Chapter Summaries

Lin Xiaohe recognized that Pedro Lobo had used the English press to isolate the Lin Family while police and Customs pressure mounted. He tried to make calls from the station, but Yan Hung stopped him and insisted he remain under investigation.

• Lawyer Chen brought Lin Xiaohe the English newspapers, and Lin Xiaohe realized Pedro Lobo had arranged the damaging coverage to keep the Lin Family’s allies quiet.
• Lin Xiaohe left his hospital room to call Ronnie, while Lai Man-yau blocked Yan Hung from stopping him in the corridor.
• Yan Hung told Lai Man-yau that Lin Xiaohe had been ordered not to contact anyone directly, then hurried to Ronnie’s office.
• Yan Hung disconnected Lin Xiaohe’s second call and said he could not make calls until twelve hours had passed and he had signed for bail.

Lin Xiao qia was questioned by Political Department officers about contraband found on a ship and insisted he would not answer without a lawyer. The officers told him they could require his cooperation based on suspicion, leaving him under investigation.

• Lin Xiao qia denied involvement with the contraband and demanded to see a superior or have a lawyer present.
• A Political Department officer explained that the department could refuse his request to see a lawyer on reasonable grounds.
• The other officer said the Political Department needed only suspicion and some evidence to require Lin Xiao qia to cooperate.

Political Department officers pressured Lin Xiao qia with photographs linking him to Wo On Lok and the smuggled rubber tree seeds, while Jonathan Gore and Luo Zhuankun plotted to dump the Lin Family’s shares and let Jardine take over Xizhen Properties. The chapter then shifted to Zheng Ruilian, who warmly recognized Sister Xiang and reflected on how few longtime Lin Family servants remained.

• Lin Xiao qia tried to leave the interrogation room, but a Political Department officer aimed a pistol at him and forced him back to his seat.
• The officer showed Lin Xiao qia photographs of Wo On Lok members in custody and Lin Xiao qia meeting Da Zui Cai, then questioned him about the smuggled rubber tree seeds.
• Jonathan Gore told Luo Zhuankun to sell Xizhen Properties and Prosperity Rubber shares as soon as the exchange opened and maintain pressure on the Lin Family.
• Jonathan Gore explained that the selloff was a smokescreen and that Jardine would use its position as Xizhen Properties’ second-largest shareholder to take control.
• Zheng Ruilian greeted Sister Xiang outside her room and reminisced about the old Lin Family servants who had left over the years.

Zheng Ruilian learned from Sister Xiang that Lin Xiaoze had been in a car accident and Lin Xiao qia had been arrested, and that someone accused Lin Xiaohe of plotting against them. At the end, Ji Wenming told Song Tianyao that Lin Xiaohe had called someone from the hospital after reading the newspapers.

• Sister Xiang told Zheng Ruilian that kidnappers had forced her to report that Lin Xiaohe had caused Lin Xiaoze's car accident and arranged for the Marine Police to arrest Lin Xiao qia.
• Zheng Ruilian was shocked to learn that her sons might be in danger and decided to ask First Madam what had happened.
• Ji Wenming returned to the interrogation room and told Song Tianyao that Lai Man-yau and Yan Hung had taken Lin Xiaohe to the Central Police Station.
• Ji Wenming said the Political Department was bringing two Fuyixing eyewitnesses, the body, and Liao Jingxuan to the station, and that Lin Xiaohe had made a phone call from the hospital after reading the newspapers.

After learning that Lin Xiaohe had called a restaurant that might serve as a Taiwan contact point, Song Tianyao feared the He Family could help Lin escape and moved to involve Anglican Bishop Ho Ming-wah. He left the confrontation poised to use a baptism and a proposed donation to bring the bishop into the dispute.

