Chapter Summaries

Yang Zhengshan explained why Ji Zhen might have reached the Innate Realm, while Emperor Yanping ordered an investigation into Zhao Yunxing’s murder and a response to Liaodong’s drought. After the Imperial Court dispatched investigators and disaster-relief supplies, Yang Zhengshan prepared to receive refugees at Chongshan Pass.

• Yang Zhengshan told Yang Mingcheng that Ji Zhen might have reached the Innate Realm after years of cultivation and drinking Hundred Herb Brew.
• Emperor Yanping ordered Wei Rong and Yan Ruishu to investigate Zhao Yunxing’s murder and the alleged collusion between officials and merchants in Pingyuan.
• Emperor Yanping considered Yang Zhengshan’s proposal for an Imperial Merchant Bureau and asked Nan Sheng whether any of the Marquis of Jing'an’s people had been found in the Imperial City; Nan Sheng said none had.
• The Imperial Court sent investigators to Pingyuan, appointed officials to oversee disaster relief, and allocated silver and grain for Liaodong.
• Yang Zhengshan received the Imperial Court’s orders at Chongshan Pass and began preparing for refugees.

Yang Zhengshan expanded preparations for the drought refugees by ordering more grain purchases and arranging an initial recruitment and settlement effort. At home, he learned the Yang Family would waive rents on its Liaoyuan estates and that the Haichang Earl Mansion was interested in a marriage match for Yang Chengmou, leaving the decision to Yang Mingzhi.

• Yang Zhengshan learned the Regional Commander's Mansion held 2.8 million shi of grain but had little silver left, and he ordered Zhu Yuan to keep buying grain.
• Yang Zhengshan told Pang Tang he would send people to Liaoyuan and Pingyuan to recruit refugees, and they discussed preparations for receiving and managing them.
• Yang Zhengshan checked on road and settlement construction, then told Yu Qingyi to waive rent on the Yang Family's Liaoyuan estates and move tenants from the ruined Ningyuan estates to Fuzhou.
• Yu Qingyi told Yang Zhengshan that the Haichang Earl Mansion had sounded out Yunxue about a match between its eldest legitimate granddaughter and Yang Chengmou.
• Yang Zhengshan asked Yu Qingyi to consult Yang Mingzhi before deciding about Chengmou's proposed marriage.

As drought refugees flooded south through Pingyuan, Luo Ren arranged with Song Ying to redirect tens of thousands of them to Chongshan Town. Chongshan Town publicized generous relief and land policies, bringing refugees in large numbers to its reception points, where Zhang Chengzhi saw that a shortage of staff was making resettlement difficult.

• Ning Dongsheng confessed that Zhao Yunxing had colluded with merchants and implicated officials, while investigators uncovered other officials plotting to exploit the relief effort and blamed the refugee-incitement scheme on Zhao Yunxing.
• Luo Ren arrived in Dongyang Prefecture with relief supplies and confronted local officials for failing to open the granaries as tens of thousands of drought refugees fled south.
• Song Ying presented Luo Ren with documents authorizing Chongshan Town to receive refugees, and Luo Ren agreed to arrange escorts for them.
• Luo Ren directed officials and soldiers to drive refugees north, while Pang Tang sent staff to publicize Chongshan Town’s food, land, and military-household settlement policies.
• Refugees began pouring into Chongshan Town’s reception points, where Zhang Chengzhi found that the growing crowds were overwhelming the available staff.

Yang Zhengshan sought a way to reduce illness among the massive numbers of refugees when medicines and doctors ran short. He supplied reception points with soup made from Spirit Spring-grown leaves and grasses, and by the third day fewer refugees were falling ill.

• Zhang Chengzhi ordered soldiers, doctors, and stored medicinal materials brought to the refugee reception points, then placed the troops under Zhang He’s command.
• Yang Zhengshan realized that leaves and grasses grown in his Spirit Spring Space could provide refugees with a faint restorative effect.
• Yang Zhengshan harvested tea leaves, tree leaves, and weeds, then used Innate True Qi to shred them into a medicinal mixture.
• Yang Zhengshan sent more than a hundred sacks of the mixture to Lu Wenhua and instructed him to distribute it as the Nine Herb Nourishing Formula.
• Doctors at the reception points found that the number of refugees falling ill had greatly decreased by the second and third days.

