Chapter Summaries

Qi Yuanzuo woke with chest pain during a thunderstorm but tried not to disturb his father, while the Qi Emperor rushed to the Hall of Inherited Blessing after learning his son was ill. The chapter ended with Qi Yuanzuo choking on his medicine as the Qi Emperor panicked.

• Qi Yuanzuo woke during the storm with stabbing chest pain and told Simiao and Fat Eunuch not to summon the Qi Emperor.
• The Qi Emperor dressed and traveled through the rain with Consort Yin to visit the Crown Prince, while Consort Xian and Lady Zhou heard of his journey and resented his devotion to Qi Yuanzuo.
• Lady Zhou resolved to make the Third Prince's full-month banquet grand, and Lady Wei and Lady Xiao imagined winning the emperor's favor.
• The Qi Emperor learned the Crown Prince had chest pain and had summoned imperial physicians, then angrily rushed inside after hearing Qi Yuanzuo had tried not to disturb him.
• Qi Yuanzuo choked while drinking medicine, and the Qi Emperor called urgently for the imperial physician to help.

After Qi Yuanzuo fell ill, the Qi Emperor nearly punished the servants who had obeyed the Crown Prince’s order to keep quiet, but his son’s plea persuaded him to spare them. The father and son reconciled, exchanged a promise to argue only once in their lives, and the Qi Emperor stayed to watch over Zuo’er.

• The Qi Emperor blamed the Hall of Inherited Blessing’s servants for failing to report Qi Yuanzuo’s illness and ordered them removed, but Qi Yuanzuo explained that he had told them to keep silent.
• When the Qi Emperor persisted, Qi Yuanzuo cried and said that his father mattered most to him, softening the emperor and saving the servants.
• The Qi Emperor explained that he wanted Qi Yuanzuo to summon an imperial physician and inform him immediately whenever he felt unwell.
• The Qi Emperor gave Qi Yuanzuo his blood jade bracelet as a token for requests, and they agreed to argue only once in their lives.
• Lady Yin brought ginger soup, and the Qi Emperor soothed Qi Yuanzuo to sleep before agreeing that she could stay and keep watch with him.

After waking from a night of fright, Qi Yuanzuo calmly received Lady Yin’s care and met with her and Yin Shouzhi before they prepared to leave the palace after the Double Ninth banquet. He recovered from his medicine and befriended Consort Xian’s tabby cat, which wanted one of his soup dumplings.

• Qi Yuanzuo woke after the storm and declined Lady Yin’s help dressing, then thanked Bolao and asked after his health.
• Lady Yin asked Qi Yuanzuo to call her Aunt, but he changed the subject and asked whether she wanted to see Yin Shouzhi.
• Qi Yuanzuo, Lady Yin, and Yin Shouzhi ate breakfast together before Lady Yin and Yin Shouzhi took their leave.
• Qi Yuanzuo drank his medicine and spotted Consort Xian’s tabby cat in the palace.
• The tabby approached Qi Yuanzuo, licked his fingers, and rejected a pastry in favor of his soup dumplings.

Qi Yuanzuo kissed Qi Chengyou, leaving the Eldest Prince stunned and worried that someone had taught the young Crown Prince improper behavior. After Qi Chengyou and the Qi Emperor confronted him, the emperor decided to find him a Grand Tutor after the Double Ninth Banquet.

• Qi Chengyou learned that the Crown Prince had been frightened the night before and hurried to visit him.
• Qi Yuanzuo brought a cat to Consort Xian and asked her to feed it soup dumplings, making her snap her bodhi beads.
• Qi Yuanzuo told Qi Chengyou to squat, kissed him, and then walked away with the cat.
• Qi Chengyou suspected Xi Ming had taught Qi Yuanzuo the gesture and rushed to ask the Qi Emperor about it.
• The Qi Emperor and Qi Chengyou lectured Qi Yuanzuo, and the emperor decided to find him a Grand Tutor after the Double Ninth Banquet.

