Chapter Summaries

Verdant Green Maiden encouraged Li Jing to adopt Nezha and revealed that he was extraordinarily resilient, then returned to Tai Ping Daoist temple. She warned Iron Crutch Li not to let his people cause trouble again.

• Verdant Green Maiden urged Li Jing to adopt Nezha, and Li Jing agreed despite sensing something was wrong.
• Verdant Green Maiden hurled boulders at Nezha, proving they could not injure him, then told him to train with her and use his strength for good.
• Li Shimin congratulated Li Jing on his mighty adopted son, and Verdant Green Maiden scolded him for saying he wanted to adopt Nezha too.
• Verdant Green Maiden left Chengdu, visited Tai Ping Daoist temple, and confirmed to Min Shu that she had caused the earth dragon to turn at Dujiangyan.
• Iron Crutch Li arrived at the temple, and Verdant Green Maiden warned him not to let his people cause trouble in Shu or elsewhere.

Iron Crutch Li tried to influence Verdant Green Maiden by giving Min Shu a mysterious Dao Scripture, hoping Tai Ping Daoist temple could persuade her to settle down. Back in Chang'an, Verdant Green Maiden discovered Li Yuan had placed guards around Dragon Treasure Garden and met Yuan Tiangang, who admitted he had been waiting for her.

• Verdant Green Maiden threatened Iron Crutch Li before leaving Tai Ping Daoist temple with Hong Luan.
• Iron Crutch Li gave Min Shu a Dao Scripture he could not understand, hoping it might help the temple persuade Verdant Green Maiden.
• Verdant Green Maiden returned to Chang'an and learned that soldiers had guarded Dragon Treasure Garden for about half a month.
• Verdant Green Maiden realized Li Yuan had likely stationed the guards to watch her and rejected Hong Luan's suggestion to charge in.
• A little girl led Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan to Yuan Tiangang, who admitted he had been waiting outside Dragon Treasure Garden for her.

Verdant Green Maiden confronted Yuan Tiangang about his advice that she return to Mount Tai, but she insisted on changing the Mandate of Heaven despite its weakening effects on her. She accompanied Yuan Tiangang to the Imperial Palace, where he revealed that the Emperor had been expecting him and asked her to agree to something.

• Verdant Green Maiden challenged Yuan Tiangang for waiting to meet her, and he advised her to leave Chang'an and return to Mount Tai.
• Verdant Green Maiden dismissed his advice, treated him to pastries, and then stumbled as the consequences of altering the Mandate of Heaven weakened her.
• Verdant Green Maiden vowed to change the Mandate of Heaven and agreed to accompany Yuan Tiangang to the Imperial Palace.
• Yuan Tiangang gained entry through the Imperial Guards, and a eunuch told him that the Emperor had been waiting for him.
• Yuan Tiangang said Verdant Green Maiden would soon understand why he had come and asked her to agree to one thing, prompting her to demand that he explain.

Verdant Green Maiden confronted Li Yuan in Taiji Palace over his indulgent rule and urged him to give the throne to Li Shimin. Li Yuan learned that her decision to train Li Shimin had been part of this plan from the beginning, but he remained silent.

• Yuan Tiangang warned Verdant Green Maiden to stay calm as the eunuch led them to Taiji Palace.
• Verdant Green Maiden entered the hall and ordered Li Yuan's ministers, entertainers, consorts, and eunuchs to leave.
• Verdant Green Maiden rebuked Li Yuan for enjoying power while rival rulers threatened the Tang realm.
• Verdant Green Maiden confronted Li Yuan about summoning Yuan Tiangang to find a way to send her away.
• Verdant Green Maiden told Li Yuan to step down and give the throne to Li Shimin, whom she had trained.
• Li Yuan asked whether she had taken Li Shimin as her disciple for this purpose, and Verdant Green Maiden confirmed it.

Li Yuan refused Verdant Green Maiden's demand to make Li Shimin Crown Prince and insisted she leave Great Tang. Yuan Tiangang told Li Yuan he could not force the Goddess of Mount Tai to return, leaving Li Yuan to wonder whether unifying the realm might give him the authority to do so.

