SPOILERS Book 1 Pillow Book Summary if you never read...

Book 1 LITERALLY begins with a prologue.  The setting: Bai Quian (BQ) and Ye Hua’s (YH) wedding.  It is a very auspicious occasion, only high ranking deities are present.  Mo Yuan, God of War, is there to receive the bride, and Migu (the servant of the fox tribe) observes, Siming Star Lord (writer of fates for humanity) is gossiping with Lord Lion Song, specifically about Feng Jiu.  As he listens to him gossip, Migu is unable to understand why Dong Hua, who so rarely leaves his palace, who is so rarely seen that there are no paintings of him, why is HE here?  He has no interest in the affairs of the world and is so mythical and that even the gods barely see him. 

Siming recounts that FJ is very young, only 30,000 years old and already a Queen (inherited from BQ).  He recounts that she is spoiled as the only grandchild of High God Bai Zhi (ruler of the fox tribe), that she is the only red nine tailed fox, and rather headstrong: she refused to marry Cang Yi and destroyed his palace (Mo Yuan actually shares this last bit).  All the while he keeps glancing at Dong Hua who is utterly uninterested.  Siming continues that 200 years ago she went to the mortal world and returned somber, stating she was in mourning for a man she had wed while in that world but would not go into detail.

BOOM!  FJ appears from the nearby water.  Shocking Siming, who realizes that she heard him gossiping. As he begs for forgiveness Mo Yuan politely inquires about why she was in the lake—exercising she cooly says—and then she asks about the girl who was supposedly interested in her fourth uncle (Phoenix God’s lover).  ALTHOUGH SHE APPEARS IN FRONT OF HIM DONG HUA NEVER NOTICED HER.

Chapter one then goes to the wedding banquet. Dong Hua did not really care to come but the Emperor begged him for weeks to come.  Just as he is leaving, he notices a woman hiding behind a pot.  She slips in, and he is at best curious and learns she is FJ.  As she attempts to hide the pot she carried, she accidentally kicks it and it almost strikes DH.  Dead pan, she blames Migu.  This is his first memory of FJ.

After the celebration, many gods linger behind because Lion Song is organizing his flower viewing.  BQ arranges a series of blind dates for FJ. Although she believes her niece is far too young to marry, she does so at the request of her brother.  Hence, FJ goes near the Pundarika pond, a place everyone in heaven avoids because Dong Hua hangs out there, but being new to heaven, BQ is unaware.  The dates end in FJ driving them away.  DH observes this and finds it rather curious.  As she observes the sun, she hears someone come up behind her. Believing it to be Migu, she asks about Quienti.  DH sits down because she asked him to, only because he though that perhaps the view might look different from this angle, and she is startled to see him.  She tries to make up excuses to get away, and he won’t let her, even though he can see she is trying to politely bow out. Dong Hua believes that she thinks he is another blind date.  Here, FJ goes to the extent of dumping tea on her clothes and he dead pan hands her a full tea pot and suggests she dump the whole thing on herself.

The novel then discusses DH.  He ‘isn’t much of a talker, but when he did talk, his words pierced sharp like the blade in his hand’.  Several examples are discussed, famous cases that illustrated how shameless DH is: he does not care about honor, he does not care about reputation.  He does what he wants, essentially, and he has never taken an interest in a woman. Later, FJ reflects and acknowledges that her meeting with DH could have been worse—he did not recognize her and that they have a ‘cursed fate’.

On the last day of the flower festival, FJ is out and about with A-Li (child of BQ), they pass DH on their way to Chengtian Terrace.  Princess Zi’he arrives, and this is when the reader learns that she is DH’s foster sister.  Gossipers reveal that she was exiled for some unknown reason, and it was related to Princess Jiheng of the demon clan, who was supposed to marry DH but the marriage never happened.  DH is so detached from worldly matters that some people reflect that he may not even know what taking a queen means.  They also mention a fairy fox whom he doted on but went missing, and could never find though he searched endlessly.  FJ listens to this gossip silently.

At the terrace, a red flame beast attacks and FJ tries to fight it, though she knows she cannot win.  She chastises Zi’he for her inaction, and just when she believes she will die, the creature dies.  She notices that she is soaked and looking like a drowned animal and the entire terrace is covered in blood, except for DH, who killed the monster so quickly no one could even see.  Here they have the exchange about the robe, in which she tries to avoid taking it, to avoid seeing him.  She fails. She asks him why he is making it difficult to her, and he states ‘it’s the only hobby I have’.  Later, rumors spread that he fought a beast to save his foster sister.

Next, FJ flees a sort of meet and greet, find the right guy party arranged by her aunt.  After all of the running, she is tired and sweating, and it is night.  She decides to swim in the hot spring, after all, no one ever goes there.  While playing in the water, she suddenly notices DH and tries to hide. She is panicking because she does not know what to say—she can’t ask him if he is also there to bathe. Just when she thinks he is gone, his robe lands on her head.  Lionsong sees everything and is laughing as he decides to leave.  DH wants to know what she is doing—bathing is her reply—and he is staring at her intently, utterly expressionless.  This is when she remembers that the SPRING IS SEE THROUGH, MEANING HE CAN SEE SHE IS COMPLETELY NAKED.  She panics, tells him to look away, and he gives her a look over (he clearly is not interested in her naked) and turns around.  She tries to get her clothes back, and Lion Song returns, laughing for his fan, and she flees in a panic.  Lion song says if he marries FJ he would have  to call YH uncle. DH later quips to Lion Song that he would adopt Cheng Yu.

Forgetting her bracelet and hairpins, she must retrieve them. Next day, BQ shares some gossip: everyone believes that DH is currently hiding a beauty in his palace, that they were caught bathing, and that Cheng Yu was the illegitimate daughter of DH and the fairy. 

