Chapter Summaries

Madam Zhaohua brought Ruan Zhizhi to the palace and asked Emperor Zhou whether his old promise to marry their children still stood, while Wu Junji recoiled from the girl because of their bitter marriage in his past life. After Wu Junji promised the Imperial Noble Consort he would speak to Emperor Zhou about Chen Yu’s punishment, Chen Yu saw Ruan Zhizhi while still kneeling and thought of the one person he truly wanted to atone to.

• Qian Deli told Emperor Zhou that Madam Zhaohua had arrived with her daughter, and Wu Junji insisted on staying to watch their meeting.
• Madam Zhaohua introduced Ruan Zhizhi, and Wu Junji led the girl away after Emperor Zhou joked that he was shy.
• Madam Zhaohua asked whether Emperor Zhou’s old marriage agreement still counted and worried that the Ruan family would mistreat Ruan Zhizhi after her death.
• Wu Junji avoided Ruan Zhizhi and left her crying, then encountered the Imperial Noble Consort, who asked him to seek leniency for Chen Yu.
• Wu Junji told the Imperial Noble Consort he would speak to Emperor Zhou, while Chen Yu continued kneeling and felt abandoned by the Crown Prince.
• Ruan Zhizhi passed Chen Yu as he knelt, and Chen Yu wondered why she had come to the palace before thinking of the person he most wanted to atone to.

Madam Zhaohua faced a dangerous pregnancy and planned for Ruan Zhizhi’s future by seeking Emperor Zhou’s protection and considering a royal marriage. Meanwhile, Wu Junji discovered the Deputy Imperial Seal, learned it could issue imperial commands, and secretly kept a shard of broken porcelain after asking 88 whether he could return to his previous life.

• Madam Zhaohua, pregnant and at risk of dying in childbirth, sought Emperor Zhou’s help and considered sending Ruan Zhizhi to Minglu Academy and marrying her into the imperial family.
• Ruan Zhizhi told her mother she liked the Crown Prince because he was pretty, while Madam Zhaohua reassured her that they would become friends.
• Wu Junzheng visited Wu Junji and found him holding the Deputy Imperial Seal, which Wu Junzheng explained carried authority equivalent to the Jade Seal.
• Wu Junji realized he had never known about the seal in his previous life and suspected that Emperor Zhou and the court had concealed it from him.
• Wu Junji asked 88 if it could send him back, then hid a sharp shard of broken porcelain beneath his mattress while 88 pleaded with him to live peacefully.

Emperor Zhou dreamed of the Crown Prince enduring starvation and abuse in a dungeon, and finally accepted that the young prisoner was his son. After waking, he comforted the little Crown Prince, who relaxed in his arms and decided to postpone killing him for the sake of the secondary seal.

• Emperor Zhou watched the Crown Prince suffer through days of starvation in a dungeon, enduring abuse while desperately trying to survive.
• Emperor Zhou recognized his son's eyes in the prisoner's face, broke down, and cried out that the young man was his Crown Prince.
• Emperor Zhou woke in tears and pulled the little Crown Prince into his arms.
• Emperor Zhou sang to and soothed the little Crown Prince until he relaxed and grew sleepy.
• The little Crown Prince decided he could postpone killing Emperor Zhou for another day to pursue the secondary seal.

Wu Junji discovered that Emperor Zhou had recovered Li Gong after the Lord of Changbai Mountain trapped him, and learned that General Summoning could be changed. Emperor Zhou offered Wu Junji a new group of loyal Golden Eagle Guards and promised to teach him how to change his summoning.

• Wu Junji noticed the porcelain shard had vanished and went to find Emperor Zhou in the Admonition Hall.
• Wu Junji recognized Li Gong, whom Emperor Zhou revealed had been summoned by his General Summoning and recently ransomed back from the Lord of Changbai Mountain.
• Emperor Zhou showed Wu Junji the shard, explained that Eunuch Qian had been killed for betraying the Crown Prince, and promised to replace the shard with a dagger.
• Emperor Zhou introduced ten skilled Golden Eagle Guards and told Wu Junji he could change his General Summoning, offering to teach him how.

Emperor Zhou arranged a general summoning for Wu Junji, who chose Li Jiu after learning he was the brother of Li Maomao, a woman from Wu Junji’s previous life. Emperor Zhou then took Wu Junji to witness the royal house’s power to alter heaven’s decree.

• Emperor Zhou rejected Chen Yu as Wu Junji’s summoned general and selected ten Golden Eagle Guards as candidates instead.
• Wu Junji recognized Li Jiu as the brother of Li Maomao, whose death in his previous life had stayed with him.
• Wu Junji chose Li Jiu, and Emperor Zhou asked whether he was sure before accepting his decision.
• Emperor Zhou praised the Deputy Imperial Seal and carried Wu Junji off to show him the Zhou Wu Royal House’s power to change heaven’s decree.

