Chapter Summaries

Nick heard the provincial graduate explain the dangers surrounding Guangzhou and the corrupt students who had driven his friend from teaching, then reflected on palace coups and dynastic struggles with Georgiana and Bonaparte. The provincial graduate returned with a warning that the princes living near Shichahai were “flood dragons,” leaving Nick amused and him uneasy.

• The provincial graduate visited Nick and reported that Cao Xi was investigating a court official’s murder and the attack on Nick while some Green Standard Army soldiers withdrew to lure the enemy into acting.
• Nick asked why the provincial graduate did not teach at an academy, and the provincial graduate recounted how students had humiliated his upright friend with a courtesan’s staged visit.
• Nick considered the students’ behavior and reflected on historical struggles for power as Bonaparte and Georgiana discussed Nick’s cautious nature and the failures of those who sought the throne.
• The provincial graduate returned and warned Nick that the princes living near Shichahai were flood dragons rather than true dragons, then grew uneasy about what might happen.

The chapter recounted Eldest Prince Yinzhi’s fall and described Qianlong’s discovery of stolen treasures and the failures behind Wang Danwang’s corruption case. It then followed a provincial graduate who failed a demanding regulated-poem examination and ended with him drinking and chatting with Nick in the examination hall.

• Eldest Prince Yinzhi brought down the Crown Prince but was stripped of his title and placed under house arrest for sorcery.
• Qianlong discovered that Chen Huizu had stolen Wang Danwang’s jade vases and jade mountain sculpture, and Chen Huizu was exposed and executed.
• Qianlong’s investigation of Wang Danwang’s fraud revealed that officials and censors had failed to detect the false Gansu granaries.
• The provincial graduate misunderstood the source of the exam question “Heaven Overlooks the Sea Mirror” and failed the examination again.
• The provincial graduate bought wine and snacks, then drank and chatted idly with Nick.

The provincial graduate recounted the history of illusion arts before explaining the circumstances of his work as tutor to Yunduan Dorji and the mismatch between the young prince and his wife. After hearing a poem comparing a woman's eyes to dew-covered orchids, Nick and Bonaparte left dinner to look at Georgiana, while she wondered whether the dead still needed to eat.

• The provincial graduate described famous illusion performances and reflected that hunger, unlike illusions, had driven him from famine-struck Fujian to the capital.
• The provincial graduate explained that he became tutor to Yunduan Dorji, a Khorchin prince whose family had a history of service and scandal.
• The provincial graduate described Yunduan Dorji and his wife, Prince Yongbi's seventh daughter, as young spouses whose interests and expectations did not match.
• The provincial graduate wrote a poem praising a woman's beauty, and Nick asked to see Georgiana's eyes.
• Bonaparte lifted Georgiana's chin, she slapped his hand away, and she led him out of the cabin after dinner.

Georgiana listened as Layla read about Russian-Chinese trade and Shanxi merchants, then reflected on childhood and the knowledge of good and evil. The chapter ended with Layla quietly resuming the reading while Georgiana sighed over her tea.

• Georgiana returned to the cabin alone and asked Layla to read to her.
• Layla read about the Tea Road, Russian trade with China, and the merchants and officials who managed commerce in Cullen and Mongolia.
• The account described Yunduan Dorji’s household and the provincial graduate who became a tutor there.
• Georgiana told Layla that people once lived without distinguishing good from evil and said she wished she could remain sixteen and protected.
• Layla lowered her head and continued reading as Georgiana drank her tea and sighed.

The Provincial Graduate considered Chen Yunting’s suggestion to enter the Grand Selection but refused because he wanted to pursue the civil examinations and could not afford the fees. Worried that Yunduan Dorji’s dangerous social circle could cost the young commandery prince his life or inheritance, he planned to keep him home by arranging painting lessons.

• Chen Yunting reminded the Provincial Graduate about the Grand Selection, but the Provincial Graduate declined to pursue it.
• The Provincial Graduate reflected on Yunduan Dorji’s dependence on Qianlong and the dangerous political forces surrounding the young commandery prince.
• The Provincial Graduate recalled how He Shen used Hai Ning’s remark and testimony from Li Shiyao’s household slaves to investigate Li Shiyao.
• At a gathering, an imperial son-in-law acquired a Lang Shining painting said to depict the Fragrant Consort.
• The Provincial Graduate decided to find Yunduan Dorji a painting teacher so he would stay home instead of courting danger.

The chapter recounts how He Shen’s investigation of Li Shiyao’s corruption led to repeated trials, but Qianlong delayed the verdict and eventually released Li Shiyao to serve in Gansu. Juren weighed his limited prospects in the capital and ended by visiting Nick in confinement to drink and talk.

