Chapter Summaries

Tong Aning discovered that someone had set up her eldest brother, Tong Yibin, with a tampered Ministry of Justice case and brought him dinner to warn him. Tong Yibin began investigating the case, while the emperor, impressed by Tong Aning, wondered whether she should be kept from being confined to the Tong residence.

• Tong Aning learned that someone had deliberately given Tong Yibin a tampered case and went to bring him food at the Ministry of Justice.
• Eunuch Wang helped Tong Aning enter the palace and hurried back to Changle Palace after she worried someone might take his place beside the emperor.
• Tong Aning urged Tong Yibin to review his case files, and the system revealed that the other vice minister had arranged for witnesses to lie and later recant.
• Tong Yibin realized the case had fallen to him after the other vice minister took leave, reassured Tong Aning, and began looking into it.
• The emperor listened in as Tong Aning left and asked Eunuch Wang whether keeping her confined to the Tong residence would bury her talents.

Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu intervened when Meng Zhaoyuan struck Lou Yingyu’s maid, whom Tong Aning recognized as the general household’s missing true heiress. At the school gathering, Tong Aning’s gossip revealed that Meng Zhaoyuan and her birth parents had conspired to exploit the general’s family, and Zhuang Qing confronted Meng Zhaoyuan.

• Tong Siyan told Su Zhouyue she wanted to focus on the family shops and make money, while Tong Aning returned briefly to ask her mother to safeguard her rewards from the Princess Royal.
• Lou Yingyu explained that her father had sent her back to the girls’ school, then discovered Meng Zhaoyuan had slapped her maid.
• Tong Aning treated the maid’s swollen cheek and recognized her as the general household’s true heiress, while Lou Yingyu slapped Meng Zhaoyuan in retaliation.
• Tong Fengye arrived to check that Tong Aning was safe, and the families gathered after school to hear Xie Zhilin recount the incident.
• Tong Aning’s gossip revealed that Meng Zhaoyuan’s birth parents were serving the general’s household after selling the true heiress and planned to take over the family.
• Zhuang Qing shoved Wang Su away and challenged Meng Zhaoyuan after realizing Wang Su was her birth mother.

Zhuang Qing discovered that Azhu was her stolen daughter and had Meng Zhaoyuan and Wang Su taken away while the general decided their fate. Tong Aning then pointed Tong Yibin toward Vice Minister Wei’s hiding place, but he rushed off after misunderstanding the secret behind Wei’s relationship with his wife’s younger brother.

• Zhuang Qing confronted Meng Zhaoyuan and Wang Su, learned Azhu had suffered neglect, and recognized Azhu as her daughter.
• Zhuang Qing sent Meng Zhaoyuan and Wang Su away to await the general’s decision, while Lou Yingyu arranged to have Azhu’s bond of servitude delivered.
• Tong Aning learned that the general had sent Meng Zhaoyuan and her birth parents to Jingzhao Prefecture and was preparing a banquet to acknowledge Azhu.
• Tong Yibin told Tong Aning that Vice Minister Wei had escaped, and she suggested he search his wife’s younger brother’s house.
• Tong Yibin hurried off after Tong Aning’s unspoken thoughts revealed Wei’s secret relationship, while Tong Aning wondered whether her brother would get a stye.

Tong Aning accompanied Su Zhouyue to Ning'an Temple, where her warning prevented the emperor from granting the crown prince’s request to marry Feng Jingruo. The visit also brought Tong Aning and Xue Lin near each other without meeting, and Xue Lin was left wondering whether his late mother was watching over him.

• Su Zhouyue took Tong Aning to Ning'an Temple to seek talismans for Tong Yibin after he was distressed by what he had seen the day before.
• Tong Aning learned that Xue Lin was at the temple on the anniversary of his parents’ deaths, and Xue Lin saw her leave while remembering that her information had helped him survive an assassination attempt.
• The crown prince asked the emperor to arrange his marriage to Feng Jingruo, but Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed that Feng Jingruo would poison him and that the match would bring disaster.
• The emperor rejected the request, ordered the crown prince to fast and pray for Prince Yong and his princess, and Tong Aning urged Feng Jingruo to marry the person she loved instead.
• Sichen told Xue Lin about the day’s events, then noticed the grasshopper Xue Lin had found and said it might be a sign that Xue Lin’s mother was watching over him.

