Recaps

Mo Xuanchen and Shen Yuxi uncovered Magistrate Zhao Panggua’s vast hidden fortune and decided to use it to aid Qingzhou during the epidemic. At the overcrowded shelters, Shen Yuxi encountered a boy begging her to save his gravely ill grandmother.

• Mo Xuanchen questioned Zhao Panggua about his hidden wealth, and Zhao denied embezzling it before being taken into custody.
• Mo Xuanchen decided that Zhao Panggua’s confiscated money should be spent on the people of Qingzhou during the epidemic.
• Shen Yuxi followed a physician through the epidemic shelters and saw soldiers preparing to remove a seriously ill elderly woman to make room for others.
• The woman’s grandson Douzi protested and pleaded for her to stay, while Shen Yuxi approached to intervene.
• Douzi knelt before Shen Yuxi and begged her to save his grandmother.

Shen Yuxi learned that powerful people were bribing soldiers and physicians to steal epidemic resources, while Mo Xuanchen led imperial guards to confront the bandits connected to Zhao Panggua. The chapter ended as the bandit chief, Cheng Wuneng, knelt before Mo Xuanchen and begged for an audience.

• The system told Shen Yuxi that nobles were secretly manipulating medical assessments to obtain more medicine during the Qingzhou epidemic.
• Cui Mingjian covered Douzi’s mouth, then warned him to keep quiet and promised the best treatment for his grandmother and twenty taels of silver.
• Cui Mingjian had the two soldiers involved in the scheme dragged away and executed.
• Shen Yuxi decided that Mo Xuanchen was the only person powerful enough to stop the nobles from taking epidemic resources.
• Mo Xuanchen led a hundred imperial guards to wipe out the bandits who had partnered with Zhao Panggua and protected his assets.
• The bandits knelt at their stronghold’s entrance, and Cheng Wuneng bowed before Mo Xuanchen.

Mo Xuanchen spared Cheng Wuneng and the bandits on the condition that they descend the mountain and help treat epidemic patients. After returning to the county magistrate’s residence, Mo Xuanchen quietly lingered outside Shen Yuxi’s room while the system worried that he was falling for its host.

• Cheng Wuneng pleaded for his sworn brothers’ lives, and Mo Xuanchen asked why the bandits had avoided the epidemic.
• Cheng Wuneng explained that the bandits had stayed on the mountain, eating wild fruit and game and drinking from their own pond.
• Mo Xuanchen ordered everyone in the stronghold to descend the mountain and assist physicians, giving them a chance to atone and live.
• Shen Yuxi bathed alone after Zhao Panggua was jailed, while the system remained blocked from speaking to her.
• Mo Xuanchen returned to the residence, ordered troublemakers to be cast aside or executed if they resisted, then stopped outside Shen Yuxi’s room to listen to her sleep.
• The system noticed Mo Xuanchen’s growing feelings for Shen Yuxi and warned him not to interfere because he had a canon partner.

As Mo Xuanchen and Shen Yuxi visited the epidemic-stricken areas, Douzi thanked Shen Yuxi for helping his grandmother and innocently praised her as a perfect match for Mo Xuanchen. Mo Xuanchen took the boy’s words to heart, while Douzi belatedly realized he had spoken to a prince.

• Cui Mingjian cautiously suggested that Lord Little Shen accompany him to the hardest-hit areas instead of Mo Xuanchen, but Mo Xuanchen’s silent look made him back down.
• The former bandits worked among the patients in matching clothes and face coverings, though the sick remained wary of them.
• Douzi told Shen Yuxi that his grandmother was improving and thanked her for helping them.
• Douzi saw Mo Xuanchen and told him that he and Shen Yuxi made a perfect match, which pleased Mo Xuanchen.
• Shen Yuxi warned Douzi not to say such things and explained that he did not know Mo Xuanchen was a prince.
• Douzi realized Mo Xuanchen was the Fourth Highness and worried that his words had been disrespectful.

Shen Yuxi and her companions learned that Wanxue had married Chen Shisong for the love and care he once gave her, while his family treated her harshly. The system revealed that Chen Shisong had taken up with the Duke Who Stabilizes the Nation’s youngest daughter after reaching the capital, leaving Wanxue devastated and Shen Yuxi furious.

