Recaps

Yang Zhengshan received the title of Hereditary Third-Class Marquis of Jing'an at a lengthy ceremony before the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, and Prince Gong. After praising Yang Zhengshan and approving his military appointments, the Crown Prince accused the two princes of plotting against him, leaving Yang Zhengshan caught in the court struggle.

• Yang Zhengshan told Yang Yunxue and Liang Jinyan to stay inside the residence during the investiture ceremony, and they agreed.
• Yang Zhengshan attended the ceremony at Fengtian Gate and received the Imperial Patent naming him a Hereditary Third-Class Marquis of Jing'an.
• The Crown Prince praised Yang Zhengshan's military service and approved his arrangements for Tenglong Guard and Chongshan Town.
• The Crown Prince announced that officials had conspired with martial-arts villains to ambush Yang Zhengshan and promised to seek justice.
• The Crown Prince confronted Prince Gong and Prince Cheng, and Prince Cheng denied harming Yang Zhengshan.

The Crown Prince presented evidence against Prince Gong and Prince Cheng, but Prince Gong’s troops launched a coup and fought their way to Fengtian Hall. Prince Gong demanded to see Emperor Chengping, gambling that the emperor remained too ill to intervene.

• The Crown Prince displayed the captured master of Shanhe Tower and the Jade Dew Spirit Peach as evidence against Prince Gong and Prince Cheng.
• Prince Gong’s soldiers advanced from the capital toward Wumen Gate, where they clashed with the Jinwu Guard and Imperial Guard.
• The Crown Prince accused Prince Gong and Prince Cheng of rebellion, but Prince Gong used an Imperial Patent to prevent the guards from seizing them.
• Emperor Chengping ordered his attendants to wait until the rebel troops reached Fengtian Hall before responding.
• Rebel troops broke through Fengtian Gate and surrounded Fengtian Hall, while Marquis Wuxin, Cao Can, declared that he acted on Prince Gong’s command.
• Prince Gong demanded to meet Emperor Chengping and threatened to treat anyone who obstructed him as a traitor.

Emperor Chengping appeared at court and brought the palace crisis under control, while Yang Zhengshan learned that the princes had been used as one another’s whetstones. After the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, and Prince Gong met with the emperor, Yang Zhengshan remained behind when Eunuch Chen summoned him.

• Prince Cheng said Emperor Chengping had used the brothers as whetstones, and the ministers entered Fengtian Hall to attend the emperor.
• Emperor Chengping praised Yang Zhengshan, then ordered the ministers to withdraw as Jinwu Guard troops surrounded the Ganyong Camp soldiers and captured the officials who had stormed the palace gates.
• Yang Zhengshan waited outside while the Crown Prince, Prince Cheng, and Prince Gong met with Emperor Chengping, then watched the three princes emerge in distressed and solemn states.
• Prince Cheng apologized to Yang Zhengshan for putting him in danger, while Prince Gong refused Cao Can’s plea for help.
• Eunuch Chen summoned Yang Zhengshan to meet Emperor Chengping.

Yang Zhengshan explained his appointments and plans for developing Chongshan Town to Emperor Chengping, who rewarded him with Marquis Wuxin’s mansion and fields. At court the next day, Emperor Chengping removed the Crown Prince, sent Prince Gong to his fief, and named Prince Cheng Crown Prince, while officials involved in the struggle faced punishments.

• Yang Zhengshan told Emperor Chengping that he had appointed his son Yang Mingzhi and selected commanders to develop Fuzhou and keep the Tenglong Guard flourishing.
• Emperor Chengping granted Yang Zhengshan Marquis Wuxin’s mansion and eight thousand mu of fields, and Yang Zhengshan left feeling grateful for the emperor’s trust.
• Emperor Chengping issued decrees demoting the Crown Prince to Prince An and sending him to Nanyun Province, ordering Prince Gong to his fief, and naming Prince Cheng Crown Prince.
• Yang Zhengshan learned that Prince Cheng had kept his distance from the violence, abandoned a plan to kill the Crown Prince, and informed Emperor Chengping of the princes’ schemes.
• The court punished Marquis Wuxin, Duke Chang’s household, Zhang Ao, and other officials, while Yang Zhengshan’s concern, Su Gan, received only a salary docking.

