Chapter Summaries

After Ying Zheng proclaimed Great Qin an empire and named Fusu Crown Prince, he appointed Verdant Green Maiden Imperial Tutor, to her dismay. As Qin faced unrest and pursued immortality, Verdant Green Maiden accompanied Ying Zheng on an Eastern Tour, where she identified Xu Fu’s distant Immortal Mountain as a mirage.

• Li Si proclaimed Ying Zheng Emperor and announced Fusu’s appointment as Crown Prince, while Verdant Green Maiden led Fusu forward to accept the honor.
• Ying Zheng named Verdant Green Maiden Imperial Tutor, and she protested that the title would draw unwanted attention before leaving for the Jade Maiden Shrine.
• Ying Zheng ordered Afang to oversee palace construction north of Mount Li, and Verdant Green Maiden rebuked him over the burdens of civilian labor.
• Ying Zheng questioned Xu Fu about his search for an Immortal Mountain and agreed to send him with a fleet to seek Immortal Medicine.
• After unrest broke out in the former Six States, Ying Zheng led an Eastern Tour with Verdant Green Maiden and saw a fleeting mountain over the East Sea.
• Verdant Green Maiden called the sight a mirage, and Ying Zheng asked whether she believed the mountain was real.

Verdant Green Maiden stopped Xu Fu from taking children to Wa Island in search of the Immortal Mountain and brought them back to shore. She arranged for the followers to care for the children, then hid from Ying Zheng that her hand hurt after she crushed Xu Fu’s shoulder.

• Ying Zheng sent Xu Fu to seek the Immortal Medicine, and a month later Xu Fu sailed out with his followers and a group of children.
• Verdant Green Maiden confronted Xu Fu aboard the ship, exposed his plan to go to Wa Island, crushed his shoulder, and had his followers throw him into the sea.
• Verdant Green Maiden sent Red Phoenix to distract the frightened children while she steered the ship back to land.
• After the children could not identify their homes, Verdant Green Maiden gave the followers money and ordered them to settle the children somewhere secluded, threatening them if they neglected them.
• Verdant Green Maiden revealed that her hand hurt, wondered whether it was a price for killing Xu Fu, and asked Red Phoenix to keep Ying Zheng from finding out.

Green Maiden helped Ying Zheng prepare the Fengshan ceremony at Mount Tai, but she noticed Qin's Auspicious Fortune was still fading. At Bolangsha, Zhang Liang's assassination attempt struck her carriage instead of Ying Zheng's, and she confronted him in the reeds.

• Green Maiden returned to Ying Zheng and claimed she had gone to Mount Tai to choose a site for his Fengshan ceremony.
• Li Si reported that the summit had already been cleared, and Ying Zheng completed the altar and offered sacrifices to Heaven.
• Green Maiden saw Qin's Auspicious Fortune dispersing despite her changes to the future and told Ying Zheng she was not Heaven.
• On the march west, Green Maiden recognized Bolangsha as the procession reached it, and Zhang Liang's giant hammer smashed her carriage.
• Green Maiden pursued Zhang Liang into the reeds, blocked his escape, and called him Zhang Zifang.

Verdant Green Maiden recovered after failing to capture Zhang Liang, who escaped despite Ying Zheng’s search. Back in Xianyang, rumors that a Snake Demon had bewitched the emperor led to an investigation of the Yin Yang School, and Ying Zheng asked Verdant Green Maiden to leave the capital.

• Verdant Green Maiden tried to persuade Zhang Liang to serve Qin, but he refused and she collapsed after coughing blood.
• Hong Luan called for help, and Qin soldiers carried Verdant Green Maiden back; she woke under the care of Ying Zheng and the imperial physicians.
• Verdant Green Maiden told Ying Zheng he would not catch Zhang Liang, and she later admitted to Hong Luan that changing history had been difficult despite her efforts.
• The Qin army and Black Ice Platform searched Han Land for over a month without finding Zhang Liang, then returned to Xianyang.
• Rumors spread that a Snake Demon had bewitched Ying Zheng, and his investigation traced them to the Yin Yang School.
• Verdant Green Maiden angrily condemned the Yin Yang School, and Ying Zheng asked her why she did not leave Xianyang.

