Chapter Summaries

Guo Rong invited Verdant Green Maiden to demonstrate her swordsmanship and learned that she wanted Peace Under Heaven in exchange for teaching him. After he promised he would pursue that goal if given the opportunity, she agreed to teach him whatever swordsmanship he wished to learn.

• Guo Rong bought Verdant Green Maiden's claim that her sword manuals were genuine and brought her to his residence to test her skill.
• Guo Rong's family questioned why he had brought a woman home, and he introduced Verdant Green Maiden as his Master.
• Verdant Green Maiden caught a sword Guo Rong threw at her and defeated him in a sparring match.
• Guo Rong asked how much Verdant Green Maiden wanted for the Green Lotus Sword Song, and she said she wanted Peace Under Heaven.
• Guo Rong admitted he could not promise peace but said he would pursue it if the opportunity arose.
• Verdant Green Maiden agreed to teach Guo Rong any swordsmanship he wanted to learn.

After Liu Chengyou killed Guo Wei’s family, Guo Wei raised troops and marched on Bianjing with support from Verdant Green Maiden. Liu Chengyou died in the disorder as his forces failed to resist the Ye army.

• After Liu Zhiyuan died, the young Liu Chengyou distrusted Guo Wei and eventually ordered his family killed.
• Guo Wei grieved and coughed blood, while Verdant Green Maiden secretly encouraged his generals to urge him to march on Bianjing.
• Guo Rong confronted Verdant Green Maiden about her role, and she reminded him of his promise.
• Guo Wei mobilized the Ye army and advanced toward Bianjing, overcoming or winning the surrender of the Later Han defenders.
• Liu Chengyou tried to lead an expedition but died amid the disorder when few troops obeyed him.

After Guo Wei found his family slaughtered, he took Bianjing, proclaimed himself emperor, and founded Great Zhou. Verdant Green Maiden parted from Guo Rong as his fortunes rose, and years later, after Guo Rong became emperor, he refused to negotiate with a Northern Han and Khitan invasion.

• Guo Wei returned to his empty, bloodstained home, wept with Guo Rong, and ordered his men to find those who had urged the Son of Heaven to kill his family.
• Guo Wei told the Empress Dowager he would proclaim himself emperor; she gave him the Jade Seal and asked him to spare the Liu family’s descendants, and he agreed.
• Guo Wei founded Great Zhou and took the throne, while Verdant Green Maiden traveled the Central Plains before meeting Guo Rong as he prepared to leave for Chanzhou.
• Verdant Green Maiden told Guo Rong she would leave and later return with something many people wanted; Guo Rong governed Chanzhou well, became Prince Jin, and later succeeded Guo Wei as emperor.
• When Northern Han and Khitan forces invaded, Guo Rong rejected his ministers’ calls for peace and ordered them to prepare for his personal campaign.

Guo Rong routed the Northern Han Army at Gaoping, while the Verdant Green Maiden appeared on the battlefield and annihilated the Liao Army. After praising Guo Rong and telling him to destroy Northern Han, she pursued the fleeing Liao forces.

• Guo Rong led the Zhou army into battle at Gaoping, rallied the troops after the right wing collapsed, and defeated the Northern Han Army by noon.
• Guo Rong and Zhao Kuangyin both realized they had seen the Verdant Green Maiden on the battlefield, but she had disappeared.
• The Verdant Green Maiden confronted the Liao Army and slaughtered its soldiers, driving the survivors to flee north.
• Guo Rong and Zhao Kuangyin arrived at the battlefield and found the Verdant Green Maiden standing among the Liao dead.
• The Verdant Green Maiden praised Guo Rong, told him to destroy Northern Han, and set off in pursuit of the fleeing Liao Army.

After Verdant Green Maiden drove off the Liao Army, Guo Rong’s forces besieged Taiyuan and pressed the Northern Han toward surrender. As heavy rain threatened the siege, Guo Rong gathered his generals to assess their supplies and the city’s defenses.

• Verdant Green Maiden chased the retreating Liao Army, and Guo Rong ordered everyone to keep her connection to him secret.
• Guo Rong reorganized the Imperial Guard and pursued the Liao Army’s retreat, reaching Taiyuan by the end of May.
• Zhao Kuangyin reported that the Liao Army had withdrawn into the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun and that the Zhou Army could capture Taiyuan within a month.
• Liu Chong rejected his court officials’ pleas to seek peace and surrender, while his defenders continued to resist the Zhou Army.
• As dark clouds gathered over Taiyuan, Guo Rong summoned his generals and learned that their supplies could last ten days and the city’s north gate was nearly broken.