Yang Zhengshan returned from the Capital to Chongshan Town after being ennobled as Marquis Jing'an and receiving a mansion and granted fields. Reunited with his family, he welcomed Lin Zhan and Zheng Xinnian as newlyweds and urged Lin Zhan to prepare for the Spring Imperial Examination.

• After the Capital's congratulatory visitors dwindled, Yang Zhengshan met Zhou Lan and secured her support for transferring Yang Mingwu, Yang Chengze, and Yang Chengxu back to Chongshan Town.
• Yang Zhengshan drank with Zhou Lan and Zhou Xu, then left the Capital two days later with his affairs there settled.
• Yang Zhengshan arrived at Chongshan Pass in November and reunited with Yu Qingyi, Xiao Mingzhao, and the rest of his family.
• Lin Zhan and Zheng Xinnian kowtowed and served tea to Yang Zhengshan, who gave them paired jade pendants as a wedding gift.
• Yang Zhengshan told Lin Zhan to cherish his wife and prepare for the Spring Imperial Examination, and welcomed Zheng Xinnian into the family.

Yang Zhengshan returned to Chongshan Town as Marquis of Jing'an and arranged marriages for his grandsons while consolidating his authority over the town’s military and trade administration. The reorganization settled Chongshan Town under his influence, though the Imperial Court retained control of civilian shipping taxes and could still appoint the Regional Commander.

• Yang Zhengshan inspected Yang Chengye’s martial progress, urged him to keep training, and told Yu Qingyi to prepare marriages for Yang Chengye and Yang Chengmou.
• Yang Zhengshan agreed that Yu Qingyi and Wang would visit the Capital early next year with Lin Zhan to explore marriage prospects and social connections.
• Yang Zhengshan hosted a family banquet and received Chongshan Town officials who congratulated him on becoming Marquis of Jing'an.
• Yang Zhengshan divided Tenglong Guard into four guards, assigned their commanders and fleets, and secured a fifty-percent tax reduction on their maritime trade.
• Yang Zhengshan assigned officers across Chongshan Town’s routes and Zhenbiao Five Battalions, then placed Zhou Ren and Lu Wenchun in key Regional Military Commission posts.
• Yang Zhengshan’s appointments and reorganizations strengthened his control over the town’s troops and administration, and Chongshan Town’s situation settled down.

As Chongshan Town’s new officials took office, Yang Zhengshan welcomed Zhang Mingzhong and found him diligent and cooperative. With his worries about the Garrison Eunuch eased, Yang Zhengshan worked with Pang Tang and other officials on plans to train troops, relieve poverty, develop the economy, and open up the Northern Territory.

• Lu Chongde was transferred to Liaodong as Provincial Administration Commissioner, securing Pang Tang’s position as Governor of Chongshan Town.
• Ning Qinghe, Song Ying, Zhang Cong, and Zhang Mingzhong arrived to take up their new posts in Chongshan Town.
• Yang Zhengshan and Pang Tang welcomed Zhang Mingzhong, who pledged to support Chongshan Town’s military affairs and follow Yang Zhengshan’s direction.
• Zhang Mingzhong inspected Chongshan Town’s offices, learned about its affairs, and refused offers of silver, reassuring Yang Zhengshan.
• Yang Zhengshan reviewed Chongshan Town’s vast population, territory, and resources as he planned its development with Pang Tang and other officials.
• Yang Zhengshan set out to train the Zhenbiao Five Battalions and develop the Northern Territory using funds remaining from the valuables seized from Wuliang’s army.