Ying Zheng sent Verdant Green Maiden away from Xianyang to protect her, then ordered her name erased from Qin Palace records and those who slandered her punished. After crossing Hangu Pass, she traveled to Pei County, where she met Liu Ji and his companions while trying to earn a living telling fortunes.

• Ying Zheng told Verdant Green Maiden to leave Xianyang because staying would get her killed, and she agreed to go with Hong Luan.
• Ying Zheng ordered Afang to bury those who slandered Verdant Green Maiden, burn books mentioning her, and forbid anyone in Qin Palace from speaking of her.
• Verdant Green Maiden crossed Hangu Pass with Hong Luan, then chose Pei County as their next destination.
• In Sishui Pavilion, Verdant Green Maiden tried to attract customers by offering fortune-telling for wild rabbits and attempted to tell a yellow dog's fortune.
• Liu Ji and his companions came out of a nearby house, and Liu Ji offered Verdant Green Maiden help as Sishui Pavilion Chief while asking her for food.

Verdant Green Maiden encountered Liu Ji at Sishui Pavilion, where he sought a fortune and later grew familiar enough to tease her. When Liu Ji invited her to mooch a meal at the Lü Family banquet, he claimed to offer ten thousand coins and dragged her inside, with Verdant Green Maiden charging her own gift to him.

• Verdant Green Maiden missed the chance to tell the big yellow dog’s fortune before Fan Kuai killed and cooked it.
• Liu Ji offered Verdant Green Maiden two dog legs, and she pretended to divine that he would become rich and powerful but die if he left Pei County.
• Verdant Green Maiden and Liu Ji became familiar, though she repeatedly objected when he called her “brother Verdant Green Maiden.”
• Liu Ji invited Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan to mooch a meal at the Lü Family’s grand banquet.
• After Xiao He explained that guests needed congratulatory gifts to enter, Liu Ji announced a ten-thousand-coin offering and pulled Verdant Green Maiden inside, while she charged her own ten thousand coins to him.

Liu Ji married Lü Zhi after Duke Lü was impressed by his bearing and face, while Verdant Green Maiden brought an ox as a wedding gift. The wedding procession reached the Liu Family home, but a rider announced the Emperor's death and ordered all celebrations to stop.

• At the Lü Family feast, Verdant Green Maiden suggested stealing their treasures, and Liu Ji eagerly proposed gathering brothers to help.
• Duke Lü invited Liu Ji and Verdant Green Maiden to talk, then praised Liu Ji's face and arranged his marriage to Lü Zhi.
• Lü Zhi accepted her parents' marriage arrangement, and the wedding was set for the following month.
• Verdant Green Maiden hunted an ox for the wedding gift and resisted eating any of it.
• Lü Zhi arrived at the Liu Family home as a rider announced the Emperor had died and all celebrations were forbidden.

Verdant Green Maiden learned that Ying Zheng had died while she was away, defied Heaven by urging Fusu to ease Qin’s harsh policies, and returned to Pei County to stop Liu Ji and Xiao He from sending laborers to build the mausoleum. The chapter leaves her confronting Liu Ji as he prepares to depart for Mount Li.

• Verdant Green Maiden dragged a Qin soldier away from Liu Ji’s wedding celebration and drove him off by punching apart a tree.
• Verdant Green Maiden disappeared, then traveled to Xianyang and learned from Fusu that Ying Zheng had died after two years of declining health.
• At Ying Zheng’s funeral, Verdant Green Maiden received his message, tore it up, and blamed Heaven for his death.
• Verdant Green Maiden ordered Fusu not to conscript more laborers for the mausoleum and to ease Qin’s laws and punishments.
• Verdant Green Maiden returned to Pei County and roared at Liu Ji and Xiao He as they prepared to send laborers to Mount Li.

