Chapter Summaries

Wu Junji was reborn as the premature son Wu Bing had given birth to, and learned that his existence was a source of shame to his father. Wu Bing nearly strangled him but handed him to Qian Deli, while the empress recognized the baby’s resemblance to Wu Bing and chose to raise him.

• Wu Junji woke as a newborn and discovered that Emperor Zhou, then Crown Prince Wu Bing, had given birth to him.
• Wu Junji realized his birth was a secret and believed Wu Bing hated him as a disgrace.
• Wu Bing’s attendants killed the midwives, and a messenger reported that Consort Dong had also given birth to a healthy son.
• Wu Bing tried to strangle Wu Junji but stopped, then gave him to Qian Deli to take to the empress.
• The empress saw that Wu Junji looked just as Wu Bing had at birth and ordered that he be raised well.
• The chapter recalled that in Wu Junji’s previous life Wu Bing had cast him out, and a human trafficker had raised him until he escaped at age four.

Wu Junji spent his first seven months in the summer Temporary Palace, convinced Emperor Zhou would abandon him, until Emperor Zhou returned and found him alive. After learning how little care Wu Junji received, Emperor Zhou began considering bringing him back to the palace.

• Wu Junji rejected human and cow's milk, and the wet nurses eventually fed him goat's milk mixed with millet porridge.
• System 88 appeared briefly, then fell silent while Wu Junji waited for Emperor Zhou to abandon him.
• Wu Junji learned from the wet nurses that Emperor Zhou had taken the throne, while he remained neglected in the Temporary Palace and struggled to grow.
• Emperor Zhou returned after months away, lifted Wu Junji, and was promptly urinated on; he then repeatedly pulled the baby's fist from his mouth before biting it himself.
• Wu Junji cried over the bite marks on his hand, and Emperor Zhou's guard reported that the wet nurses left him unattended for much of the day.
• Emperor Zhou compared Wu Junji's care with the eldest prince's and considered bringing Wu Junji back to the palace.

Wu Junji remembered how Emperor Zhou had once manipulated and tormented him, but as an infant he found himself in the emperor’s care and was moved by the realization that Emperor Zhou had given birth to him. After Wu Junji stayed quiet through the night, Emperor Zhou decided to take him back to the palace and raise him as his own.

• Wu Junji reflected on his hatred of Emperor Zhou and how learning the emperor had given birth to him left that hatred without an anchor.
• Emperor Zhou held Wu Junji, ordered new wet nurses, and spent the day carrying him around as the infant babbled and reacted to his surroundings.
• Emperor Zhou compared Wu Junji with his older son and decided to wait one night before choosing whether to keep him.
• Wu Junji slept, ate from a feeding bottle, and stayed quiet while Emperor Zhou watched over him through the night.
• Emperor Zhou concluded that Wu Junji had not cried and ordered their return to the palace, intending to give him an exalted status and raise him himself.

Emperor Zhou visited Chen Yang and revealed that Wu Junji was his child, then named him the future Crown Prince and promised Chen Yang’s sister the rank of Imperial Noble Consort. Chen Yang held the baby and, after Emperor Zhou departed, gave his life to Wu Junji.

• Emperor Zhou arrived at the Grand Marshal's Residence and soothed Wu Junji after Chen Yang’s greeting startled him awake.
• Emperor Zhou privately ordered Chen Yang to send his younger sister into the palace and told him Wu Junji was his child.
• Chen Yang begged Emperor Zhou to spare the Chen Family, and Emperor Zhou decided to bind them to Wu Junji rather than destroy them.
• Emperor Zhou declared Wu Junji the future Crown Prince and appointed Chen Yang’s sister Imperial Noble Consort to govern the inner palace.
• Chen Yang gently held Wu Junji, touched the mole by his eye, and watched Emperor Zhou depart before pledging his life to the child.