Yang Zhengshan and Pang Tang agreed on a decade-long plan to develop the Northern Territory by building towns and bringing in settlers. Back at his mansion, Yang Zhengshan accepted Luo Jinsong and Yuheng Star Hall’s three hundred disciples into Chongshan Town’s army, provided the sect dissolved and its members became fellow soldiers.

• Yang Zhengshan told Pang Tang to begin with Heiyun City and Heiyun Guard, then develop the territory east and west while recruiting settlers from across Da Rong.
• Pang Tang was inspired by the plan and agreed to handle the migration of people to Chongshan Town.
• Yang Zhengshan returned to his mansion and learned that Luo Jinsong had come seeking refuge from Star Moon Sect.
• Luo Jinsong offered to bring Yuheng Star Hall’s three hundred disciples into Yang Zhengshan’s command, and Yang Zhengshan asked about their martial strength.
• Yang Zhengshan agreed to enlist them and required that Yuheng Star Hall cease to exist, with its disciples serving only as soldiers.

Yang Zhengshan accepted Luo Jinsong and Yuheng Star Hall’s three hundred martial artists into his forces, assigning their leaders and distributing the others among the battalions. After the New Year celebrations at the Marquis Mansion, he called Yang Mingzhi into his study to speak with him.

• Yang Zhengshan ordered Luo Jinsong and the three hundred Yuheng Star Hall disciples to report for military service, warning them to obey military law.
• Yang Zhengshan appointed Luo Jinsong Camp Sitting Officer of the Elite Guard Battalion, assigned Li Chengguo as an instructor at the Marquis Mansion, and placed Qian Zhonghe and Ji Zhengfei as Assistant Camp Sitting Officers.
• Yang Zhengshan divided the remaining martial artists among the Zhenbiao Five Battalions and the Six Routes Reinforcement Battalion, while their families settled along the routes using distributed Yuheng Star Hall wealth.
• Yang Zhengshan sent Luo Jinsong to familiarize himself with the Elite Guard Battalion and postponed further arrangements until after the New Year festival.
• On the first day of the 35th Year of Chengping, Yang Zhengshan and Yu Qingyi received New Year greetings from their family in the Marquis Mansion.
• Yang Zhengshan called Yang Mingzhi into his study for a proper conversation.

Yang Zhengshan advised Yang Mingzhi on rebuilding Fuzhou through maritime trade, land reclamation, and resettlement, then discussed Lin Zhan’s upcoming imperial examination and plans to enter the capital. The chapter ended with Yang Zhengshan suggesting that Lin Zhan’s future child take Yang Mingcheng as a master, strengthening the family’s ties.

• Yang Zhengshan refused to give Yang Mingzhi money and grain but advised him to develop Fuzhou through docks, maritime trade, wasteland reclamation, and preparations for relocated commoners.
• Yang Zhengshan asked Lin Zhan about his chances in the Spring Imperial Examination, and Lin Zhan chose to take the exam despite the risk of ranking below the First Rank.
• Yang Zhengshan told Lin Zhan to travel to the capital with his master's wife after the first month and visit Lu Wenyuan for guidance.
• Yang Zhengshan watched the children play in the snow and suggested that Lin Zhan's future child take Yang Mingcheng as a master.

After the New Year celebrations, Yang Zhengshan planned an ambitious network of waterways and roads to develop Chongshan Town, despite the enormous cost. He revealed that the Glass Workshop would help fund the projects and appointed Li Dahai to lead it as an official of the new Engineering Department.

• Yang Zhengshan celebrated the New Year by playing in the snow with the Yang Family children while Yu Qingyi and the women watched and joked.
• After the Lantern Festival, Yang Zhengshan assigned the Regional Commander's Mansion's departments to recruit soldiers and train the Zhenbiao Five Battalions.
• Yang Zhengshan presented plans to open the Yinghe for shipping, build docks, and repair five major official roads across Chongshan Town.
• Lu Wenhua warned that the projects would require tens of millions of taels of silver and substantial grain, but Yang Zhengshan said he would find a way to raise the money.
• Yang Zhengshan introduced Zhu Dahai and announced a new Engineering Department, placing the Glass Workshop under it and appointing Li Dahai as Right Chief Clerk and Lu Wenhua as temporary Left Chief Clerk.