As torrential rain halted Guo Rong’s assault on Taiyuan, Verdant Green Maiden gave him the Imperial Jade Seal and smashed open the city gates, allowing the Zhou Army to enter. Wounded and weakened, she left with Damn Heaven and Old Yellow Ox, while Heaven cleared the storm above them.

• Guo Rong ordered the Zhou Army to attack Taiyuan’s north and south gates, but heavy rain stopped the assault after three days.
• Verdant Green Maiden gave Guo Rong the Imperial Jade Seal and reminded him that a Son of Heaven depended on the people.
• Verdant Green Maiden broke Taiyuan’s gates with a punch, and Guo Rong led the Zhou Army into the city.
• Guo Rong ordered his troops to find Verdant Green Maiden, then followed Zhao Kuangyin’s advice to seal the city and capture Liu Chong.
• Damn Heaven found Verdant Green Maiden with Old Yellow Ox, bandaged her wounded foot, and dispersed the dark clouds.

Verdant Green Maiden reached Jinling years later than she expected and learned that Guo Rong was dying on the day he was fated to die. Heaven revealed he had preserved Guo Rong’s life and sent her to the Great Zhou camp outside You Zhou, where Zhao Kuangyin agreed to take her to the Emperor.

• Verdant Green Maiden asked Heaven to take her to Southern Tang, then slept on the journey until they arrived in Jinling in the sixth year of Xiande.
• Heaven told Verdant Green Maiden that it was the nineteenth day of the sixth month, Guo Rong’s appointed day of death, and she angrily accused Heaven of failing to wake her sooner.
• Heaven revealed that Guo Rong was still alive but near death, and sent Verdant Green Maiden to the Great Zhou military camp outside You Zhou to see him.
• Great Zhou Imperial Guards surrounded Verdant Green Maiden after discovering her in the camp, and she demanded to see the Emperor.
• Zhao Kuangyin recognized Verdant Green Maiden as the female Sword Immortal and agreed to lead her to Guo Rong.

Verdant Green Maiden reunited with the dying Guo Rong, who lamented that he could not pacify the realm and feared Great Zhou would not survive under his young son. He named Zhao Kuangyin as his successor and bestowed Verdant Green Maiden the title of Imperial Tutor of Great Virtue, Marquis of Chang'an.

• Zhao Kuangyin brought Verdant Green Maiden to Guo Rong, who welcomed her as his Master.
• Guo Rong told Verdant Green Maiden that he regretted failing to pacify the realm and feared Great Zhou would fall because his heir was young.
• Guo Rong asked Verdant Green Maiden who should succeed him, and she said he already knew the answer: the Commander.
• Guo Rong decreed that Zhao Kuangyin would receive the throne after his death, despite the generals' pleas for him to reconsider.
• Guo Rong named Verdant Green Maiden Imperial Tutor of Great Virtue, Marquis of Chang'an, and the gathered officials accepted his decree.

After Guo Rong died, Zhao Kuangyin took the throne and promised Verdant Green Maiden to bring peace, then captured You Zhou. Verdant Green Maiden returned to Jiangnan, where she continued searching for Heaven and encountered a young nobleman before entering Jinling City.

• Guo Rong returned to Bianjing, issued his final edict, and died the next day; Zhao Kuangyin ascended the throne as emperor of Song.
• Verdant Green Maiden demanded that Zhao Kuangyin bring peace and told him to take the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun while the army was assembled there.
• Zhao Kuangyin returned to the front, fought the Liao Army, and captured You Zhou half a year later.
• Verdant Green Maiden searched Jiangnan for Heaven, then met a young Noble Young Master who told his attendant to show consideration for the common people.
• Verdant Green Maiden and Old Yellow Ox entered Jinling City as its nobles worried that Great Song would soon threaten the south.

Verdant Green Maiden, calling herself Qing Nü, met Han Xizai in Jinling and exchanged news of the north for his help securing her a place in Southern Tang’s upper circles. She stayed at Han Xizai’s residence as his distant younger sister.

• Verdant Green Maiden walked through Jinling and reflected on how the city and her old acquaintances had disappeared after the upheavals.
• Han Xizai approached Verdant Green Maiden and asked about conditions in the north, then invited her to his residence to talk.
• Verdant Green Maiden told Han Xizai about the northern ruler and army, leaving him convinced Southern Tang could not rely on its precarious peace.
• Verdant Green Maiden argued that a new age of prosperity could come after unification, rather than through restoring the old Tang dynasty.
• Han Xizai agreed to help Verdant Green Maiden obtain an identity and introduced her as his distant younger sister.