Verdant Green Maiden tried to keep Liu Ji and his men from joining the rebellion, but her growing powers could not stop them from leaving Mangdang Mountain. As she attacked them with a giant snow serpent, a sudden flash of white light made her and the serpent disappear.

• Verdant Green Maiden told Liu Ji to wait for an amnesty, but when no decree came, he led his men toward their labor assignment.
• Verdant Green Maiden followed Liu Ji’s group and watched as harsh conditions and threats of execution drove them to hide on Mangdang Mountain.
• After hearing that Chen Sheng and Wu Guang had rebelled, Liu Ji prepared to leave Mangdang Mountain and raise a rebellion of his own.
• Verdant Green Maiden blocked the mountain pass and summoned a giant snow serpent to stop Liu Ji and his men.
• Liu Ji struck the serpent, which reformed and coiled around the group, but a flash of white light made Verdant Green Maiden and the serpent vanish.

Verdant Green Maiden challenged Heaven over Ying Zheng’s fate and survived a month of Heavenly Lightning, while Liu Bang’s rebellion gained momentum. Recovering in an Old Woman’s home, Verdant Green Maiden asked to meet Han Xin after hearing his name, but he returned from his errand grim and tried to leave.

• Liu Ji’s group left Mangdang Mountain for Pei County as Verdant Green Maiden endured Heavenly Lightning and protested Heaven’s attempt to restore the destined course.
• After the thunderstorm lasted more than a month, Liu Ji seized Fengpei, proclaimed himself Pei Gong, and later took the name Liu Bang, while rumors of auspicious signs drew more followers.
• An Old Woman hired Han Xin to buy medicine for an injured young woman living with her, who was revealed to be Verdant Green Maiden.
• When Verdant Green Maiden heard the name Han Xin, she asked the Old Woman to bring him to meet her.
• Han Xin returned with the medicine looking grim and tried to leave, but the Old Woman stopped him and said a Little Immortal Aunt wanted to see him.

The Verdant Green Maiden tested Han Xin’s resolve and read his fate, warning that either path to becoming a great general would bring him an early death. Han Xin chose to join the Xiang Family Army and left the village, promising to find her a Blue Bird and repay the rabbit he owed.

• The Verdant Green Maiden met Han Xin and asked whether he would choose a mediocre life or greatness despite its cost.
• Han Xin declared he wanted to make his name known across the land, and the Verdant Green Maiden agreed to tell his fortune in exchange for a wild rabbit.
• After Han Xin returned empty-handed, the Verdant Green Maiden read his fate and said he could join Pei Gong or Xiang Ji, but either choice would lead to his death.
• Han Xin decided to leave the next day, and the Verdant Green Maiden asked him to find her a Blue Bird during his campaigns.
• Han Xin set out to join the Xiang Family Army and gave the Verdant Green Maiden a fish, promising to repay his rabbit debt twofold.

Verdant Green Maiden left the Old Woman after repaying her kindness, then traveled through a famine-stricken, rebellious land to Xianyang. She reunited with Fusu, learned that Qin had been devastated by drought and starvation, and heard him ask whether Qin was doomed to fall.

• Verdant Green Maiden told Han Xin not to heed advice against killing, then left him to return to the village.
• Verdant Green Maiden hunted wild boars, helped the Old Woman prosper and move, and accepted flatbreads before setting out west.
• Verdant Green Maiden crossed a land overwhelmed by refugees and rebellion, reached Xianyang, and saw that Qin's Auspicious Fortune had vanished.
• Verdant Green Maiden entered the Qin Palace and reunited with the haggard Fusu, who said Hong Luan had visited him and then left.
• Verdant Green Maiden read Fusu's records of successive droughts and grain shortages as he explained that Qin had nearly run out of food and asked whether it was doomed to fall.