The Qi Emperor and Qi Yuanzuo encountered Lady Xiao dancing in the Imperial Garden, where she deliberately sought to catch the Crown Prince’s attention. On the morning of the Double Ninth Banquet, the Qi Emperor took Qi Yuanzuo with him and instructed him to call Grand Commandant Yin his maternal grandfather.

• The Qi Emperor and his sons walked through the Imperial Garden, where Qi Yuanzuo became captivated by Lady Xiao’s dance.
• Lady Xiao introduced herself to the Qi Emperor and explained that she was practicing a dance for him; after they left, she revealed that she had planned the encounter to attract Qi Yuanzuo’s attention.
• Qi Yuanzuo anticipated the Double Ninth Banquet, wore the Blood-Red Bead Strand at his waist, and ordered a large bun for Tabbyback.
• The Qi Emperor and Qi Yuanzuo rode together to the banquet, and the Qi Emperor told Qi Yuanzuo to address Grand Commandant Yin as his maternal grandfather.

At the Double Ninth Banquet, the Empress Dowager tried to embarrass Qi Yuanzuo by making him recite a chrysanthemum poem. He answered with his own verses and challenged her assumptions about how flowers should be loved.

• Shi Yu arrived at the banquet with the Empress Dowager and explained that he had hurried to the palace after learning his mother had been executed.
• The Qi Emperor seated Shi Yu beside him, then praised Grand Commandant Yin for his loyalty to the Crown Prince as Yin wept over his past actions.
• The ministers composed chrysanthemum poems while Qi Yuanzuo watched them flatter the Qi Emperor and noticed the Empress Dowager being ignored.
• The Empress Dowager demanded that Qi Yuanzuo recite a poem, and Shi Yu's remark that he could not recognize all his characters made it difficult for the Qi Emperor to refuse.
• Qi Yuanzuo explained that he had turned a Green Light Gathering Emerald blossom into a cake, then recited lines about plucking flowers while they bloomed and making chrysanthemums bloom alongside peach blossoms.

At the palace banquet, Qi Yuanzuo recited three poems, drew attention, and watched the Emperor promote Lady Xiao after her dance. When the Qi Emperor took him out of the palace, Qi Yuanzuo heard a strawberry seller and suspected he had found the Transmigrated Woman.

• Qi Yuanzuo recited three unfinished poems and claimed he had read them in a book called Miscellaneous Notes, while the Qi Emperor covered for him.
• At the evening banquet, Qi Yuanzuo watched the performances, and the Qi Emperor promised to take him out after the festivities.
• The Qi Emperor promoted Lady Xiao to zhaoyi after praising her dance, while Consort Yin performed among Persimmon Lanterns and hoped for a child of her own.
• The Qi Emperor and Qi Yuanzuo left the palace in ordinary clothes with attendants after the banquet began to disperse.
• Qi Yuanzuo heard a seller advertising strawberries on the street and suspected she was the Transmigrated Woman.

Qi Yuanzuo and the Qi Emperor encountered Jiang Erya, a transmigrated girl whom her father was selling along with her strawberries. After Qi Yuanzuo bought the fruit and intervened when her father beat her, he persuaded the Qi Emperor to buy Jiang Erya too, leaving her with a new master and a chance to escape her family.

• Qi Yuanzuo spotted Jiang Erya selling strawberries and learned that her father planned to sell her if the fruit did not sell.
• Jiang Erya's father tried to sell her as a maid, but the Fat Eunuch rejected him and asked about the strawberries.
• Qi Yuanzuo ate a strawberry, declared it delicious, and the Qi Emperor paid Jiang Erya's father for the fruit.
• Jiang Erya's father beat her when she offered herself to the group, so the guard dragged him away and beat him on Qi Yuanzuo's order.
• Qi Yuanzuo bought the strawberries and asked Jiang Erya to promise she would work for him.
• Qi Yuanzuo asked the Qi Emperor to buy Jiang Erya, and the Qi Emperor agreed.

After the Qi Emperor allowed Jiang Erya to stay with Qi Yuanzuo, the Crown Prince overheard a conversation hinting at a painful secret involving Su Changhe. He then questioned the female lead’s backstory, decided the original novel might be a lie, and resolved to learn martial arts as fear for his safety overwhelmed him.

