Chapter Summaries

After waking naked beside the feared Imperial Preceptor Zhang Lanhe, Xie Huizhou remembered that he had slept with the powerful man and feared for his life. He recalled how he had transmigrated into the Ninth Prince and first met Zhang Lanhe during a bloody succession struggle, where he had stabbed him.

• Xie Huizhou woke from a drunken night beside the naked, blindfolded Zhang Lanhe and realized they had slept together.
• Xie Huizhou recognized Zhang Lanhe by his silver hair and emerald eyes, and worried that the Imperial Preceptor would kill him.
• Xie Huizhou remembered transmigrating into the neglected Ninth Prince after dying while reading a novel.
• Xie Huizhou recalled the emperor’s coma, the princes’ succession struggle, and Zhang Lanhe’s role in quelling the chaos.
• Xie Huizhou remembered stabbing Zhang Lanhe during their first meeting and feared he would settle the score.

After waking beside Zhang Lanhe, Xie Huizhou remembered that he was a cannon-fodder prince doomed to die in the novel and fled before the State Preceptor could identify him. Zhang Lanhe lost his trail in the lake and ordered his spies to discover who had been with him.

• Five years earlier, Zhang Lanhe rescued Xie Huizhou from an ambush during the chaos of war, and Xie Huizhou accidentally wounded him while defending himself.
• Xie Huizhou recalled the novel’s plot, in which Zhang Lanhe killed him for lusting after Zhou Yanqing, and resolved to fake his death and escape the palace.
• After spending the night with Zhang Lanhe, Xie Huizhou dressed and tried to slip away without revealing his identity.
• When Zhang Lanhe called after him, Xie Huizhou insulted his technique, jumped into the lake, and swam away.
• Zhang Lanhe failed to track Xie Huizhou through the lake and ordered his spies to investigate the unknown person.

After escaping Zhang Lanhe, Xie Huizhou discovered a strange snake mark on his waist and woke sick in bed, while his friends mistook his injuries for evidence of a romance. He realized he had interrupted the novel’s destined encounter between Zhou Yanqing and Fang Yuanke, and learned Zhang Lanhe was searching the capital for the person who had crossed him.

• Xie Huizhou secretly swam back to the detached palace, hid his wet clothes, and found a silver snake mark on his waist that would not rub off.
• Li Xu and their friends woke Xie Huizhou, saw the marks on his neck, and assumed he had spent the night with a woman.
• Xie Huizhou rejected Li Xu’s suggestion that he bring his supposed lover into the palace and learned the young scholar he had helped was Zhou Yanqing.
• Xie Huizhou realized he had intercepted Zhou Yanqing’s destined encounter with Fang Yuanke by taking the drugged wine meant for Zhou Yanqing.
• Li Xu discovered that Zhang Lanhe’s men were searching for someone who had offended the imperial preceptor and planned to tell Xie Huizhou about it.

While recovering at the detached palace, Xie Huizhou learned that Zhang Lanhe had spent a month searching the capital for the man who insulted him, and feared being caught. Xie then gave Li Xu an erotic drawing mocking Zhang Lanhe to sell, while Zhang Lanhe continued hunting for Xie.

• Xie Huizhou asked Li Xu about Zhang Lanhe and learned that the Imperial Preceptor had been searching the capital for a missing young man.
• Li Xu recounted the rumors that the young man had insulted Zhang Lanhe’s sexual ability and that Zhang Lanhe had beaten people who tried to offer him handsome men.
• Xie Huizhou panicked that Zhang Lanhe would find him, while Li Xu joined him in condemning Zhang Lanhe based on the rumors.
• Xie Huizhou handed Li Xu a suggestive drawing that resembled Zhang Lanhe, and Li Xu decided to sell it despite the risk.
• Zhang Lanhe asked a spy whether they had found the man.

Zhang Lanhe searched in vain for the mysterious youth he had spent a night with, while learning that Xie Huizhou might be returning to the palace. Hearing a rumor that the frail Ninth Prince was a lecher, Zhang Lanhe dismissed him as unrelated to the youth and went to the palace to find out the emperor’s intentions.

• Zhang Lanhe reprimanded his scouts for failing to find the mysterious youth and recalled the night they had spent together, though he had never seen the man’s face or learned his name.
• Zhang Lanhe’s scouts warned that the youth might come from a powerful family that had hidden him, but Zhang Lanhe insisted he would bring the man back if he found him.
• A scout told Zhang Lanhe that the emperor’s health was worsening and that he might bring the Ninth Prince, Xie Huizhou, back to the palace.
• Zhang Lanhe remembered rescuing Xie Huizhou as a child and learned that the prince was ill again, reportedly after overindulging in sex.
• Zhang Lanhe rejected the rumor that Xie Huizhou was a lecher as absurd and went to the imperial palace to investigate the emperor’s plans.