• Li Yuan rejected Verdant Green Maiden's demand to surrender the throne and appoint the King of Qin Crown Prince, then left Taiji Hall after she ordered Hong Luan to stand aside.
• Verdant Green Maiden ordered Hong Luan to beat Li Yuan that night and dismissed Yuan Tiangang's attempt to claim they were allies.
• Li Yuan summoned Yuan Tiangang and demanded that he send the Goddess of Mount Tai back to Mount Tai, but Yuan Tiangang said that was impossible.
• Yuan Tiangang pointed out that Li Yuan's rule covered only a limited territory and that other rulers also claimed to be sons of heaven.
• Li Yuan asked whether unifying the realm would let him make the Goddess leave, but Yuan Tiangang said he did not know and suggested her actions might benefit Great Tang.
• After Yuan Tiangang departed, Li Yuan stood alone and muttered that Great Tang and his sons were his.

Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan looted Dragon Treasure Garden and repeatedly beat Li Yuan, while Yuan Tiangang urged Verdant Green Maiden to spare herself and others. A month later, Li Shimin returned Li Yuanji’s remains to Chang’an, and he told Li Xiu Ning that Li Yuanji’s conduct had been recorded in a memorial to the emperor.

• Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan secretly took every treasure from Dragon Treasure Garden, and Li Yuan ordered the guards to withdraw after hearing of it.
• Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan beat Li Yuan on two consecutive nights, but he appeared unharmed each time.
• Verdant Green Maiden confronted Yuan Tiangang, rejected his warning to spare herself, and said no one could use the Yellow Emperor’s name to pressure her.
• A month later, Li Yuan ordered Li Shimin to bring Li Yuanji’s remains back to Chang’an, where Li Yuan bestowed a minor posthumous title and buried him.
• During the siblings’ return journey, Li Xiu Ning asked whether Verdant Green Maiden had killed Li Yuanji, and Li Shimin said Li Yuanji’s conduct was detailed in a memorial sent to the emperor.

Li Yuan summoned Li Shimin alone and confronted him over Li Yuanji’s death and memorial, then revealed he blamed Mount Tai Goddess and tested Li Shimin’s loyalty to Li Jiancheng. Li Shimin affirmed he would support his elder brother, and after returning to the Eastern Palace, Li Jiancheng dismissed the attendants so they could speak privately.

• A eunuch told Li Jiancheng that Li Yuan wanted to see Li Shimin alone, and Li Shimin went to Taiji Hall.
• Li Yuan accused Li Shimin of three offenses concerning Li Yuanji, but Li Shimin defended his actions and challenged Li Yuan over favoritism and the state.
• Li Yuan said he blamed Mount Tai Goddess for San Hu’s death, had sent people to seek a solution, and would not allow her to interfere with Great Tang.
• Li Yuan asked whether Li Shimin would serve Li Jiancheng after he became emperor, and Li Shimin agreed.
• Li Shimin joined Li Jiancheng and Li Xiu Ning at the Eastern Palace, and Li Jiancheng ordered the attendants away.

Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, and Li Xiu Ning learned that Li Yuan was moving against Verdant Green Maiden and found Dragon Treasure Garden emptied. They rushed to Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple after hearing Li Yuan’s men were confronting the Liu Clan, and arrived as Li Shimin silenced a commander before the crowd could hear the Emperor’s position.

• Li Xiu Ning wondered whether Li Yuan had gone mad, and Li Jiancheng warned her not to speak ill of their father and ruler.
• Li Jiancheng told Li Shimin and Li Xiu Ning that Li Yuan had summoned Daoists from across the realm and offered them posts in the Bureau of Astronomy.
• The three siblings worried that Li Yuan meant to drive Verdant Green Maiden back to Mount Tai, but agreed they could not oppose him without risking unrest in Great Tang.
• At Dragon Treasure Garden, they found the grounds empty; Li Jiancheng said searches of Chang'an and Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple had found no sign of Verdant Green Maiden.
• A messenger reported that Li Yuan had sent officials to take control of Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple, so the three siblings hurried to Wan Nian County.
• Liu Hong refused to surrender the temple to the court, and Li Shimin rebuked a commander who began blaming Li Yuan in front of the onlookers.

