Chapter Summaries

Li Shimin’s fear that his favoritism toward Li Tai could destroy his relationship with Li Chengqian led Empress Zhangsun to ask Qing Mo to take the Crown Prince as his student. Qing Mo accepted, and his first lesson pushed Li Shimin to promise his son more affection, leaving Li Chengqian eager to learn and his father wary of Qing Mo’s advice.

• Qing Mo explained how Li Shimin’s later favoritism toward Li Tai and the weakening of the Eastern Palace had endangered Li Chengqian, prompting Li Shimin to admit his mistakes and promise that Chengqian alone would remain Crown Prince.
• Empress Zhangsun asked Qing Mo to teach Li Chengqian, and Qing Mo agreed after the Crown Prince pledged to study hard and become a capable emperor.
• Li Chengqian bowed to Qing Mo and became his student; Qing Mo told Li Shimin and Li Chengqian that later generations freely learned the arts of rulership, which he also called dragon-slaying arts.
• Qing Mo’s first lesson advised Li Chengqian to appeal to his imperial grandfather if Li Shimin mistreated him and joked that he could honor his father with the temple name Chengzu.
• Alarmed, Li Shimin apologized for neglecting Chengqian and promised to cherish him, while asking Qing Mo to teach his son proper learning rather than crooked ideas.

Li Shimin learned how Li Tai lost the succession, how Wu Zetian seized power, and how the Tang Dynasty later fell, while Qing Mo advised him not to kill Wu Zetian but to keep her under watch. The chapter ended with Li Shimin horrified to learn that the An Lushan Rebellion caused thirty-six million casualties over eight years.

• Qing Mo told Li Shimin that Li Tai had proposed killing his sons to pass the throne to his brothers, so Li Shimin instead made Li Zhi Crown Prince and demoted Li Tai.
• Qing Mo praised Li Zhi’s rule, then revealed that Li Zhi married Li Shimin’s Talented Lady, who became Wu Zetian and took the throne; Li Shimin vomited blood and fainted.
• After Li Chengqian helped him drink Qing Mo’s enchanted tea, Li Shimin woke and learned that Wu Zetian was Wu Shiyue’s young daughter.
• Qing Mo warned Li Shimin not to kill Wu Zetian because her imperial destiny would pass to another woman, and advised him to keep her confined in the palace when she arrived.
• Qing Mo described Wu Zetian’s mixed legacy and the Tang Dynasty’s later restoration, Kaiyuan Golden Age, and decline after the An Lushan Rebellion.
• Li Shimin learned that the Tang Dynasty lasted 289 years under twenty-one emperors and that the An Lushan Rebellion caused thirty-six million casualties over eight years.

Qing Mo recounted the An Lushan Rebellion and Li Longji’s disastrous rule, enraging Li Shimin, then reassured him that the tragedies would not be repeated in this altered Tang Dynasty. He taught Li Chengqian the way of a ruler and challenged Li Shimin to interpret a poem for a wager, then left to show Li Chengqian Black Tortoise Gate.

• Qing Mo described the An Lushan Rebellion, the fall of Chang’an, and Li Longji’s abuses, prompting Li Shimin to rage at the future emperor’s survival.
• Li Chengqian asked whether Qing Mo could take them to the Tianbao era, and Qing Mo promised to do so once his strength recovered.
• Qing Mo taught Li Chengqian to rule through a balance of benevolent governance at home and strength abroad, and Li Chengqian vowed to remember his instruction.
• Qing Mo proposed a wager with Li Shimin: he would write a poem for Li Shimin to interpret, while the loser would provide either a meal from Empress Zhangsun or a world map.
• Qing Mo wrote “Clouds are in the sky; clear water is in the bottle!” and left Li Shimin to ponder its hidden imperial strategies.
• Qing Mo asked Li Chengqian to show him Black Tortoise Gate, leaving Li Shimin displeased by the reminder of his past.

Qing Mo took Li Chengqian to Xuanwu Gate, explained its place in Tang history, and introduced him to photography with a Polaroid camera. Three days later, Qing Mo revealed five layers of imperial statecraft to Li Shimin, then presented a rolled sheet that promised to let the emperor see the world.

