Recaps

Zhou Yao won the eleven great chiefs’ submission and laid out the Brocade Guard’s duties, funding, salaries, and organization. The chiefs accepted their new authority and pledged to serve him and the Great Zhou State.

• Zhou Yao defeated the eleven great chiefs by sealing their acupoints, then won their loyalty when they submitted to him.
• Zhou Yao defined the Brocade Guard’s duties as intelligence gathering, assassination, arrest, and interrogation, with the organization answering only to him.
• Zhou Yao gave the chiefs funds to recruit personnel, set salaries, and required loyalty from everyone joining the Brocade Guard.
• Zhou Yao appointed the eleven chiefs as provincial first chiefs and gave them authority to staff their provinces, while requiring them to register all recruits.
• Zhou Yao assigned chiefs near neighboring countries to gather foreign intelligence, and the eleven pledged to serve him and the Great Zhou State.

Zhou Yao taught the eleven Brocade Guard chief officers ultimate martial arts, and they became utterly devoted to him. After ten days of training, they returned to their provinces with money and orders to expand the Brocade Guard.

• Zhou Yao gave the eleven chief officers a collection of rare martial arts and offered to teach them.
• The chief officers studied and practiced the techniques for several days, while Zhou Yao guided Wuying in Lonely Nine Swords and Clear Breeze Art.
• After the chief officers chose their preferred techniques, Zhou Yao demonstrated them and taught each officer by hand.
• Ten days later, the eleven chief officers had learned their chosen techniques and received instructions from Zhou Yao.
• The eleven chief officers returned to their provinces with large sums of money and began recruiting men and buying horses to expand the Brocade Guard.

Zhou Yao had six rooms, beds, and furniture built to prepare for his four additional wives, while Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian recovered and made clothes and quilts. After discovering how warm cotton clothing was, the sisters looked forward to life with Zhou Yao.

• Damao and his brothers hired many workers and finished Zhou Yao’s six rooms, beds, and furniture in ten days.
• Damao and his brothers paid the workers and expenses, kept their profit, and took home enough money to buy grain.
• Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian recovered after more than ten days of nourishing food and felt happy living with Zhou Yao.
• Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian made clothes and quilts for the household, including cotton outfits for themselves and Zhou Yao.
• Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian tried on the cotton clothes, found them warmer than fur, and gazed at Zhou Yao with affection.

Zhou Yao wrote the first ten chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber, hoping the novel would win him prestige among scholars and officials and provide extra income. Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian discovered his writing and grew curious about it.

• Zhou Yao decided to write a novel to build his reputation and appeal to wealthy, educated readers.
• Zhou Yao chose Dream of the Red Chamber and wrote its first ten chapters in one sitting.
• Zhou Yao organized the pages and checked his finished work with satisfaction.
• Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian came to see Zhou Yao after finishing their needlework and asked what he was writing.
• Zhou Yao told Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian he planned to take the novel to a county bookshop to see if it could be printed and sold.

Zhou Yao let Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian read the ten chapters he had written of Dream of the Red Chamber, and the sisters became engrossed and eager to know what happened next. They praised the novel and asked him to continue writing before joining him for dinner, while Zhou Yao planned to reward them later.

• Zhou Yao gave Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian the pages of Dream of the Red Chamber to read.
• Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian finished all ten chapters, admired the characters, and reread parts of the novel.
• Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian asked Zhou Yao when he would write the rest, and they praised his novel as the best in the world.
• Zhou Yao teased Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian, then led them to dinner and decided to reward them at bedtime.

Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian eagerly asked Zhou Yao to tell them what happened next in Dream of the Red Chamber, and he made them agree to his request before telling them. The next morning, Zhou Yao woke refreshed, kissed his sleeping wives, and went to make breakfast.

• After dinner, Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian washed up and climbed into bed to wait for Zhou Yao.
• The sisters cuddled up to Zhou Yao and asked him to continue Dream of the Red Chamber.
• Zhou Yao said he had no inspiration, then asked the sisters to agree to something before he would tell them more.
• Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian blushed but did as Zhou Yao asked, and the three spent the night together.
• The next morning, Zhou Yao kissed his sleeping wives and went to make breakfast.

Zhou Yao traveled to Stone County to sell his novel, observing the hardships caused by the drought along the way. After paying one copper coin to enter the town, he ate at a tavern and packed roast chickens for Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian.

• Zhou Yao set out for Stone County on foot, leaving Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian asleep at home.
• An old man heard Zhou Yao say that common people suffered whether a dynasty rose or fell and tried to catch up with him, but their carriage passed him while he stopped to relieve himself.
• Zhou Yao reached Stone County at noon and paid one copper coin to enter.
• Zhou Yao ate a costly meal at a tavern and ordered two roast chickens to take home to Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian.