Chongshan Town continued settling refugees from the drought while prices rose and Jizhou ran short of grain. On Heiyun Mountain, Yan Huichun and his master plotted to drive Yang Zhengshan out of Liaodong by glorifying his benevolence and spreading rumors that Emperor Yanping had lost Heaven’s favor.

• Yang Zhengshan organized soldiers to escort refugees into the Northern Territory, where they received homes, supplies, and wasteland to cultivate.
• Ji Zhen ordered the Hengdao Sect to take in three hundred refugees as servants and told the Brokerage Agencies not to trade people for less than three pecks of rice.
• By September, Chongshan Town had settled more than three hundred thousand refugees, while wealthy families crowded into Chongshan Pass and prices rose.
• Yang Zhengshan ordered officials to watch for profiteers driving up prices, as the town’s refugee-relief procedures became more orderly.
• Yan Huichun and his master decided to raise Yang Zhengshan’s reputation for benevolence and spread rumors that Emperor Yanping’s lack of virtue had brought calamity upon the people.

As rumors blamed Emperor Yanping for Liaodong’s drought, he ordered an investigation and punished the head of the Secret Martial Guard. Meanwhile, Yang Zhengshan inspected a newly settled refugee village and approached a household to see its conditions firsthand.

• Refugees in Shanhe Province spread rumors that Emperor Yanping’s lack of virtue had caused the disasters, and officials urged him to cultivate virtue.
• Emperor Yanping ordered the rumors investigated, dismissed Wang Zhongzhi, and appointed Ma Rong to oversee the Secret Martial Guard.
• Yang Zhengshan traveled to a village north of Chongshan Pass to inspect how refugees were living.
• Xiong Hu told Yang Zhengshan that the village held 48 households and 386 people, and Yang Zhengshan went to inspect a nearby home.

Yang Zhengshan inspected villages under Jinghu Fortress, found the villagers enduring winter hardship without major problems, and joined the soldiers for a meal and drinks. After returning home and resting, he watched Yang Chengmou and Yang Qingwan practice spear and advised Chengmou to make his Yang Family Spear Technique more fierce.

• Yang Zhengshan inspected Wang Laosan's home and several other village households, checking their shelter, clothing, fires, and grain.
• Zhang Ye reported that many villagers had caught colds and that Jinghu Fortress lacked medicinal herbs to treat them.
• Yang Zhengshan toured more villages with Zhang Ye, then treated the soldiers at the thousand-man battalion office to wine and meat.
• Yang Zhengshan spent the night at the battalion office and returned to Chongshan Pass the following day.
• After resting at home, Yang Zhengshan watched Yang Chengmou and Yang Qingwan practice spear and told Chengmou to thrust with decisive, killing intent.

Yang Zhengshan allowed Yang Qingwan to choose her own husband, while Yang Chengmou waited for news about his arranged marriage. Later, Yang Zhengshan heard a storyteller wildly exaggerating his victory over Little Prince Wutuo at Guan Shankou and left the teahouse unimpressed.

• Yang Zhengshan told Yang Chengmou that his marriage was not settled yet and that he should train with the Elite Guard Battalion after marrying.
• Yang Zhengshan let Yang Qingwan practice the whip instead of the spear and agreed she could choose her own husband, provided she married before turning twenty.
• Yang Zhengshan resumed his office routine and reviewed the ongoing training of Chongshan Town's battalions.
• Yang Zhengshan stopped outside a lively teahouse and learned that its storyteller was recounting his victory at Guan Shankou.
• Yang Zhengshan heard the storyteller claim that he had ridden through flames to pursue Little Prince Wutuo, dismissed the tale as nonsense, and went home.

Yang Zhengshan learned of the turmoil in the Imperial Court and suspected a conspiracy within the Secret Martial Guard, while Lü Hua rescued Wang Zhongzhi and fled the capital. Emperor Yanping appointed Nan Sheng to oversee the Secret Martial Guard, then found a way to seek guidance from someone familiar with court affairs.