Verdant Green Maiden confronted Fusu over Qin’s drought and brought blessed snow to revive the land, collapsing from the effort. She awoke in the Qin Palace with Hong Luan, who revealed her human form, as Afang and a young boy in a royal robe arrived.

• Verdant Green Maiden learned that Qin’s drought had continued and refused to let the Ying Clan’s scheme against Snake go unanswered, while Fusu pledged the clan’s service to her.
• Verdant Green Maiden tore down the Qing Xiao Jade Maiden Temples and refused to let Fusu rebuild them.
• Verdant Green Maiden summoned snow over Guanzhong and Bashu, then fell from Mount Tai Bai after her strength gave out.
• Hong Luan found Verdant Green Maiden and admitted she had caught her as she fell, then transformed into a woman in green-and-red robes.
• Afang entered the bedchamber with a timid boy dressed in a Great Qin Royal Robe as Li Si and other elder statesmen knelt outside.

After awakening, Verdant Green Maiden learned that Fusu had died and Qin was near collapse, so she arranged for Liu Bang to enter Xianyang and negotiated a settlement preserving the Ying Clan’s rule in Yong City. Liu Bang accepted, while the Qin court prepared to leave Xianyang, but he suddenly remembered Xiang Yu.

• Afang told Verdant Green Maiden that Fusu had died and left her his Heart's Blood, while Ziying introduced himself as the King of Qin.
• Li Si reported that Qin had lost the Six States of Shandong and lacked soldiers, so Verdant Green Maiden ordered Wu Pass opened to welcome Pei Gong.
• Liu Bang entered Wu Pass and marched to Xianyang, where Verdant Green Maiden greeted him and led him into the Qin Palace.
• Verdant Green Maiden offered Liu Bang Guanzhong and Xianyang on the condition that the Ying Clan keep Yong City, Qin's Ancestral Temple, and the Qin throne; Liu Bang agreed.
• The Qin court accepted retreating to Yong City, and Liu Bang agreed to honor the King of Qin before suddenly remembering Xiang Yu.

Verdant Green Maiden arranged a Hongmen banquet to settle the division of Qin lands, but the feudal lords took Guanzhong from Liu Bang and called for the Qin imperial clan to be killed. She intervened when Xiang Yu threatened the Ying Clan, leaving the gathering stunned and demanding to know who she was.

• Verdant Green Maiden advised Liu Bang to let the allied forces through Hangu Pass and have Zhang Liang negotiate with Xiang Bo, while Liu Bang withdrew from Xianyang to Bashang.
• Xiang Yu gathered the feudal lords at Hongmen, where Verdant Green Maiden and Afang arrived with Qin Palace attendants.
• Afang defended Qin and announced that Liu Bang had agreed to take only Yong City, making the feudal lords turn their anger toward him.
• The feudal lords divided Qin's territory, leaving Liu Bang with Han Zhong and Bashu instead of Guanzhong.
• Xiang Yu called for the Ying Clan to be wiped out and Xianyang and Yong City razed, but Verdant Green Maiden drove a sword through the table and challenged the gathering.

Verdant Green Maiden protected Xianyang’s people and its historical treasures from Xiang Yu’s army, then met Liu Bang as he entered Bashu. She traveled to Mount Tai seeking answers about her past and decided she and Hong Luan might settle there.

• Verdant Green Maiden broke Xiang Yu’s sword, pushed him back, and warned him not to massacre Xianyang’s people.
• Ziying, Li Si, and the Qin officials surrendered Xianyang and withdrew to Yong City, while snow killed allied soldiers who committed atrocities and stopped Xiang Yu from burning the palaces.
• The people of Xianyang worshipped Qing Xiao Jade Maiden, and Xiang Yu abandoned his plans to destroy the city and divided it among the Three Qins.
• Verdant Green Maiden met Liu Bang near the plank road and asked whether he had made up his mind about entering Bashu; he told her he was ready to train his troops and strike back.
• Verdant Green Maiden climbed Mount Tai, found the vines that had once held her back, and watched them become a Woodvine Bracelet.
• Verdant Green Maiden asked Hong Luan whether they should settle on Mount Tai.

