from the Thousand Character Classic with astonishing precision to win the Qi Emperor’s Green Light Gathering Emerald.
• The Qi Emperor asked Qi Yuanzuo to keep his unusual memory secret and decided to visit Lingsue Temple, while Grand Commandant Yin sent his eighteen-year-old daughter into the palace.
• Qi Yuanzuo discussed the Yin Family’s political maneuvering with 88 and resolved to live up to the crown prince’s reputation in the book.

Qi Yuanzuo confronted the Empress Dowager after she forced Lady Yin to kneel and pick sesame seeds, then escaped injury when Bolao carried him clear of a thrown incense burner. The Qi Emperor arrived, and father and son reunited in tears.

• The Eldest Prince warned Qi Yuanzuo to avoid Lady Yin and Yin Shouzhi, then read to him as he fell asleep.
• After the eldest princess died, the Empress Dowager summoned Qi Yuanzuo, Lady Yin, and Yin Shouzhi, and made Lady Yin pick sesame seeds as a supposed prayer for Qi Yuanzuo's mother.
• Qi Yuanzuo told the Empress Dowager that he missed his mother and rejected her claim that Lady Yin resembled her.
• Qi Yuanzuo kicked over the basin and denounced the Empress Dowager for humiliating Lady Yin under the pretense of praying for blessings.
• The enraged Empress Dowager hurled an incense burner at Qi Yuanzuo, but Bolao swept him out of its path.
• The Qi Emperor arrived, and Qi Yuanzuo flew into his arms as they cried out to each other.

After the Empress Dowager raged over the Qi Emperor's defiance, the emperor watched over Qi Yuanzuo through the night. The next day, Qi Yuanzuo considered how to find the world's other transmigrator and tormented the third prince with toys.

• The Qi Emperor ignored the Empress Dowager's protests and left with Qi Yuanzuo, while the Empress Dowager later vented her fury and summoned eunuchs to the Little Buddha Hall.
• The Qi Emperor shared his bed with Qi Yuanzuo, checked his chest wound, and resolved to cherish his son before leaving at dawn for political duties.
• Qi Yuanzuo woke, received care from Simiao and Bolao, and decided to keep Bolao close while watching him carefully.
• After breakfast and his medicine, Qi Yuanzuo remembered that another transmigrator had arrived and wondered how to find her before his eldest brother could.
• Qi Yuanzuo visited the third prince in the Colorful Fragrance Courtyard, returned after an incense stick, teased him about wetting the bed, and played with him using toys.

Qi Yuanzuo visited Lady Yin, persuaded the Qi Emperor to take him out for the Double Ninth Festival, and was carried by the Eldest Prince to school. He arrived at the school palace and saw Xi Ming, wondering why his eldest brother had not killed him yet.

• Qi Yuanzuo left Lady Zhou's courtyard after teasing the Third Prince, while Lady Zhou sobbed over her son.
• Qi Yuanzuo visited Lady Yin and found her with the Qi Emperor, who promised to take him outside the palace on the evening of the Double Ninth Festival.
• The Qi Emperor announced that he would host the palace's chrysanthemum-viewing banquet, while the heir to the Prince of Annam remained a concern.
• The Eldest Prince carried the sleepy Qi Yuanzuo to school, despite the palace's strict rules about royal children's education.
• Qi Yuanzuo arrived at the school palace, saw Xi Ming, and wondered why his eldest brother had not killed him.

Qi Yuanzuo insulted Xi Ming to test the Qi Emperor’s tolerance and his eldest brother’s intentions, then returned to the Hall of Inherited Blessing and enjoyed soup dumplings. The Qi Emperor summoned him to watch Xi Ming’s complaint unfold, leaving Qi Yuanzuo startled by how indulgently his father treated him.

• Qi Yuanzuo mocked Xi Ming after his lesson, and Xi Ming threatened to report him to the Qi Emperor.
• The Eldest Prince ordered a eunuch to slap himself twenty times, then headed to see the Qi Emperor in case Qi Yuanzuo needed help.
• Qi Yuanzuo returned to the Hall of Inherited Blessing, ate soup dumplings made by Bolao, and appointed Bolao to attend him personally.
• Qi Yuanzuo asked Bolao to prepare extra dumplings for the Qi Emperor and the Eldest Prince.
• The Fat Eunuch summoned Qi Yuanzuo to the Hall of Bright Virtue, saying the Qi Emperor wanted him to watch the show.

Qi Yuanzuo defended himself against Xi Ming, prompting the Qi Emperor to dismiss Xi Ming temporarily and order an investigation into him. After leaving the hall, the Eldest Prince tested Qi Yuanzuo with a punch and found that the crown prince no longer reacted with the instincts he remembered from their previous life.