• The Qi Emperor accepted Su Changhuai’s assessment that Jiang Erya’s arrival was a coincidence and let her remain because Qi Yuanzuo liked her.
• The Qi Emperor reminisced with Su Changhuai about their shared past and Su Changhe’s death, urging Su Changhuai not to resent him and to marry.
• Qi Yuanzuo woke in the carriage and inferred that Su Changhe had chosen to die in an incident connected to the Qi Emperor, while wondering whether Consort Xian was involved.
• Qi Yuanzuo questioned 88 about Jiang Erya’s past and concluded that the original novel’s account of her family might be a fabricated version of events.
• Fearing the female lead, his brothers, and even his father, Qi Yuanzuo suffered a panic episode, took his medicine, and decided he had to build his health and learn martial arts.

Jiang Erya entered the palace under Crown Prince Qi Yuanzuo’s protection, hoping to secure her place by offering to grow strawberries. After she accepted the name Jiang Liang, Qi Yuanzuo assigned her a place in the Hall of Inherited Blessing and ordered her to learn palace rules and keep him company.

• Qi Yuanzuo divided his strawberries among his father, eldest brother, and attendants, then summoned Jiang Erya to ask where she had found them.
• Jiang Erya told Simiao she had no strawberry seedlings but could grow the fruit from a seed, and Qi Yuanzuo recognized the seed as a pumpkin seed.
• Jiang Erya asked to be called Jiang Yao, but Simiao reprimanded her for rejecting the name Qi Yuanzuo would grant.
• Qi Yuanzuo reminded Jiang Erya of her promise to serve him, named her Jiang Liang, and ordered her to plant the seed in the Hall of Inherited Blessing.
• Qi Yuanzuo gave Jiang Liang two servants, a second-rank palace maid’s allowance, and instructions to learn the rules and play with him.

Qi Yuanzuo rushed to the Colorful Fragrance Courtyard and saved the Third Prince from suffocating amid heavy incense, striking Lady Zhou when she obstructed him. The Third Prince survived, while the Eldest Prince realized Lady Zhou had tried to use her son’s death to frame the Crown Prince, and the Third Prince was left grieving his mother’s betrayal.

• The Qi Emperor appointed Zhang Yao as the Crown Prince’s Grand Tutor and demoted Lady Zhou after refusing to visit her sick son.
• Qi Yuanzuo and the Eldest Prince went to the Colorful Fragrance Courtyard, where the Third Prince was struggling to breathe in a room filled with heavy fragrance.
• Qi Yuanzuo ordered the windows opened and the Third Prince taken outside, but Lady Zhou resisted and accused him of trying to kill her son.
• Qi Yuanzuo slapped Lady Zhou, took the Third Prince outside, and the physicians revived the child after he stopped breathing.
• Qi Yuanzuo comforted the shaken Eldest Prince and said he could not understand why Lady Zhou would harm her own son to target him.
• The Eldest Prince recognized Lady Zhou’s scheme, while the Third Prince reflected bitterly on his mother’s betrayal and the affection he had once discarded.

The Qi Emperor confronted Lady Zhou after her overpowering perfume made the Third Prince and Crown Prince ill, then heard the Empress Dowager’s inquiry into the incident. Lady Zhou was sentenced to the cold palace, but she tried to kill the Third Prince, and Qi Yuanzuo caught him as he fell.

• The Qi Emperor arrived at the Colorful Fragrance Courtyard, kicked Lady Zhou, and heard accusations that her perfume had endangered the princes.
• Bolao explained that the Crown Prince had tried to open the windows and save the Third Prince, while Lady Zhou had restrained the child.
• Lady Zhou claimed the Crown Prince had struck her and called herself his consort mother, prompting the Qi Emperor to draw his sword before the Empress Dowager arrived.
• Zhaoyi Xiao and Zhaoyi Wei explained the perfume’s origin, and a test showed that Lady Zhou had used too much of it.
• The Qi Emperor ordered Lady Zhou confined to the cold palace, but she seized the Third Prince and dropped him; Qi Yuanzuo caught him.