Yang Zhengshan organized glass production, military recruitment, and infrastructure projects in Chongshan Town while news arrived that Prince Cheng had become Crown Prince. He sent gifts to the ailing Emperor Chengping, then saw Yu Qingyi and much of the Yang family depart for the Capital, where he hoped his grandson Yang Chengye would learn and prepare to manage the family.

• Yang Zhengshan instructed Li Dahai to expand Thousand-Mile Mirror production and ordered Lu Wenhua to establish the Engineering Department and survey the Yinghe riverway.
• The Regional Commander's Mansion and Zhenbiao Five Battalions recruited workers, apprentices, and soldiers, while Pang Tang advanced plans to build Heiyun City.
• Yang Zhengshan learned Prince Cheng had been invested as Crown Prince and given command of the Imperial Guard, then sent Emperor Chengping ten Thousand-Mile Mirrors and three jars of Bee Queen Honey.
• Yang Zhengshan saw Yu Qingyi, Yang Mingcheng, Yang Chengye, and other family members depart for the Capital alongside Lin Zhan and Zheng, giving them advice and errands.
• As the convoy headed south, Yang Zhengshan watched Yang Chengye ride Wanjun and planned to have him enter the army for training after his return.

Emperor Chengping received Yang Zhengshan’s Thousand-Mile Mirrors and Bee Queen Honey, and the honey briefly improved his spirits. He rewarded Yang Zhengshan with a Three-Yellow Plum, while the Crown Prince recognized the mirrors’ military value and ordered them sent to the military authorities.

• Eunuch Chen showed Emperor Chengping a Thousand-Mile Mirror, which he used to inspect the garden, and then served him Bee Queen Honey.
• Emperor Chengping drank the honey water, felt more comfortable, and ordered a Three-Yellow Plum taken from the treasure vault as a reward for Yang Zhengshan.
• Eunuch Chen arranged for someone to request more Bee Queen Honey from Yang Zhengshan and decided to deliver the Three-Yellow Plum at the same time.
• Nan Sheng told the Crown Prince that Emperor Chengping had drunk the honey and bestowed a Three-Yellow Plum on Yang Zhengshan.
• The Crown Prince examined a Thousand-Mile Mirror, recognized its usefulness for observing enemy forces, and ordered the remaining mirrors sent to the Ministry of War and the Five Military Commissions Office.

Yang Zhengshan asked Luo Shang to help sell Thousand-Mile Mirrors and discussed limiting the Luo Family’s expansion by supporting other merchant families. He arranged for Luo Shang’s grandson Luo Bo to train alongside Yang Chengye, giving the Luo Family a path into military service.

• Yang Zhengshan told Luo Shang that he would support the Shang Family, Wang Family, and Lin Family in Chongshan Town, but exclude the Zhang Family because of its ties to the Liaodong Shipping Office.
• Yang Zhengshan gave Luo Shang a stock of Thousand-Mile Mirrors to sell at a suggested price of fifteen taels each.
• Yang Zhengshan proposed that Luo Bo train in the Elite Guard Battalion with Yang Chengye for two years, then serve as Yang Chengye’s personal attendant if he became a martial artist.
• Luo Shang gratefully accepted Yang Zhengshan’s arrangement for Luo Bo and left eager to tell his family.

Yang Zhengshan inspected the Glass Workshop’s new products and learned that a Directorate of Ceremonial attendant had arrived with an imperial reward. After Yang Zhengshan handed over the Bee Queen Honey requested for the emperor, Ma Rong departed in haste, leaving Yang Zhengshan suspecting the Old Emperor was near death.