Zhang Lanhe learned that the old emperor planned to bring the Ninth Prince Xie Huizhou back to the palace and recognized the move as an attempt to tie them together and undermine him. As Zhang Lanhe went to assess Xie Huizhou, the Eighth Prince Xie Tingchun decided to arrange his death at the spring hunt.

• A young eunuch criticized Zhang Lanhe’s carriage, but the supervising eunuch struck him and warned him to watch his tongue.
• At the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the old emperor probed Zhang Lanhe about marriage and then explained that he wanted Xie Huizhou back in the palace to fulfill his filial duties.
• Zhang Lanhe saw the plan as an effort to use Xie Huizhou against him, left the hall, and decided to visit the Ninth Prince to judge his health and usefulness.
• Xie Tingchun and his study companion overheard the emperor’s intentions and worried that Xie Huizhou would complicate their struggles for power.
• Xie Tingchun proposed inviting Xie Huizhou to next month’s spring hunt, where an arranged accident could kill him.

Zhang Lanhe encountered Li Xu on his way to the Detached Palace and became curious about why Li Xu was hiding something. At the palace, Xie Huizhou resisted Zhang Lanhe’s strange summons, but an attendant warned that Zhang Lanhe was nearly there.

• Zhang Lanhe stopped Li Xu’s carriage and pressed him about visiting the Ninth Prince, while Li Xu tried to keep him away from the Detached Palace.
• Li Xu praised Xie Huizhou’s beauty and character, then asked Zhang Lanhe whether he had a hidden ailment; Zhang Lanhe threatened him, and Li Xu was dragged home to be punished.
• Xie Huizhou admired his paintings and considered earning a living as a painter if he escaped the palace.
• The snake pattern at Xie Huizhou’s waist grew hot, and he heard Zhang Lanhe’s voice calling him to come closer, but he refused to seek him out.
• A palace attendant warned Xie Huizhou that Zhang Lanhe was almost at the entrance.

Zhang Lanhe visited Xie Huizhou at the detached palace, where Xie pretended to be gravely ill to hide his unease. After taking Xie’s painting and leaving, Zhang ordered the Shadow Guards to investigate who Xie had been with that day.

• Xie Huizhou heard Zhang Lanhe was coming and hid beneath the covers, pretending to be sick.
• Zhang Lanhe saw through Xie’s act and summoned an imperial physician to examine him.
• The physician declared Xie’s constitution extremely weak and advised him to abstain from sexual activity.
• Zhang Lanhe found Xie’s landscape painting and teased him before leaving with it.
• Zhang Lanhe ordered the Shadow Guards to find out who Xie Huizhou had been with that day.

Zhang Lanhe remained unable to find Xie Huizhou, while Xie Huizhou received a Spring Hunt invitation and discovered that his late mother had left him hidden guards. Their ability to cover his tracks gave him a way to consider attending the hunt after all.

• Zhang Lanhe dismissed reports about Xie Huizhou and decided to attend the Spring Hunt in case the person he sought appeared there.
• Xie Huizhou received Xie Tingchun's invitation, suspected a trap, and considered declining so he could avoid the dangerous hunt.
• After Xie Huizhou accidentally broke a teacup, Consort Yu's hidden guards appeared, explaining that the cup was their signal and that they had protected him from the shadows.
• Xie Huizhou learned that his guards had hidden evidence from Zhang Lanhe and used doubles to misdirect his spies.
• Xie Huizhou asked how convincing the guards' disguises were, then decided he might attend the Spring Hunt after all.

The Spring Hunt gathered nobles eager to witness the feud between Xie Tingchun and Xie Huizhou, while Xie Tingchun prepared to have his younger brother killed. Xie Huizhou finally arrived at the hunting grounds, drawing everyone’s attention with his striking appearance.

• Nobles at the Spring Hunt traded rumors that Xie Tingchun planned to punish Xie Huizhou over Zhou Yanqing.
• Xie Tingchun confirmed to his adviser that he intended to kill Xie Huizhou and had arranged an ambush.
• Zhou Yanqing defended Xie Huizhou and resolved to distinguish himself in the imperial examinations so he could help him.
• Fang Yuanke offered to cause trouble for Xie Tingchun, but Zhou Yanqing declined and hoped to thank Xie Huizhou in person.
• Xie Huizhou arrived at the hunting grounds at the last moment, and the onlookers were struck by his beauty.

At the spring hunt, Xie Huizhou’s beauty won over the crowd, frustrating Xie Tingchun, who wanted to turn them against him. Xie Huizhou warned Xie Tingchun that Zhou Yanqing might be the person the State Preceptor was seeking, then declined to hunt with him, while Xie Tingchun secretly planned to have him killed.

