diff --git a/src/main/java/run/halo/app/event/category/CategoryUpdatedEvent.java b/src/main/java/run/halo/app/event/category/CategoryUpdatedEvent.java
index 698bf5a3c2..e809401976 100644
--- a/src/main/java/run/halo/app/event/category/CategoryUpdatedEvent.java
+++ b/src/main/java/run/halo/app/event/category/CategoryUpdatedEvent.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package run.halo.app.event.category;
 
+import java.util.Set;
 import org.springframework.context.ApplicationEvent;
 import org.springframework.lang.Nullable;
 import run.halo.app.model.entity.Category;
@@ -15,13 +16,15 @@ public class CategoryUpdatedEvent extends ApplicationEvent {
     private final Category beforeUpdated;
     private final Category category;
     private final boolean beforeIsPrivate;
+    private final Set<Integer> postIds;
 
     public CategoryUpdatedEvent(Object source, Category category,
-        Category beforeUpdated, boolean beforeIsPrivate) {
+        Category beforeUpdated, boolean beforeIsPrivate, Set<Integer> postIds) {
         super(source);
         this.category = category;
         this.beforeUpdated = beforeUpdated;
         this.beforeIsPrivate = beforeIsPrivate;
+        this.postIds = postIds;
     }
 
     @Nullable
@@ -37,4 +40,8 @@ public Category getBeforeUpdated() {
     public boolean isBeforeIsPrivate() {
         return beforeIsPrivate;
     }
+
+    public Set<Integer> getPostIds() {
+        return postIds;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/run/halo/app/listener/post/PostRefreshStatusListener.java b/src/main/java/run/halo/app/listener/post/PostRefreshStatusListener.java
index b395c58b76..15e553123b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/run/halo/app/listener/post/PostRefreshStatusListener.java
+++ b/src/main/java/run/halo/app/listener/post/PostRefreshStatusListener.java
@@ -1,24 +1,19 @@
 package run.halo.app.listener.post;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
-import java.util.HashSet;
 import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Map;
 import java.util.Set;
 import org.apache.commons.lang3.StringUtils;
 import org.springframework.context.event.EventListener;
-import org.springframework.lang.NonNull;
 import org.springframework.stereotype.Component;
 import run.halo.app.event.category.CategoryUpdatedEvent;
 import run.halo.app.event.post.PostUpdatedEvent;
 import run.halo.app.model.entity.Category;
 import run.halo.app.model.entity.Post;
-import run.halo.app.model.entity.PostCategory;
 import run.halo.app.model.enums.PostStatus;
 import run.halo.app.service.CategoryService;
 import run.halo.app.service.PostCategoryService;
 import run.halo.app.service.PostService;
-import run.halo.app.utils.ServiceUtils;
 
 /**
  * Post status management.
@@ -53,45 +48,55 @@ public void categoryUpdatedListener(CategoryUpdatedEvent event) {
         Category beforeUpdated = event.getBeforeUpdated();
         boolean beforeIsPrivate = event.isBeforeIsPrivate();
         RecordState recordState = determineRecordState(beforeUpdated, category);
+
+        List<Post> posts = postService.listAllByIds(event.getPostIds());
+
+        // handle delete action
         if (RecordState.DELETED.equals(recordState) || category == null) {
+            if (beforeUpdated == null || !beforeIsPrivate) {
+                return;
+            }
+            // Cancel the encryption status of the posts
+            changeStatusToPublishIfNecessary(posts, beforeUpdated.getId());
             return;
         }
 