• Song Tianyao learned that Lin Xiaohe had called a Tsim Sha Tsui restaurant and suspected it was a Taiwan contact point.
• Song Tianyao told Ji Wenming to end Yan Hung's investigation, sign the guarantee, and ask Shek Chi-yik to attend his goddaughter's baptism with Bishop Ho Ming-wah.
• Song Tianyao changed his offer from building a church to donating two million if the Hong Kong and Macao Diocese planned one.
• Ji Wenming warned Song Tianyao that provoking the He Family over Lin Xiaohe might be unwise, but Song insisted that He Shili could intervene and help Lin escape.
• Song Tianyao decided to bring in Bishop Ho Ming-wah rather than risk letting Lin Xiaohe flee.

Lu Rongfang and Pan Guoyang discussed Song Tianyao’s fight with the Lin Family and Lu argued that he was really pursuing the Lin Family’s Ngau Tau Shan to supply a British-backed land reclamation project. The chapter left Pan warning that Song was gambling his life on Britain’s future in Hong Kong and might have to flee if China retook the colony.

• Lu Rongfang warned Pan Guoyang that their stock-market trading could get them into trouble, while Pan said they had only taken a chance to make money.
• Lu Rongfang used her notebook to explain that the Bird’s Beak reclamation project was open to Chinese participants.
• Pan Guoyang described Song Tianyao as an insatiably greedy and reckless gambler.
• Lu Rongfang concluded that Song wanted the Lin Family’s Ngau Tau Shan for its soil and stone, not merely to profit from the family’s shares.
• Pan Guoyang surmised that Song was aligning with the British while the Lin Family backed China, and warned that Song could be forced to flee if China retook Hong Kong.

Lu Rongfang realized Song Tianyao's land ambitions made continued business with him too dangerous and decided to withdraw. Zheng Ruilian learned that Lin Xiaoze was recovering while Lin Xiao qia had been detained, and feared First Madam and the third young master were plotting against her sons.

• Lu Rongfang explained that Song Tianyao could become Hong Kong's land king by winning reclamation and leveling Ngau Tau Shan, but refused to keep doing business with him because people were dying.
• Pan Guoyang suggested profiting by transporting rock and earth, but Lu Rongfang insisted they get out and warned Chunmei against playing both sides.
• Sister Jing reported that Lin Xiaoze was recovering from broken ribs and that Lin Xiao qia had been taken to Marine Police Headquarters with an American over alleged smuggling.
• Zheng Ruilian told Sister Jing to check on Lin Xiaoze and learned that First Madam was watching Cantonese opera in the back garden.
• Zheng Ruilian recalled Sister Xiang's warning that First Madam and the third young master were plotting against Lin Xiaoze and Lin Xiao qia, and feared she was losing even the little dignity she had retained.

Zheng Ruilian resolved to confront the first madam to protect her sons, while Song Tianyao’s group discussed how to seize control of Xizhen Properties after John Keswick transferred his shares. The chapter ended with Kong Wing-yan questioning the 160 million Hong Kong dollars needed to acquire the company.

• Zheng Ruilian retrieved a packet of arsenic she had hidden and decided to risk her life against the first madam for her sons’ sake.
• Zheng Ruilian sent a maid to the rear garden while she went to prepare red bean and tangerine peel water for the first madam.
• Song Tianyao told the group that John Keswick had transferred his Xizhen Properties shares to Wen Ying Company, a Jardine subsidiary partly owned by the He Family.
• Ji Wenming reported that Ho Sai-kim’s private lawyer had stopped taking his calls after Lin Xiaohe intervened.
• Jonathan Gore estimated that taking over Xizhen Properties would require 160 million Hong Kong dollars, and Kong Wing-yan questioned the size of the sum.

Song Tianyao searched for financing to keep his share-buying plans alive and arranged help from his allies. Scribe Hui returned from a trip to ask Song Tianyao to help the garment factory borrow money.