Zhou Yao visited Liusheng Bookshop to offer the first ten chapters of his unfinished storybook, Dream of the Red Chamber. Yan Liusheng began reading and was so captivated that he declared it the best storybook in the world.

• Zhou Yao bought a carriage and purchased four laying hens and four roosters at the market.
• Zhou Yao arrived at Liusheng Bookshop, tipped the attendant to watch his carriage, and met the owner, Yan Liusheng.
• Zhou Yao told Yan Liusheng he had written ten chapters of a storybook and planned to write ten more every fifteen days.
• Zhou Yao handed Yan Liusheng the manuscript titled Dream of the Red Chamber.
• Yan Liusheng read the first chapter and became astonished and delighted by the story.

Yan Liusheng praised Dream of the Red Chamber and sought exclusive distribution rights for Liusheng Bookshop, believing the novel would become a sensation. Zhou Yao considered the offer and asked how they would divide the profits.

• Yan Liusheng finished reading the ten chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber and praised Zhou Yao's writing.
• Yan Liusheng decided to secure the novel's distribution rights for Liusheng Bookshop and considered offering Zhou Yao a generous share of the profits.
• Yan Liusheng proposed that Liusheng Bookshop receive exclusive distribution rights to Dream of the Red Chamber.
• Zhou Yao asked Yan Liusheng how they would divide the profits.

Zhou Yao and Yan Liusheng agreed that Liusheng Bookshop would publish Dream of the Red Chamber, with Zhou Yao receiving seventy percent of the proceeds and three hundred taels upfront. After signing the contract, Zhou Yao left for Happiness Village while Yan Liusheng anticipated the book’s success.

• Yan Liusheng offered Zhou Yao a seventy-thirty split in Zhou Yao’s favor for publishing Dream of the Red Chamber.
• Yan Liusheng gave Zhou Yao three hundred taels of silver as a token of the bookshop’s sincerity, and Zhou Yao accepted.
• Zhou Yao and Yan Liusheng signed and fingerprinted a contract giving Liusheng Bookshop exclusive responsibility for publishing the novel.
• Yan Liusheng expected the novel’s success to bring profits and raise the bookshop’s reputation.
• Zhou Yao chatted with Yan Liusheng, then left by carriage for Happiness Village.

Zhou Yao returned to Happiness Village with a horse, chickens, and roast chickens for Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian, and promised to take his wives to the county town. He tended his livestock and new vegetable plot while the sisters prepared dinner, content with their ordinary country life.

• Zhou Yao arrived home with a horse and carriage and told Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian he would take them to the county town next time he went.
• Zhou Yao showed the sisters four laying hens and four roosters, asking them to keep the chickens and eat an egg each morning once the hens began laying.
• Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian put the chickens in the coop and began preparing a rooster for dinner while Zhou Yao cared for the horse and other livestock.
• Zhou Yao checked the growing lambs, pigs, and vegetables, pleased with how well they were doing.
• Zhou Yao brought Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian two roast chickens from the county town, and the sisters sent him out of the kitchen while they finished dinner.

Zhou Yao dictated two more chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber to Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian, while Yan Liusheng prepared to sell the first ten chapters at a steep price. When scholars and passersby erupted in outrage and called for a boycott, Yan Liusheng was pleased because the uproar was part of his plan to make the novel a hit.

• Zhou Yao dictated two chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber to Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian before going to bed with his wives.
• Yan Liusheng ordered his staff to print a thousand copies of the novel’s first ten chapters and set the price at two taels each.
• Yan Liusheng advertised Dream of the Red Chamber outside Liusheng Bookshop, drawing scholars who asked about its price.
• The scholars condemned Yan Liusheng as a greedy merchant and declared a boycott of his bookshop.
• Passersby joined the crowd in cursing Liusheng Bookshop, while Yan Liusheng watched with satisfaction, knowing the commotion served his plan.

Yan Liusheng addressed the growing crowd outside the Liusheng Bookshop after people condemned him for charging two taels of silver per ten chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber. When he confirmed that price would continue for every volume, the crowd demanded an explanation.

• The crowd around the Liusheng Bookshop grew, and Yan Liusheng came outside with a homemade megaphone to quiet everyone.
• Yan Liusheng warned the crowd that causing trouble at the shop violated Great Zhou State law and could lead to arrests.
• Yan Liusheng confirmed that each ten-chapter volume of Dream of the Red Chamber would cost two taels of silver.
• Scholars sent by rival bookshops denounced Yan Liusheng and urged the crowd to boycott the Liusheng Bookshop.
• Yan Liusheng called the accusations misunderstandings and asked for a chance to explain, and the crowd agreed to hear him.

Yan Liusheng defended Zhou's unfinished novel, "Dream of the Red Chamber," by inviting five skeptical scholars to read its first ten chapters. The scholars were captivated and declared it the best novel in the world, praising Zhou as a remarkable author from Stone County.