On the Dragon Boat Festival, Su Zhouyue and the Tong siblings tied five-colored cords and spent the day at court, watching dragon boat races, and playing polo. Tong Fengye entered a match for a hairpin for Tong Siyan, unaware that the Duke of Anguo's heir planned to injure his leg.

• Su Zhouyue tied five-colored cords around Tong Aning's and Tong Yi'an's wrists, and Tong Yi'an eagerly tied cords on her siblings.
• Su Zhouyue tied a cord around Tong Aobai's wrist before he left for court, while Tong Fengye, Tong Aning, and Tong Siyan went to play polo.
• Tong Siyan learned polo quickly and scored a goal before resting as Tong Aning and Tong Fengye continued to play.
• The Duke of Anguo's heir challenged Tong Fengye to a polo match, and Tong Fengye accepted to win a pearl hairpin for Tong Siyan.
• Tong Aning learned that the heir planned to cripple Tong Fengye because the woman he loved favored Tong Fengye, and Tong Fengye feared his leg was in danger.

Tong Fengye survived an attempt to injure him during a polo match, while the Duke of Anguo’s heir was left with broken legs. At court, the Duke of Anguo demanded revenge, but Tong Aning and the Feng siblings testified for Tong Fengye as the dispute remained unresolved.

• Tong Fengye joined Tong Aning and the Feng siblings in the polo match after the Duke of Anguo’s heir prepared to play dirty.
• The heir’s men charged at Tong Fengye, but Tong Fengye dodged them and rejoined his companions.
• Tong Fengye’s horse suddenly went berserk, and after he regained control, it knocked the Duke of Anguo’s heir down and broke his legs.
• Tong Aning, Tong Siyan, and the Feng siblings reassured Tong Fengye and promised to testify for him.
• The Duke of Anguo accused Tong Fengye before the emperor and demanded that Tong Fengye suffer the same fate as his son.
• Tong Aning testified that the heir had tried to hurt Tong Fengye, but the Duke of Anguo still refused to drop his demand for punishment.

Tong Aning’s thoughts exposed the Duke of An’s affair and the plot involving the powder that drove horses mad. The vice minister of works arrived to accuse Tong Fengye, only to learn that his own son had supplied the powder and seduced the duke’s mistress.

• The emperor confronted the Duke of An about keeping a mistress, and the duke admitted it while claiming his son’s injury was an accident.
• The heir to the Duke of An woke and refused to accept his father’s explanation, accusing Tong Fengye of causing his injuries.
• Tong Aobai asked the emperor to summon the duke’s mistress, while Su Zhouyue requested that the imperial physician examine the heir again.
• The imperial physician found a sachet of horse-madness powder on the heir, and the heir said it belonged to his father.
• The Duke of An accused his mistress of harming his son, but she denied owning the sachet.
• The vice minister of works arrived with his son to accuse Tong Fengye of harming the heir, while Tong Aning revealed that the vice minister’s son had supplied the powder and seduced the duke’s mistress.

The Tong family witnessed the mistress expose her plan to kill Duke Anguo and Rong Lang, then attended a banquet celebrating Azhu's return. When a painter who preyed on vulnerable young women approached Azhu, she slapped him.

• The mistress confessed that she had wanted Duke Anguo and Rong Lang dead because they had both broken their promises to marry her.
• Duke Anguo's Wife arrived, and Duke Anguo collapsed; three days later, Lou Yingyu told Tong Aning that Duke Anguo had suffered a stroke and his wife had chosen an heir from a collateral branch.
• Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu attended a banquet celebrating Azhu's return, where Azhu joined the gathering of noble young ladies.
• A painter approached Azhu and asked to paint her again, and Xixi revealed that he lured vulnerable young women into trusting him before abandoning them.
• Azhu slapped the painter across the face.