• The chapter explained how the Uliastai General’s jurisdiction changed and how Yunduan Dorji relied on his uncle Yongrong’s position in the Imperial Household Department.
• He Shen gathered evidence that Li Shiyao had extorted officials and accepted thirty-one thousand taels, and Li Shiyao was sentenced to death with a stay of execution.
• Li Shiyao sought a joint trial by the Nine High Ministers, while Qianlong’s birthday plans and political considerations complicated the case.
• Qianlong ordered another review, postponed judgment after Min E'yuan’s memorial, and later released Li Shiyao to handle military affairs in Gansu.
• After failing the examinations again and finding no easy way to advance in the capital, Juren visited Nick in confinement and drank with him.

The provincial graduate recounted how misfortunes led him to meet Nick, while Nick discussed classical poetry and music with him. On the ship, Georgiana struggled with her mood and reflected on power, hardship, and magic, ending by considering whether people believed in magical creatures.

• The provincial graduate explained how the exam question on spectacles found him distracted by his patron's death, the reopening of the Kyakhta market, and the loss of his family land.
• Nick questioned the provincial graduate about Zhuangzi's twenty-five-string instrument, and they discussed the se, Li Shangyin's poem, and the legend behind Du Fu's cuckoo reference.
• Nick let the provincial graduate sleep in his bed while he slept on the floor, and he heard mournful music during the night.
• Layla invited Georgiana to listen to music, but Georgiana instead took her onto the deck and reflected on her memories and the harshness of human life.
• Layla told Georgiana that the First Consul had been frighteningly calm when angry, then had seemed normal again over dinner.
• Georgiana practiced wandless magic by turning paper into a flying bird and wondered whether magical creatures existed in the world.

Georgiana considered how France could preserve peace and stability while preparing for the Calais summit, where she hoped to address the need for secret agents. As the ship departed, she worried that Napoleon’s rule and Europe’s peace might not last.

• Georgiana put down Rousseau’s book and thought about the tyrants who might emerge after Grindelwald and Voldemort.
• Bonaparte told Georgiana that France did not need secret police or Aurors, and Georgiana left the disagreement unresolved.
• Georgiana reflected on Bonaparte’s demands for greater efficiency in the shipyards and on reforms to help French farmers and industries.
• Georgiana feared that Napoleon’s death or overthrow could plunge Europe into decades of civil war.
• The ship departed for the next leg of the journey as the crowd at the dock played music.

Georgiana read about corruption, gu, and the cycle of destruction and renewal, while the provincial graduate explained how those ideas related to political corruption. She questioned whether she had changed and asked Bonaparte to delay their journey, and he agreed to let them stay in Calais for two more days.

• The provincial graduate scolded Nick for calling them turtles in a jar, and the narration explained the legends and history surrounding gu and its victims.
• The provincial graduate connected gu with cleansing corruption while preserving integrity, then described how Wang Danwang and Gansu officials fabricated disasters to profit from selling student admissions.
• Georgiana wondered whether she could still cast her old Patronus and reflected on her changed appearance, identity, and feelings about being a bride without an Echo.
• Bonaparte returned to the cabin and found Georgiana still reading, and she asked him to slow the ship so she could learn how the story ended.
• Bonaparte agreed to stay in Calais for two more days and told Georgiana she could make the others wait.

The chapter recounted how corruption in Gansu and Shandong was exposed, while Georgiana and Bonaparte discussed the account and the ambitions of officials. It left them continuing to read about the Qing investigations.

• Qianlong investigated A Gui’s claims of heavy rain and learned that Wang Danwang had fabricated grain reserves and relief distributions while selling donation-based student status across Gansu.
• The account described how land restrictions and permanent tenancy in Taiwan left many newcomers landless, contributing to refugee unrest and uprisings.
• Liu Yong and He Shen investigated Shandong’s accounts, uncovered hidden mixed silver, and found a total deficit of 2 million taels.
• A report revealed Guo Tai and his brother had acquired extensive land and estates, prompting Qianlong to order Guo Tai to take his own life.
• Wang Tingzan’s 40,000-tael military-pay donation aroused Qianlong’s suspicion of corruption in Gansu.
• Georgiana and Bonaparte discussed curses, Guo Tai’s governorship, and Jiangnan before Bonaparte told her to keep reading.

The chapter recounted Yuan Shoutong’s rise as a capable official and examined how Li Shiyao uncovered widespread fraud in Gansu’s examination-supervisor donations and disaster relief. Yuan later died while serving as Governor-General of Zhili, and the chapter ended with speculation that Yongrong, Prince Zhi, could not have been the heir named in Qianlong’s posthumous edict.