• Jonathan Gore defended the 160 million Hong Kong dollar offer for John Keswick’s shares, while Song Tianyao asked HSBC about borrowing more against collateral.
• Song Tianyao decided he might have to borrow from Mr. Chu, then laid out plans to secure Likang Company’s funds and prevent the He Family from selling shares to the Lin Family or the Bank of East Asia.
• Song Tianyao asked Shek Chi-yik to approach Mrs. Ge Mulian about buying a thirty percent stake in his wig factory for 500,000 Hong Kong dollars.
• Luo Zhuankun and Jonathan Gore left to resume trading, and Song Tianyao told Luo Zhuankun to keep driving down the share price.
• Scribe Hui arrived at the Dulles Hotel with Wei Meixian and asked Song Tianyao to help the garment factory secure a low-interest bank loan.

Song Tianyao secured Michael Sandberg's support by offering financing for Scribe Hui's lucrative military-uniform contracts and putting Tianming Company at his disposal. At Government House, Bernacchi confronted Governor Grantham about Lin Xiaohe's detention, but Grantham refused to explain the police action.

• Song Tianyao learned from Wei Meixian that Tianming Garment needed nine million Hong Kong dollars to fulfill its uniform contracts with thirty-two US military bases.
• Song Tianyao offered Scribe Hui twelve million dollars on the condition that Tianming Company be transferred to his woman's name, then asked Michael Sandberg to support him with HSBC.
• Michael Sandberg shook Song Tianyao's hand and cited HSBC's role in founding great companies.
• Bernacchi asked Governor Grantham about Lin Xiaohe's detention and the police's refusal to provide information.
• Grantham dismissed Bernacchi's concerns, saying the police must have had reasons for taking Lin Xiaohe into custody.

Grantham explained to Bernacchi that the Hong Kong Police Force was assisting the United States Consulate in a case against Lin Xiaohe and would not use a pardon to protect him. Song Tianyao then confronted Lin Xiaohe in detention, acknowledging that Lin’s call to Taiwan had nearly ruined his plan.

• Grantham told Bernacchi that American authorities suspected Lin Xiaohe and Tang Boqi of supplying strategic materials to China, and that the police were acting at the consulate’s request.
• Grantham argued that Britain and the United States had political reasons to blame Chinese Americans and Chinese elites, then left Bernacchi behind.
• Lin Xiaohe, isolated in an interrogation room, decided that the Lin Family needed someone to accept all the charges, and believed he was the best choice.
• Song Tianyao entered the room and told Lin Xiaohe that the Political Department had acted on orders, not favors.
• Song Tianyao revealed that the He Family’s Wen Ying Commercial Company had become Xizhen Properties’ second-largest shareholder, and praised Lin Xiaohe’s call to Taiwan for nearly wrecking his plan.

Song Tianyao pressured Lin Xiaohe to take responsibility and end the conflict, offering to spare the Lin Family if Lin Xiaohe died, while Lin Xiaohe demanded proof of his sincerity. Meanwhile, A Wai urged Chen Tai to provoke a fight with Wo On Lok during the police crackdown, leaving Chen Tai questioning whether he was being asked to work with the police.

• Song Tianyao told Lin Xiaohe to take the blame for the conflict and warned that Lin Xiaosen and the rest of the Lin Family would face further consequences if he refused.
• Song Tianyao explained that he wanted to end the feud after Pedro Lobo withdrew and the He Family gained the shares, and he offered to stop pursuing the Lin Family if Lin Xiaohe accepted defeat.
• Lin Xiaohe asked to see his wife and challenged Song Tianyao to prove his sincerity; Song Tianyao said he had given away part of his wig business and offered him a final cigarette.
• A Wai told Chen Tai that the citywide gang crackdown had left police looking for a target and urged him to attack Wo On Lok's headquarters, then ambush its members after their release.
• Chen Tai asked A Wai whether he was being told to work with the police.

A Wai tried to recruit Chen Tai for a raid on Sai Wan, but Chen Tai demanded payment and insisted on acting independently of Song Tianyao. Song Tianyao then told Lin Xiao qia that Lin Xiaohe was ready to take the blame for the Lin Family, leaving Lin Xiao qia thirty minutes to decide whether to accept the chance to get out or remain in custody with him.