• Qing Mo explained to Li Chengqian that later generations judged Li Shimin by his achievements, while the Xuanwu Gate Incident inspired repeated struggles for power in the Tang Dynasty.
• Li Chengqian led Qing Mo to Xuanwu Gate, where Qing Mo took photographs and taught Li Chengqian and the soldiers how to use a Polaroid camera.
• Three days later, Li Chengqian complained that Li Shimin had taken his camera, and Qing Mo promised him two more before they went to hear Li Shimin's interpretation of the poem.
• Li Shimin presented three layers of statecraft he had discerned, and Qing Mo explained the poem's five layers for Li Shimin and Li Chengqian to study.
• Qing Mo produced a rolled sheet and asked Li Shimin whether he was ready to become the first person of his age to open his eyes and see the world.

Qing Mo showed Li Shimin and Li Chengqian a detailed world map and identified grassland gold mines, fertile Liaodong, and India as resources that could enrich the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin summoned his ministers to debate how to pursue these lands, and Wei Zheng unexpectedly urged him to send troops at once.

• Li Shimin sealed the Hall of Establishing Governance and studied Qing Mo’s world map with Li Chengqian, then asked where the Tang Dynasty should focus its efforts.
• Qing Mo pointed out gold mines in the grasslands and fertile black soil in Liaodong, and Li Shimin declared that the Tang Dynasty would claim and develop them.
• Qing Mo described India’s immense farmland and harvests, prompting Li Shimin and Li Chengqian to resolve to plan for its acquisition.
• Li Shimin ordered Li Chengqian to summon ministers including Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Li Jing, and Tang Jian for a strategy discussion.
• Li Chengqian briefed the assembled ministers on the map and its promised resources, and the officials debated the opportunities and risks.
• Wei Zheng unexpectedly demanded that Li Shimin dispatch troops immediately to claim the lands for the Tang Dynasty.

Li Shimin and his ministers debated reclaiming the Tang Dynasty’s resource-rich lands after Qing Mo revealed the gold and silver awaiting them abroad. Qing Mo urged them to build their strength first, then offered to take Li Chengqian to the Western Regions to trade goods for great profit.

• Wei Zheng, Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and the other ministers urged Li Shimin to send troops after learning about the Tang Dynasty’s gold mines and fertile lands beyond its borders.
• Qing Mo described enormous overseas silver and gold deposits, but advised Li Shimin to focus first on the grasslands, Liaodong, and India because the Tang Dynasty could not yet wage war across the sea.
• Qing Mo explained his conservative stance by saying conservatives considered radicals too conservative, prompting Li Shimin and the officials to embrace the label.
• Qing Mo noticed Zhangsun Wuji’s depleted kidney qi, promised to make him restorative pills, and told the other men that they also had varying degrees of deficiency.
• Qing Mo planned to take Li Chengqian to the Western Regions with porcelain and fabric to trade for gold and spices; Li Shimin and Wei Zheng changed their minds after hearing how profitable the venture could be.

Qing Mo gathered the Tang court’s leaders to plan an inspection of the Western Regions, praised Li Jing’s future conquest of Wolf’s Lair, and described Zhu Di’s achievements to spur Li Shimin’s ambition. He then revealed Tang Jian’s future misfortune as an envoy and offered him a chance to become China’s first overseas pioneer instead.

• Qing Mo arranged for the officials to travel to the Western Regions in seven days and told Li Jing he would capture Jieli and achieve Sealing Wolf’s Lair.
• Qing Mo praised Zhu Di’s campaigns and accomplishments, prompting Li Shimin to vow to build a flourishing age worthy of the title Great Emperor.
• Qing Mo revealed that Zhu Di had regarded Li Shimin as his idol, delighting Li Shimin and lifting his jealousy.
• Qing Mo told Tang Jian that Li Jing’s attack during his future mission to the Eastern Turks would cost Tang Jian’s relatives their lives and leave him cursing Li Jing.
• Qing Mo showed Tang Jian the silver mountain on the Wa Islands and the gold mountain on Luzon, then invited him to become an envoy who would help China open overseas territories.