• Luo Shang bought all three thousand Thousand-Mile Mirrors from the Glass Workshop for thirty thousand taels of silver, and Yang Zhengshan toured the workshop with Zhu Dahai.
• Zhu Dahai showed Yang Zhengshan the workshop’s glass ornaments, including a golden glass Buddha statue, and said craftsmen were developing more products.
• A soldier reported that Ma Rong and seven attendants from the Directorate of Ceremonial had arrived, and Ma Rong presented Yang Zhengshan with a Three-Yellow Plum bestowed by the emperor.
• Ma Rong asked Yang Zhengshan to send all his Bee Queen Honey to the emperor, and Yang Zhengshan handed over the three jars he claimed remained in his residence.
• Yang Zhengshan offered Ma Rong three thousand taels of silver and escorted him out; seeing Ma Rong hurry away, Yang Zhengshan suspected the Old Emperor was close to death.

Yang Zhengshan delayed using the Three-Yellow Plum while confronting Chongshan Town’s urgent shortage of funds and deciding to borrow from merchants. In the Capital, Yu Qingyi arrived at the Jing'an Marquis Mansion, marveled at its grandeur, and began arranging its household while worrying about its expense.

• Yang Zhengshan decided to wait three months before using the Three-Yellow Plum, then faced a flood of requests for silver and resolved to hold a lending conference for merchants.
• Yang Zhengshan sent invitations to merchants in Chongshan Town and Liaodong as Yu Qingyi, Yang Mingcheng, Lin Zhan, and the others arrived in the Capital.
• Yu Qingyi explored the Jing'an Marquis Mansion and learned that Yang Zhengshan had assigned Wutong Courtyard to Yang Mingcheng.
• Yu Qingyi discovered the mansion had less than one thousand taels of silver left, gave Lu Shou ten thousand taels, and ordered him to hire more servants.
• Yu Qingyi worried that maintaining the mansion would cost around twenty thousand taels a year, while Green Mist reminded her of the eight thousand mu of bestowed fields.

Yu Qingyi visited Marquis Changping Mansion, where Lady Liang Han tried to match Yang Chengye with her niece, and reunited with Yang Yunxue and her newborn daughter. The next day, Yu Qingyi visited Duke Ning Mansion and found common ground with Zhou Lan.

• Yu Qingyi visited Marquis Changping Mansion and exchanged warm greetings with Lady Liang Han, who praised her youthful appearance.
• Lady Liang Han proposed introducing her fourteen-year-old niece to Yang Chengye, and Yu Qingyi agreed to discuss the possibility with Mingcheng and his wife.
• Yu Qingyi and Wang visited Yang Yunxue, met her newborn daughter Liang Qingqing, and heard that Yunxue had reached the fourth layer of Post-Heaven cultivation.
• Yang Yunxue laughed and chatted with Yu Qingyi and Wang, easing the gloom that had troubled Liang Jinyan during her confinement.
• The next day, Yu Qingyi and Wang visited Zhou Lan at Duke Ning Mansion, where Yu Qingyi and Zhou Lan drank and talked happily.

Yang Zhengshan hosted Liaodong merchants at Chongshan Pass and offered them three-year debt notes to raise three million taels for the Regional Commander's Mansion. The merchants registered loans totaling 1.83 million taels, and Yang Zhengshan prepared to sell the remaining notes through Chongshan Bank while taking note of which families had supported him sincerely.

• Yang Zhengshan told the assembled merchants he wanted to borrow silver for three years through debt notes bearing three fen monthly interest.
• Wang Zhenze pledged 200,000 taels, Zhang Qingsong pledged 300,000 taels, Lin Qi pledged 150,000 taels, and other merchants offered additional sums.
• Lu Wenhua recorded the merchants' commitments, which totaled 1.83 million taels, and Yang Zhengshan noticed the Jing'an Zhang Family had pledged only 10,000 taels.
• Yang Zhengshan instructed Lu Wenhua to offer notes to households inside the city, reserve 50,000 taels' worth for the Marquis Mansion, and place any remaining notes in Chongshan Bank.
• Chongshan Bank began operating quietly on South City's main street, with its received silver transported daily to the Regional Commander's Mansion's vault.