• Little Douzi learned Mo Xuanchen was a prince and hurried home after Shen Yuxi dismissed him.
• The system told Shen Yuxi that Little Douzi had a rare antibody that protected him from the epidemic, but Shen Yuxi said the new prescription meant he would not need to be sacrificed.
• The system recounted how Wanxue married Chen Shisong for his kindness despite his family’s contempt and mistreatment of her.
• Wanxue overheard Shen Yuxi and the system discussing her past and realized that Shen Yuxi knew her story.
• The system revealed that Chen Shisong had become involved with the Duke Who Stabilizes the Nation’s youngest daughter shortly after arriving in the capital, and Wanxue was struck with grief.
• Shen Yuxi called Chen Shisong a heartless bastard and compared him to Chen Shimei.

Shen Yuxi learned that Wanxue’s husband, Chen Shisong, was pursuing Shangguan Niao despite already having a wife, and resolved to gather evidence before helping Wanxue. After Qingzhou’s epidemic eased, Shen Yuxi and Mo Xuanchen returned to the capital, where Emperor Xuanzhao punished Zhao Panggua and the Shen family welcomed Shen Yuxi home.

• Shen Yuxi heard that Chen Shisong had promised to marry Shangguan Niao, and the System confirmed that Shangguan Niao knew he was married.
• Wanxue broke down after realizing Chen Shisong had betrayed her, while Shen Yuxi decided to gather solid evidence before confronting her with the truth.
• After nearly a month in Qingzhou, Shen Yuxi and Mo Xuanchen received Emperor Xuanzhao’s order to return to the capital as the epidemic subsided.
• Emperor Xuanzhao sentenced Zhao Panggua to death by a thousand cuts and ordered the Zhao family enslaved and imprisoned before their execution after autumn.
• Shen Yuxi refused to share a carriage with Mo Xuanchen on the return journey and joyfully reunited with her family at their estate.

Shen Yuxi returned to the Shen residence and learned she had to attend court the next morning, while Emperor Xuanzhao decided to make his sons handle the memorials he had left unfinished. Eunuch Yang reflected on the emperor’s hidden plan to protect Mo Xuanchen and eventually place him on the throne.

• Madam Shen welcomed Shen Yuxi home with a feast, and Shen Yuxi promised the tearful Liuying she would take her along on future trips.
• Shen Yuxi grumbled that Emperor Xuanzhao had denied her time off and ordered her to attend court the next day.
• Emperor Xuanzhao guessed Shen Yuxi was cursing him and decided to stop reviewing memorials, ordering that the crown prince and fourth prince handle them after court.
• Eunuch Yang considered the court’s uncertainty over the succession and understood that Emperor Xuanzhao had made the crown prince a target to shield Mo Xuanchen.
• Eunuch Yang recalled how Mo Xuanchen had led the Mo Family Army to defeat the Zhou Kingdom and become feared across the kingdoms.

Shen Yuxi returned to court after resolving the Qingzhou epidemic and received a reward, then asked Emperor Xuanzhao for leave. She secured three days off and learned more about Chancellor Xue’s opposition to her appointment.

• Shen Yuxi returned to court and wondered why the officials were staring at her, while the system said they had missed her.
• Emperor Xuanzhao praised Shen Yuxi for exposing the Qingzhou county magistrate, providing an effective prescription, and saving the people, then awarded her a thousand taels of gold and a hundred mu of fertile land.
• Shen Yuxi asked for leave, and Emperor Xuanzhao granted her three days after she complained about his refusal.
• Shen Yuxi focused on Chancellor Xue and recalled that he had once led officials in opposing her appointment, while the system explained he had not challenged her because Emperor Xuanzhao insisted on keeping her.
• Shen Yuxi agreed to the three days off despite privately wishing for a longer break.

During court preparations for the spring examinations, Shen Yuxi was appointed chief examiner and tried to retaliate by asking the system to reveal Emperor Xuanzhao's gossip. The system exposed the emperor’s childhood laxative mishap and identified Director Han as the physician who had caused it, leaving the court staring at the embarrassed director.