Tang Jian and the court ministers competed for chances to make their families famous through overseas expansion, while Qing Mo outlined plans for India and the northeastern kingdoms. Li Chengqian learned about trading glass in the Western Regions and delivered a full-length mirror to Empress Zhangsun, leaving her delighted by the gift.

• Qing Mo promised Tang Jian the title of the first man from China to pioneer lands overseas, and Tang Jian fought off Cheng Yaojin's attempt to take the honor.
• Tang Jian and other ministers volunteered their younger relatives as envoys to India, but Qing Mo said India had been Chinese territory since ancient times and suggested competing instead for Silla, Baekje, and Goguryeo.
• Li Chengqian examined glass goods and proposed creating a regular merchant caravan to trade them in the Western Regions; Qing Mo, Mo Yanyu, and He Xi advised him to plan carefully and delegate.
• Li Chengqian took Little Qingluan and a full-length glass mirror to Empress Zhangsun, who was astonished and pleased by the mirror.

Qing Mo showed Li Shimin and his court a steam train and explained its potential to transport people and supplies across the Tang Dynasty. Li Shimin committed to building railways despite the enormous cost, and Qing Mo began outlining the preparations needed to make them.

• As Qing Mo and the others traveled through the Western Regions, he explained that he was planning routes for future railway stations and tracks.
• Qing Mo showed Li Shimin, Li Chengqian, and the officials a steam train on a light screen and described its speed and carrying capacity.
• Li Chengqian explained that trains could carry thousands of people and heavy cargo without tiring, persuading Li Shimin and the officials of their military and practical value.
• After Qing Mo warned that each kilometer of track required more than thirty tons of iron, Li Chengqian urged the court to overcome the cost by gathering resources from wealthy families and beyond Tang territory.
• Li Shimin resolved to build railways across Tang and outward to the Western Regions and Liaodong, and Qing Mo assigned preparations for iron, coal, workshops, craftsmen, routes, stations, and train operations.

Qing Mo and Li Shimin sold their porcelain, cloth, and Glaze wares to a Western Regions merchants' guild for gold and spices, opening a promising trade connection. Meanwhile, Empress Zhangsun received a fine-salt refining method from He Xi and prepared Western Regions food with Mo Yanyu; the story left Qing Mo planning future business in Chang'an.

• Qing Mo showed the goods to Maimaiti, also known as Zhao Youcai, and the guild agreed to buy the entire shipment at his quoted price.
• Li Shimin had Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, and Zhangsun Wuji oversee the exchange while he and the others dined with the guild leader.
• Mo Yanyu conjured grills and ingredients for Empress Zhangsun, and He Xi gave her a method for refining fine salt.
• Fang Xuanling reported that the transaction had brought more gold and spices than expected, so the party bought extra carriages to carry them.
• Qing Mo promised Maimaiti that he would provide more goods when the merchant visited him in Chang'an, and Maimaiti agreed to seek him out.

Li Chengqian and the Tang party photographed one another in the Western Regions before Qing Mo revealed that Yuchi Gong and Qin Qiong would become Door Gods. As they prepared to return, bandits attacked, but Li Shimin and his companions defeated them and claimed their horses.

• Li Chengqian took photographs of the party, including Cheng Yaojin, Yuchi Gong, and the ministers, while Li Shimin also borrowed the camera to photograph Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui together.
• Qing Mo explained that Yuchi Gong and Qin Qiong became Door Gods after guarding Li Shimin and inspiring him to place their portraits on the palace gates.
• Qing Mo spotted approaching bandits and gave Li Shimin and the others telescopes, while Li Chengqian received binoculars.
• Li Junxian led the guards as Li Shimin and the generals fought the bandits, killing them all with no Tang casualties and only a few minor injuries.
• Li Shimin praised his archery after shooting fleeing bandits, and the party celebrated gaining several dozen horses before returning.

Li Shimin learned that Empress Zhangsun had successfully refined fine salt using He Xi’s method and called his ministers to plan how to use it against the powerful salt-trading clans. Meanwhile, Qing Mo persuaded Zhangsun Wuji to give the iron industry to the court in exchange for a fertilizer-making method, then introduced Li Chengqian and the young nobles to pork dishes from later generations.

