Chapter Summaries

Zhou Cheng tested the Barrett and learned how to collect its bullets into the System Space, while Fan Xian discovered his birthday from him. Zhou Cheng ended with three bullets safely stored, each powerful enough to kill a Grandmaster.

• Fan Xian asked Zhou Cheng whether he knew where the bullets were, and Zhou Cheng told him they were on Cang Mountain and suggested asking Wu Zhu for the exact location.
• Fan Xian asked Zhou Cheng for his birthday, and Zhou Cheng answered that it was the eighteenth day of the first lunar month before leaving.
• Zhou Cheng took the Barrett to the woods, assembled it, and fired it to study how it worked.
• Zhou Cheng failed to collect the first two bullets but managed to store the final three in the System Space.

After Fan Xian’s fame as the Poetry Immortal spread, Zhou Cheng recommended him to lead Qing’s hostage-exchange delegation to Northern Qi. Fan Xian was summoned to the palace with Zhou Cheng, the Crown Prince, and the Second Prince, where Zhou Cheng explained his recommendation by teasing him for neglecting to visit.

• Fan Xian’s poetry collection was published, and his reputation as the Poetry Immortal spread throughout the Capital.
• Zhuang Mohan returned to Northern Qi in disgrace, and Emperor Zhan Doudou accepted the terms to exchange Yan Bingyun for Xiao En without returning territory.
• Li Yunrui visited Zhou Cheng and asked him to recommend Fan Xian to lead the mission to Northern Qi.
• Zhou Cheng recommended Fan Xian at court, arguing that the Poetry Immortal could showcase Qing’s literary culture.
• Emperor Qing summoned Zhou Cheng, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and Fan Xian to the palace.
• Zhou Cheng told Fan Xian he had secured him a fine assignment and teased him for failing to visit after Zhou Cheng returned from Border Prefecture.

Fan Xian attended a family meal with Emperor Qing, the Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and Zhou Cheng, where the emperor tested their manners and opinions of one another. Emperor Qing said Fan Xian would be an important court minister whoever succeeded him, leaving the Crown Prince shaken by the implication that the succession remained open.

• Fan Xian protested Zhou Cheng's teasing and questioned whether he belonged at the imperial family meal, but Emperor Qing told him to sit down.
• Zhou Cheng ate freely while Emperor Qing criticized the Crown Prince's stiffness, the Second Prince's poor table manners, and Zhou Cheng's boldness.
• Emperor Qing asked Fan Xian which prince he favored, and Fan Xian dodged the question by saying he could be either a loyal or treacherous minister as needed.
• The Crown Prince, the Second Prince, and Zhou Cheng each praised Fan Xian, calling him a pillar of state, a sly loyal minister, and a capable official.
• Emperor Qing told the three princes to protect Fan Xian because he would be an important minister whoever succeeded to the throne, and the Crown Prince silently trembled at the suggestion.

Emperor Qing ordered Fan Xian to lead the mission to Northern Qi and tied his marriage to Lin Wan'er to his agreement. Zhou Cheng then asked to marry Fan Ruoruo, prompting a dispute over whether her marriage could sway Fan Xian's loyalties.

• Emperor Qing told Fan Xian to exchange Xiao En for Yan Bingyun in Northern Qi, and Fan Xian accepted after the emperor threatened to change his marriage arrangement with Lin Wan'er.
• Zhou Cheng asked Emperor Qing to let him marry Fan Ruoruo, and Emperor Qing angrily rebuked him.
• The Second Prince also requested Fan Ruoruo's hand, but Emperor Qing dismissed him as well.
• Zhou Cheng argued that Fan Xian's affection for his sister could influence which prince he supported, and the Crown Prince and Second Prince agreed.
• Fan Xian told Emperor Qing that Zhou Cheng's argument was not entirely unreasonable.

Fan Xian persuaded Emperor Qing to let Fan Ruoruo choose her own marriage, then left to tell her the news. Meanwhile, Li Yunrui arranged to use the Junshan Society and Ye Liuyun to kill Fan Xian during his mission to Northern Qi, and went to visit Lin Wan'er.

• Fan Xian argued that Fan Ruoruo should not be forced into marriage, and Zhou Cheng proposed that she choose her own husband through fair competition.
• The Crown Prince and the Second Prince supported Zhou Cheng's proposal, and Emperor Qing agreed not to arrange a marriage for Fan Ruoruo himself.
• Fan Xian left the palace pleased and hurried to the Fan Residence to tell Fan Ruoruo she could choose whom to marry.
• After learning Fan Xian would lead a delegation to Northern Qi, Li Yunrui decided to mobilize the Junshan Society and asked Ye Liuyun to kill him.
• Li Yunrui sent a secret letter to contact Ye Liuyun, then left for the Imperial Villa to speak with Lin Wan'er.