Verdant Green Maiden watched Xiang Yu’s final night at Gaixia, where he refused her offer to save him and Yu Ji died by his side. Xiang Yu fought his way to Wu River and killed himself as snow began to fall.

• Verdant Green Maiden visited the surrounded Chu camp and heard the Han Army sing Chu songs, which made Xiang Yu fear that Chu had already fallen.
• Xiang Yu asked Verdant Green Maiden to save Yu Ji, but refused her offer to save him if he abandoned his identity as Hegemon King.
• Yu Ji danced for Xiang Yu and died; afterward, Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan went to collect her body.
• Xiang Yu led the remaining Chu soldiers through the Han encirclement until only he remained at Wu River.
• Xiang Yu taunted Lü Matong, cut his own throat, and the Han soldiers rushed toward his remains as wind rose and snow fell.

Verdant Green Maiden buried Xiang Yu and Yu Ji, refused Liu Bang’s offer to build her a state temple, and returned to Mount Tai as the Han dynasty began. Years later, she met the newly enfeoffed King of Chu Han Xin in Huaiyin and asked him for a rabbit.

• Verdant Green Maiden took Xiang Yu’s body from Liu Bang and buried him beside Yu Ji by the Wu River; Liu Bang ordered the Tomb of King Xiang renovated and appointed Yang Xi Marquis of Chiquan.
• Verdant Green Maiden warned Liu Bang not to build her a temple in the name of the Han Court, then left for Mount Tai with Hong Luan; Liu Bang found jade in the shattered rock and ordered it made into an Imperial Seal.
• Liu Bang took the throne at Dingtao, renamed Xianyang Chang’an, and enfeoffed Han Xin as King of Chu.
• Han Xin returned to Huaiyin in glory, where Verdant Green Maiden appeared and asked him for a rabbit.

Verdant Green Maiden warned Han Xin that his position as King of Chu would not last, but he trusted that Liu Bang would honor their relationship. After Han Xin was demoted and later summoned to the palace, he met Verdant Green Maiden again and gave her dried meat, aware she had come to gather his bones.

• Han Xin offered Verdant Green Maiden a cow in exchange for a lifelong fortune-telling promise, and she warned him that kingship was not his destiny.
• Han Xin dismissed her warning, and Verdant Green Maiden left with a cartload of meat; she later learned he had been deposed and demoted to Marquis of Huaiyin.
• During Liu Bang’s siege at Mount Baigong, Verdant Green Maiden brought heavy snow against the Xiongnu, helping Liu Bang’s forces counterattack to a draw.
• After returning to Chang'an, Liu Bang began removing non-Liu vassals and granting fiefs to members of the Liu Clan.
• In Han Year Eleven, Han Xin met Verdant Green Maiden outside Changle Palace and gave her dried meat, telling her she would not need to search for his bones empty-handed.

Han Xin lived out his remaining years on Mount Tai, where Verdant Green Maiden preserved his military writings after his death. Chunyu Tiying arrived seeking the Jade Maiden Empress’s help for her father, and Verdant Green Maiden agreed to go with her to Chang'an.

• Verdant Green Maiden revealed that she had saved Han Xin and told him to live on Jade Emperor Peak, where he compiled books on military strategy.
• After Han Xin died, Verdant Green Maiden buried him at the foot of Mount Tai and kept his writings.
• Verdant Green Maiden and Hong Luan discovered Chunyu Tiying collapsed outside the palace gate and brought her inside to tend her wounds.
• Chunyu Tiying introduced herself as a common woman and asked the Jade Maiden Empress for help because her father had been framed and taken to Chang'an.
• Verdant Green Maiden agreed to accompany Chunyu Tiying to Chang'an.