Yang Zhengshan raised more than 1.8 million taels through debt bonds, prompting Pang Tang to buy bonds and encourage officials to do the same. As Chongshan Town faced mounting costs, Yang Zhengshan agreed to give the Governor's Office 200,000 taels and proposed preselling Heiyun City's properties and surrounding land to fund construction.

• A bailiff told Pang Tang that the Regional Commander's Mansion had raised more than 1.8 million taels, and Pang Tang ordered his aide to spread the news and buy 10,000 taels of debt bonds.
• Officials and clerks flocked to Chongshan Bank to buy debt bonds after Pang Tang promised to help them claim repayment from the Marquis of Jing'an if needed.
• Pang Tang visited Yang Zhengshan and asked for one million taels for Heiyun City, but Yang Zhengshan explained that Chongshan Town had too many other expenses.
• Yang Zhengshan proposed preselling Heiyun City's residences, shops, and nearby farmland to raise funds before construction began.
• Yang Zhengshan agreed to give Pang Tang 200,000 taels to start building Heiyun City and demonstrate the project's viability.

Yang Zhengshan sold out Chongshan Bank’s Debt Bonds and prepared to print more while arranging to dredge the Yinghe riverway. In the Capital, Yu Qingyi rejected a proposed match for Yang Chengye and accepted an invitation from the Crown Princess to visit Dacheng Temple.

• Yang Zhengshan agreed to issue another million taels in Debt Bonds after Song Dashan and Luo Shang reported that their men and families had missed the first sale.
• Yang Zhengshan sold four million taels in Debt Bonds, allocated funds to the Assistant General’s Shogunates, and began preparations to dredge the Yinghe riverway.
• Yang Mingcheng accompanied Lin Zhan through the Spring Imperial Examination, and Lin Zhan said he thought he had done well.
• Wu Zheng told Yu Qingyi that Second Miss Han was notorious for her arrogant and ruthless behavior, so Yu Qingyi ruled her out as a match for Yang Chengye.
• Green Mist delivered an invitation from the Crown Princess, and Yu Qingyi agreed to attend the visit to Dacheng Temple.

Yu Qingyi attended a Buddha-worship gathering hosted by the Crown Princess and was invited to tea with her. The Crown Princess praised the Yang Family and hinted that her niece Zijin might be a match for Yang Chengye, leaving Yu Qingyi to consider the proposal.

• Yu Qingyi arrived at Fuhua Mountain and joined the officials' female relatives climbing to Dacheng Temple for the Crown Princess's gathering.
• Yu Qingyi completed the Buddha-worship ceremony, then rested in a secluded pavilion until a female official summoned her.
• The Crown Princess invited Yu Qingyi to share pastries and tea while asking about the Yang Family and praising Yang Yunxue.
• Yu Qingyi noticed that Zijin, the Crown Princess's martial-arts-practicing niece, had calluses on her hands.
• The Crown Princess brought up Yang Chengye's marriage prospects and hinted at a match with Zijin, and Yu Qingyi took her leave without answering.

Yu Qingyi asked Yang Zhengshan whether the Yang Family should pursue a marriage alliance with the Yu Family, whose ties to the Crown Princess could bring both influence and danger. Yang Zhengshan decided the match would depend on Miss Zijin’s character, while he managed spring preparations in Chongshan Town and spent the evening with his family.