• Yan Liusheng told the townsfolk that Young Master Zhou had brought "Dream of the Red Chamber" to Liusheng Bookshop and said it was the world's best novel.
• When people challenged Yan Liusheng's praise, he offered to apologize if three of five readers found the novel unworthy.
• Five scholars, including one sent by rival bookshops to cause trouble, entered Liusheng Bookshop and received printed copies of the novel's ten chapters.
• The five scholars read the chapters in one sitting, becoming increasingly engrossed and praising the novel's passages.
• After finishing, the scholars unanimously praised "Dream of the Red Chamber" and expressed pride that Young Master Zhou came from Stone County.

Boss Yan Liusheng asked five scholars to judge Dream of the Red Chamber, and their praise persuaded them to buy the volumes they had just read. They left Liusheng Bookshop delighted, while the onlookers remained puzzled.

• Boss Yan Liusheng reclaimed the five scholars' copies of Dream of the Red Chamber, fearing they would keep them.
• The five scholars praised the novel as an engrossing masterpiece but objected to its price of two taels of silver.
• One scholar paid Boss Yan Liusheng two taels for a volume and left with it.
• The other four scholars each paid two taels and took their volumes from Boss Yan Liusheng.
• The five scholars left Liusheng Bookshop laughing and holding their books, confusing the waiting onlookers.

Five respected scholars praised Dream of the Red Chamber and swore by their futures that it was not a fame-seeking novel, convincing the gathered crowd of its worth. Their testimony sent the scholars rushing into the Liusheng Bookshop to buy copies.

• One scholar announced that all five scholars had judged Dream of the Red Chamber exceptionally well written and worth far more than two taels of silver.
• The five scholars declared that the novel would bring pride and fame to Stone County, then swore to abandon their official futures if it was merely fishing for fame.
• The five scholars said they had each bought a copy and left the Liusheng Bookshop eagerly to read it again at home.
• A scholar urged the gathered crowd to buy Dream of the Red Chamber, and the other scholars rushed into the shop.
• Boss Yan Liusheng feared the scholars had come to loot the shop, then was delighted when they began buying the novel.

Scholars who bought the first ten chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber became captivated and returned to Liusheng Bookshop demanding more. Boss Yan Liusheng told them Young Master Zhou would bring the next volume in fifteen days, and he celebrated the novel’s sudden popularity.

• Around a hundred scholars bought the first ten chapters of Dream of the Red Chamber from Liusheng Bookshop for two taels each.
• The buyers read the novel and praised its writing, while their friends grew curious about it.
• The scholars became so engrossed that they reread the volume and wanted to know what happened next.
• The following morning, the buyers gathered at Liusheng Bookshop and demanded the rest of the novel from Boss Yan Liusheng.
• Boss Yan explained that Young Master Zhou was still writing and would deliver another ten-chapter volume in fifteen days.
• After the scholars left, Boss Yan rejoiced at the novel’s unexpected success.

Dream of the Red Chamber became a sensation in Stone County as scholars spread word of the novel and crowds flocked to Liusheng Bookshop. Boss Yan Liusheng used the rush to sell out successive batches before finally letting everyone who came buy a copy.

• Scholars praised Dream of the Red Chamber at their gatherings and piqued their companions’ interest by stopping their stories before revealing what happened next.
• Crowds rushed to Liusheng Bookshop, and all 1,500 advance copies sold out as Boss Yan Liusheng promised more would be ready the next morning.
• More than a thousand readers spread the novel’s popularity, and another 3,000 copies sold out shortly after the shop opened the next day.
• Boss Yan Liusheng told disappointed customers to return the following morning, though he had several thousand copies in reserve and was deliberately creating scarcity.
• The next morning, Boss Yan Liusheng sold copies to everyone who came to Liusheng Bookshop.

Zhou Yao heard Wuying’s reports on his expanding forces and the growing crisis on Great Zhou’s borders. After learning Chancellor Pei Yuanli had sabotaged supplies to the northern and central border troops, Zhou Yao ordered the officials responsible killed.

• Boss Yan Liusheng sold nearly all his copies of Dream of the Red Chamber as the book spread across Great Zhou and drew readers eager to meet its author, Zhou Yao.
• Zhou Yao spent the days dictating Dream of the Red Chamber to his wives Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian, while Wuying reported that the Brocade Guard was expanding and the Imperial Guard was training.
• Wuying told Zhou Yao that his guards and bodyguards were still undergoing intensive training before they could protect the young mistresses.
• Wuying reported that two neighboring countries threatened Great Zhou at the northern and central grassland borders, where troops lacked adequate supplies.
• Wuying explained that Chancellor Pei Yuanli had secretly tampered with provisions after the emperor rejected the second prince Zhou Xian’s attempt to replace the border commanders.
• Zhou Yao ordered his assassination squads to kill every official who had secretly disobeyed orders about the border provisions, especially those responsible for transporting them.