• Minister Shen reported the Ministry of Rites’ preparations for the spring examinations, while Shen Yuxi blamed the Duke Who Stabilizes the Nation for his younger daughter’s conduct until the system explained his battlefield scar.
• Yan Huai proposed strict safeguards for examination papers, and Emperor Xuanzhao ordered the ministries to cooperate in preparing the examinations.
• Emperor Xuanzhao appointed Shen Yuxi as examiner, and Minister Shen offered to select assistants for her.
• Shen Yuxi asked the system to expose Emperor Xuanzhao’s gossip, prompting the system to recount how he drank laxative as a child after a young physician called it immortal water.
• The system revealed that the physician was Director Han, and the assembled officials turned to look at him as he tried to act unconcerned.

Shen Yuxi learned that Mo Xuanchen had been a mischievous child and became flustered when the system teased her about blushing at him. After accepting the Duke of Dingguo’s birthday invitation, she went with Minister Shen to discuss her spring examination duties, while Chen Shisong dismissed his wife Wanxue as he spoke intimately with Shangguan Niao.

• The system recounted Emperor Xuanzhao’s childhood antics and said Mo Xuanchen had been even naughtier before later events changed him.
• Shen Yuxi blushed when Mo Xuanchen smiled at her, then denied to the system that he was the reason.
• Minister Shen asked Shen Yuxi to accompany him to the Ministry of Rites for guidance on her metropolitan examination duties, while the Duke of Dingguo invited her to his birthday banquet.
• Shen Yuxi suspected the Duke of Dingguo’s invitation was a trap, but accepted after the system explained he wanted to build a relationship with her.
• Shangguan Niao flirted with Chen Shisong and mocked his lack of concern about the upcoming examination; Chen Shisong said he despised his wife Wanxue and regretted being unable to marry Shangguan Niao.

Shen Yuxi visited the lane where out-of-town scholars were lodging on the eve of the spring examination and learned about Lin Shubai and Yan Qinghe’s difficult lives. The scholars continued studying under harsh conditions as they faced the examination.

• Chen Shisong promised Shangguan Niao that he would divorce Wanxue after the spring examination and marry her with her father’s approval.
• Shen Yuxi returned from the Ministry of Rites and fell asleep, while Liuying helped her to bed.
• Shen Yuxi visited the crowded lane where poor scholars were studying and questioned the system about the court’s lack of lodging for them.
• Lin Shubai rebuked a fellow scholar for joking that Shen Yuxi had come to see him, concerned for her reputation.
• The system revealed that Lin Shubai’s impoverished family sacrificed to support his studies, while Yan Qinghe had endured mistreatment by his adoptive parents and was determined to change his fate.

Before the spring examinations, Shen Yuxi encouraged Lin Shubai and the other candidates to rest, then arrived as chief examiner and oversaw the start of the exam. When a candidate fainted from overwork and lack of food and sleep, the system explained his condition, and the imperial physician confirmed he would recover with rest and food.

• The system praised Lin Shubai’s talent and predicted he could place in the first class, easing his anxiety before the examinations.
• Shen Yuxi told Lin Shubai and the other candidates that studying longer would not change their foundations, and Lin Shubai went to sleep, prompting the others to rest too.
• Shen Yuxi arrived as chief examiner, addressed the candidates, and ordered them to enter after the bell rang.
• Shen Yuxi inspected the examination papers and made rounds while the candidates wrote, and Lin Shubai worked with focus and confidence.
• A candidate collapsed during the examination, and Shen Yuxi asked the system to examine him.
• The system identified exhaustion from poor eating, lack of sleep, and nervousness; the imperial physician confirmed the candidate needed rest and food to recover.

Shen Yuxi supervised the imperial examination, exposing several examinees who cheated and ensuring the papers were collected and secured. After the exhausted examinees finished the test, they received a hearty meal that Shen Yuxi had chosen.