Emperor Zhou showed Wu Junji how the Jade Seal revealed fate threads and explained that Wu Junji could sever Chen Yu’s branch from his fate. Wu Junji freed Chen Yu, who received mysterious compensation and was left confronting why the Sick Emperor had hated him but never killed him.

• Emperor Zhou used the Jade Seal to show Wu Junji the fate threads and explained how fortune could sever the branch linking a summoned general to his lord.
• Wu Junji gathered his human emperor fortune and severed Chen Yu’s fate thread, drawing thunder and dark clouds over the palace.
• The Empress Dowager sensed the severing and summoned the Imperial Noble Consort.
• Chen Yu felt his connection to Wu Junji snap and received a mysterious power in return, then laughed beneath his quilt.
• Chen Yu recalled the Sick Emperor’s dying plea for five more years and realized Wu Junji had refused to punish him despite his hatred.

Wu Junji adjusted to life as Crown Prince after losing some fortune, while Emperor Zhou arranged Li Jiu as his new General Summoning partner. After enduring a month of painful martial arts training, Wu Junji set off for Minglu Academy with a grand entourage.

• Wu Junji considered whether to take revenge on people from his previous life as Emperor Zhou carried him through the palace gardens.
• Emperor Zhou told Wu Junji that he could attend Minglu Academy once he and Li Jiu developed an understanding, and Li Gong delivered Li Jiu to serve as the Crown Prince’s personal attendant and General Summoning partner.
• Li Jiu joined Wu Junji in Taiji Palace, where Wu Junji carved a jade seal and began watching his new partner practice martial arts.
• Wu Junji forced himself through daily stretching and martial arts practice until Emperor Zhou intervened, but Wu Junji insisted on continuing his training.
• After a month of leg stretches, Wu Junji achieved a full split and departed for Minglu Academy with his turtle, Demon Seal, servants, and supplies.

Wu Junji returned to Minglu Academy as Crown Prince and toured its classrooms. He chose Black Six, a class full of familiar demons and foreign imperial heirs, despite Yu Sheng saying he belonged elsewhere.

• Wu Junji recalled his past as a trafficked child and how he had survived in Minglu Academy’s orchards before learning he was the Crown Prince.
• Yu Sheng and the academy’s teachers welcomed Wu Junji at the main gate, and Yu Sheng showed him around the academy.
• Yu Sheng explained that Black Five housed newly elevated nobles who had requested to study with the Crown Prince.
• Li Jiu carried Wu Junji past Black Six, where he recognized White King, Mu Zhao, Xiong Yu, Lang Xi, Gao Hu, Chen Yu, and other imperial heirs.
• Yu Sheng told Wu Junji that his classroom was elsewhere, but Wu Junji declared that he liked Black Six and intended to study there.
• Wu Junji’s human emperor fortune burst forth, startling the class into defensive stances as he resolved to have some fun with them.

Wu Junji took control of Black Six Class by having Li Jiu defeat the royal heirs and Demon Heirs. Chen Yu then knelt before him as his new personal eunuch, and Wu Junji learned that Chen Yu had castrated himself to serve at his side.

• Wu Junji declared himself the boss of Black Six Class and ordered Li Jiu to beat Langdun Jiayang and the other resisting royal heirs into submission.
• Eri Dun and the five Demon Heirs submitted, while Li Jiu knocked Gao Nan and Yu Fusang into the wall.
• Wu Junji ordered Li Jiu to throw Chen Yu out, but Chen Yu knelt and presented a token naming him Wu Junji's personal eunuch.
• Wu Junji read Chen Yu's thoughts through the Red Cord and discovered that he had castrated himself to gain the chance to serve him.
• Wu Junji recalled Chen Yu's past kindnesses and betrayals, then called him Eunuch Chen with bitter mockery.

Chen Yu secured permission to remain by Wu Junji’s side after revealing that he expected to live only thirteen more years. Wu Junji granted his request, leaving Chen Yu bound to him at Minglu Academy.

• Wu Junji chose Black Six Class at Minglu Academy, while the demon heirs discussed whether the thousand-year-old Mr. Hu could challenge him.
• Emperor Zhou sent Wu Junzheng to Minglu Academy at the Retired Emperor’s insistence, and Wu Junzheng burned the Red Cord that could be used to curse Wu Junji.
• The Retired Emperor spread word that Chen Yu had castrated himself to stay with the Crown Prince, damaging the Chen Family’s reputation and leaving Chen Jin distraught.
• Wu Junji read Chen Yu’s thoughts and learned that he planned to serve him for thirteen years before dying from exposure to meteorite power.
• Wu Junji granted Chen Yu’s request to stay, and Chen Yu kowtowed in thanks.