• Yuan Shoutong rose through official posts, improved Zhejiang’s salt administration, and became Governor-General of Zhili before returning home to mourn his mother.
• The chapter explained how Wang Tingzan intensified fraudulent relief claims, hid assets, and refused to admit that his wealth came from the scheme.
• Li Shiyao investigated Gansu’s falsified disaster reports and compared the official accounts with a secret ledger preserved by a Gaolan County clerk.
• Yuan Shoutong and Gao Jin oversaw the Yellow River breach repairs in Henan, and Yuan Shoutong later died while serving as Governor-General of Zhili.
• Liu Yong temporarily assumed Yuan Shoutong’s post, while people in the capital speculated about Yongrong, Prince Zhi, despite his adoption into another line.

Georgiana read about Qing-era succession, corruption, and unrest before Bonaparte pulled her into a silent waltz in the cabin. He led her toward the deck, leaving her unsure where their dance had taken them.

• Qianlong’s princes became possible heirs after Yongcheng was adopted out and Yongqi died, while Yongrong’s adoption made the succession uncertain.
• Yuan Shoutong controlled major flood and corruption cases, and Ji Xiaolan’s family sought refuge with Yuan Shoutong’s relatives after Lu Jianzeng’s downfall.
• Jiqing, Pufu, Gao Heng, and other officials exploited the Two Huai salt-license system, while Zhang Bao became implicated in corruption and military-provision cases.
• The account described the pressures on Miao people and the grand Banquet of a Thousand Elders held under Qianlong.
• Bonaparte interrupted Georgiana’s reading and danced a waltz with her without music in the cabin.
• Georgiana asked where they were, and Bonaparte led her out toward the deck.

Georgiana and Napoleon crossed the Dover Strait to Calais, where they discussed class, ambition, and the unfairness of women’s fate. The chapter ended with Napoleon angry after Georgiana challenged him about love and beauty.

• Georgiana and Napoleon spotted five British warships, and Napoleon allowed four young officers to come aboard and meet him.
• The fleet passed through the Dover Strait, while Gray Gore stayed aboard and talked with Napoleon about a Panama Canal.
• Georgiana made tea after learning Matilda was seasick, and the fleet arrived in Calais to a cheering crowd.
• At the Mercury Hotel, Georgiana and Napoleon argued about fate, gender, and whether love would endure if she lost her youth and beauty.
• Napoleon asked whether Georgiana would love him if he had nothing, then slammed the bathroom door after she answered with a question about his feelings.

Georgiana warned Bonaparte that other nations would exploit the pretext of overthrowing a tyrant for their own gain, and urged him to stay safe. He apologized for his anger, reassured her of his love, and she tried to retreat to work before he pounced on her.

• Bonaparte asked Georgiana to speak honestly about what she had been thinking, and she said she should not have brought up his past.
• Georgiana warned Bonaparte that nations such as Lyon would pursue their own interests under the righteous excuse of overthrowing a tyrant, and said she wanted him to be safe.
• Bonaparte asked Georgiana how she had conceived the idea of building a St. Peter's Church, and she recalled being moved by light in a dark room.
• Bonaparte apologized and told Georgiana that his heart beat for her, while she called him a silver-tongued Muggle and said she would move next door to work.
• Bonaparte pounced on Georgiana as she pulled out her wand.

Nick and Georgiana discussed the provincial graduate’s hardships and his refusal to pawn Wen Luan’s chrysanthemum hairpin, while Bonaparte predicted that he would not marry her. The chapter ended with Bonaparte teasing Georgiana for misunderstanding men and love.

• The provincial graduate lost his land to a powerful clan, then lost most of his savings when a bank collapsed.
• Wen Luan returned to Beijing and gave the provincial graduate back his chrysanthemum hairpin, which he chose not to pawn.
• Nick kept quiet about the provincial graduate’s hoped-for future success as he noticed the man’s graying hair.
• Georgiana remarked that Nick did not know old men could marry young wives, and Bonaparte replied that the provincial graduate would not marry Wen Luan.
• Bonaparte told Georgiana that she understood men and love less well than she thought.

Georgiana and Bonaparte discussed the symbols, social customs, and power struggles behind Dream of the Red Chamber’s account of Granny Liu’s visit to Grand View Garden. Georgiana reflected that safety inside a golden cage had to be defended, then began reading the next passage.