After Lady Zhou was sent to the Cold Palace, Qi Yuanzuo investigated the incident and learned that jealousy had driven her to frame him. He spent time with Jiang Liang and questioned 88 about its family, but Jiang Liang still earned no affection points from him.

• The Qi Emperor sent Lady Zhou to the Cold Palace and agreed to let the Empress Dowager care for the Third Prince.
• Qi Yuanzuo sent Simiao to investigate and learned that Lady Zhou had overused the Fragrance Balm, then tried to frame the Crown Prince out of jealousy.
• Qi Yuanzuo rewarded Tabbyback and caught Jiang Liang trying to plant seeds in autumn, then asked her to teach him Five-in-a-Row.
• While helping Jiang Liang dig up the seeds, Qi Yuanzuo heard 88 lament its three sons and questioned whether he was male or female.
• Qi Yuanzuo and Jiang Liang played Five-in-a-Row, but despite his happiness, she earned no affection points from him.

The Qi Emperor tried to persuade Consort Yin to raise the Third Prince as a loyal ally to the Crown Prince, while the Empress Dowager’s secret dealings horrified the Third Prince. The next morning, Qi Yuanzuo noticed Bolao was missing and went fishing, where a turtle eagerly chased his hook.

• The Qi Emperor cuddled Qi Yuanzuo, promised to begin his lessons soon, and left after the child fell asleep to visit Consort Yin.
• The Qi Emperor proposed that Consort Yin raise the Third Prince, but she refused; after he suggested they retire together, she accepted his invitation in hopes of becoming pregnant.
• The Empress Dowager questioned whether the Third Prince resembled the Qi Emperor, then met with people involved in a secret arrangement that the Third Prince overheard and found horrifying.
• Qi Yuanzuo woke, asked where Bolao was, and went to breakfast without asking about him again when he did not return.
• Qi Yuanzuo took Jiang Liang to the Golden Pool to fish, where a turtle repeatedly chased and bit his hook.

Qi Yuanzuo punished Bolao for attacking Lady Zhou and confronted him about his deception and motives. Bolao secretly welcomed the Crown Prince’s anger, convinced it proved Qi Yuanzuo cared about him.

• Qi Yuanzuo rejected the turtle Bolao suggested keeping and avoided Bolao’s attempt to pick him up.
• Qi Yuanzuo ordered Bolao to kneel and struck him, then drank his medicine and accepted Jiang Liang’s osmanthus candy.
• Bolao remained kneeling until night while Qi Yuanzuo watched him, then the Crown Prince ordered him brought inside.
• Qi Yuanzuo accused Bolao of going to the Cold Palace, fighting, and trying to kill Lady Zhou, and said he had uncovered evidence against him.
• Qi Yuanzuo kicked Bolao in a rage, while Bolao savored the Crown Prince’s attention and believed it showed he cared.

Qi Yuanzuo confronted Bolao over his unauthorized actions against Lady Zhou, then discovered oleander pollen on Tabbyback that could have poisoned him. After confirming he was safe, he suspected several members of the court, including the Empress Dowager, of targeting him.

• Bolao begged Qi Yuanzuo for forgiveness and claimed he had only sent servants to guard the Cold Palace, while Qi Yuanzuo warned him not to act on his own again.
• Qi Yuanzuo noticed a faint fragrance and sweetness on his fingers after touching Tabbyback, then found white powder hidden in the cat's fur.
• The imperial physician identified the powder as oleander pollen, which could cause fatal throat swelling in someone with Qi Yuanzuo's weakened heart and lungs.
• Qi Yuanzuo washed his hands, ordered Tabbyback bathed, and told Simiao to report the discovery to his imperial father.
• Qi Yuanzuo reasoned that Consort Xian, Zhaoyi Xiao, Zhaoyi Wei, or the Empress Dowager might have arranged the poisoning.