Liu Hong confronted Li Jiancheng over the court’s attempt to seize the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple, but Ning Lingyi’s arrival from Maoshan changed the dispute. The Liu Clan withdrew after a young Taoist acolyte whispered to Liu Hong, and Ning Lingyi asked the three royal siblings to guide her to Li Yuan.

• Liu Hong demanded that Li Jiancheng explain why the court was seizing the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple and accused it of targeting the Liu Clan over the Prophecy of the Mao Jin Blade.
• Li Jiancheng struggled to answer as Liu Hong and the gathered citizens pressed him for an explanation.
• Ning Lingyi arrived with a young Taoist acolyte and declared that the temple should belong to the Son of Heaven, angering the Liu Clan.
• The young Taoist acolyte whispered to Liu Hong, who agreed to give Maoshan face and led the Liu Clan away.
• Ning Lingyi asked Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, and Li Xiu Ning to show her the way to meet Li Yuan.

Ning Lingyi traveled to Chang'an with Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, and Li Xiu Ning, whose attempts to leave her behind failed when she arrived at the city gates ahead of them. She reached the palace and was admitted to Li Yuan’s audience, where she encountered several Daoists, including Yuan Tiangang.

• Li Shimin entrusted Zhang Chi with guarding the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple and allowed Ning Lingyi to accompany the siblings to see Li Yuan.
• Li Xiu Ning persuaded Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin to ride ahead to Chang'an, leaving Ning Lingyi to catch up on her own.
• Ning Lingyi appeared at Chang'an’s gates before the siblings and led them on foot through the city toward the palace.
• Ning Lingyi declined the siblings’ offer to accompany her inside, while Li Jiancheng warned Li Xiu Ning against defying Li Yuan over Verdant Green Maiden.
• Ning Lingyi and her acolyte announced her arrival at the palace, and Li Yuan ordered the guards to let her enter without a search.
• Ning Lingyi entered the Grand Hall and saw Li Yuan with several Daoists, including Yuan Tiangang.

Ning Lingyi, Maoshan’s Shunde Heavenly Maiden, arrived in Chang’an to help the Daoists face Verdant Green Maiden at Li Yuan’s planned ceremony. Yuan Tiangang and Min Shu remained unsure of her abilities and mysterious origins, while Ning Lingyi settled into her prepared residence without explaining her role to Daoist Chen.

• Ning Lingyi introduced herself to Li Yuan, who questioned whether someone so young could face a true immortal, and she claimed she had attained enlightenment.
• Li Yuan announced that he would hold a ceremony at Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple in fifteen days to send off the deity, and Ning Lingyi assured him she would help.
• Yuan Tiangang asked Ning Lingyi about her past because she resembled someone he had met, but Daoist Chen interrupted and took her to her residence.
• Yuan Tiangang and Min Shu discussed Ning Lingyi and the conflict with Verdant Green Maiden, admitting they did not know whether she could deal with the Goddess.
• Daoist Chen asked Ning Lingyi why she had made her move, but she told him not to ask further and reminded him of Tao Hongjing’s connection to Maoshan.
• After Daoist Chen left, Ning Lingyi tossed aside her whisk and stretched out on the couch.

Ning Lingyi, secretly Verdant Green Maiden and Maoshan’s Shunde Heavenly Maiden, planned to use the upcoming Sending the God Ceremony to confront Li Yuan while avoiding serious harm to him. After learning she had left the palace for Wan Nian County, Li Shimin went to investigate.

• Verdant Green Maiden told Hong Luan she would use her position at the ceremony to challenge Li Yuan because Yuan Tiangang and other Daoists kept healing him.
• Hong Luan warned Verdant Green Maiden to respect the Book of Fate and remember that Li Yuan was an Emperor, and she agreed not to harm him unjustly.
• Verdant Green Maiden stayed in the Tang Palace as Ning Lingyi, presenting herself as Maoshan’s Shunde Heavenly Maiden and casually speaking with palace servants.
• Li Xiu Ning told Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin that the Shunde Heavenly Maiden was a respected Maoshan figure they had never heard of, so they agreed to investigate before the ceremony.
• A messenger reported that Verdant Green Maiden had left for Wan Nian County, and Li Shimin set out to find out why.