• An examinee woke after fainting and learned he had too little time left to finish his exam paper.
• The system alerted Shen Yuxi that an examinee had hidden a cheat sheet under his tongue, and she had him taken away.
• Shen Yuxi spotted another suspicious examinee, and the system revealed that he had hidden his cheat sheet in his body; a clerk took him away.
• The system exposed several more examinees using the same method, and Shen Yuxi had them removed.
• The examination ended, and Shen Yuxi and the vice minister of rites checked, sealed, and arranged for the papers to be copied.
• The examinees received a meal of braised pork and pastries, which Shen Yuxi had specified.

During the spring examinations, Shen Yuxi discovered that Chen Shisong had plotted with Shangguan Niao and a childhood friend to murder his wife, Wanxue. Chen Shisong collapsed after reacting to Shen Yuxi’s revelations, and she left him ineligible to continue the examination while reflecting that his crimes merited thirty years in prison.

• Shen Yuxi learned that Chen Shisong and Shangguan Niao had planned to kill Wanxue after the examinations and that Chen had paid his childhood friend to stage her drowning.
• Chen Shisong dropped his chopsticks, recognized that Shen Yuxi knew his secrets, and accused her of being a ghost.
• Chen Shisong suffered severe pain and vomited blood when he tried to expose what he had heard, while Shen Yuxi told Bao Cheng she was unharmed.
• The vice minister of rites ordered Chen Shisong taken to a side hall, and Shen Yuxi instructed Bao Cheng to keep him under guard because he had cheated.
• The system explained that Wanxue had refused to leave home with Chen Shisong’s childhood friend and later stayed with her natal family, preventing the murder plot from being carried out.

Shen Yuxi’s warning led Lu Song to intercept a letter proving Chen Shisong and Gao Kai had plotted to murder Wanxue. After the spring examinations ended, Chen Shisong was arrested, and Shen Yuxi met Lu Song to discuss the evidence before encountering Shangguan Niao on the road.

• Shen Yuxi learned that Chen Shisong’s childhood friend had written a damning letter and arranged for Lu Song to intercept it at the West Street mail station.
• Lu Song retrieved the letter, which showed Gao Kai had tried to lure Wanxue out so he could drown her at Chen Shisong’s instruction.
• After the spring examinations ended, Shen Yuxi went to the Court of Judicial Review, where bailiffs arrested Chen Shisong as he left the examination compound.
• Lu Song told Shen Yuxi that Gao Kai had confessed, retained Chen Shisong’s letters, and agreed to testify, while the court lacked evidence to charge Shangguan Niao.
• Shen Yuxi’s carriage met Shangguan Niao’s in a narrow alley, where Shangguan Niao angrily demanded that Shen Yuxi back up.

Shen Yuxi confronted Shangguan Niao after Shangguan insulted her, and the system exposed Shangguan’s secret role in harming Shangguan Qing. Shangguan fled to the duke’s residence to ask her father to save Chen Shisong, but he rebuked her and threatened to disown her if she caused trouble again.

• Shangguan Niao mocked Shen Yuxi’s carriage and tried to flaunt her status as the Duke Who Secures the Nation’s second young lady.
• The system revealed that Shangguan Niao had schemed against attractive maids and deliberately caused Shangguan Qing’s disfigurement, frightening Shangguan into fleeing.
• Shangguan Niao went to the duke’s residence and found her father dining with Shangguan Qing and her mother.
• Shangguan Niao asked her father to save Chen Shisong, but he angrily accused her of letting Chen murder his wife.
• Shangguan Niao denied knowing about Chen’s wife or plans, while Shangguan Qing asked their father to let her explain.
• The duke warned Shangguan Niao that he would drive her from the household and sever their relationship if there was a next time.

Shangguan Niao fled after the Duke of Ding disowned her, then panicked at the prospect of seeing Shen Yuxi at his birthday banquet. At the banquet, Shen Yuxi befriended Xue Min, who overheard her conversation with the system and realized its existence was real.