Next, FJ goes to retrieve her items. She bursts into his hall, not aware that it is full of people, and again embarrasses herself as she pretends to be sleep walking before taking her items back. 

Later, DH is hanging out in the trees (no lie) and watching FJ.  He thinks for the first time that she looks nice. 

Next, we go to the Emperor, who thought it was a good idea to bring the exiled Zi’he back because the most popular rumor is that DH is in love with her (I don’t know why).  Here, she offends BQ and so BQ and FH have a banter that gets her exiled, and DH is able to see that she has skill in word play.  That night, FJ gets drunk, she talks to him like they are close, catching him off guard, and makes a comment about a fox.  DH carries her back, and more rumors abound as A-Li in asking for some clothes from Ye Hua makes an announcement that sounds as if FJ and DH were being intimate together.  This further humiliates FJ, and DH has no interest in clearing up any rumors because he does not care.

Her luck continues to worsen as she, the next day, insults DH calling him a weirdo.  He overhears this, and she transforms herself into a handkerchief.  This results in DH taking her home.  She only untransforms herself after he falls asleep, and she uses several sleeping spells before slipping away.  Distracted, she recalls the past.

Essentially this flashback covers her reasons for becoming a palace maid.  DH saves her, and she is smitten.  Learns all about him, his past, his violent military rule, how he brought peace to the war, and that no one really knows if he is a holy being or not. she goes to his palace to pay a favor as a maid, he never sees her.    DH turns her back into a handkerchief, and thinks that she is the only person dumb enough to be put to sleep by her own sleep spell.

NEXT, she awakens to find herself tied to his sword.  He has gone to fight demon lord Yan Chiwu.  She is terrified.  She is also shocked by how pretty Yan Chiwu is, and reflects on what she knows-that he is in love with Ji Heng but that his personality as a blockhead is at odds with his looks (he is supposed to be prettier than a girl). They fight, and humiliated, he drags FJ down into the valley thinking it is more dramatic to not die alone. 

Now they are in the valley, and here she and Yan Chiwu become friends, and students at the Bi Yu school.  She is angry because DH has abandoned her, it seems, and her meeting up with Yan Chiwu cause her to recall the Lotus Sphere with Jiheng. she becomes a fox after trading her fur.  This is where he takes her home and she becomes his pet, though she never really saw it like that.  Things were good, she just wanted to be near him, even though his sweet and sour fish was making her fur fall out. Ji Heng arrived, and she took credit for a design that FJ made, and FJ scratched her, leading to her being locked up.  The entire perspective is through FJ’s eyes, so as the reader, we only know what she sees: DH ignoring her, and then the snow lion nearly killed her.  Only then does she choose to leave and give up on her 3000 year pursuit.  She feels sad.  And then passes out—by her own sleeping spell.  Here she comes to believe that Jiheng is the one he is fated to be with because he seems to love her deeply and show her concern.  But Jiheng fled the wedding because she was in love with her bodyguard, who turned out to be a woman, who later married Jiheng’s brother, the leader of the demon tribes.

While talking to Yan Chiwu, she reflects on her own uncertainties regarding Jiheng but Yan Chiwu, who loves Jiheng, is convinced that DH naturally must love her because who wouldn’t, and proceeds to cite all the reasons why he believes DH is in love with Jiheng, but because he is a bad person, he plays games with her heart.  FJ is persuaded.

Then, DH comes to the valley to teach.  FJ is angry with him, but he seems more amused, making her angry.  In the middle of all of this, he observes her regularly meeting up with Yan Chiwu, and from the outside, it does indeed appear as if she and Yan Chiwu are rather close, perhaps romantically close, but each instance could be explained by her feeling sorry for him.  She plans to steal the Saha fruit (chestnut in the show) to revive Quienti, who the readers know very little about only that he died for her, and comes across DH battling a female demoness.  DH appears jealous to the reader, but FJ does not pick up on this. He calms down only when FJ admits the truth that she wanted to steal the Saha fruit. After this he moves in with her so that she can serve him and he can bother her.

Next, FJ goes into DH’s room to argue, but she knocks DH down, in a position that is clearly suggestive of a romantic position, in order to hide her presence from a snooping Jiheng because she does not want her to get the wrong idea, but this confuses DH.  Later, he trains her, she kisses him (bites him) and seems to show no reaction.  Then he rubs the cream on her face, and they have another moment in which he seems to really be enjoying her attention but she runs away.  He is visibly saddened by this but never once does he say anything that might let her think he likes her.  There is strong sexual underrents/chemistry at this point but it is evident that FJ is running away and it is not really clear if DH is toying with her or if he likes her.

Then, Meng Shao (cricket) dies and DH observes FJ jump into Yan Chiwu’s arms.  He doesn’t know that it is because she saw a snake, and that is when he traps her in the dome.  Finally, he asks her what she will use the fruit for, and she says it is for the taste.  She fights, wins, but gets the peaches.   It is SO SAD, the level of devestation she feels, because DH swapped it out knowing how badly she wanted the fruit.  Jiheng rubs it in her face, DH is no where to be found, and she feels utterly let down by DH at this point.  It is safe to say that she is 100 percent done with him.  She goes into the formation, and DH, who is in heaven, tending a fox, is wondering how to get rid of Yan Chiwu.

Lion Song appears, tells him all the secrets he did not know, about the fox and FJ, and he goes to rescue her.  She is trapped in Aranya’s dream.  The novel ends with the two of them going to sleep….the book ends with the reader knowing two things 1)FJ is in deathly danger and 2)DH realizes his feelings for her.

may I know the how  Dong Hua Di Jun / Chen Ye / Song Xuan Ren  are different from each other if they are the same persons according to the story then why do they have different hair colors I am in ep 12