• Empress Zhangsun refined snow-white fine salt, and Li Shimin recognized that it could benefit the people and weaken the Taiyuan Wang Clan’s control of the salt trade.
• Li Shimin ordered Li Junxian to summon ministers to the imperial study, while Empress Zhangsun assured him that her attendants would keep the salt method secret.
• Qing Mo and Li Chengqian visited Zhangsun Wuji, urged him to surrender the Zhangsun Family’s iron industry to the court, and secured his agreement.
• Qing Mo gave Zhangsun Wuji a fertilizer-making method as a new family business and instructed him to test it on the family’s estates before expanding production.
• Qing Mo arranged for Zhangsun Chong and other young nobles to study at Li Chengqian’s estate, where they ate pork dishes and were shocked to learn the meat was swine.

Qing Mo persuaded Li Chengqian and the officials’ sons to promote improved pig raising and high-yield crops to strengthen the Tang Dynasty, then assigned them practical tasks and demonstrated a labor-saving Curved-Shaft Plow. The chapter ended with the young men eager to put his plans into practice and Qing Mo ordering more plows for wider use.

• Qing Mo explained that castrating pigs and improving their feed would make pork tastier, and convinced Li Chengqian and the officials’ sons that pig raising could improve food supplies and farming.
• Qing Mo revealed high-yield crop seeds, including potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes, gave the young men cultivation manuals, and told them to keep the plans secret from their fathers.
• Qing Mo assigned Zhangsun Chong to commission new farming tools, Cheng Chumo and Qin Huaidao to build workshops, and Li Chengqian and the others to prepare fields and learn practical work.
• Zhangsun Chong returned with a Curved-Shaft Plow, and an old farmer tested it, plowing the land more easily and efficiently than with a straight plow.
• Qing Mo praised the plow and told Zhangsun Chong to have more made so the estate could use them before they were promoted throughout the Tang Dynasty.

Li Chengqian reported Qing Mo’s new inventions to Li Shimin and visited Li Yuan, who asked to meet the immortal National Preceptor. Qing Mo and Li Yuan bonded over billiards, and Li Shimin joined them, turning their reunion into a lively contest.

• Cheng Chumo told Cheng Yaojin about the Curved-Shaft Plow and the plans to build cement and red-brick workshops, while Zhangsun Chong persuaded Zhangsun Wuji to fund poultry farms.
• Li Chengqian told Li Shimin about the plow, workshops, ironmaking and steelmaking methods, and the proposed railway from Chang'an to Tong Pass, then visited Li Yuan.
• Li Yuan asked Li Chengqian to invite Qing Mo, and the next morning Qing Mo agreed to visit the Retired Emperor with gifts.
• Qing Mo and Li Yuan played billiards at Great Peace Palace, and Li Shimin and Empress Zhangsun hurried there after hearing about the visit.
• Li Yuan beat Li Shimin repeatedly at billiards, while Li Chengqian teased his father and Li Shimin insisted on playing another round.

Li Yuan, Li Shimin, Empress Zhangsun, and Qing Mo played mahjong, with Qing Mo quietly helping Li Yuan win while taking a hand from Li Shimin. Later, Qing Mo demonstrated a water-powered mill and accepted Li Tai and Li Ke as disciples, leaving Li Chengqian to consider the political consequences.

• Qing Mo introduced mahjong at Great Peace Palace, and Li Yuan eagerly joined Li Shimin, Empress Zhangsun, and Qing Mo for a game.
• Qing Mo secretly helped Li Yuan win several rounds, then won an Earthly Hand that stopped Li Shimin from claiming victory.
• Zhangsun Chong received manuals about raising poultry, while Wei Yushu received plans for a water-powered linked mill.
• Qing Mo supervised Wei Yushu, Zhangsun Chong, and the craftsmen as they built the mill, which successfully used the river's current to grind flour.
• Li Tai, Li Ke, Cheng Chuliang, and Fang Yiai arrived and asked Qing Mo to take them as disciples.
• Qing Mo accepted Li Tai and Li Ke, while Li Chengqian silently worried that others might see his brothers as rival candidates for the throne.