• Yu Qingyi considered the risks and rewards of becoming imperial in-laws, sent Wu Zheng to investigate Miss Zijin, and wrote Yang Zhengshan for his opinion.
• Yang Zhengshan allocated silver and damaged weapons to Ning Qinghe for spring farming and arranged to borrow blacksmiths for the Regional Commander's Mansion after planting season.
• Yang Zhengshan replied to Yu Qingyi that the Yang Family did not need the Yu Family’s political benefits and that Miss Zijin’s character should determine whether Yang Chengye married her.
• Mingzhao told Yang Zhengshan that he missed Yu Qingyi, and Yang Zhengshan reassured him that she would return after the Spring Imperial Examination.
• Jiang Miao asked for the Snow-Treading Horse, and Yang Zhengshan gave her the young horse to ride when it turned three.

Yang Zhengshan broke through to the Innate Realm, and the Spirit Spring Space expanded dramatically, prompting him to reorganize it and begin developing its new land. By mid-April, Chongshan Pass had entered a busy period of spring plowing and preparations for Heiyun City and the Yinghe dredging.

• Yang Zhengshan broke through to the Innate Realm, gained the ability to project Yi Wood Everlasting True Qi, and tested its reach with a spear-shaped strike.
• Yang Zhengshan entered the Spirit Spring Space and discovered it had grown to roughly six or seven hundred mu, gained a hillside and wind, and developed a larger spring pool with twelve lotus buds.
• Yang Zhengshan planned new medicinal fields, an orderly orchard and tea garden, and a hillside courtyard, then built five wooden houses and scattered seeds through the space.
• Yang Zhengshan tended precious medicines such as the Golden Thorn Blood Vine, while continuing his official duties by day and working in the space at night.
• By mid-April, Chongshan Pass began spring plowing and preparations for Heiyun City and the Yinghe dredging; land and future city properties raised more than a hundred thousand taels, supplementing Yang Zhengshan's earlier contribution.

Lin Zhan earned a Second Rank Jinshi placement and received an appointment in the Ministry of Revenue's Bureau of Operations. Meanwhile, Yu Qingyi and the Crown Princess agreed to begin arranging Yang Chengye's marriage to Yu Zijin, and Yu Qingyi, Lin Zhan, and their companions left the capital.

• Lin Zhan learned he had ranked twenty-fourth in the Palace Examination and rode in the Jinshi street parade, where Yu Qingyi and the Yang family watched him pass.
• Yu Qingyi visited the Crown Princess to ask about Yu Zijin, and the Crown Princess told her to send a matchmaker to Dongping.
• Yang Mingcheng took a matchmaker to the Yu Family, where Yu Yuanzan welcomed the proposed marriage and both families agreed to proceed.
• Lin Zhan received an appointment as a Principal Sixth Rank Director in the Bureau of Operations, then prepared to return home to worship his ancestors.
• On the third day of May, Yu Qingyi, Lin Zhan, Yang Chengye, and their companions left the capital.

Gu Yunjian arrived at Chongshan Pass to deal with Star Moon Sect’s former Yuheng Star Hall leaders and planned to demand them from Yang Zhengshan. Meanwhile, Yang Zhengshan celebrated Lin Zhan’s success in the imperial examinations and discussed the booming trade in Thousand-Mile Mirrors and glass ornaments with Luo Shang.

• Gu Yunjian met Kou Rong in Chongshan Pass, learned that Luo Jinsong, Li Chengguo, Qian Zhonghe, and Ji Zhengfei were under military protection, and decided to ask Yang Zhengshan for them.
• Gu Yunjian claimed he had once fought one against five and hinted that Yang Zhengshan’s reputation as the First Person Under Xiantian would not deter him; he planned to visit the marquis that night.
• Yang Zhengshan learned that Lin Zhan had made the Gold List and reflected on Lin Zhan’s years of study and martial training.
• Luo Shang told Yang Zhengshan that the Luo Family had sold nearly all three thousand Thousand-Mile Mirrors, and Yang Zhengshan offered him another thousand despite orders from military offices.
• Yang Zhengshan invited Luo Shang to choose glass ornaments for sale in Jiangnan and planned to involve several merchant families, while excluding the Jing'an Zhang Family from his support.