Qing Nü met with the Wan Nian Liu Clan and Yong City Qin Clan to discuss Li Yuan’s planned god-sending ritual, telling them not to cling to the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple. Li Shimin and Li Xiu Ning arrived, and Qing Nü revealed that she knew they had followed and watched her.

• Li Shimin agreed to accompany Li Xiu Ning, and the two left Li Jiancheng behind.
• Qing Nü and Hong Luan visited the Wan Nian Liu Clan, where Liu Hong welcomed Qing Nü and arranged for her to meet the Qin Clan members as well.
• Qing Nü told Liu Hong and the Qin Clan Head that Li Yuan could hold the god-sending ritual and that the temple held little importance to her.
• Liu Hong worried that the court might alter or seal the temple, but Qing Nü urged the clans not to devote their lives to it, and both clan heads bowed to her.
• A servant reported that Li Shimin and Li Xiu Ning had arrived, and Qing Nü told the clans to let them in.
• Li Shimin greeted Qing Nü, and she told him that she knew he and Li Xiu Ning had followed her and watched her movements in the palace.

Verdant Green Maiden visited the Liu residence, then vanished while Li Shimin and Li Xiu Ning followed her back to Chang'an. At the God-Sending Ceremony, the ritual appeared to send the Frost Snow Goddess away, but lightning struck Li Yuan’s flags and a ghostly face appeared in the flames.

• Verdant Green Maiden teased Li Shimin and Li Xiu Ning for monitoring her, warned the Liu family against becoming wealthy without benevolence, and ate dinner at their residence.
• Li Shimin and Li Xiu Ning followed Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan toward Chang'an, where Verdant Green Maiden noticed them and vanished with Hong Luan.
• Li Shimin’s agents returned from Maoshan with confirmation that the Shunde Heavenly Maiden existed and held an exalted status there.
• Li Yuan, the imperial family, officials, and Daoist leaders gathered at Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple for the God-Sending Ceremony.
• Yuan Tiangang and the other Daoists performed the ritual as a snowy immortal phantom rose toward Mount Tai and disappeared.
• Lightning struck the flags beside Li Yuan, setting them ablaze as a ghostly face appeared and onlookers cried that a demon ghost had emerged.

Li Yuan struggled to contain the fallout from a storm and smoke shaped like an evil ghost after the ceremony to send the Goddess away. Yuan Tiangang asked whether Li Yuan regretted sending her to Mount Tai, and Li Yuan demanded a solution instead.

• Li Yuan stopped himself from punishing the people after Dou Shi warned that doing so could destabilize Great Tang.
• Verdant Green Maiden watched as heavy rain failed to disperse the ghost-shaped smoke, deepening Li Yuan's alarm.
• Yuan Tiangang asked Verdant Green Maiden what could dispel the celestial phenomenon, and she said she would rather the realm have no monarch.
• Hong Luan suspected Yuan Tiangang had learned something about Qing Nü's identity and suggested killing him, but Qing Nü rebuked her.
• Yuan Tiangang asked Li Yuan whether he regretted sending the Goddess to Mount Tai, and Li Yuan angrily demanded a solution to the anomaly.

Verdant Green Maiden revealed her divine power by ending the storm and ghostly smoke, then accepted Li Yuan’s appointment as Great Tang’s Heavenly Maiden under the name Ning Lingyi. Li Yuan tried to redirect her influence by ordering new temples and a palace for her, unaware that Ning Lingyi was Verdant Green Maiden herself.

• Yuan Tiangang told Li Yuan that Shunde Heavenly Maiden could resolve the storm, and Li Yuan summoned Verdant Green Maiden.
• Li Yuan promised Verdant Green Maiden the title of Great Tang’s Heavenly Maiden if she dispelled the weather and ghostly smoke, and she secured his promise in an imperial edict.
• Verdant Green Maiden announced herself as Ning Lingyi and called for the storm to end; the rain stopped, the clouds scattered, and the ghostly smoke vanished.
• Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan distributed medicinal herbs to the drenched commoners, who praised her as their Heavenly Maiden.
• Li Yuan abandoned his plan to demolish Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temple after his family and officials objected, then ordered a Shunde Heavenly Maiden Temple and a Heavenly Maiden Palace built for Ning Lingyi.