• Yang Zhengshan read Wu Zheng’s letter about Yi Lishen’s death in the Pacification Office prison, Ma Rong becoming a scapegoat, and the Imperial Guard Division being removed from the Secret Martial Guard, then asked Wu Zheng to watch the situation.
• Lü Hua and Wei Cen fought their way to a boat on the Ru River, and Lü Hua escaped with the person he carried and the wounded Wei Cen as Ding San, Ding Si, and the others fled into the river.
• Nan Sheng told Emperor Yanping that Lü Hua had rescued Wang Zhongzhi from the Pacification Office prison and fled the capital, and Emperor Yanping ordered Nan Sheng to oversee the Secret Martial Guard.
• Emperor Yanping went to Fengxian Hall, where his imperial great-uncle told him that Emperor Chengping had once relied on an elder familiar with court affairs, prompting Yanping to form a plan.

Yang Zhengshan met Ji Zhen and learned about the Innate Martial Artists of Da Rong, including hidden experts in Liaodong and at the Imperial Court. After exchanging cultivation insights, Ji Zhen left for the Capital, while Yang Zhengshan kept his own breakthrough secret.

• Yang Zhengshan welcomed Ji Zhen to the marquis mansion and confirmed that both of them had reached the Innate Realm.
• Yang Zhengshan asked how many Innate Martial Artists Da Rong had, and Ji Zhen estimated there were fewer than forty.
• Ji Zhen told Yang Zhengshan about a secluded Innate Martial Artist in Changqing Mountain, seven or eight at Three Mountain Valley, and an Innate ancestor in Marquis Changping Mansion.
• Yang Zhengshan, Ji Zhen, Yang Mingcheng, and Ji Hai exchanged cultivation insights, and Yang Zhengshan invited Ji Zhen to stay for two days.
• Ji Zhen left for the Capital to inform the Imperial Court of his breakthrough, while Yang Zhengshan asked Ji Zhen and Ji Hai to keep his own cultivation secret.

Yang Zhengshan practiced Ji Zhen’s Breath Concealment Technique and discussed a possible marriage alliance for Yang Chengxian with Yu Qingyi. After learning that Lady Yu was pregnant, he celebrated the news and arranged to obtain medical books from Li Juntang.

• Yang Zhengshan practiced the Breath Concealment Technique in the snow and found it improved his control over Innate True Qi and might help him reach Subtle Insight.
• Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi discussed Miss Sun of Haichang Earl Mansion as a possible match for Yang Chengxian, and Yang Zhengshan decided Yang Mingcheng should take Chengxian to meet her in the Capital.
• A momo told Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi that Physician Li had confirmed Lady Yu was pregnant, and they went to congratulate her.
• Yang Zhengshan urged Lady Yu to care for herself, offered her ginseng and precious medicine, and welcomed Yang Chengye when he hurried home.
• Yang Zhengshan asked Li Juntang to let him copy the Li Family’s medical books, and Li Juntang agreed to send them the next day.

Yang Zhengshan was summoned to meet Lü Hua and the badly injured Wang Zhongzhi after they were rescued from the Imperial Prison, and learned that Nan Sheng had intercepted the Secret Martial Guard’s reports. The chapter ended with Yang Zhengshan questioning how Nan Sheng’s hidden allies could have escaped Emperor Chengping’s notice.

• Ding Qiu captured Wei Cen after he tried to sneak into the Marquis Mansion, and Wei Cen asked Yang Zhengshan for help on Lü Hua’s behalf.
• Yang Zhengshan quietly crossed into South City with Wei Cen and met Luo Chenhu and Lü Hua, who had been badly wounded.
• Lü Hua asked Yang Zhengshan to examine Wang Zhongzhi, whose injuries came from torture by the Imperial Guard Division.
• Lü Hua explained that Nan Sheng had intercepted the Secret Martial Guard’s memorials and taken control of the Imperial Guard Division with help from an unknown force.
• Yang Zhengshan questioned whether such a powerful force could have operated inside the Imperial City without Emperor Chengping discovering it.

Yang Zhengshan agreed to hide Lü Hua, Wei Cen, and the injured Wang Zhongzhi as refugees while they evaded the Imperial Guard Division. As he handled Chongshan Town’s affairs, the Imperial Guard Division arrived at Chongshan Pass and was stopped at the city gate.