Zhou Yao ordered Wuying to investigate officials who had obstructed supplies to the border troops and punish the worst offenders. During the government’s second wife-delivery campaign, a runner brought twin sisters to Zhou Yao, and both sisters hoped to marry him after seeing how handsome he was.

• Zhou Yao told Wuying to investigate officials who had delayed border supplies and eliminate those guilty of heinous crimes and their families.
• On November first, the government began its second wife-delivery campaign of the year.
• Remembering Zhou Yao’s preference for petite women, the runner brought twin sisters to his home first.
• Zhou Yao inspected the sisters and found them to his liking.
• The twin sisters, who had feared being sent to an army camp, felt drawn to Zhou Yao and both wanted to marry him.

Zhou Yao chose the twin sisters, Qiuye and Qiuyu, as wives and brought them into his home. They were astonished by the plentiful food he served, and the chapter left them eating while Zhou Yao went to the kitchen.

• Zhou Yao told the constable he would marry both twin sisters, and the constable happily accepted his red envelope.
• The constable promised to look for more women for Zhou Yao and left to report that his assignment was complete.
• Zhou Yao led the twin sisters into his home and served them porridge, pickled vegetables, and white-flour steamed buns.
• The sisters marveled at the food during the famine and began eating hungrily while Zhou Yao went into the kitchen.

The twin sisters ate their fill and bathed while Zhou Yao explained to Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian how he had brought the sisters home. The sisters were still cleaning up as Zhou Yao’s wives learned that the newcomers faced the same danger they had escaped.

• The twin sisters ate two bowls of porridge and four steamed buns each, and Zhou Yao told them to rest while he cleared the dishes.
• Zhou Yao led the sisters to the bathing room and prepared a full tub of water, toiletries, and clean clothes for them.
• The sisters were shocked by the amount of water, then washed and enjoyed their first proper bath in years.
• Zhou Yao told Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian that the new arrivals were twin sisters who had disguised their beauty.
• Zhou Yao explained that slender, petite women were often rejected as wives and sent to military camps as prostitutes, prompting Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian to recall their own near-identical fate.

Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian reunited with their younger sisters Qiuye and Qiuyu, whom Zhou Yao had recently married. After the four women explained their past connection and feared punishment, Zhou Yao told them to get up.

• Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian waited with Zhou Yao to meet the new twin sisters in the main room.
• Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian recognized Qiuye and Qiuyu, and the four sisters embraced and wept.
• The two pairs of twins asked how they had come to be there, but Zhou Yao interrupted them with a cough.
• Yang Aijin explained that the sisters had known Qiuye and Qiuyu since childhood but lost contact after their family's property was confiscated and they were exiled.
• The four women knelt and asked Zhou Yao not to punish one another, and he said he had never planned to punish them and told them to get up.

Qiuye told Zhou Yao how her family had fallen after her father rejected the second prince Zhou Xian and the chancellor Pei Yuanli, and how she and Qiuyu had faced being sent to a military camp as prostitutes. She and Qiuyu thanked Zhou Yao for marrying them, and he welcomed them as family.

• Zhou Yao asked Qiuye and Qiuyu to introduce themselves, and Qiuye explained that they were the daughters of Bashu's former governor.
• Qiuye said Zhou Xian had pursued the sisters and tried to recruit their father, while Pei Yuanli had also sought his support; their father had rejected both men.
• After the emperor confiscated their home and ordered their parents killed, Qiuye and Qiuyu were sent to a military camp for hard labor.
• At fifteen, the sisters disguised themselves as frail and unattractive during the wife-distribution program, but learned that they would be sent to a military camp as prostitutes if no one chose them.
• Qiuye and Qiuyu knelt and thanked Zhou Yao for marrying them and saving them, and Zhou Yao told them to rise because they were family now.

Zhou Yao learned that Yang Aijin, Yang Ailian, Qiuye, and Qiuyu had all been destined to marry a son of former Prince Zhou Shun, and he welcomed the sisters into his household. After the four women left to look around, Zhou Yao caught and killed a man spying on them for the Great Zhou State's second prince, then erased all evidence.

• Yang Aijin and Qiuye told Zhou Yao that they and their sisters had been betrothed to a young prince, though they did not know which son of Prince Zhou Shun.
• Zhou Yao reassured the four women that they would be safe and cared for, then asked Yang Aijin and Yang Ailian to show Qiuye and Qiuyu around their home.
• Zhou Yao sensed a watcher in the nearby woods and approached the man without being detected.
• The watcher revealed that Zhou Yao had guessed he was monitoring the twin sisters for the Great Zhou State's second prince.
• Zhou Yao killed the man and destroyed the body and all traces of his presence.