After Liu Wuzhou and Turkic troops captured Jinyang and most of Hedong, Li Yuan ordered Li Shimin to recover the territory within three months. As Li Shimin worried over the campaign, Verdant Green Maiden approached him and revealed she knew about the war.

• Yuan Tiangang warned Verdant Green Maiden not to overreach while posing as the Shunde Heavenly Maiden, then departed to continue wandering.
• Li Yuan built the Shunde Heavenly Maiden Temple and Heavenly Maiden Palace, and Verdant Green Maiden moved into the palace beside Taiji Palace.
• Liu Xiu Ning visited Verdant Green Maiden with her husband and children, hoping the children's clear eyes would reveal the Heavenly Maiden's identity.
• Liu Wuzhou led Turkic troops south, captured Jinyang, and seized almost all of Great Tang's Hedong territory.
• Li Yuan confined Li Jiancheng for failing to defend Jinyang and ordered Li Shimin to retake Hedong and Jinyang within three months.
• Verdant Green Maiden approached Li Shimin as he worried about the campaign, and he asked how she knew about Hedong.

Verdant Green Maiden told Li Shimin that Changsun Wugou was pregnant, then offered to help while he campaigned against Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang. Li Shimin concluded that she was connected to his master, and after he left for the front, Changsun Wugou often visited Qing Nü.

• Verdant Green Maiden told Li Shimin that Changsun Wugou was with child, and an imperial physician confirmed the pregnancy.
• Li Shimin learned that Liu Wuzhou and Song Jingang had taken Jinyang and Hedong, and that he would soon lead troops to reclaim the territory.
• Qing Nü said she would help Li Shimin and look after Changsun Wugou and the unborn child.
• Qing Nü told Li Shimin to take Nezha with him, leading him to suspect she was connected to his master.
• Li Shimin told Li Jiancheng and Li Xiu Ning about Qing Nü, and after he departed on campaign, Changsun Wugou often visited her.

Li Shimin and Nezha defeated Song Jingang and drove Liu Wuzhou and the Turks from Hedong, earning Li Shimin further honors before his return to Chang'an. In the capital, Verdant Green Maiden examined Changsun Wugou and denied knowing the Mount Tai Goddess, while Li Yuan and the royal court prepared to welcome Li Shimin home.

• Li Shimin and Nezha routed Song Jingang's army, pursued him north, and forced Liu Wuzhou and the Turks to flee Hedong.
• Li Yuan rewarded Li Shimin with the post of Grand Administrator of the Shaandong Circuit, further elevating his standing in Great Tang.
• Li Xiu Ning brought Changsun Wugou to Verdant Green Maiden, who examined her and said her unease came from agitation over Li Shimin's news.
• Li Xiu Ning asked whether Verdant Green Maiden knew the Mount Tai Goddess, and Verdant Green Maiden denied knowing her after the two women left.
• Li Shimin left Nezha to guard Hedong and led part of his army back to Chang'an, where Li Yuan and the royal family awaited his return.

Li Shimin returned victorious from Hedong, where Li Yuan honored him and assigned him to lead an eastern expedition against Wang Shichong and other rivals. Li Yuan also ordered Verdant Green Maiden to accompany the army, and she revealed that Li Shimin’s eldest son was the child she had helped care for.

• Li Shimin returned to Taiji Palace, reported that Hedong and Jinyang had been recovered, and received a warm welcome from Li Yuan and the court.
• Li Yuan granted Li Shimin honors and ordered rewards sent to Li Nezha, who had stayed in Hedong to guard against the enemy remnants.
• Li Yuan appointed Li Shimin Grand Marshal of the Eastern Expedition and tasked him with defeating Wang Shichong, Dou Jiande, and other rivals.
• Li Yuan announced that Verdant Green Maiden would join the expedition, dismissing the ministers’ objections and saying Li Shimin would retain control of military affairs.
• Li Shimin thanked Verdant Green Maiden for caring for Guanyinbi, and she said she had taken special care of Li Shimin’s eldest son.