• A Wai told Chen Tai he had prepared men to help him stir up trouble against Shui Fong, and Chen Tai asked whether there was news of A-Su.
• Chen Tai demanded one million Hong Kong dollars from Song Tianyao for taking his men to Sai Wan, saying he needed to support his wounded men and their families.
• Song Tianyao visited Lin Xiao qia and explained that he had given Billy Zai three chances to leave before Billy chose to stay.
• Song Tianyao told Lin Xiao qia that Lin Xiaohe had agreed to take responsibility for the crimes to protect the Lin Family, and urged Lin Xiao qia to put the charges on him.
• Lin Xiao qia refused to accuse Lin Xiaohe, so Song Tianyao gave him thirty minutes to reconsider before the chance to leave disappeared.

Song Tianyao maneuvered Lin Xiao qia into accusing Lin Xiaohe, leaving the Lin Family on the brink of internal conflict. After visiting the brothers in custody, Song returned to Kwun Tong Military Camp, where Shek Chi-yik asked whether he would see the young Chinese American too.

• Lin Xiao qia concluded that Lin Xiaohe was unlikely to get out and asked to make a new statement so he could take control of the Lin Family.
• Lin Xiaohe dismissed Song Tianyao’s pressure and waited, believing his family and allies would secure his release.
• Political Department officers told Lin Xiaohe that Lin Xiao qia’s statement implicated him in smuggling strategic supplies, and the United States Consulate had requested a new investigation.
• Lin Xiaohe realized Song Tianyao had used the accusation to provoke a struggle between him and Lin Xiao qia, and cursed Song as the officers took him away.
• Shek Chi-yik met Song Tianyao at Kwun Tong Military Camp and asked if he would also see the young Chinese American.

Song Tianyao explained how the Lin Family had been driven into a lethal internal struggle and discussed the advantages of keeping his Chinese nationality. He and Shek Chi-yik left the Lin Family to face the consequences while Song planned to profit from the turmoil.

• Song Tianyao told Shek Chi-yik that the Lin family's second madam had poisoned the first madam and implicated Lin Xiaohe in multiple deaths.
• Song Tianyao explained that he had urged Lin Xiaohe to kill himself so that Lin Xiaohe would choose to stay alive and face the family’s collapse.
• Song Tianyao told Shek Chi-yik that the Lin brothers would turn against one another, leaving the He Family under pressure to abandon Lin Xiaohe.
• Song Tianyao said he would keep his Chinese nationality after Angie Pellis advised him it would benefit his position in Hong Kong.
• Shek Chi-yik praised Song Tianyao’s cleverness and joked that Song had turned a line from Wuthering Heights into a weapon.

Chu Yaozong explained how Ah Sin and the Lu Family had supported Song Tianyao against the Lin Family, even though Song had not used Likang’s money. He said the Lu Family’s influence in Hong Kong’s courts and legal profession would help Song’s third aunt and her daughter claim the Lin family property.

• Chu Yaozong said Ah Sin had earned Song Tianyao’s gratitude by offering to mortgage Likang’s assets, and that the Lu Family stood behind Ah Sin.
• Chu Xiaozhong recalled that he and Chu Yaozong had expected Song Tianyao to lose to the Lin Family and planned to offer him protection afterward.
• Chu Xiaozhong noted that the Lu Family had appeared to do little beyond having Ji Wenming run errands for Song Tianyao.
• Chu Yaozong explained that Lu Wenjin’s political standing gave the Lu Family influence over the judges, jurors, barristers, and solicitors involved in the coming property case.
• Chu Yaozong said the Lu Family would help Song’s third aunt and her daughter challenge the Lins, while Ah Sin would receive a share of the benefits on the family’s behalf.