Azhu slapped a painter who had targeted her with his manipulative portraits, and Tong Aning’s thoughts exposed his history of abuse and suspected murder. Zhuang Qing ordered the painter beaten and sent to Jingzhao Prefecture, leaving Lord Cen likely to face another headache.

• Azhu slapped the painter, and Lou Yingyu defended her as Zhuang Qing arrived and promised to investigate.
• Tong Aning identified the painter’s pattern of manipulating people and directed Zhuang Qing to find Miss Bai.
• Miss Bai told the household that the painter had preyed on her and her friend, who had disappeared; Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed the painter had dumped the friend’s body in a well.
• Tong Aning’s thoughts exposed the painter’s plan to make Azhu fall for him and then abandon her, so Zhuang Qing slapped him twice and ordered guards to beat him before taking him to Jingzhao Prefecture.

Cen Yu investigated the painter’s murder and discovered Miaoshuang’s body, while Tong Aning and her family returned home after comforting Bai Yan. The Tong household also discussed its political neutrality and the investigation into Vice Minister Wei, and Tong Aobai remained fiercely protective of his daughters.

• Cen Yu returned home after taking the painter into custody, then left when the deputy prefect reported that Miaoshuang’s body had been found.
• Cen Yu confirmed Bai Yan identified Miaoshuang by a gold bracelet and vowed to punish the painter; Zhuang Qing promised the general’s household would arrange the burial.
• Tong Yibin collected Tong Aning, and Cen Yu reluctantly let the woman sent by his aunt accompany him back to Jingzhao Prefecture.
• Su Zhouyue and Tong Siyan made Tong Aning drink calming soup, and Tong Yi'an asked to sleep with her.
• Tong Aobai and Tong Yibin discussed the crown prince’s assurances, the household’s political neutrality, and clues about who was behind Vice Minister Wei.
• Tong Aobai joined his daughters for dinner and privately considered how harshly he would punish anyone who harmed them.

Tong Aning rescued Wen Taofei from a man posing as her husband and learned through Xixi that he was a human trafficker with abducted victims at a Daoist temple outside the city. After telling Cen Yu what she knew, Tong Aning asked to stick the captive with a silver needle, and Xue Ruyun eagerly offered to teach her.

• Xue Ruyun ended Tong Aning’s lesson and offered to pick out a new medicine chest for her.
• Tong Aning heard Wen Taofei calling for help in the street and stepped in when a man claimed she was his wife.
• A Shu pinned the man down, and Xixi told Tong Aning he was a human trafficker who had taken people to a Daoist temple outside the city.
• Cen Yu comforted Wen Taofei, then thanked Tong Aning and took charge of the captive after she shared what she knew.
• Tong Aning asked to stick the captive with a silver needle, and Xue Ruyun offered to teach her.

Tong Aobai and Cen Yu linked the capital’s many missing women to the imperial family, and Xue Lin was put in charge of investigating the cases. The chapter ended when Tong Aning learned that something had happened to Xue Lin.

• Tong Aning realized that many young women had gone missing and decided to tell Tong Aobai.
• Tong Aobai and Cen Yu told the emperor that the disappearances pointed to powerful protection, and Tong Aobai named Prince Jing.
• Xue Lin reported another attempt on his life, and the emperor placed him in charge of the missing persons cases, warning him not to spare even a princely uncle.
• Tong Aning learned that Tong Aobai had stayed at the palace overnight and that Xue Lin was handling the investigation.
• The system told Tong Aning that something had happened to Xue Lin.

Tong Aning helped expose Prince Jing’s trafficking ring, saved the Heir of Prince Yong, and watched Prince Jing face execution. After the scandal, marriage proposals flooded the Tong household, but Tong Aning and Tong Fengye rushed to stop Mei Xiangyu’s forced marriage to the paralyzed Heir of Duke Anguo, who accused them of coming to steal his bride.