• The Duke of Ding ordered Shangguan Niao to leave, and Shangguan Qing followed to comfort her.
• Shangguan Niao asked whether Minister Shen's family would attend the Duke of Ding's birthday banquet and tried to have them excluded.
• Shen Yuxi attended the banquet, kept to herself, and enjoyed the fish with pickled mustard greens.
• Xue Min introduced herself to Shen Yuxi, praised her accomplishments, and asked to become friends.
• Xue Min overheard Shen Yuxi speaking with the system and sat stunned after discovering the system was real.

Shen Yuxi received the Mystic Fire Ring and attended Duke Dingguo’s birthday banquet, where her inner voice revealed that Shangguan Niao had ruined Shangguan Qing’s face. The system began recounting Shangguan Niao’s scheme at the Flower Festival, leaving the guests and Shangguan Qing waiting to hear what happened next.

• The system gave Shen Yuxi the Mystic Fire Ring, and she happily put it on.
• Duke Dingguo welcomed his guests and raised a toast at his birthday banquet.
• Shen Yuxi’s inner voice drew the ladies’ attention, and the system explained that they were curious about her and admired her beauty.
• Shen Yuxi and the system revealed that Shangguan Niao had ruined Shangguan Qing’s face, shocking the banquet hall and Shangguan Qing.
• The system explained that Shangguan Niao envied Shangguan Qing and resented her kindness, then began describing how she asked Shangguan Qing to accompany her to confess to a man at the Flower Festival.

The system revealed that Shangguan Niao had arranged the attack that scarred Shangguan Qing and spread rumors to destroy her reputation, leaving Shangguan Qing devastated and unconscious. At the banquet, Shen Yuxi learned Shangguan Niao had planned to lure her into a compromising setup, and she asked the system where Shangguan Niao was.

• The system recounted how Shangguan Niao hired beggars to assault Shangguan Qing, scar her face, and spread malicious rumors about her.
• Duke Dingguo learned that his younger daughter had caused Shangguan Qing's suffering, while the system explained why he had failed to uncover the plot earlier.
• Shangguan Qing fainted, and Duke Dingguo took her home as the guests reacted with shock and grew more wary of Shen Yuxi.
• A maid spilled tea on Shen Yuxi and offered to lead her to a side hall to change, but the system revealed Shangguan Niao had bribed her to set up an illicit-affair scandal.
• Shen Yuxi asked the system where Shangguan Niao was after learning that a naked man was waiting in the side hall to ruin her reputation.

Shen Yuxi used Be Obedient Perfume on a maid while the gathered guests grew greedy for the mind-controlling fragrance. After confirming the maid would obey her orders without seeming different, Shen Yuxi sent her to the side hall to change clothes.

• Shen Yuxi bought Be Obedient Perfume after deciding to retaliate against Shangguan Niao.
• The guests coveted the perfume, but the system's threat to burn Shangguan Niao's face with the Mystic Fire Ring frightened them off.
• Shen Yuxi sprayed the perfume on a kneeling maid, and the system explained that the maid would obey her orders while retaining normal behavior and later forgetting what happened.
• Shen Yuxi ordered the maid to take her to the side hall to change clothes, while Xue Min stayed behind.
• The wife of the vice minister of war asked Madam Shen why she was not going with Shen Yuxi.

Shen Yuxi thwarted Shangguan Niao’s attempt to frame her and used the perfume to turn the scheme against Shangguan Niao. The crowd exposed Shangguan Niao in the side hall, leaving Duke Dingguo furious and his household’s disgrace public.

• Shen Yuxi waited outside the side hall while Shangguan Niao ordered a maid to spread the false story that Shen Yuxi was inside with a man.
• Shen Yuxi confronted Shangguan Niao, sprayed her with perfume, and sent her into the side hall where a man had also been affected by the scent.
• Duke Dingguo learned that Shangguan Niao had plotted against Lord Little Shen and rushed to the side hall, where he found Shen Yuxi unharmed among the crowd.
• Duke Dingguo opened the side-hall door, and the guests saw Shangguan Niao tangled with a man behind the bed curtains.
• Shangguan Niao screamed at the onlookers while Duke Dingguo angrily ordered her to come out.

Shen Yuxi exposed Shangguan Niao’s scheme when Shangguan Niao was discovered with a man, and Duke Dingguo rejected her excuses. The guests left with the scandal, while Duke Dingguo ordered punishment and exile for Shangguan Niao and her mother.