Chen Yu awoke reborn in his childhood and realized he had another chance to save his family and repair his bond with Wu Junji. Meanwhile, Emperor Zhou established Wu Junji as the elder prince, and Abbot Tianxuan declared that the child was born with an emperor’s destiny.

• Chen Yu woke in his childhood home, remembered his past life and the destruction of his family, then found comfort in his mother’s arms.
• Wu Junji, reborn as an infant, resolved to reclaim his place as Crown Prince and eagerly welcomed his return to the imperial palace.
• Emperor Zhou learned that Wu Junji had been born before Wu Junzheng and declared him the elder prince, alarming Consort Dong.
• Emperor Zhou brought Wu Junji to the Empress Dowager and named him, making his intention to favor the child clear.
• The Retired Emperor asked Abbot Tianxuan to read Wu Junji’s fate, and the abbot said the prince was born with an emperor’s destiny.
• The Retired Emperor accepted the omen and told Emperor Zhou to appoint Wu Junji, saying he would wait to see his General Summoning at age three.

Wu Junji became Crown Prince, but remained wary of Emperor Zhou and sought to win his favor while resisting his teasing. At two, Wu Junji continued their battle over how they addressed each other, while Emperor Zhou treated him like a toy and a hand warmer.

• Chen Yang and the military officials supported making Wu Junji Crown Prince, and Emperor Zhou and the Retired Emperor presided over his investiture.
• Emperor Zhou warned Wu Junji that he would depose him if his General Summoning went poorly at three, while Wu Junji privately vowed to poison him if he tried.
• Wu Junji grew into a frail two-year-old despite eating as much as he could, and he resolved to gain Emperor Zhou's affection to protect his claim to the throne.
• Wu Junji began calling Emperor Zhou an old geezer whenever Emperor Zhou called him a little wretch, and their daily argument lasted for half a month.
• Wu Junji wore the tiger costume Emperor Zhou had chosen and ran to greet him, softening the emperor's anger.
• Emperor Zhou carried Wu Junji into the palace, bickered with him, and warmed his cold hands beneath the boy's clothes while Wu Junji cursed him.

Wu Junji resisted Emperor Zhou’s teasing, then won a hundred Silver Beans by pretending to affectionately indulge him. After Emperor Zhou left, his recurring dreams of a funeral and a grieving son left him planning to investigate further after General Summoning.

• Emperor Zhou pinned Wu Junji down and questioned why he had worn the clothes and called him Father.
• Wu Junji explained that he had worn the clothes to please Emperor Zhou, and Emperor Zhou offered him a reward.
• Wu Junji kissed Emperor Zhou and asked for Silver Beans, so Emperor Zhou ordered Qian Deli to give him one hundred.
• Wu Junji changed back into his vermilion dragon robe and planned to use small acts of affection to make Emperor Zhou more willing to compromise.
• Emperor Zhou reflected on his recurring dreams of a coffin and a mourning son, then resolved to investigate after General Summoning.
• Wu Junji counted his Silver Beans in the Taiji Palace.

Emperor Zhou woke from a nightmare in which Wu Junji was publicly humiliated and feared the Crown Prince would grow into the same man. He rushed to the sleeping child, then calmed himself after Wu Junji slapped and cursed at him, deciding the dream’s Wu Junji was someone else.

• Emperor Zhou dreamed that the young Wu Junji was falsely accused of stealing Silver Beans and forced to crawl through a banquet hall to collect them.
• Emperor Zhou woke in distress and questioned Consort Xiao about Wu Junji, learning that the name belonged to the Crown Prince.
• Emperor Zhou stormed into Taiji Palace and found the sleeping Crown Prince surrounded by Silver Beans.
• Emperor Zhou shook Wu Junji awake, and the child slapped him and told him to get lost before falling asleep again.
• Emperor Zhou decided the dream’s Wu Junji was unrelated to his son, ordered the Silver Beans replaced with gold ornaments, and went to sleep holding the Crown Prince.