• Xie Huizhou arrived at the spring hunt with hunting gear and luxurious comforts, and the gathered guests praised his beauty and defended him.
• Xie Tingchun grew angry that the crowd admired Xie Huizhou instead of criticizing him and approached him after noticing Zhou Yanqing nearby.
• Xie Tingchun asked Xie Huizhou to stop interfering with his pursuit of Zhou Yanqing, but Xie Huizhou refused.
• Xie Huizhou suggested Zhou Yanqing might be the person the State Preceptor was searching for, making Xie Tingchun hesitate to pursue him.
• Xie Tingchun invited Xie Huizhou to hunt together, but Xie Huizhou claimed he was too sick to draw a bow and planned to stay in his tent.
• Xie Tingchun accepted and secretly resolved to send men to kill Xie Huizhou during the hunt.

The Eighth Prince, Xie Tingchun, incited nobles to insult Xie Huizhou, who planned a covert revenge with his friends. Their plotting was interrupted when Zhang Lanhe arrived at the Spring Hunt in lavish style, leaving everyone stunned.

• Xie Tingchun ordered his supporters to disparage Xie Huizhou after hearing others praise him.
• Xie Huizhou stopped his friends from confronting the nobles openly and suggested ambushing them during the hunt instead.
• Xie Huizhou and his friends planned to disguise themselves, beat the offenders, and feed them laxatives.
• Zhang Lanhe arrived at the Spring Hunt with an extravagant entourage, silencing the gathered nobles.
• Xie Huizhou went out to watch as Zhang Lanhe asked what everyone had been discussing.

Zhang Lanhe arrived at the Spring Hunt and unsettled the gathered nobles, who blamed Xie Tingchun for inviting him. Xie Huizhou’s praise of Zhang Lanhe’s silver hair and eyes drew the Imperial Preceptor’s attention, leaving him facing Zhang Lanhe’s unreadable smile.

• Zhang Lanhe appeared at the hunting grounds, and the guests feared he had come to kill them.
• The guests mistook the gathering for a discussion of erotic paintings by Spring Studio Hermit, and Zhang Lanhe decided he might buy some.
• Xie Huizhou recognized Spring Studio Hermit as one of his own aliases and hoped the conversation would end quickly.
• Li Xu warned Xie Huizhou not to stare at Zhang Lanhe, but Xie Huizhou praised the Imperial Preceptor’s silver hair and jade-like eyes.
• Zhang Lanhe appeared behind Xie Huizhou and asked how the Ninth Prince saw him.

At the Spring Hunt, Zhang Lanhe mistook Xie Huizhou’s private praise for genuine interest and considered taking him under his guidance, while the Eighth Prince tried to use Zhou Yanqing to win Zhang’s favor. After Zhang rejected Zhou as the missing young man, Xie Huizhou disguised himself as Shadow Guard Seven and slipped into the hunting grounds to secretly take revenge on his brother.

• Xie Huizhou calmly explained to Zhang Lanhe that he had been praising him, and Zhang became interested in making Xie his student and weapon.
• Zhang Lanhe’s brief conversation with Xie Huizhou led the nobles to suspect that the Imperial Preceptor supported the Ninth Prince, unsettling the Eighth Prince.
• The Eighth Prince pointed Zhang Lanhe toward Zhou Yanqing as a possible lead, but Zhang immediately decided that Zhou was not the person he sought.
• Zhang Lanhe joined the Spring Hunt, while Xie Huizhou declined to hunt with his friends and planned to punish those who had insulted him.
• Xie Huizhou exchanged identities with Shadow Guard Seven and entered the hunting grounds in disguise, telling the guard to flee if danger arose.

Xie Huizhou overheard the Eighth Prince’s plan to assassinate him and used the hunt to abduct and humiliate several noble scions as part of his counterplot. He then spotted Zhang Lanhe speaking with Fang Yuanke and the other protagonist, and went to eavesdrop on their apparent romantic confrontation.

• Xie Huizhou overheard Xie Tingchun ordering his death-sworn retainers to kill him in his tent and frame someone else.
• Xie Huizhou rejected his Shadow Guards’ suggestion to kill Xie Tingchun immediately and told them to muddy the waters and involve Zhang Lanhe in his counterplan.
• Xie Huizhou disguised himself as a Shadow Guard and clubbed several noble scions from behind, then had his men bind and abduct them.
• Xie Huizhou frightened the captives into believing they had been poisoned, then revealed he had given them a powerful laxative and ordered that they be spared for his plan against Xie Tingchun.
• Xie Huizhou spotted Zhang Lanhe talking with Fang Yuanke and the other protagonist, then went to eavesdrop on their apparent romantic showdown.

Xie Huizhou watched Zhang Lanhe question Zhou Yanqing and Fang Yuanke about someone who had drunk drugged wine, unaware they had mistaken his interest for romantic drama. After Zhou Yanqing concealed his suspicion that Xie Huizhou had taken the drugged wine for him, Zhang Lanhe discovered Xie Huizhou hiding nearby and shot at him.