• Tong Aning found the badly injured Xue Lin on the road, brought him to Prince Yong's Residence, and later accepted gold and silver for saving his life.
• The emperor sentenced Prince Jing to beheading for trafficking girls, while Xue Lin exposed the Heir of Prince Jing’s involvement with his father’s concubine and helped have him arrested.
• Tong Aning learned that Prince Jing was the empress dowager’s son with another man, and the empress dowager eventually accepted Prince Jing’s punishment after the emperor threatened her beloved.
• After the case ended, officials crowded around Tong Aobai to seek favors and marriage matches, but Tong Yibin and Tong Fengye showed no interest in marrying.
• Tong Aning learned that Mei Xiangyu was being forced to marry the paralyzed Heir of Duke Anguo, so she and Tong Fengye hurried to intervene.
• The Heir of Duke Anguo saw Tong Fengye and Tong Aning arrive and accused Tong Fengye of bringing his younger sister to steal the bride.

Tong Aning’s bride-stealing visit exposed Mei Xiangyu’s father’s affair and helped Mei Xiangyu join forces with Duke Anguo’s Wife. Later, Tong Aning met a ragged Daoist whose three sentences were rumored to earn a thousand taels from Chancellor Lou, prompting Lou Yingyu to confront him.

• Tong Aning and Tong Fengye arrived to steal Mei Xiangyu’s bride, and Tong Aning challenged the Heir of Duke Anguo over his choices.
• Mei Xiangyu lifted her veil and revealed that she had brought her father’s fisherman lover to marry him, exposing the family’s disgraceful conflict.
• Mei Xiangyu asked the Heir of Duke Anguo if he still wanted to marry her, then rode to the Duke of Anguo’s Residence, where Duke Anguo’s Wife welcomed her.
• Lou Yingyu told Tong Aning that Mei Xiangyu and Duke Anguo’s Wife had joined forces against the second branch, and she teased Tong Aning about the bride-stealing incident.
• Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu met Azhu, who worried about attending the Imperial Academy, and Lou Yingyu offered to teach her.
• A ragged Daoist approached the young women, and Tong Aning heard that he would persuade Chancellor Lou to give him a thousand taels with three sentences, so Lou Yingyu set out to confront him.

Tong Aning and Lou Yingyu exposed a Daoist’s obedience-talisman scam, which led to Feng Ying’s monkey and the Daoist being taken into custody. The next day, Tong Aning’s father was impeached over his children’s extravagance, and Tong Aning was summoned to answer the charge before the throne.

• Lou Yingyu paid the Daoist five thousand taels for an obedience talisman, while Tong Aning learned Feng Ying had also bought one to control a monkey.
• Feng Ying chased his runaway monkey, and Lou Yingyu made the Daoist pay her ten thousand taels before pushing him toward Feng Ying.
• Feng Chu recovered the three thousand taels the Daoist had swindled from Feng Ying, and Xue Lin arrested the Daoist and took Feng Ying and the monkey away.
• Lou Yingyu admitted she had bought the talisman knowing it would not work, then split some of the recovered money with Tong Aning and Azhu.
• Tong Aning bought new head ornaments, and the next day Tong Aobai was impeached for indulging his children’s extravagance.
• Eunuch Wang summoned Tong Aning to answer the accusation before the throne, while the man who had impeached Tong Aobai regretted provoking the Tong family.

Tong Aning exposed Censor Ma’s concealed jade mine and Earl Mingxuan’s scheme to control officials, turning their accusations against Tong Aobai back on them. After the emperor ordered investigations and rewarded Tong Aning, Xue Lin invited her to help release Cui'er into the mountains.

• Censor Ma accused Tong Aobai of extravagance, but Tong Aning’s thoughts about his family’s wastefulness unsettled him.
• Earl Mingxuan accused Tong Aobai, the minister of revenue, and the minister of war of forming a faction, and Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed his scheme of using male favorites to control officials.
• Lord Hong attacked Earl Mingxuan, then impeached him after realizing Tong Aning had exposed his wrongdoing.
• Earl Mingxuan revealed that Censor Ma had concealed a jade mine, and the emperor ordered investigations into both men.
• The emperor rewarded Tong Aning and sent Earl Mingxuan for a thorough investigation.
• Xue Lin invited Tong Aning to help release Cui'er into the mountains, and she eagerly agreed.