Fan Xian visited Lin Wan'er to tell her that Emperor Qing had approved their marriage, but Li Yunrui arrived and fiercely opposed their union because Fan Xian was Ye Qingmei's son. After Li Yunrui left in distress, Fan Xian detected something unusual in her pulse and withheld what he had learned as Lin Wan'er pressed him for an answer.

• Fan Xian told Lin Wan'er that Emperor Qing had agreed to their marriage after his mission to Northern Qi.
• Li Yunrui arrived, condemned Fan Xian, and declared she would never let Lin Wan'er marry Ye Qingmei's son.
• Lin Wan'er defended her love for Fan Xian and accused Li Yunrui of not understanding or loving her.
• Li Yunrui staggered and clutched her lower abdomen, and Fan Xian examined her pulse before claiming she was merely unwell from poor rest.
• Li Yunrui left despite Lin Wan'er trying to stop her, and Fan Xian silently worried over what he had sensed in her pulse.

Zhou Cheng and his household enjoyed an autumn outing, preparing a hotpot and barbecue by a stream. He used a flick of his fingers to light the grill, impressing Zhan Yuanyuan, while the chapter left Ye Linger looking on with a curl of her lip.

• Zhou Cheng brought his household to a scenic spot outside the Capital for an autumn outing.
• Sang Wen and Si Lili prepared broth while Ye Linger speared a carp in the stream.
• Zhou Cheng cleaned the fish and teased Ye Linger about putting her martial arts to use.
• Zhan Yuanyuan struggled to light the charcoal and smudged her face with soot.
• Zhou Cheng summoned a flame with his fingers and quickly lit the grill, earning Zhan Yuanyuan's admiration.

Zhou Cheng returned from an outing with the women to find Li Yunrui waiting angrily at his residence, demanding that he abandon all his companions except Ye Linger. He refused to discard anyone, including Li Yunrui, and their confrontation escalated when she tried to throw a tea tray at him.

• Ye Linger joined Zhou Cheng and the others for a meal and a leisurely outing, while Zhou Cheng received a notification of Li Yunrui's negative emotions.
• Chen Bao delivered Li Yunrui's letter, and Zhou Cheng returned to Prince Cheng's Residence after the outing.
• Li Yunrui berated Zhou Cheng for making her wait and demanded he dismiss every woman in his residence except Ye Linger.
• Zhou Cheng rejected her demand and said he would not abandon any of the women, including Li Yunrui.
• Li Yunrui angrily seized a tea tray to throw at Zhou Cheng, but he caught her wrist and took hold of the tray.

Li Yunrui told Zhou Cheng that she was pregnant with his child, and he urged her to keep it. She explained that the pregnancy could expose her to political danger and force her to choose between the child and the Imperial Treasury.

• Zhou Cheng stopped when Li Yunrui revealed that she was pregnant.
• Li Yunrui said she had been pregnant for about a month and a half, since their encounter in the study after his return from Border Prefecture.
• Zhou Cheng gently touched her abdomen and asked whether their recent encounters had harmed the child; Li Yunrui said an imperial physician had confirmed everything was fine.
• Zhou Cheng earnestly told Li Yunrui to have the baby.
• Li Yunrui explained that her pregnancy could be exposed and used against her, threatening her position and forcing her to choose between the child and the Imperial Treasury.

Zhou Cheng tried to persuade Li Yunrui to keep their child by arguing that the pregnancy could help her retain control of the Imperial Treasury. Li Yunrui weighed the risks of Emperor Qing discovering the affair and had not yet decided.

• Zhou Cheng reminded Li Yunrui that Emperor Qing would eventually reclaim the Imperial Treasury, whether or not she kept the child.
• Li Yunrui rejected the idea of risking her power and future on a child, saying she could bear children for Zhou Cheng after he took the throne.
• Zhou Cheng argued that the child and the Imperial Treasury were not mutually exclusive because Emperor Qing would conceal the scandal to protect the imperial family's reputation.
• Li Yunrui considered Zhou Cheng's proposal but worried that Emperor Qing would retaliate against both of them and that Zhou Cheng might lose imperial favor.

Zhou Cheng persuaded Li Yunrui to accept the risks of carrying his child and join his bid for the throne. Li Yunrui agreed to conceal the pregnancy and their relationship, and the two ended the chapter together in her chambers.