Months after Li Jing’s death, Li Congjia ascended the Southern Tang throne as Li Yu and submitted to the Great Song. During the celebrations along the Qinhuai River, Verdant Green Maiden separated from Han Xizai and caught Li Yu’s attention as his carriage passed.

• Li Jing died in Hongzhou, and his final edict named Li Congjia, King of Wu, as his successor; Li Congjia took the name Li Yu and sent a letter of submission to the Great Song.
• Li Yu hosted a banquet and river procession, where Han Xizai and Verdant Green Maiden joined the Southern Tang officials and their families.
• Verdant Green Maiden remarked on the festivities’ contrast with the kingdom’s danger, then left Han Xizai to find food on her own.
• Verdant Green Maiden drank tea in a Qinhuai tavern as people crowded to see Li Yu’s carriage pass.
• Li Yu spotted Verdant Green Maiden from his carriage, recognized her vaguely, and began to ponder where he had seen her.

Verdant Green Maiden evaded a eunuch searching for her, visited Cao Zijian’s neglected grave, and returned to Han Xizai after a night on the Qinhuai River. Days later, Li Yu tried to recruit Han Xizai, but Han refused, leaving their exchange unresolved.

• Verdant Green Maiden slipped away from a teahouse before the eunuch could find her, and the shopkeeper sent servants to search for her in hopes of a reward.
• Verdant Green Maiden left the busy Qinhuai River streets and placed the trinkets she had bought at Cao Zijian’s grave, reflecting on the Cao Clan and greeting him after centuries apart.
• Han Xizai waited at the dock until Verdant Green Maiden returned, then went with her and his family aboard the painted boat.
• Li Yu visited Han Xizai and asked him to serve, but Han Xizai declined, saying he was old and wished to recuperate at home.
• Li Yu accepted Han Xizai’s refusal while lamenting that Southern Tang lacked talent, and Han remained silent about his belief that Great Song would eventually destroy the kingdom.

Li Yu recognized Verdant Green Maiden and revealed that he had seen her in a dream as a Goddess who would save the realm. After she refused his plea to save Jiangnan, he demanded to know why.

• Li Yu spotted Verdant Green Maiden at Han Xizai's residence and insisted on meeting her.
• Verdant Green Maiden told Han Xizai she had expected Li Yu to seek her out and agreed to meet him to keep his family from being put at risk.
• Li Yu recognized Verdant Green Maiden, greeted her as a Goddess, and said he had seen her in a dream.
• Li Yu begged Verdant Green Maiden to use Heaven's laws to save Jiangnan, but she refused.
• Li Yu asked Verdant Green Maiden why she was unwilling to save Jiangnan.

Verdant Green Maiden refused Li Yu’s request to save Jiangnan and urged him to serve the people instead of clinging to power. After revealing to Han Xizai why the world had become so troubled, she left and traveled west, reflecting on Shu’s fall and the Pacified West Grand Protectorate’s fate.

• Li Yu asked Verdant Green Maiden to help Jiangnan resist the north, but she argued that she could not save every realm and said Southern Tang should yield if it could not unite the land.
• Li Yu asked Han Xizai whether he was destined to become another deposed Jiangnan monarch, then insisted that he could bring peace if given a great realm.
• Han Xizai asked Verdant Green Maiden about her identity and the state of the world, and she described her experiences and her refusal to accept that heaven controlled everything.
• Verdant Green Maiden left Han Xizai a letter and disappeared a few days later.
• Verdant Green Maiden traveled west, saw that the Song Army had captured Chengdu and Meng Chang had surrendered, then considered the Pacified West Grand Protectorate’s survival and Zhao Kuangyin’s effort to restore ties with it.

During the Song siege of Jinling, Li Yu told the Verdant Green Maiden why he believed he could outlast Zhao Kuangyin, but she urged him to surrender. The chapter ended with Li Yu asking why he could not win despite his family’s long rule and Jiangnan’s peace.

• The Verdant Green Maiden entered Jinling and met Li Yu in the palace while the Song Army continued its year-long siege.
• Li Yu told the Verdant Green Maiden that Han Qing had died, and they discussed whether feelings could change the course of events.
• Li Yu argued that Zhao Kuangyin would have to withdraw if the siege dragged on, because Great Song’s newly conquered territories remained unstable.
• The Verdant Green Maiden rejected Li Yu’s reasoning and urged him to surrender so the world would not remain in chaos.
• Li Yu grieved that his family had ruled Jiangnan for generations and asked why he could not win.