Wu Junji tried to arrange a separate palace for himself before the Imperial Noble Consort entered the palace, but the Empress Dowager and Retired Emperor refused to help. After learning that Chen Yu had been reborn, Wu Junji decided to visit him, and Emperor Zhou ended the chapter by saying Wu Junzheng was not worthy of a visit from Wu Junji.

• Emperor Zhou woke Wu Junji, who then learned that the palace was being prepared for the Imperial Noble Consort’s arrival and that he would need somewhere else to stay.
• Wu Junji visited the Empress Dowager and Retired Emperor to ask for help securing his own palace, but their attendant turned him away.
• Wu Junji concluded that he would have to ask Emperor Zhou directly for a palace of his own.
• System 88 returned and told Wu Junji that Chen Yu had been reborn; Wu Junji decided to visit Chen Yu and make him live in fear.
• Emperor Zhou carried Wu Junji inside, and when Wu Junji asked why he could not visit Wu Junzheng, Emperor Zhou said Wu Junzheng was not worthy.

Wu Junji argued with Emperor Zhou over wanting his own palace, and their quarrel escalated until Emperor Zhou slapped him. After the servants were ordered to watch him, Wu Junji recovered from the blow and decided to leave the palace to find Chen Yu.

• Wu Junji asked for a huge palace, while Emperor Zhou refused and insisted he would stay in Taiji Palace and the Imperial Noble Consort would move into the Rear Side Hall.
• Wu Junji threatened to run away, bit Emperor Zhou, and fled as the palace guards and eunuchs tried to stop him.
• Emperor Zhou carried Wu Junji back, kicked the servants who had surrounded him, and beat him for biting his father.
• When Wu Junji refused to admit he was wrong and said he hated Emperor Zhou, Emperor Zhou slapped him and left the servants to watch him.
• Wu Junji checked that the ringing in his ears had faded, then decided to leave the palace and find Chen Yu.

Emperor Zhou realized that the Crown Prince wanted a palace so he could protect his own dignity and interests, not to oppose him over the Imperial Noble Consort. As Emperor Zhou prepared to go to Taiji Palace and coax him, he learned that the Crown Prince had gone missing.

• Emperor Zhou raged over the Crown Prince's demand for a palace and suspected the Empress Dowager and Retired Emperor had turned him against his father.
• Qian Deli reminded Emperor Zhou that the Crown Prince needed a separate residence to preserve his standing and protect himself.
• Emperor Zhou recognized how the Crown Prince had repeatedly cared for himself while his father had overlooked his needs.
• Emperor Zhou decided to leave for Taiji Palace and coax the Crown Prince, then a messenger reported that His Highness the Crown Prince had gone missing.

After running away from the palace, Wu Junji was found by city guards and brought to Chen Yang’s residence, where he met Chen Yu and the Chen family. Chen Yu pledged to welcome Wu Junji to the family banquet next New Year’s Eve, while Wu Junji waited for Emperor Zhou to come retrieve him.

• Emperor Zhou discovered Wu Junji had escaped through a secret passage and ordered Chang'an sealed while the Northern Army searched for him.
• Chen Yang painted a portrait of Wu Junji, then joined his family for dinner at the Grand Marshal's Residence.
• City guards brought Wu Junji to Chen Yang's residence, and Chen Yang recognized the Crown Prince and arranged for ginger soup and word to be sent to the palace.
• Wu Junji told Chen Yang he had run away after quarreling with Emperor Zhou, while Chen Yu watched him with renewed loyalty.
• Wu Junji learned Chen Yu was Chen Yang's nephew, and Chen Yu invited him to the Chen family's banquet next New Year's Eve.
• Wu Junji privately remarked to 88 that he did not hold grudges, then waited for Emperor Zhou to come for him.

Emperor Zhou found Wu Junji at Chen Yang’s residence and took him home, softening after seeing him struggle to eat a dry flatbread. On the way back, father and son discussed Wu Junji’s future residence, traded affectionate insults, and agreed on three ground rules for treating each other.