• Zhou Cheng told Li Yunrui that he intended to seize the throne and was willing to risk it for their child.
• Li Yunrui agreed to stand with Zhou Cheng, warned him not to go back on his word, and said she would hide her pregnancy.
• Li Yunrui urged Zhou Cheng to keep their relationship from Ye Linger because they would need the Ye Family's support.
• Zhou Cheng joked about naming the child Li Zhaoxian, and Li Yunrui relaxed as she leaned against him.
• Zhou Cheng teased Li Yunrui and carried her onto the desk, promising to take care of her.

Zhou Cheng used a warning about Fan Sizhe’s trap to bring Fan Ruoruo to meet him, then revealed that he had deliberately sought her marriage from Emperor Qing to secure Fan Xian’s favor and pursue her himself. Fan Ruoruo recognized his political motives but remained wary of his proposal.

• After Li Yunrui left, Zhou Cheng dismissed the danger of Fan Xian exposing her pregnancy and considered how to use the situation to pressure the Crown Prince.
• Zhou Cheng learned that Fan Xian had discarded his invitations to Fan Ruoruo, so he sent her a private letter through Teng Zijing.
• Fan Ruoruo met Zhou Cheng at One Stone Residence after his letter warned her that Fan Sizhe had secretly partnered with the Fourth Prince to open the Embracing Moon Tower.
• Fan Ruoruo thanked Zhou Cheng for warning her and asked what favor he wanted in return.
• Zhou Cheng revealed that he had deliberately asked Emperor Qing to arrange a marriage with Fan Ruoruo so she could choose her own husband, and admitted that he wanted to marry her as well as win Fan Xian’s favor.

Zhou Cheng warned Fan Ruoruo that a Grandmaster would target Fan Xian during his mission to Northern Qi and pressured her to follow his arrangements. Back at the Fan Residence, Fan Ruoruo told Fan Xian about the warning, but he dismissed it and she retreated to her room unsettled.

• Zhou Cheng courted Fan Ruoruo, but she rejected him because he was betrothed and had many other women.
• When Fan Ruoruo tried to leave, Zhou Cheng warned that Fan Xian might not return from Northern Qi and claimed a Grandmaster would try to kill him.
• Fan Ruoruo returned to the Fan Residence and told Fan Xian that Fan Sizhe had tried to open a brothel, but that the matter had been resolved.
• Fan Ruoruo explained that Zhou Cheng had warned of a Grandmaster targeting Fan Xian on his trip to Northern Qi.
• Fan Xian dismissed Zhou Cheng's warning and told Fan Ruoruo to keep her distance from him.
• Fan Ruoruo withdrew to her room, troubled by her encounter with Zhou Cheng and her brother's reaction.

Fan Xian’s procession neared Qing’s border with Fan Ruoruo and Xiao En in tow when Ye Liuyun appeared and declared that Fan Xian was his target. The seven Tiger Guards stepped forward to protect Fan Xian as Ye Liuyun advanced under immense pressure.

• Fan Ruoruo continued traveling with Fan Xian, while Fan Jian accepted punishment from Emperor Qing for sending an unusually large guard detail to protect them.
• Fan Ruoruo brought Xiao En water and food despite his threat to kill her, as Fan Xian watched closely.
• Xiao En recognized the old man blocking the road as Ye Liuyun, one of the Four Grandmasters.
• Ye Liuyun said he had come to kill Fan Xian and pointed at him, filling the procession with crushing pressure.
• The seven Tiger Guards formed an array in front of Fan Xian and charged Ye Liuyun.

Ye Liuyun confronted Fan Xian and nearly killed him, but Fan Ruoruo stopped him by revealing that Fan Xian was Ye Qingmei’s son. Ye Liuyun withdrew and left, while Fan Xian and the others struggled to understand what had happened.

• Gao Da and six Tiger Guards attacked Ye Liuyun, but he swept them aside with a single motion.
• Ye Liuyun told Fan Xian he had been invited to kill him, and Fan Xian broke through to ninth rank under the pressure of imminent death.
• As Ye Liuyun prepared to strike, Fan Ruoruo stepped between him and Fan Xian and called out Ye Qingmei’s name.
• Fan Ruoruo said Fan Xian’s mother was Ye Qingmei, and Ye Liuyun stopped, confirmed Fan Xian’s resemblance to her, and left.
• Fan Xian and the others stood stunned, while Fan Ruoruo trembled as she remembered Zhou Cheng’s warning.