• The Qi Emperor welcomed Qi Yuanzuo, who shared steamed buns with him and the Eldest Prince while Xi Ming remained kneeling.
• Qi Yuanzuo explained that he disliked Xi Ming’s conduct and mocked his unusually long little fingernail, making the Qi Emperor suspicious of Xi Ming’s cloying hand fragrance.
• The Qi Emperor ordered Xi Ming to reflect at home for ten days, then privately instructed the Fat Eunuch to investigate Xi Ming’s daily activities.
• The Eldest Prince accused Qi Yuanzuo of pretending and questioned his description of him as impulsive and rash; Qi Yuanzuo explained how to answer Xi Ming’s twisted arguments.
• After the Eldest Prince punched toward Qi Yuanzuo’s ear, Qi Yuanzuo showed no sign of noticing, then asked to be carried because his chest hurt.

The Eldest Prince visited Consort Xian, concealed his changed feelings toward the crown prince, and asked her to find two children before deciding he could not explain the request. Consort Xian revealed her hostility toward the crown prince, while a shadowy listener at the Xi residence overheard Xi Ming call someone “Your Highness the Crown Prince” and hurried to the palace.

• The Eldest Prince brought steamed buns to Consort Xian and said the crown prince had given them to him.
• The Eldest Prince ordered Xiao Liangzi dragged away and beaten to death after the eunuch complained about the emperor’s favoritism.
• Consort Xian asked the Eldest Prince to invite the crown prince to visit, and the Eldest Prince accepted a sachet from Princess Baozhu.
• The Eldest Prince asked Consort Xian to find Jiang Yao and Sima Hui, but withdrew the request when he could not explain why he sought them.
• After the Eldest Prince left, Consort Xian told Nanny Ning that she could not let go of the empress’s living son.
• Xi Ming trimmed his nails before entering his study, where a shadowy figure overheard a child call out “Your Highness the Crown Prince” and rushed to the palace.

The Qi Emperor learned that Xi Ming was a predator and rushed to check on Qi Yuanzuo, while 88 shared painful memories about its sons and warned the boy never to fall in love. The chapter left Qi Yuanzuo ordering Bolao to kneel after Bolao tried to warm his feet without permission.

• The Qi Emperor cursed Xi Ming after learning of his abuse of his eldest son and feared he might have harmed Qi Yuanzuo.
• The Qi Emperor hurried to the Hall of Inherited Blessing, where Qi Yuanzuo cried after being kissed and had his face washed.
• Qi Yuanzuo told the Qi Emperor he had met Junior Tutor Xi only twice, reassuring his father that there had been little contact.
• Qi Yuanzuo asked 88 about the Transmigrated Woman, then listened as 88 described its three sons and grieved that the third had cut ties with it.
• 88 asked whether Qi Yuanzuo could forgive it after a future of ruin and suffering, then warned him never to fall in love with anyone.
• Bolao warmed Qi Yuanzuo's feet without permission, and Qi Yuanzuo kicked him and ordered him to kneel outside.

The Qi Emperor punished Xi Ming for abusing his son, then sent the traumatized boy away with Shadow One to learn to kill. Meanwhile, Qi Yuanzuo learned about the case through 88 and eagerly awaited news of the Eldest Prince meeting Princess Baozhu.

• Xi Ming's second wife and eldest son accused him of raping the boy, and the Qi Emperor ordered Xi Ming exiled to Lingnan while sentencing his second wife to twenty strokes.
• The Qi Emperor offered Xi Ming's son a choice between becoming a eunuch or learning to kill, and the boy chose to kill before leaving with Shadow One.
• Xi Changsong confronted Xi Ming on the road to Lingnan after the escorting officers left, while the Qi Emperor ordered the palace to keep the scandal from the Crown Prince.
• Qi Yuanzuo discussed Bolao's kneeling with 88 and recognized it as an attempt to condition him.
• 88 told Qi Yuanzuo that the Eldest Prince had run into Princess Baozhu, and Qi Yuanzuo eagerly waited for them to enter.

The Eldest Prince kept Princess Baozhu at a distance and tried to warn Qi Yuanzuo away from Bolao, a eunuch he remembered as a traitor in his previous life. Qi Yuanzuo exposed Bolao’s manipulative behavior, secured his submission, and left the Eldest Prince wondering how much the crown prince’s changed fears and circumstances had altered the future.

• Princess Baozhu visited the Eldest Prince, and he kept his distance while recalling their troubled relationship from his previous life.
• At the Hall of Inherited Blessing, the Eldest Prince kicked Bolao and warned Qi Yuanzuo not to employ him, but Qi Yuanzuo insisted he could control the eunuch.
• Princess Baozhu left, and the Eldest Prince told Qi Yuanzuo not to pry into Xi Ming’s offense before again cautioning him about Bolao.
• Qi Yuanzuo revealed that he feared neither cats nor darkness, leaving the Eldest Prince to question whether the crown prince had become someone different from the boy he remembered.
• After Bolao fainted, Qi Yuanzuo revived him, confronted him about manipulating the prince, and accepted his desperate pledge to obey.
• Qi Yuanzuo learned that the emperor would spend the night with Lady Yin but would still dine with him, and he approved of Fat Eunuch and Simiao’s direct answers.