• Yang Zhengshan and Lü Hua considered who might be behind Nan Sheng, but could not settle on a likely suspect.
• Yang Zhengshan judged Wang Zhongzhi’s injuries treatable and agreed to shelter Lü Hua’s group for the night before arranging their escape.
• Ding Qiu took Lü Hua, Wei Cen, and the unconscious Wang Zhongzhi out of the city, gave them refugee identities, and sent them toward a reception point.
• Yang Zhengshan reviewed the Glass Workshop’s accounts, discussed its new facility with Lu Wenhua, and asked about Yang Mingwu’s return.
• A hundred-plus Imperial Guard Division riders arrived at Chongshan Pass, where a banner officer stopped them and explained they needed a City Guard Division warrant to enter North City.

Jiang Cheng and the Imperial Guard Division tried to force their way into Chongshan Pass to arrest a fugitive, but Yang Zhengshan rejected their authority and beat Jiang Cheng. The Imperial Guard Division withdrew, leaving its unauthorized mission and its conflict with Yang Zhengshan unresolved.

• Jiang Cheng showed his token and demanded entry, but the Banner Officer refused without the required warrant; Jiang Cheng struck him with a whip and forced his way into the barbican.
• Lin Anguo brought armored troops and archers to block the Imperial Guard Division, insisting that outside forces needed orders from the Regional Commander's Mansion and City Guard Division.
• Yang Zhengshan arrived with the Elite Guard Battalion and challenged Jiang Cheng's claim that Nan Sheng could order Chongshan Town to cooperate.
• After learning Jiang Cheng had whipped the Banner Officer, Yang Zhengshan beat him with his spear while the Imperial Guard Division members stood by.
• Zhang Mingzhong urged Yang Zhengshan to stop, and Yang Zhengshan spared Jiang Cheng before ordering the Imperial Guard Division to leave Chongshan Pass.

Yang Zhengshan persuaded Zhang Mingzhong to contact Chen Zhongshu about Nan Sheng, while Nan Sheng used an impeachment memorial to turn Emperor Yanping against the Marquis of Jing'an. Chen Zhongshu received Zhang Mingzhong’s letter, and Yang Zhengshan sent Yang Mingcheng and Yang Chengmou to the Capital with warnings to keep a low profile.

• Yang Zhengshan asked Zhang Mingzhong to contact Chen Zhongshu and warn him about Nan Sheng’s growing influence, rewarding Zhang with ten jars of top-grade Hundred Herb Brew.
• Jiang Cheng returned to the Capital and told Nan Sheng that Yang Zhengshan had refused to help find Wang Zhongzhi and Lü Hua.
• Nan Sheng presented Emperor Yanping with Hu Dongchun’s impeachment of Yang Zhengshan, and the emperor grew concerned about the Marquis’s military power and reputation.
• Chen Zhongshu read Zhang Mingzhong’s letter from Chongshan Town and instructed his eunuch to tell Zhang to remain there peacefully.
• Yang Zhengshan told Yang Mingcheng and Yang Chengmou to travel to the Capital for the marriage arrangements and New Year gifts, keep a low profile, and accept help from Marquis Changping Mansion if needed.
• Yang Mingcheng and Yang Chengmou departed for the Capital with Wu Zhan, guards, and carriages.

Yang Zhengshan learned that Emperor Yanping had promoted him to an honorary post in the Capital, effectively removing him as Regional Commander of Chongshan Town. He was reassured when he learned Zhou Lan would succeed him, and began preparing his household for the move after the New Year.

• Yang Zhengshan received an urgent letter announcing his promotion to Right Governor of the Left Military Governor's Office and realized he would have to leave Chongshan Town.
• Yang Zhengshan worried that his successor might ruin Chongshan Town's development and its ability to repay its debts.
• Yang Zhengshan received another letter naming Zhou Lan as the next Regional Commander of Chongshan Town, easing his concerns.
• Yang Zhengshan told Yu Qingyi about Zhou Lan's appointment and began arranging for the family to move to the Capital after the New Year.
• Yang Zhengshan decided to send word for Yang Mingcheng and Yang Chengmou to remain in the Capital and prepare the family's residence and estates.

Yang Zhengshan prepared to leave Chongshan Town for the capital, working to stabilize the town’s officials and generals and entrusting his plans to Zhou Lan. On the first day of the new year, he spoke with Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao about the family’s title and their futures, leaving them ready to make their own way.

