Nine Lives of Zhaoming: Reborn Beyond the Palace Walls

In the third year of Zhongdatong, Crown Prince Zhaoming, Xiao Tong, dies of illness. But a spirit cat he once saved grants him nine lives, allowing him to be reborn. With the help of the palace maid Qing He, he assumes the identity of a eunuch and escapes the palace, abandoning his attachment to the crown prince's position. Drawing on his knowledge of the Selected Works of Zhaoming, his belief in lenient punishments, and his experience with disaster relief, he travels among the common people. Along the way, his old enemy Bao Miao Zhi repeatedly hunts him down. He risks his life eight times to save others, fight tyrants, and relieve a plague. Through repeated brushes with death, he witnesses the suffering of ordinary people and gains Qing He's steadfast companionship through life and death. When his nine lives are finally spent, he understands the true meaning of life and retreats with Qing He to Jiangnan. There, they spend their remaining years in a country clinic, as he devotes his life to the ideal of "helping the world with compassion" and reveals the meaning of kindness coming full circle.