• Xie Huizhou imagined Zhang Lanhe and Fang Yuanke competing for Zhou Yanqing’s affection while secretly watching them from the woods.
• Zhang Lanhe asked Zhou Yanqing and Fang Yuanke whether they had seen anyone who drank drugged wine, and Zhou Yanqing recalled that Xie Huizhou had taken the suspicious cup meant for him.
• Zhou Yanqing misled Zhang Lanhe to protect Xie Huizhou, while Fang Yuanke drew his sword to defend Zhou Yanqing from the Imperial Preceptor.
• Xie Huizhou accidentally stepped on a twig, revealing his hiding place to Zhang Lanhe.
• Zhang Lanhe shot an arrow at Xie Huizhou, who dodged it, and then confronted him as a little fox in hiding.

Xie Huizhou disguised himself as a Shadow Guard and tried to escape Zhang Lanhe, who pursued him and demanded to inspect his waist. Zhang Lanhe exposed the silver snake mark and recognized Xie Huizhou, leaving him caught in the Imperial Preceptor’s grasp.

• Zhang Lanhe chased Xie Huizhou through the woods with arrows as Xie Huizhou taunted him and tried to flee.
• Xie Huizhou claimed to be the Eighth Prince’s Shadow Guard, but Zhang Lanhe offered to recruit him and then demanded to see his waist.
• Xie Huizhou resisted Zhang Lanhe’s attempt to strip him, and they fought at close quarters as the snake mark reacted to Zhang Lanhe’s touch.
• Zhang Lanhe recognized Xie Huizhou by his familiar medicinal scent and waist, then used his sword to cut away Xie Huizhou’s clothes.
• Zhang Lanhe saw the silver snake mark and caught Xie Huizhou’s wrist, declaring that he had caught him.

At the hunting grounds, Zhang Lanhe found Xie Huizhou and insisted he was his fated one, while Xie Huizhou escaped by invoking the Eighth Prince and summoning his Shadow Guards. Their confrontation was interrupted when masked assassins attacked the hunting grounds.

• Zhang Lanhe recognized the snake mark on Xie Huizhou and questioned him about his disguise and how he had evaded detection.
• Xie Huizhou admitted he had offended Zhang Lanhe before, apologized, and claimed he belonged to the Eighth Prince.
• Zhang Lanhe declared Xie Huizhou his fated one and said he would take him to the National Preceptor's Residence, while Xie Huizhou provoked him by claiming the Eighth Prince would never give him up.
• Xie Huizhou signaled his Shadow Guards, who used smoke bombs to carry him away, and he told Zhang Lanhe to seek him through the Eighth Prince.
• Masked death sworn fighters attacked the hunting grounds, creating chaos and stopping Zhang Lanhe from pursuing Xie Huizhou.

Xie Huizhou staged a chaotic attack at the Spring Hunt, turning the Eighth Prince’s assassination plot against him into a disaster. After Zhang Lanhe killed the Eighth Prince’s Shadow Guards, he arrived at the Eighth Prince’s tent and asked him for someone.

• Masked killers attacked the hunting grounds, while the Eighth Prince learned that his assassination attempt against Xie Huizhou had failed and that unknown attackers were causing chaos.
• Xie Huizhou watched from a tree as his men drove the Eighth Prince’s forces toward Zhang Lanhe, then ordered his own men to withdraw.
• Xie Huizhou returned to the tents pretending to be frightened, and the Eighth Prince accused him of acting and hiding his martial skills.
• Zhang Lanhe killed the Eighth Prince’s Shadow Guards, and the Eighth Prince thanked him despite resenting the loss of his men.
• Zhang Lanhe told the Eighth Prince that he had come to ask him for someone.

After Zhang Lanhe mistakenly believed the Eighth Prince was protecting the person he sought, he ordered spies to watch Xie Tingchun, who was summoned to explain the hunting-ground attack. Meanwhile, Xie Huizhou watched the altered Spring Hunt unfold and was surprised when the hunters offered all their game to him.

• Zhang Lanhe asked Xie Tingchun for his Shadow Guards, but Xie Tingchun denied having any and offered to send him another beauty instead.
• Zhang Lanhe accused Xie Tingchun and the person he wanted of being devoted to each other, then threatened to make the prince regret refusing him.
• After the old emperor summoned Xie Tingchun to explain how bandits escaped the hunting grounds, Zhang Lanhe ordered spies to watch the prince and bring back the person he wanted unharmed.
• Xie Huizhou saw the men he had knocked unconscious and given laxatives return in disgrace, where the other hunters mocked them.
• Xie Huizhou expected the hunters to give their game to Zhou Yanqing, but they rushed to offer it all to him.