Verdant Green Maiden confronted Li Yu over the Li Family’s claim to Jiangnan, then witnessed Jinling fall to the Song Army. Li Yu surrendered the Southern Tang to Great Song while Verdant Green Maiden enforced a prohibition against the city’s conquest bringing violence against its people.

• Verdant Green Maiden reminded Li Yu that his ancestors had usurped the Yang Family’s throne and exterminated its descendants, and Li Yu admitted her words were true.
• Li Yu granted Verdant Green Maiden freedom to travel in Jinling, and she stayed with Han Xizai’s family, where Madam Han welcomed her.
• After more than a month, the Song Army breached Jinling, and Verdant Green Maiden raised a bloody warning against burning, killing, looting, and rape.
• A Song general arrived and enforced the order against abuses, then instructed his troops not to obstruct or offend Verdant Green Maiden.
• Li Yu apologized to his officials, removed his crown, and led them out of the palace to surrender to Great Song.

Li Yu arrived in Bianjing after Southern Tang fell and received the title Duke of Wu under Zhao Kuangyin’s rule. As Zhao Kuangyin questioned him about his former subjects, Li Yu deferred every decision to the emperor.

• Li Yu traveled north to Bianjing and reflected on the prosperity he had lost in Jinling and his regret over resisting Great Song.
• Zhao Guangyi greeted Li Yu at the palace and escorted him to meet Zhao Kuangyin.
• Zhao Kuangyin granted Li Yu the title Duke of Wu, ordered a residence built for him in Bianjing, and forbade him from leaving Kaifeng Prefecture without permission.
• Zhao Kuangyin reviewed Southern Tang’s former officials and asked Li Yu for his opinions, but Li Yu repeatedly left every decision to the emperor.

Li Yu arrived at his residence in Bianjing, where he found his family protected by the Verdant Green Maiden, whom Zhao Guangyi recognized as the Great Virtue Imperial Tutor. She urged Li Yu to accept his life after Southern Tang’s fall, then prepared to leave without saying where she was going.

• Zhao Guangyi escorted Li Yu from the palace to the estate assigned to the Duke of Wu.
• Zhao Guangyi found Li Yu’s family calm and discovered the Verdant Green Maiden waiting in the main hall.
• The Verdant Green Maiden dismissed Zhao Guangyi when he invited her to speak with Zhao Kuangyin.
• The Verdant Green Maiden told Li Yu that the Great Song’s victory was good for him, Jiangnan, and the realm, and urged him to live peacefully in Bianjing.
• Li Yu thanked the Verdant Green Maiden for protecting his wives, and she said she would leave now that he had accepted the title of Duke of Wu.

The Verdant Green Maiden left Li Yu after advising him to accept his life in Bianjing, then visited Zhao Kuangyin, who discussed the Great Song’s plans to campaign against the Uyghur Khaganate and its allies. Zhao Kuangyin began asking for her advice, and she urged him to speak plainly.

• Li Yu thanked the Verdant Green Maiden for securing his title, then warned his family to be cautious in Bianjing and mourned his lost homeland of Jiangnan.
• Zhao Guangyi followed the Verdant Green Maiden, so she punched him in the stomach and continued to the Imperial Palace.
• The Verdant Green Maiden reunited with Zhao Kuangyin, who said the Southern Tang campaign had exhausted him and described the remaining territories outside Great Song rule.
• Zhao Kuangyin showed her a map and explained that the Uyghur Khaganate and its alliance with the Khitan threatened the northwestern borders.
• The Verdant Green Maiden told Zhao Kuangyin to care for his health, then challenged him to state the matter on which he wanted her advice.

Zhao Kuangyin considered removing Zhao Guangyi but agreed to wait until after his planned campaign, while Verdant Green Maiden left Bianjing to begin a new life in the northwest. Zhao Kuangyin died before campaigning, Zhao Guangyi became Emperor, and Verdant Green Maiden joined the army in disguise as a man.

• Zhao Kuangyin asked Verdant Green Maiden whether he should move against Zhao Guangyi, and she advised him to wait until after his campaign to keep Bianjing stable.
• Zhao Kuangyin told Verdant Green Maiden he would spare Li Yu, and she departed Bianjing with Old Yellow Ox toward Guanzhong and Hexi.
• Verdant Green Maiden reached Fengxiang, took on a new identity, disguised herself as a man, and enlisted as an ordinary soldier.
• Zhao Kuangyin fell seriously ill and died, and Zhao Guangyi ascended the throne under the era name Taiping Xingguo.
• In a military tent, Old Li criticized past Emperors, and a young commander asked him to name the best among them.