Chapter Summaries

Georgiana read about unresolved corruption and infighting in the River Governor-General’s yamen, left behind by the previous governor. She became absorbed in an illustration of the yamen officers fighting, while Bonaparte questioned her interest.

• Georgiana told Bonaparte that her meeting had not repeated the chaos of the International Confederation of Wizards and said she planned to get some sun after finishing her book.
• Georgiana read about White Lotus Sect rebels infiltrating canal labor crews and officials struggling to screen workers and prevent sabotage.
• Georgiana learned that yamen runners extorted neighbors through fees and that the former river governor’s staff had fallen into conflict over money and old grievances.
• Georgiana became eager to see an illustration of yamen officers fighting, and Bonaparte sternly asked why she cared about such a scene.

Nick stayed at the Doge's Palace while the commander planned ways to win over local gentry, including a gathering at Ciyun Temple. After hearing Wan Ning play the guqin, Nick returned to his quarters and left her the roses he had picked, still waiting impatiently for the young akhund to translate a book.

• The commander planned a Deer-Cry Banquet to cultivate ties with local gentry, then changed the outing to a visit to Ciyun Temple because the gentry traveled by sedan chair.
• Nick stayed behind at the Doge's Palace while the others visited the pagoda and Qingjiangpu Tower.
• Nick picked roses in Qingyan Garden and followed music to find Wan Ning playing the guqin, but he listened without disturbing her.
• Nick considered whether Wan Ning might ever travel with him, then returned to his quarters and left the roses and a note on the table.
• Nick hoped the young akhund had translated the book and considered going to Beijing to find another translator.

The graduate weighed whether to leave Beijing after Yongrong's death while reflecting on court dangers and the history of Dezhou and the Grand Canal. In the present, Georgiana read a troubling passage about the graduate and froze, leaving Bonaparte asking what she had found.

• Liang Guozhi explained how Qianlong judged examination essays, prompting the graduate to study calligraphy and consider the risks faced by officials at court.
• The graduate recalled his uncertainty about leaving Beijing with the young prince or keeping his oath to stay, and considered whether he could adapt to exile in Mongolia.
• Xu Yang showed the graduate paintings from Qianlong's southern tours, leading the graduate to recount Dezhou's importance to grain transport and the Grand Canal's history.
• Nick feared that the graduate's friends might understand Turkish and discover a dangerous book, while an eight-hundred-li express dispatch could no longer be recalled.
• Georgiana read the next page, froze, and told Bonaparte that the story sounded absurd.

Nick learned the Jiyin People’s origins and their connection to the Jurchens, then discovered that Ji Shuxin possessed the translated materials. He planned to go to Beijing to retrieve them, but the chapter ended with him entertaining the worried governor with dominoes while considering sending a sailor in his place.

• The young imam explained to Nick that the Jiyin People were cursed through their shadows and relied on mandrills to lift the curse, and he connected their history to the Jurchens.
• Nick told the provincial graduate what he had learned, and they traced the copied materials to Ji Shuxin, Ji Xiaolan’s grandson.
• The provincial graduate wrote a letter while Nick planned to travel to Beijing and retrieve the materials himself.
• Nick went to the rear garden, saw Cao Xi leaving the Doge's Palace, and found the governor with Wan Ning.
• The governor asked Nick how Europeans entertained themselves, so Nick showed him dominoes and considered sending a trustworthy sailor to Beijing instead.

The provincial graduate reflected on palace gambling, political intrigue, historical censorship, and religious customs while considering the trouble Nick had caused. He was left wishing he had a way to discipline the grown young man, but recognized that ordinary punishment could not solve the problem.

• Palace eunuchs gambled and accumulated debts, while Sangzai Dorji used his residence to cultivate ties with them and help repay what they owed.
• The provincial graduate considered how private histories and Nick's Turkish-language books might attract scrutiny under the Literary Inquisition.
• He reviewed historical customs involving shamans, court dancers, and women sent as tribute, including Dorgon's anger at Korea's first selection.
• The provincial graduate recalled that Nick's latest trouble might infuriate the Buddha, but concluded that kneeling or striking his palms could not resolve it.

Yongrong and the Graduate reported construction irregularities at Zhengyang Gate and the delayed Taiping Manor reimbursement, giving Yongrong imperial authority to withhold He Shen’s salary. The Graduate then returned to temple life, but a strange demonic presence near Shichahai and the cannon fired by the Nan’ao commander-in-chief left him rushing to submit another memorial.