Tong Aning freed Cui'er and returned home, where she learned that her eldest aunt, Xiong Shuiyao, was asking Su Zhouyue for help with her husband’s plan to take a secondary wife. Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed that the affair had begun more than ten years earlier and that her eldest uncle and the other woman already had a son.

• Tong Aning and Xue Lin released Cui'er in the mountain forest, and she learned the monkey had sabotaged its captors by bringing them dirty laundry.
• Feng Ying arrived to see Cui'er off, but Yang Rong caught him and threatened to starve him for three days.
• Tong Aning returned to the marquis’s residence with Tong Fengye, who overheard Tong Aobai and Tong Yibin discuss Censor Ma’s motives and vowed to protect his sister.
• Su Zhouyue urged Xiong Shuiyao to resist her husband’s request to take a secondary wife, while Tong Aning’s thoughts revealed that he and the woman had been involved for years and had a son together.

Su Zhouyue and Xiong Shuiyao confronted Su Mingxing after he tried to bring Yuanniang and her child into the General Who Guards the Nation's residence. A blood test proved Le'er was not Su Mingxing's son, and Su Huahan ordered Su Mingxing struck from the clan register; later, Tong Aning spotted monks heading toward the General Who Pacifies the Distance's residence and revealed they were lecherous.

• Su Zhouyue and Xiong Shuiyao arrived at the General Who Guards the Nation's residence, where Yu Ya was driving Su Mingxing and Yuanniang out.
• Xiong Shuiyao agreed to have Yuanniang's child brought in for a blood test after Tong Aning suspected Yuanniang was guilty.
• Nanny Feng's test showed Le'er's blood did not mingle with Su Mingxing's, and Su Mingxing learned the child was not his.
• Su Huahan ordered Su Mingye to summon the clan elders so Su Mingxing could be removed from the clan register, then Yu Ya and Su Huahan reassured Xiong Shuiyao that she and Su Haosi could stay.
• After dinner, Tong Aning saw monks heading toward the General Who Pacifies the Distance's residence and thought they were lecherous.

Su Zhouyue and Tong Aning uncovered Yuan Xiu’s plot to take his sister-in-law to Quiet Heart Temple, and Xue Lin arrested him for killing his elder brother. The general’s wife learned the truth, while Xue Lin asked Tong Aning and Su Zhouyue for help investigating the temple.

• Su Zhouyue took Tong Aning to General Dingyuan’s residence, where they learned that Yuan Xiu planned to take Yashi to Quiet Heart Temple under the pretext of summoning her soul.
• Tong Aning revealed that the temple’s monks drugged and abused women, and the general’s wife refused to let them take Yashi there.
• Xue Lin arrived with Jingzhao Prefecture officers and confronted Yuan Xiu after a monk identified him as the man who had killed his elder brother and buried him at the temple.
• The general’s wife questioned Yuan Xiu, and Tong Aning revealed that he had deliberately struck his brother dead with a shovel after demanding that he give up Yashi.
• Tong Aning warned Xue Lin that other women might still be at risk at Quiet Heart Temple, and he agreed to investigate and said he might need her and Su Zhouyue’s help.

Su Zhouyue helped the women rescued from Quiet Heart Temple confront their captors, while Xue Lin recovered the remains of General Dingyuan's eldest son and Yuan Xiu went mad. On the third day of the sixth month, Feng Jingruo married, and the chapter ended with Tong Aning greeting Xue Lin.

• Su Zhouyue and Tong Aning comforted the eleven women and encouraged them to take revenge by beating the monks who had harmed them.
• Xue Lin had Yuan Xiu lead them to his elder brother's remains, and Yuan Xiu went mad when he saw them.
• Su Zhouyue urged the women to rest and eat well after Xue Lin promised their ordeal at Quiet Heart Temple would remain secret.
• Feng Jingruo married, and she warned Feng Chu to take care of himself before leaving in the bridal sedan.
• Tong Fengye argued with Feng Chu about whether Tong Aning would ever marry, then Tong Aning approached Xue Lin and asked why he had come.