Fan Xian learned from Xiao En that Emperor Qing was his biological father, while Fan Ruoruo was shocked that Zhou Cheng had seemingly predicted the revelations. Days later, Crown Prince Li Chengqian visited the Empress to discuss rumors about Ye Liuyun attempting to kill Fan Xian.

• Xiao En revealed that Fan Xian was Ye Qingmei and Emperor Qing's son, not Fan Jian's.
• Fan Xian accepted Xiao En's claim, while Fan Ruoruo recalled that Zhou Cheng had predicted the truth about Fan Xian's origins and Ye Liuyun's retreat.
• Several days later, Crown Prince Li Chengqian read a report about Ye Liuyun's attempt to kill Fan Xian and went to see the Empress.
• The Crown Prince told the Empress that Fan Xian had survived the Grandmaster's attempt.

The Crown Prince learned that Fan Xian was Ye Qingmei’s son and likely the Emperor’s son, while the Empress demanded that he kill Fan Xian because Ye Qingmei’s actions had led to her clan’s destruction. Desperate for political support, Li Chengqian pleaded with his mother to endure the past and even suggested she apologize to Fan Xian.

• The Crown Prince told the Empress that Ye Liuyun had spared Fan Xian because he was Ye Qingmei’s son, and that Fan Xian might be the Emperor’s bastard.
• The Empress confirmed that Fan Xian was the Emperor’s son and insisted that Li Chengqian kill him because Ye Qingmei had caused her clan’s destruction.
• Li Chengqian argued that Fan Xian could help him secure the throne and revealed that he had few allies, while the Empress described the massacre that still haunted her.
• Li Chengqian knelt before the Empress and asked her to admit her wrongdoing to Fan Xian, leaving her stunned by the request.

The Crown Prince secured the Empress's permission to pursue his own plans, then prepared to use Northern Qi operatives against Zhou Cheng. When Fan Xian returned to the Capital, the Crown Prince welcomed him with elaborate ceremony and tried to present them as brothers.

• The Crown Prince pleaded with the Empress for permission to act, and she told him she would neither make demands of him nor stop him.
• The Crown Prince planned to target Zhou Cheng, learned that Northern Qi had sent four eighth-rank and ten seventh-rank suicide operatives, and ordered them to hide outside the Capital while his men watched Prince Cheng's Residence.
• Zhou Cheng learned the Crown Prince had kept the operatives outside the city and told his own man to conceal them as flower growers.
• Fan Xian returned to the Capital in late November, where crowds, the Crown Prince, and the Second Prince waited to receive him.
• The Crown Prince tried to lead Fan Xian's horse, then took his hand and proposed they enter the city together as brothers.

Fan Xian returned to the capital and was publicly welcomed by the Crown Prince and Second Prince, whose rivalry over him remained clear. He left the procession to visit Prince Cheng's Residence, claiming he wanted to thank Zhou Cheng for helping him in Shangjing.

• The Crown Prince and Second Prince welcomed Fan Xian, and Fan Xian made no effort to hide his hostility toward Li Chengze over the attacks on his journey home.
• The Crown Prince praised Fan Xian and tried to sow distrust between him and Zhou Cheng, while Fan Xian asked why Zhou Cheng had not come to meet him.
• The Crown Prince held Fan Xian's hand and led him through the city before the three princes' procession, drawing cheers from the crowd.
• After the crowd thinned, Fan Xian said he planned to visit Prince Cheng's Residence to thank Zhou Cheng for helping him in Shangjing.
• Fan Xian returned to his carriage and set off for Prince Cheng's Residence, leaving the Crown Prince visibly troubled.

Fan Xian visited Zhou Cheng to learn why his name carried so much weight in Northern Qi and discovered that Zhou Cheng had arranged for Fan Ruoruo to become Ku He's disciple. Zhou Cheng admitted he had deliberately made the Fan siblings indebted to him, and Fan Xian recalled the favors they already owed as their debts to Zhou Cheng became clear.

• After Fan Xian left, the Second Prince taunted the Crown Prince about Fan Xian visiting Zhou Cheng, then went to Guangxin Palace to consider how to handle Fan Xian and Li Yunrui.
• Fan Xian visited Zhou Cheng and asked about his ties to Northern Qi's imperial family.
• Zhou Cheng revealed that he had advised Fan Ruoruo to go to Northern Qi and had arranged for Ku He to accept her as a disciple.
• Zhou Cheng admitted he had helped Fan Ruoruo to put the Fan siblings in his debt, and Fan Xian realized the siblings owed him three favors.
• Fan Xian recalled that Haitang Duoduo had spared him and later helped him in Shangjing because of Zhou Cheng's name.