• Yongrong had the Graduate draft a memorial about the faulty Zhengyang Gate repairs and delayed reimbursements, and Qianlong approved it with a brief rescript.
• Yongrong gained the authority to withhold He Shen’s salary, while the Graduate withdrew from the matter and returned to the temple.
• Jin Jian arranged a room for the Graduate and provided him with a maidservant, whom the Graduate compared to Xiren.
• The Graduate recalled a monk who had fought a tiger barehanded and later served as abbot of Nianhua Temple, and he wondered why the monk had allowed himself to be captured.
• The Graduate connected the strange human-skin demon near Shichahai with Zhengyang Gate’s damage and hurried to submit a memorial after the Nan’ao commander-in-chief fired a cannon.

Nick taught Wan Ning basic geometry in Jingdezhen while considering how to help her learn more, as he reflected on the bitter dispute over flood control and the persecution of Sun Zongyi. The chapter left Nick uncertain whether to intervene, send Captain Yao's sailors to the capital, or leave the country, though he planned to visit the mosque and retrieve a book first.

• Nick introduced The Elements to Wan Ning and considered teaching her geography, medicine, astronomy, mathematics, and mechanics.
• Nick recalled how Sun Zongyi and Gaoyou's gentry opposed raising the dikes and sought relief for flood victims, bringing them into conflict with river officials.
• Zhang Gongchen fabricated charges against Sun Zongyi, who was arrested and died in prison despite protests and Liu Zhifu's appeal to the emperor.
• Nick weighed whether to act, send Captain Yao's sailors to the capital, or leave the country, and decided he could first visit the mosque to retrieve a book.

The chapter recounted Forbidden City security breaches and theft, then followed the juren and Nick as local gentry argued over flood management. Nick pocketed an ornament and stepped outside to escape the dispute.

• A monk slipped into the Forbidden City and was caught by patrol guards, then ordered to return to secular life while the guards and their commander were punished.
• The chapter described how a Han Script Hall runner was punished for losing his waist plaque and how guards had liquor smuggled into the palace.
• Li Wei submitted a memorial proposing that land permanently forfeited to usurers be returned to its original owners.
• Huai'an gentry argued over flood control and the costs of protecting grain transport routes.
• Nick pocketed an ornament from the residence and went outside to find some peace and quiet.

The young ahong warned Nick about the dangerous history of the Jiyin People and a demonic flower that could create hollow doubles and madness. After the conversation, Bonaparte objected to the frightening account, but Georgiana proposed finding the flower and testing its weakness.

• The young ahong explained that the book Nick brought was written in Ottoman Turkish and that the Jiyin People passed down their history through sound and dreams.
• The young ahong told Nick how Jiyin beings attacked Jurchen soldiers with a flower that left hollow skins and later grew embryos from the ashes.
• The young ahong described how descendants of the flower-born children spread through Yunnan, Southeast Asia, Putian, and Quanzhou, and connected Shadows to evil thoughts.
• The young ahong refused to give Nick the dangerous book, told him to return when he was ready, and explained that he had inferred the history from the book’s language and dates.
• Bonaparte criticized the story, while Georgiana compared the flower to Devil’s Snare and suggested finding one to test whether fire could defeat it.

Nick investigated the imam’s account of the Shadow Backlash and considered how little he could trust seemingly logical explanations without evidence. He returned to teaching Wan Ning, while the degree-holder faced the wider consequences of the pirate crisis and the court’s response.

• Nick researched the character for “Qu,” its possible meaning as a plant, and the historical credibility of the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
• Nick considered the dangers of raising and maintaining the High Dike, including flooding, typhoons, and possible sabotage by White Lotus Sect members.
• Nick reflected on the Shadow Backlash, which caused Shadowfiend Clan members’ shadows to develop flower-like heads, and wondered what evil thoughts might trigger it.
• Nick resumed teaching Wan Ning geometry and measurement, explaining the layout of the Forbidden City and the Imperial City.
• Nick weighed how the degree-holder’s decision about pirates could affect military campaigns, maritime restrictions, and the livelihoods of many people.
• Nick questioned whether logical accounts and auspicious signs could be trusted without conclusive evidence.

Georgiana discussed the dangerous Jiyin and Mountain Demons with Bonaparte, then read about Qing palace customs and the provincial graduate’s political concerns. She ended the night beside Bonaparte, waiting for him to fall asleep so she could continue reading.