• The provincial graduate recounted how Jia Baoyu changed his mind about removing the withered lotus after Lin Daiyu praised a line of poetry.
• The young ladies played a trick on Granny Liu with heavy ivory chopsticks and pigeon eggs, while Wang Xifeng joked about their cost.
• The provincial graduate explained how palace commerce, He Shen’s corruption, and the sale of confiscated goods could implicate the Commander with the White Lotus Sect.
• Georgiana and Bonaparte discussed the mandarin-duck poem, the chapter’s images of freedom and security, and Granny Liu’s gifts of silver and an antique cup.
• Georgiana said she regretted Cao Xueqin’s fate and began reading the passage below.

The chapter recounts the Guangchu Bureau’s low-fineness silver scandal, the investigation into Gao Pu’s illegal Hotan jade mining, and several financial troubles affecting Qing officials and merchants. It ends with the young prince preparing to travel to northern Mongolia to inspect the region and deal with the Buryats, while the provincial graduate remains behind.

• The Imperial Household Department’s guards discovered that silver issued for Qianlong’s journey was low-fineness, and Yongrong investigated the vaults and found about seventy thousand taels of such silver.
• Qianlong ordered officials to investigate Gao Pu’s illegal jade mining in Xinjiang after miners’ deaths and unrest were reported, and Gao Pu was executed.
• Yongrong submitted signed confessions explaining that low-fineness silver had been mistakenly stored as full-fineness silver, and Qianlong punished the responsible officials with salary deductions or heavy strokes.
• The young prince moved the alliance gathering to the Mulan Hunting Grounds and arranged military exercises amid the closure of the Kyakhta market.
• The provincial graduate lost most of his deposit when his draft bank failed amid Changlu salt merchants’ heavy debts to the Imperial Household Department.
• The young prince prepared to travel to northern Mongolia to inspect the region and deal with the Buryats, while the provincial graduate stayed behind.

Georgiana read Nick’s writing about Qing taxation, land rights, and the Dream of the Red Chamber to Bonaparte while Nick remained confined. Bonaparte redirected her to passages about the Thousand-Step Corridor, and she ended by reading Nick’s promise to fight for the woman he loved when he was ready.

• Georgiana read Nick’s critique of Qing taxation, land permits, and the injustice faced by commoners, including Lin Yuhua’s exile.
• Bonaparte stopped Georgiana when she discussed Lavoisier and told her to read from a different passage.
• Georgiana read the scholar’s account of the Thousand-Step Corridor, its Dragon Gate and Tiger Gate, and the White Tiger omen in Dream of the Red Chamber.
• Nick secretly ate a steamed bun while confined and said he wanted to leave the courtyard and return home.
• Georgiana read Nick’s promise to his father that he would fight for her when he was ready, and Bonaparte questioned why he had said “her.”

Yongrong arranged for Yunduan Dorji, a provincial graduate who had repaid his pawnshop debt, to study historical memorials in the palace archives. Nick learned that foreigners could not sit the civil service examinations and discussed the discrimination with the provincial graduate, who suggested another kind of memorial as a way out.

• Yongrong explained how the Grand Council and memorial system had concentrated power in the emperor's hands.
• After Yunduan Dorji repaid the principal and interest he owed Yongrong's pawnshop, Yongrong sent him to read documents in the great archive of the Hall of Literary Brilliance.
• Georgiana read about the examination system and learned that foreigners such as Nick could not take the civil service examinations, though he could sit the xiucai examination.
• Nick opposed the prejudice that kept people of low status from respectable standing, while the provincial graduate doubted the emperor would care about their troubles.
• The provincial graduate said they needed to think of another kind of memorial.

The provincial graduate studied old memorials and considered how reckless choices could lead to disaster, while Georgiana and Bonaparte discussed his sudden turn to meditation. The chapter ended with Georgiana reflecting that Tom Riddle’s attempt to change fate had helped create the threat he feared.

• The provincial graduate examined memorials about officials, debts, famine relief, and political intrigue while considering the lessons of the Darkening of the Light and Innocence hexagrams.
• The provincial graduate found Chen Hongmou’s memorial exposing Jin Hong’s fabricated land reclamation and Xining’s memorials concerning salt taxes, ship repairs, and jade commissions.
• The provincial graduate realized that the memorials might someday connect to his own fate, though by the time he understood their significance, Yongrong would already be dead.
• The provincial graduate stopped insisting on resisting imprisonment and began meditating after eating and drinking, alarming Nick.
• Georgiana laughed when Bonaparte asked what amused her, thinking that Tom Riddle’s attempt to escape an uncertain fate had made Harry Potter the threat described in the prophecy.