The Qi Emperor comforted Qi Yuanzuo after confronting the Empress Dowager over the poisoning, then recalled his past with Su Changhe and the Crown Prince’s mother. The next morning, Qi Yuanzuo deliberately let the Eldest Prince hear clues pointing toward Consort Xian, leaving the Eldest Prince rushing to investigate.

• The Qi Emperor held Qi Yuanzuo and wept after the Empress Dowager admitted to poisoning Tabbyback, then promised that in six months no one would be able to hurt his son.
• The Qi Emperor told Qi Yuanzuo about his mother, Su Changhe, and his guilt over Su Changhe’s death, while realizing Consort Xian also had a connection to oleanders.
• Qi Yuanzuo told 88 that his intuition suggested he was close to discovering the truth about Su Changhe’s death.
• Qi Yuanzuo vomited after taking his medicine, and the Eldest Prince rushed to care for him and summoned the imperial physician.
• Fat Eunuch told the Eldest Prince that someone had poisoned Tabbyback, and the Eldest Prince remembered seeing a matron rub powder onto the cat’s head for Consort Xian.
• Qi Yuanzuo listened in secret and concluded the Eldest Prince’s reaction made Consort Xian seem responsible, while Jiang Liang wondered why Qi Yuanzuo’s affection score for her remained zero.

The Qi Emperor confronted Consort Xian over her schemes against the Crown Prince, accused her of poisoning Zuo'er, and revealed that Qi Chengyou was Su Changhe's son. After Consort Xian was confined to Condensing Dew Pavilion, the Eldest Prince searched her hidden letters and discovered one was written by Su Changhe.

• The Qi Emperor accused Consort Xian of using the Fragrance Balm Recipe and oleander pollen in plots against the Crown Prince and struck her when she denied it.
• Consort Xian argued that Qi Chengyou was the Qi Emperor's son, but the emperor declared that he was Su Changhe's child and explained why he had tolerated the boy's survival.
• The Qi Emperor demoted Consort Xian to Lady and confined her to Condensing Dew Pavilion, while the Eldest Prince overheard the punishment and realized his mother had poisoned the little Crown Prince.
• The Eldest Prince recalled a hidden compartment beneath the Buddha statue in Little Buddha Hall and suspected its letters explained Consort Xian's urgency to target the Crown Prince.
• After nightfall, the Eldest Prince pried open the compartment, took out four letters, and recognized the first as Su Changhe's final letter.

After discovering letters that revealed his mother Lady You’s past and his true parentage, Qi Chengyou rejected her attempt to turn him against the Crown Prince. Lady You lost control when he vowed to protect the Crown Prince, including from her.

• Qi Chengyou read four letters revealing Lady You’s jealousy of Eldest Miss Yin Family and her relationship with Su Changhe.
• Lady You found Qi Chengyou in the hall and told him the Qi Emperor suspected he was not his son, then blamed the Empress and Crown Prince for his neglect.
• Qi Chengyou realized Su Changhuai was his uncle and reconsidered how sincerely the Crown Prince had treated him in his previous life.
• Lady You urged Qi Chengyou to fight the Crown Prince, but he refused and declared that anyone who harmed the Crown Prince, including her, would be his enemy.
• Lady You snapped, tore her Bodhi Beads apart, and went mad at Qi Chengyou’s vow.

Qi Chengyou left Lady You after rejecting her, and she recalled how she had helped the You Family murder Su Changhe and forge his suicide note. She resolved to keep living and destroy what the Empress cared about, while the Qi Emperor and Qi Yuanzuo shared a warm moment over the Crown Prince’s past constipation.

• Qi Chengyou kowtowed to Lady You and left despite her threat to disown him.
• Lady You remembered that the You Family had murdered Su Changhe and that she had forged his suicide note to conceal the crime.
• Lady You blamed Qi Chengyou’s coldness on his father and decided to keep reading scriptures while waiting to ruin the Empress’s family.
• Lady You imagined the Qi Emperor discovering the truth about Su Changhe and resolved to live long enough to destroy everything the Empress cared about.
• The Qi Emperor teased Qi Yuanzuo about vomiting his medicine, then recalled how the Crown Prince had once cried over his constipation.