Gu Moran used imperial marriage decrees to bind six powerful families to him and began earning his wives’ trust while weakening the Sons of Destiny tied to them. As Ye Qingyun’s arrival drew near, Noble Consort Chen summoned the six wives, and Gu Moran prepared for the meeting.
Gu Moran prepared Xie Wanqing to face Ye Qingyun at the Hanlin Academy poetry gathering, where she defeated him in all three rounds and he publicly returned his betrothal document to the Su Clan. The gathering ended with Gu Moran advancing in rank and Ye Qingyun admitting defeat and promising Su Yao he would no longer use their engagement for fame.
After Ye Qingyun’s defeat at the poetry gathering, Gu Moran used a new martial arts school to draw him toward orthodox training while strengthening his own skills. Ye Qingyun joined Dragon Abyss, and Gu Moran continued training with Lin Qingdai and Murong Xue as Chu Tianxing neared the capital.
Gu Moran brought Chu Tianxing into a free clinic while Ye Qingyun’s reckless training worsened his injury, and Gu Moli’s palace visit stirred questions about her brother’s past. As the emperor took longevity pills marked by the Flower-Between Pavilion, Gu Moran began tracing the danger and Eunuch Zhang’s connection to an old case tied to his origins.
Gu Moran redirected the princes’ rivalry into a public relief project while investigations into the pills and his family’s past exposed dangerous secrets. After Ye Qingyun died in custody accusing the crown prince and Chu Tianxing, the emperor summoned Gu Moran to speak at the Shun'an Lane hearing.
Gu Moran and his wives joined forces as the emperor investigated Ye Qingyun’s death and Gu Mochen’s pills. Tao Wujiu’s death led Gu Moran and Liu Ruyan to uncover the Liu Clan’s hidden records and surviving network, leaving them to seek a former elixir keeper while threats against their household remained.
Gu Moran and his allies exposed the crown prince’s plan to use a prison fire and Xiao Jinghan’s escape to attack Prince Yi’s Residence. The crown prince was confined, but Xiao Jinghan remained imprisoned with a corrupted cultivation path and a grudge against the Gu Clan.
Gu Moran prepared to leave the capital for Yi Prefecture while navigating the emperor’s suspicion, a concealed Northern Territory visitor, and his household’s plans. The arc ended with Gu Moran and the six women traveling south by boat as he grew closer to Shen Ling'er.
Gu Moran reached Yi Prefecture and began using his knowledge and his companions’ plans to improve the residence, build businesses, and strengthen local ties. As Mixue Ice City opened and Yun Shuyue entered the story again, Prince An’s spies mistook Gu Moran for a powerless figurehead.
Gu Moran turned Mixue Ice City's growth and Prince An's funds into support for troops, roads, and supply plans. His household sheltered Yun Shuyue and gained her father's salt-dealing ledger, leaving Yun Zhengze at the residence's door.
Gu Moran expanded Yi Prefecture’s waterworks, broke through a mountain barrier with explosives, and forged stronger iron while political plots gathered around him. After veterans fled Prince An’s humiliating performances, Gu Moran recruited them into Tailwind Express and began organizing heavy-goods transport.
Gu Moran exposed a false plague accusation, improved Yi Prefecture’s sanitation, and uncovered a Tubo plot while secretly preparing to rally the Liu Clan Army. As the fireworks festival approached, the imperial court’s succession tensions escalated into an attack on Gu Nianli.
After Gu Moyuan killed Gu Nianli and the emperor collapsed, Su Wenyuan secured emergency authority for Gu Moran to defend Yi Prefecture. Gu Moran rallied Liu Clan veterans, outmaneuvered Pu Yunshan’s efforts to undermine him, and repelled a Tubo cavalry raid, while Pu Yunshan remained trapped in the prince’s humiliating labor scheme.
Gu Moran uncovered Tiedan’s identity and stopped Zhao Wuxu from using the boy to seize the Yun Clan fortune. Tiedan reunited with his family but chose to remain with Gu Moran, while new threats emerged from Yang Tie, Tubo forces, and Lady Lü’s porridge scheme.
Pu Yunshan’s work in Yi Prefecture brought him close to Qin Hongxiu, and he bought her freedom before Gu Moran arranged respectable work for her and the other courtesans. As Yi Prefecture prepared to aid Anyang, the emperor’s ministers concealed his request to summon Prince An and the emperor collapsed in anger.
Gu Moran secured Dali’s cooperation, uncovered Yang Tie’s trafficking and poison schemes, and navigated Meng Jiuning’s attempts to gain leverage in Yi Prefecture. The arc ended with Tubo cavalry trapping Yan soldiers at Bronze Gorge as Pu Yunshan resolved to seek military merit.
Gu Moran’s forces rescued Yi Prefecture soldiers and prepared for threats from Anyang, Yong Prefecture, and Dali’s marquises while Gu Mochen’s dependence on the Bliss Pills deepened. The arc ends with Yang Tie sending Chen Qing south with a false map, while Gu Moran’s plans for the rival forces remain in motion.
Gu Moli exposed the empress’s poisoning of the emperor as Gu Moran strengthened his position through aid to Dali and new weapons. The arc ended with Gu Mochen resisting foreign demands and sending Gu Moran a warning about the addictive Bliss Pills.
Gu Moran prepared for war against the Japanese while Gu Mochen survived the poison at the cost of his martial strength. As Gu Moran’s party traveled toward Luoyang, Gu Moli infiltrated Mei Zhongjun’s residence and uncovered his secret crossbow dealings, prompting an attack that was interrupted by Mei Boqian’s arrival.
Gu Moran and Gu Moli secured Mei Hongye’s forces and moved west as Wa’s invasion devastated Goryeo. Gu Moran rescued Kim Seon-a from Wa assassins and began negotiating Yan’s aid in exchange for control of Goryeo’s campaign and access to Incheon’s port.