• Emperor Zhou went to Chen Yang’s residence, took Wu Junji from the flatbread he was gnawing, and brought him away.
• Emperor Zhou carried Wu Junji through Chang'an’s night market, where Wu Junji admitted he was hungry and tossed the chewed bread crumbs onto his father’s back.
• Emperor Zhou told Wu Junji that the Imperial Noble Consort would move into Taiji Palace and that Heavenly Qian Palace would be rebuilt as the Crown Prince’s residence in spring.
• Wu Junji declared that he loved Emperor Zhou, and the two teased each other about arguing, with Emperor Zhou promising that Wu Junji would not be hurt.
• Emperor Zhou and Wu Junji agreed to change several habits and promised to treat each other as they were treated, ending with Emperor Zhou agreeing to go easy on him.

As Chen Jin prepared to enter the palace as Imperial Noble Consort, Chen Yang told her he would support the Crown Prince but could not help her ambitions. Wu Junji endured the Retired Emperor's deliberate cold shoulder and the favoritism shown to Wu Junzheng, then Nanny Wang went to complain to Emperor Zhou on his behalf.

• The spirits of Chang'an City exchanged rumors during the night patrol as the city settled after the Crown Prince's disappearance.
• Chen Yang visited Chen Jin before her investiture and told her he would support the Crown Prince, while she accepted that she would have to rely on herself in the palace.
• Chen Jin entered the palace through the Vermilion Bird Gate and received her investiture before Zhaochen Hall.
• Wu Junji visited the Buddhist and Daoist halls with the Retired Emperor, then followed him to the Palace of Eternal Longevity.
• The Retired Emperor and Empress Dowager favored Wu Junzheng and Consort Dong while ignoring Wu Junji, who remained composed.
• Nanny Wang left the Jade-Tooth Warm Pavilion to complain to Emperor Zhou about the elders mistreating Wu Junji.

Emperor Zhou learned that the Retired Emperor had mistreated Wu Junji and rushed to defend him, while Wu Junji considered how the General Summoning and officials’ retirements might affect his future. He suspected Emperor Zhou planned to spare the Chen Family, then revealed that Number Two had also been reborn and proposed preventing his younger brothers’ births with a meteorite.

• The Retired Emperor criticized Wu Junji and Emperor Zhou, while the Empress Dowager tried to soothe him by mentioning two expected princes.
• Emperor Zhou confronted Wu Junji and vowed to get justice after learning the Retired Emperor had made things difficult for him.
• Wu Junji connected the General Summoning to a wave of officials’ retirements in Zhou Wu Year Three and wondered whether the Retired Emperor still planned to kill the Chen Family.
• Wu Junji reasoned that Emperor Zhou’s visit to the Chen Residence suggested he might be trying to cultivate the Chen Family as Wu Junji’s maternal relatives.
• Wu Junji told 88 that Number Two had been reborn and suggested using a meteorite to prevent Emperor Zhou from fathering more children.

Emperor Zhou brought Wu Junji to a secret General Summoning at the ancestral hall, hoping his son would gain the fortune to secure his future. The Retired Emperor revealed that Wu Junzheng had become a three-seven false flood dragon, leaving Emperor Zhou to protect Wu Junji and tell him to read the generals’ names.

• Emperor Zhou teased Wu Junji and promised to show him General Summoning when he turned three.
• Emperor Zhou taught Wu Junji the names of the Yuntai Twenty-Eight Generals and took him from the palace on the night of the Beginning of Spring.
• At the ancestral hall, Wu Junji saw the court gathered around the Retired Emperor and Wu Junzheng.
• The Retired Emperor revealed that Wu Junzheng was a three-seven false flood dragon and dismissed Wu Junji as a mere python.
• Wu Junji kissed Emperor Zhou’s forehead and asked if he only needed to read the names on the stele.
• Emperor Zhou told Wu Junji to read all the names, concealing that a successful General Summoning required a spirit to answer.