         // now
         boolean isPrivate = categoryService.isPrivate(category.getId());
-        List<Post> posts = findPostsByCategoryIdRecursively(category.getId());
         if (isPrivate) {
+            List<Post> postsToUpdate = new ArrayList<>();
             posts.forEach(post -> {
                 if (post.getStatus() == PostStatus.PUBLISHED) {
                     post.setStatus(PostStatus.INTIMATE);
+                    postsToUpdate.add(post);
                 }
             });
-        } else {
-            if (RecordState.UPDATED.equals(recordState)) {
-                Set<Integer> encryptedCategories =
-                    pickUpEncryptedFromUpdatedRecord(category.getId());
-                for (Post post : posts) {
-                    boolean belongsToEncryptedCategory =
-                        postBelongsToEncryptedCategory(post.getId(), encryptedCategories);
-                    if (!belongsToEncryptedCategory && StringUtils.isBlank(post.getPassword())
-                        && beforeIsPrivate
-                        && post.getStatus() == PostStatus.INTIMATE) {
-                        post.setStatus(PostStatus.PUBLISHED);
-                    }
-                }
+            postService.updateInBatch(postsToUpdate);
+        } else if (beforeIsPrivate && RecordState.UPDATED.equals(recordState)) {
+            // Cancel the encryption status of the posts
+            changeStatusToPublishIfNecessary(posts, category.getId());
+        }
+    }
+
+    private void changeStatusToPublishIfNecessary(List<Post> posts, Integer categoryId) {
+        List<Post> postsToUpdate = new ArrayList<>();
+        for (Post post : posts) {
+            boolean belongsToEncryptedCategory = postBelongsToEncryptedCategory(post.getId());
+            if (!belongsToEncryptedCategory && StringUtils.isBlank(post.getPassword())
+                && post.getStatus() == PostStatus.INTIMATE) {
+                post.setStatus(PostStatus.PUBLISHED);
+                postsToUpdate.add(post);
             }
         }
-        postService.updateInBatch(posts);
+        postService.updateInBatch(postsToUpdate);
     }
 
-    private boolean postBelongsToEncryptedCategory(Integer postId,
-        Set<Integer> encryptedCategories) {
-        Set<Integer> categoryIds =
-            postCategoryService.listCategoryIdsByPostId(postId);
+    private boolean postBelongsToEncryptedCategory(Integer postId) {
+        Set<Integer> categoryIds = postCategoryService.listCategoryIdsByPostId(postId);
 
         boolean encrypted = false;
         for (Integer categoryId : categoryIds) {
-            if (encryptedCategories.contains(categoryId)) {
+            if (categoryService.isPrivate(categoryId)) {
                 encrypted = true;
                 break;
             }
@@ -99,40 +104,6 @@ private boolean postBelongsToEncryptedCategory(Integer postId,
         return encrypted;
     }
 
-    private Set<Integer> pickUpEncryptedFromUpdatedRecord(Integer categoryId) {
-        Set<Integer> privateCategories = new HashSet<>();
-
-        List<Category> categories = categoryService.listAllByParentId(categoryId);
-        Map<Integer, Category> categoryMap =
-            ServiceUtils.convertToMap(categories, Category::getId);
-        categories.forEach(category -> {
-            boolean privateBy = isPrivateBy(category.getId(), categoryMap);
-            if (privateBy) {
-                privateCategories.add(category.getId());
-            }
-        });
-        return privateCategories;
-    }
-
-    private boolean isPrivateBy(Integer categoryId, Map<Integer, Category> categoryMap) {
-        return findFirstEncryptedCategoryBy(categoryMap, categoryId) != null;
-    }
-
-    private Category findFirstEncryptedCategoryBy(Map<Integer, Category> idToCategoryMap,
-        Integer categoryId) {
-        Category category = idToCategoryMap.get(categoryId);
-
-        if (categoryId == 0 || category == null) {
-            return null;
-        }
-
-        if (StringUtils.isNotBlank(category.getPassword())) {
-            return category;
-        }
-
-        return findFirstEncryptedCategoryBy(idToCategoryMap, category.getParentId());
-    }
-
     private RecordState determineRecordState(Category before, Category updated) {
         if (before == null) {
             if (updated != null) {
@@ -153,27 +124,16 @@ private RecordState determineRecordState(Category before, Category updated) {
         }
     }
 
-    /**
-     * effective state for database record.
-     */
     enum RecordState {
+        /**
+         * effective state for database record.
+         */
         CREATED,
         UPDATED,
         DELETED,
         UNCHANGED
     }
 