• Yang Zhengshan told Yu Qingyi that several of their sons would remain in Chongshan Town, and they discussed the children’s education and the teachers’ future school.
• After his promotion document arrived, Yang Zhengshan reassured Chongshan Town’s generals that Zhou Lan would succeed him and ordered them to cooperate with her.
• Yang Zhengshan held meetings with officials and laid out his unfinished plans for roads, settlement, military expansion, and a large horse farm for Zhou Lan to carry out.
• Zhou Lan wrote that she would manage Chongshan Town according to Yang Zhengshan’s plans and arrive after the New Year.
• On the first day of the first lunar month, Yang Zhengshan reminded Yang Mingzhi and Yang Minghao that Yang Mingcheng would inherit the family title and urged the brothers to rely on themselves.
• Yang Minghao promised that he and Yang Mingzhi would take care of themselves, and Yang Zhengshan reflected on how much his son had grown.

Yang Zhengshan prepared Zhou Lan to take over Chongshan Town, warning Yang Mingzhi against using the family’s military influence to act independently and advising Luo Shang to keep the Luo family’s business centered in Chongshan. After Zhou Lan took charge, Yang Zhengshan left for the Capital, first meeting Wang Zhongzhi and Lü Hua in the mountains outside Chongshan Pass.

• Yang Zhengshan warned Yang Mingzhi to keep a low profile and protect the Yang family’s ties with Yang Family Village and its disciples.
• Luo Shang told Yang Zhengshan that he wanted the Luo family to follow him to the Capital, and Yang Zhengshan advised him to keep the family’s center of gravity in Chongshan Town.
• Zhou Lan arrived in Chongshan Town, and Yang Zhengshan and Pang Tang showed her his detailed plans and repayment schedule for the town.
• Zhou Lan learned about Yang Zhengshan’s development and military plans, then worked with him to take over Chongshan Town’s affairs by mid-February.
• Yang Zhengshan prepared to leave for the Capital and met Wang Zhongzhi and Lü Hua in a mountain forest east of Chongshan Pass.

Yang Zhengshan set out for the Capital after refusing Wang Zhongzhi’s request to arrange a meeting with the Emperor, while agreeing to stay in contact with the Secret Martial Guard. On the road, he and Yu Qingyi discussed providing land and wages for his followers and using the Luo family’s glass business to support the household.

• Yang Zhengshan refused to arrange Wang Zhongzhi’s meeting with the Emperor but promised to contact him after assessing the situation in the Capital.
• Wang Zhongzhi warned that Nan Sheng might target Yang Zhengshan, while Lü Hua trusted Yang’s planning and ordered the Secret Martial Guard’s contacts in the Capital to watch the Imperial Guard Division and Pacification Office.
• Yang Zhengshan’s procession departed for the Capital as Zhou Lan, Pang Tang, and Zhang Mingzhong watched it leave.
• Yang Zhengshan told Yu Qingyi to allocate fifty mu of land to each Elite Guard Battalion member and his junior brothers, and to bring their families to the estates in Wanping County.
• Yu Qingyi worried that the household could not afford the guards’ wages, so Yang Zhengshan promised to contribute silver and have the Yang family take a thirty-percent share of the Luo family’s glass business.

Yang Zhengshan visited the ailing Lu Songhe in Anning County, then traveled by sea toward the capital with his family. He left Lu Songhe reassured about Lu Wenyuan and agreed to arrange a future match between Yang Chengzhen and Lu Miaotong, while also preparing a home and work for Jiang He’s family in the capital.

• Yang Zhengshan visited Lu Songhe, promised to support Lu Wenyuan, and agreed to settle the future marriage of Yang Chengzhen and Lu Miaotong.
• Yang Zhengshan inspected Yu Tonghai’s expanded Tenglong Guard naval force and its training before boarding a ship south.
• Yang Mingzhao stopped Yang Chengyou and Yang Chengzhang from trying to catch fish in the sea by threatening them with copying the Thirty-Six Stratagems.
• Yu Qingyi reviewed the betrothal gifts for Yang Chengmou’s planned marriage to the Young Miss Sun of the Haichang Earl Mansion.
• Yang Yunyan told Yang Zhengshan that Jiang He planned to establish a separate household in the capital, and Yang Zhengshan offered him a residence and promised to find him work.