Emperor Zhou tried to force the court to hold a general-selection ceremony for Wu Junji, but the Retired Emperor and his ministers refused and left. Wu Junji then promised to recite the ritual and frighten them, and Emperor Zhou agreed to guide him.

• Wu Junzheng urged the Retired Emperor to leave, but Emperor Zhou ordered Chen Yang to block the doors and demanded that the court conduct Wu Junji's general selection.
• The ministers argued that the second prince was already the generation's sole Flood Dragon and claimed they were too exhausted to perform another ceremony.
• Wu Junzheng recalled Wu Junji's past victories and feared that opposing him would only fulfill his plans, so he reluctantly said that his elder brother could select generals too.
• The Retired Emperor told Emperor Zhou to guide the ritual himself if he wanted Wu Junji to select generals, then left with the ministers after Emperor Zhou ordered Chen Yang to stand aside.
• Wu Junji comforted Emperor Zhou and offered to recite the general-selection ritual to scare the ministers; Emperor Zhou agreed to guide him.

Emperor Zhou revealed his severed-tail flood dragon fortune while Wu Junji summoned generations of generals and emperors, culminating in the manifestation of Human Emperor fortune. Emperor Zhou celebrated his son’s power and vowed to punish those who had underestimated him.

• Emperor Zhou shielded Wu Junji’s eyes and revealed his pink, severed-tail flood dragon fortune before the officials and Retired Emperor.
• The Retired Emperor struck Wu Junzheng for describing the dragon’s missing tail, and the officials pledged loyalty to Great Zhou.
• Wu Junji began summoning phantom generals by name as the storm gathered and demons approached the ancestral shrine.
• Wu Junji summoned twenty-eight generals, then called Wu Sishi and drew aid from the officials to continue the ritual.
• Wu Junji’s summoning produced phantom emperors and a dragon bearing Human Emperor fortune, shaking Great Zhou, other kingdoms, and the Demon Domain.
• Emperor Zhou joyfully tossed and kissed Wu Junji, declaring that his son’s fortune proved he was no ordinary snake and promising to deal with his enemies.

Emperor Zhou learned that Wu Junji possessed human emperor fortune and was destined to become Crown Prince, while Wu Junji named Chen Yu as his summoned general and immediately rejected him. Wu Junzheng reflected on the failed future he remembered as the officials rallied around Wu Junji.

• Emperor Zhou embraced Wu Junji and recalled how he had risked everything to secure an heir, while the Retired Emperor had once offered him a chance to surrender the throne and disappear.
• The Retired Emperor accepted Wu Junji’s claim to the Crown Prince position after learning that he possessed human emperor fortune.
• Emperor Zhou explained that each imperial prince’s summoned general was a person destined to assist him, and Wu Junji named Chen Yu of the Grand Marshal’s Residence.
• Wu Junji refused to accept Chen Yu as his summoned general, and Emperor Zhou led the court back to the palace to discuss the matter later.
• Wu Junzheng watched the officials turn their support toward Wu Junji and recalled how Wu Junji’s original destiny had been derailed, beginning a disastrous struggle for the throne.

Wu Junji learned about the monster world, the ten-year war between humans and beasts, and the secrets of General Summoning. After he fell asleep in the palace, Emperor Zhou ordered Li Gong to investigate Chen Yu.

• Wu Junji watched monsters trade in Chang'an as Emperor Zhou explained heavenly eyes, the limits of fortune, and the rules governing the beasts.
• Emperor Zhou told Wu Junji about the War Against the Monsters and the offices and patrols that kept disguised beasts in check.
• Emperor Zhou explained that summoned generals shared their lord’s fortune and gained abilities, then revealed that his own general could become invisible.
• Wu Junji questioned whether a summoned general had to be alive, bit Emperor Zhou, and fell asleep in his arms.
• After carrying Wu Junji into Taiji Palace, Emperor Zhou met with Li Gong and ordered him to investigate Chen Yu.