• Shangguan Niao accused Shen Yuxi of framing her after Duke Dingguo found her with a man.
• Shen Yuxi denied the accusation, and Shangguan Niao claimed she had been drugged and did not know the man.
• Duke Dingguo accused Shangguan Niao of harming Shangguan Qing and kicked her away when she begged him to believe her.
• The man called Shangguan Niao the Second Miss and revealed that she had promised him a reward, confirming her scheme to the witnesses.
• Duke Dingguo dismissed the guests and told them not to spread news of the incident.
• Duke Dingguo ordered Shangguan Niao’s face slashed and said she and her mother must return to their hometown after her wounds healed.

At court, Shen Yuxi learned that Chen Shisong had died suddenly of a heart attack, and the system explained the cause and the lack of effective treatment in their world. Its account of the previous minister’s similar death revealed the rumors and hardship Lu Song had endured, while Shen Yuxi concluded that everyone, even Emperor Xuanzhao, was born to toil.

• Shen Lang reported that the Ministry of Rites had collected all examination papers and finished marking two-thirds of them, and the system confirmed there had been no cheating.
• The system announced Chen Shisong’s death and explained that he had suffered sudden cardiac death, leaving Imperial Physician Han to take notes on the condition and its causes.
• The system revealed that Lu Song’s predecessor had also died suddenly while working alone, prompting Lu Song to recall how people had suspected him of murdering the minister to claim his position.
• Shen Yuxi reflected on the damage rumors had done to Lu Song, and a colleague comforted him as he struggled to hide his feelings.
• The system described habits that could lead to sudden death, and Shen Yuxi admitted she probably would not manage to eat and sleep on schedule.
• Shen Yuxi called herself a workhorse and compared Emperor Xuanzhao to a higher-grade one, leaving the emperor and officials to conclude that they were all born to toil.

Emperor Xuanzhao learned that Ruo Qiang had sent Qiang Tu, its capable but neglected eldest prince, as an envoy, and considered how the Mo Kingdom could benefit from Ruo Qiang’s succession struggle. Shen Yuxi then chose Lu Song for the day’s gossip and learned that he might be assassinated and forced into a ghost marriage.

• Yuan Shanjian reported that envoys from Ruo Qiang would arrive in five or six days, and Emperor Xuanzhao assigned Crown Prince Mo Jingyu to receive them.
• Shen Yuxi and the system revealed that Qiang Tu was a politically capable eldest prince whom the Ruo Qiang emperor disliked, while favoring the incompetent third prince.
• Shen Yuxi suggested that the Mo Kingdom might win Qiang Tu over, but Emperor Xuanzhao privately judged him too dangerous to let him take the throne.
• Emperor Xuanzhao choked when the system described the Ruo Qiang emperor’s scheme to weaken Qiang Tu, and Shen Yuxi praised his cunning strategy.
• Shen Yuxi picked Lu Song as the next subject of the system’s gossip, which warned that he might be assassinated and paired in a ghost marriage.
• The system explained that a wealthy man’s daughter had starved herself to death after Lu Song rejected her marriage proposal.

After Lin Shubai placed first in the examination and Yan Qinghe also passed, they prepared for the palace examination. At the palace, Emperor Xuanzhao set questions on governing the realm, while Shen Yuxi and the system reminded the scholars that the answers had to satisfy the emperor.

• The system explained that a wealthy landowner had hired an assassin to kill Lu Song and use his corpse in a ghost marriage, prompting Lu Song to decide he would show the man no mercy.
• Lin Shubai found his name at the top of the examination results, and Yan Qinghe discovered that he had passed as well.
• Lin Shubai urged Yan Qinghe to keep preparing, and they studied for the palace examination over the next seven days.
• Emperor Xuanzhao opened the palace examination and announced questions about governing, choosing officials, agriculture, defense, and public welfare.
• A scholar fainted during the ceremony, and Imperial Physician Han had him carried away.
• Shen Yuxi and the system noted that the scholars needed to write answers capable of satisfying Emperor Xuanzhao.