• Georgiana compared Jiyin to an Obscurus and explained that Mountain Demons could lead people to Jiyin, while Bonaparte questioned her plan to find one.
• Georgiana wondered whether the dead person had been a Jiyin killed by a Mountain Demon or a human killed by a Jiyin, and considered asking Northern Ascent Nick and the others.
• Bonaparte asked Georgiana to sing, and she hummed a mysterious song before continuing to read about the Laba porridge ceremonies at Yonghe Palace.
• The provincial graduate considered palace politics, the dangers of He Shen’s influence, and buying Xiren a pearl chrysanthemum for the New Year.
• Georgiana joined Bonaparte in bed, then resisted using a Sleeping Charm because it might cause an international dispute.

The chapter recounts Shunzhi’s love for Consort Dong E, the damage his grief and desire to become a monk caused, and how he returned to rule after Yulin intervened. It then turns to Wan Ning’s looming selection and marriage prospects, leaving Cao Xi’s position as her prospective fiancé uncertain.

• Qianlong reaffirmed the rules for selecting banner maidens and summoned Depei after he tried to arrange a private marriage for his son.
• Shunzhi brought the widowed Lady Donggo into the palace, elevated her to Consort Dong E, and later ordered thirty palace servants buried with her after she died.
• Shunzhi pursued ordination under Xisen, but Yulin threatened to burn Xisen and Shunzhi gave up his plan before dying of smallpox.
• The chapter explained that Qing imperial consorts became Dowager Consorts rather than being buried with emperors or sent to become nuns.
• Wan Ning remained at risk of being chosen by the emperor despite her father’s marriage plans, and Cao Xi’s future with her was not secure.

The graduate connected legends of pox, Jiyin, and a tree demon to strange empty corpses and considered whether a creature had escaped Shadow’s backlash. He recalled a palace guard’s sudden attack and ended by comparing the chapter’s mysteries to a storyteller’s cliffhanger.

• The ahong asked Nick to travel northwest toward Russia, and Nick agreed while continuing to search for the plant called “qu.”
• The graduate reflected on the Qing court’s preparations to leave for Rehe and remembered setting lotus lanterns afloat with Xiren.
• The graduate linked the Jiyin legend and the monk’s poem to the demonic flower at Dharma Nature Temple, where a woman resembling Wan Ning had played a vertical flute.
• The graduate considered whether a Jiyin could have escaped Shadow’s backlash and fed on people, leaving bodies that looked human but were empty inside.
• The graduate recalled the palace guard near Guande Hall who attacked after complaining about his food and received one hundred strokes of the rod.

Nick reflected on palace servants, religious beliefs, and the Qing Court’s weaknesses while considering how people gathered to discuss matters and find an excuse to act. Georgiana read that line to Bonaparte and told him the book mentioned nagas and Garudas, which she preferred to call magical creatures.

• Nick considered the restrictions and hardships imposed on palace servants, including the rare escape of the eunuch Zheng Jinzhong to make a pilgrimage to Putuo Mountain.
• The provincial graduate received an unclear reply from his former examination peer, then learned that his letters to the capital had not been received.
• Nick weighed the Qing Court’s lack of resources, widespread illiteracy, and vulnerability to the White Lotus Sect and other threats.
• Georgiana read a sentence about people gathering to discuss matters and find an excuse to act, then asked Bonaparte why he was awake.
• Georgiana told Bonaparte that the book had mentioned nagas and Garudas, which she preferred to call magical creatures.

Georgiana and Bonaparte discussed the Jiyin People’s customs and the danger posed by their name-bearing stone tablets and ash-grown flowers. Georgiana speculated that the flowers might symbolize rebirth, but the chapter left the Jiyin’s weakness and the tablets’ whereabouts unresolved.

• Georgiana reflected on how the Witch Hunts and public demands for peace had turned the harvest guardians into targets alongside wizards.
• Bonaparte suggested that the court already knew what Nick was doing and explained that the Jiyin guarded stone tablets bearing their names.
• Georgiana realized that obtaining a Jiyin person’s tablet could be like learning a demon’s name, while Bonaparte said the tablets should be destroyed.
• Georgiana wondered whether the Jiyin’s flowers, which grew from ashes, signified rebirth and whether fire could defeat them.
• Georgiana recalled a Jiyin slave whose back developed flame-like patterns before his death, and considered the lost record made from their impression.

Georgiana reflected on poison, education, rivalry, and the different ways people understood one another, drawing on Qing history and her own experiences. She left the question of how to help others unresolved, concluding that strength and victory could become self-destructive without the right remedy.