At the Lin Family mourning hall, Lin Xiaoze tried to keep the family united, but news that the second madam had been hospitalized drove Lin Xiaosen to accuse him of murder and betrayal. Lin Xiaosen left to meet a representative of Mr. Keswick, while Lin Xiaojie suspected Song Tianyao had anticipated the move and positioned the Bank of East Asia to profit from the Lin Family's collapse.

• Chu Yaozong and Chu Xiaozhong discussed the Lin Family's inheritance dispute and Song Tianyao's role in the coming conflict.
• Lin Xiaoze came to the mourning hall and urged Lin Xiaosen to keep the Lin Family from falling into chaos.
• A servant reported that the second madam had been moved to a hospital after her lawyer arranged it through the Lin Family.
• Lin Xiaosen learned that Lin Xiao qia had been allowed to visit his hospitalized mother and accused Lin Xiaoze of killing her and framing his brother.
• Lin Xiaosen left the mourning hall to receive Michael Turner's assistant, who had come on behalf of Mr. Keswick.
• Lin Xiaojie withdrew from the hall, wondering whether Song Tianyao had planned for the Bank of East Asia to take advantage of the Lin Family's troubles.

Song Tianyao learned that Wo On Lok had sold a woman resembling Lin Yujing to Macau and then Java, where she died, and suspected Lin Xiao qia had arranged it. After Lei Danzi arrived, Song discussed his property and business plans, saying he wanted a steadier source of income.

• Bozai Gen brought Song Tianyao a Macau registration form and reported that Wo On Lok had sold the woman to a Macau brothel, which then sent her to Java, where she hanged herself.
• Song recognized the woman’s resemblance to Lin Yujing and concluded that Lin Xiao qia was the likely person who had handled the sale under the First Madam’s orders.
• Song refused to use the registration form in court because he wanted to protect his Third Aunt, her daughter, and the Song Family from disgrace.
• Lei Danzi visited Song, declined repayment of the three million he had lent, and offered to forgo his share of a shipment’s proceeds instead.
• Song told Lei Danzi he was not ready to enter real estate and wanted to find a reliable source of income.

Lei Yingdong considered entering real estate while Song Tianyao explained how Scribe Hui profited from supplying American bases and described his own plan to make money in Japan. Meanwhile, Chen Tai led Harmony Heroes in attacks on Shui Fong’s businesses, and Handkerchief Qing learned that the fighting had spread to To Kwa Wan.

• Song Tianyao told Lei Yingdong about Scribe Hui’s lucrative military clothing orders and his plan to earn money in Japan.
• Lei Yingdong declined to join Song Tianyao’s Japanese venture and asked for cheap plots of land instead.
• Chen Tai rallied forty-odd Harmony Heroes members, promising support for their families if they were injured or killed.
• Chen Tai led his men to attack Shui Fong’s opium den and a nearby brothel, setting the brothel on fire and calling Wo On Lok out to fight.
• Bian Dan Wei told Handkerchief Qing that Chen Tai had taken over a hundred men to To Kwa Wan and that Shui Fong’s men were rushing there.

Handkerchief Qing arrived in To Kwa Wan to stop Chen Tai and Wo On Lok’s men from fighting, but Chen Tai’s young allies reached the burning squatter area ready to join the battle. Cheung Wing-kam watched from a distance, annoyed that Handkerchief Qing had interrupted the fight.

• Handkerchief Qing gathered Hung Shun brothers and went to To Kwa Wan to mediate between Chen Tai and Wo On Lok’s men.
• Handkerchief Qing forced his way through the fighting and blocked Chen Tai’s katana with his iron whip, urging both sides to stop as the Ma Tau Wai Squatter Area burned.
• A Wen arrived with a small group of young men from the Yuen Long countryside to stand by Chen Tai, and Cheung Lok stopped Ah Bao from provoking Handkerchief Qing.
• Handkerchief Qing told Chen Tai to halt the fighting and criticized the gangsters for setting residents’ homes on fire.
• Cheung Wing-kam watched the confrontation through binoculars and cursed Handkerchief Qing for disrupting the fight.