-    @NonNull
-    private List<Post> findPostsByCategoryIdRecursively(Integer categoryId) {
-        Set<Integer> categoryIds =
-            ServiceUtils.fetchProperty(categoryService.listAllByParentId(categoryId),
-                Category::getId);
-        List<PostCategory> postCategories =
-            postCategoryService.listByCategoryIdList(new ArrayList<>(categoryIds));
-        Set<Integer> postIds = ServiceUtils.fetchProperty(postCategories, PostCategory::getPostId);
-        return postService.listAllByIds(postIds);
-    }
-
     /**
      * If the post belongs to any encryption category, set the status to INTIMATE.
      *
diff --git a/src/main/java/run/halo/app/service/CategoryService.java b/src/main/java/run/halo/app/service/CategoryService.java
index 95876421cd..33646c5f64 100755
--- a/src/main/java/run/halo/app/service/CategoryService.java
+++ b/src/main/java/run/halo/app/service/CategoryService.java
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 import java.util.List;
 import java.util.Optional;
+import java.util.Set;
 import org.springframework.data.domain.Sort;
 import org.springframework.lang.NonNull;
 import org.springframework.lang.Nullable;
@@ -133,4 +134,13 @@ public interface CategoryService extends CrudService<Category, Integer> {
      * @return a tree of category.
      */
     List<CategoryVO> listToTree(List<Category> categories);
+
+    /**
+     * Recursively query the associated post ids according to the category id.
+     *
+     * @param categoryId category id
+     * @return a collection of post ids
+     */
+    @NonNull
+    Set<Integer> listPostIdsByCategoryIdRecursively(@NonNull Integer categoryId);
 }
diff --git a/src/main/java/run/halo/app/service/impl/CategoryServiceImpl.java b/src/main/java/run/halo/app/service/impl/CategoryServiceImpl.java
index da2cd1c0db..6e575c497b 100644
--- a/src/main/java/run/halo/app/service/impl/CategoryServiceImpl.java
+++ b/src/main/java/run/halo/app/service/impl/CategoryServiceImpl.java
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import static run.halo.app.model.support.HaloConst.URL_SEPARATOR;
 
 import java.util.ArrayDeque;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Collection;
 import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.LinkedList;
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@
 import run.halo.app.exception.NotFoundException;
 import run.halo.app.model.dto.CategoryDTO;
 import run.halo.app.model.entity.Category;
+import run.halo.app.model.entity.PostCategory;
 import run.halo.app.model.vo.CategoryVO;
 import run.halo.app.repository.CategoryRepository;
 import run.halo.app.service.CategoryService;
@@ -111,8 +113,10 @@ public Category update(Category category) {
         boolean beforeIsPrivate = isPrivate(category.getId());
 
         Category updated = super.update(category);
+
+        Set<Integer> postIds = listPostIdsByCategoryIdRecursively(category.getId());
         applicationContext.publishEvent(
-            new CategoryUpdatedEvent(this, category, beforeUpdated, beforeIsPrivate));
+            new CategoryUpdatedEvent(this, category, beforeUpdated, beforeIsPrivate, postIds));
         return updated;
     }
 
@@ -183,8 +187,10 @@ public Category getByName(String name) {
     }
 
     @Override
-    @Transactional
+    @Transactional(rollbackFor = Exception.class)
     public void removeCategoryAndPostCategoryBy(Integer categoryId) {
+        final boolean beforeIsPrivate = isPrivate(categoryId);
+        final Set<Integer> postIds = listPostIdsByCategoryIdRecursively(categoryId);
         List<Category> categories = listByParentId(categoryId);
         if (null != categories && categories.size() > 0) {
             categories.forEach(category -> {
@@ -198,7 +204,8 @@ public void removeCategoryAndPostCategoryBy(Integer categoryId) {
         // Remove post categories
         postCategoryService.removeByCategoryId(categoryId);
 
-        applicationContext.publishEvent(new CategoryUpdatedEvent(this, null, category, false));
+        applicationContext.publishEvent(
+            new CategoryUpdatedEvent(this, null, category, beforeIsPrivate, postIds));
     }
 
     @Override
@@ -371,12 +378,26 @@ public List<Category> updateInBatch(Collection<Category> categories) {
                 Category categoryParam = idCategoryParamMap.get(categoryToUpdate.getId());
                 BeanUtils.updateProperties(categoryParam, categoryToUpdate);
                 Category categoryUpdated = update(categoryToUpdate);
+
+                Set<Integer> postIds = listPostIdsByCategoryIdRecursively(categoryUpdated.getId());
                 applicationContext.publishEvent(new CategoryUpdatedEvent(this,
-                    categoryUpdated, categoryBefore, beforeIsPrivate));
+                    categoryUpdated, categoryBefore, beforeIsPrivate, postIds));
                 return categoryUpdated;
             })
             .collect(Collectors.toList());
     }
 
+    @NonNull
+    @Override
+    public Set<Integer> listPostIdsByCategoryIdRecursively(@NonNull Integer categoryId) {
+        Set<Integer> categoryIds = ServiceUtils.fetchProperty(listAllByParentId(categoryId),
+            Category::getId);
+        if (CollectionUtils.isEmpty(categoryIds)) {
+            return Collections.emptySet();
+        }
+        List<PostCategory> postCategories =
+            postCategoryService.listByCategoryIdList(new ArrayList<>(categoryIds));
+        return ServiceUtils.fetchProperty(postCategories, PostCategory::getPostId);
+    }
 
 }