• The chapter described the dangers of Miao poison arrows and how Qing officials sought remedies and tried to eliminate upas trees.
• Georgiana considered Bonaparte’s experiments with silk production and the hardships facing seamstresses after French fashion changed.
• Georgiana recalled how Yinqi calmed Kangxi during a confrontation with the Fourteenth Prince, despite having received little formal education.
• Georgiana decided not to assume she understood Gregory Watt’s problems or interfere in how Old Watt raised him.
• Georgiana reflected that people saw things from different perspectives and questioned the demand for winners and losers.
• Georgiana compared unchecked ambition to the poisonous upas tree and considered whether Dudley’s boxing might have helped him grow beyond his childhood bullying.

Nick helped Wan Ning prepare green plum wine for Heaven's Gift Festival, then spent the evening wandering before returning to Guan Di Temple. There, the provincial graduate discussed court formalities and imperial history with him, and Nick took the remaining wine to share with Cao Xi, who was out for the night.

• Nick helped Wan Ning and the servants wash green plums and seal them in jars of Shaoxing Daughter Red Wine.
• After lunch, Wan Ning and Nick prepared to study behind bamboo screens, but Cao Xi glared at Nick from the doorway.
• Nick wandered through the streets instead of visiting the imam and returned to Guan Di Temple at the first night watch.
• The provincial graduate told Nick that the memorial recommending amnesty for the pirates also proposed fortifying islands with fresh water.
• The provincial graduate discussed Qianlong's frugality and imperial ceremonies with Nick, who took the remaining Daughter Red Wine to share with Cao Xi.

Cao Xi and Su Qi investigated abuses in the Huai'an tribute-grain system as the South River Governor-General struggled with refugee relief and looming floods. Nick remained wary of Cao Xi, visited a teenage imam, and reflected on his growing distance from Wan Ning, while Georgiana and Bonaparte argued over whether women could study forensic medicine.

• Cao Xi and Su Qi investigated grain fraud and extortion in the Huai'an tribute-grain system during the transition after Tie Bao's dismissal.
• Nick conveyed Cao Xi's apology to the Governor-General but remained suspicious of him as the Governor-General dealt with lawsuits, refugees, and flood preparations.
• Nick went to visit the teenage imam, bringing salted duck eggs and scented soap after bathing.
• Nick considered the customs and scientific beliefs surrounding calendars, wax, funerals, and ancient burials, and accepted that his closeness with Wan Ning should end.
• Georgiana posed as a young scholar with her folding fan, and Bonaparte teased her about fan language and rejected her interest in studying corpses.

Nick and the imam debated what the Lost Valley Tree meant and how it could guide people through a labyrinth, while Nick considered the mysteries of the Jiyin People and the vanished Xiaoyang Kingdom. After leaving the mosque, Nick wondered where he could go next, since his movements in the country remained restricted.

• Nick and the imam disagreed over whether the Lost Valley Tree was a plant one could carry and what it meant to wear it.
• Nick considered how ancient characters, scriptures, and ideas about truth and falsehood complicated the interpretation of the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
• Nick reflected on the Jiyin People, their Human Stone state, and their world of mystery, poetry, and darkness.
• Nick wondered whether Mountain Demons were people of the Xiaoyang Kingdom and thought about investigating the kingdom's traces.
• Nick considered visiting Yunnan to investigate the demonic-flower babies, but recognized that he lacked freedom of movement.
• After leaving the mosque, Nick wondered where he could go without drawing unwanted attention.

Nick reflected on He Shen’s death poem, flood omens, weapons, and fate while reading with Georgiana. Their conversation ended with Georgiana crying in Bonaparte’s arms, feeling that fate had carried the person she loved toward someone else.

• Nick learned that refugees were put to work on the riverworks and that the South River Governor's Palace revived Atonement Silver to fund supplies and an investigation.
• Nick considered competing interpretations of He Shen’s final poem after the commander feared it foretold another flood.
• Nick put away his Spanish folding knife, treated his albums against dampness, and read about climate, illness, and dynastic customs in the Huangdi Neijing.
• Georgiana reflected on Napoleon’s confiscation of weapons and how it had led Josephine to send Eugene to retrieve Beauharnais’s sword.
• Georgiana admitted she wanted to hit Bonaparte, then cried when he tried to comfort her.
• Georgiana thought about stories of people carried by rivers and concluded that flowing water might have loved someone other than her.