Qing Mo required Li Tai, Li Ke, Cheng Chuliang, and Fang Yizhi to work alongside the other disciples before studying under him, then assigned them tasks in the fields, cement workshop, and livestock yards. He later explained to Li Chengqian that his plan for him to become an emperor for all eternity involved sending his brothers to govern and expand beyond China, leaving Li Chengqian stunned by the vision.

• Li Tai, Li Ke, Cheng Chuliang, and Fang Yizhi agreed to work at the estate after Qing Mo said they must labor like his other disciples.
• Qing Mo assigned Li Tai to learn farming, Li Ke to help Cheng Chumo at the cement workshop, and Cheng Chuliang and Fang Yizhi to learn animal husbandry; he then led Li Chengqian aside for a private talk.
• Cheng Chumo told the new disciples about the high-yield crops and their potential to end famine, and Zhangsun Chong explained why the group was keeping them secret until the right time.
• Li Tai and Li Ke promised not to reveal the crops early, then eagerly set out to learn about farming, cement, and red bricks.
• Qing Mo told Li Chengqian that enfeoffing his brothers to lands beyond China would be the crucial step toward becoming an emperor for all eternity.
• Qing Mo outlined a plan for Li Chengqian’s brothers and their descendants to expand and govern distant territories under the Tang Dynasty’s supremacy, leaving Li Chengqian shocked.

Qing Mo persuaded Li Chengqian to pursue overseas enfeoffment, with his brothers ruling distant territories under the Tang Dynasty while expanding Chinese influence. He explained that the plan required time and population growth, and could also weaken the Five Great Clans and Seven Prominent Families; Li Chengqian embraced the vision and pledged to pursue it.

• Li Chengqian agreed to Qing Mo's plan to seek the title of Emperor for All Ages by sending his brothers overseas to conquer and rule new lands.
• Qing Mo taught Li Chengqian that history was driven by struggles to become emperor, and Li Chengqian realized his brothers could be persuaded by the chance to rule.
• Qing Mo explained that the Tang Dynasty lacked the population and resources to establish overseas kingdoms immediately, and that expansion would depend on future population growth.
• Qing Mo outlined how overseas enfeoffment could prevent conflict among Li Chengqian's brothers and spread Chinese bloodline and culture.
• Qing Mo described how the plan could weaken the Five Great Clans and Seven Prominent Families by drawing their elites overseas, reducing their court influence, and transferring their land and tenant farmers to the court.
• Li Chengqian praised Qing Mo's strategy and pledged to remember his guidance and work toward the undertaking.

Qing Mo encouraged Li Chengqian and the others as they worked on high-yield crops and tested cement roads, then met Wang Jinyuan, head of the Taiyuan Wang Clan, who sought a share of Zhenguan Snow Salt distribution. Qing Mo refused to divide the salt trade but offered the Wang Clan a chance to invest in cement, and Wang Jinyuan showed interest.

• Qing Mo told Li Chengqian to keep their plans secret and promised to take him traveling once their work had stabilized.
• Qing Mo found Li Tai working in the fields and reminded him to focus on cultivating the new crops without discussing them openly.
• Qing Mo inspected the cement workshop as Cheng Chumo and Li Ke prepared to pave the estate road, and he explained how cement could improve transport and construction.
• Fortune informed Qing Mo that Wang Jinyuan, head of the Taiyuan Wang Clan, had arrived to see him.
• Wang Jinyuan asked Qing Mo to secure his clan a share of Zhenguan Snow Salt distribution, but Qing Mo refused and offered him an opportunity to invest in the cement business.
• Wang Jinyuan became intrigued by Qing Mo's cement proposal and guessed that it was another remarkable invention.

Qing Mo showed Wang Jinyuan the estate’s cement workshop and explained how cement roads and pig farming could bring substantial profits. Wang Jinyuan agreed to fund cement production, while Qing Mo explained to Li Chengqian how private investment could help the court improve the country and benefit the people.

• Qing Mo explained the profits and methods behind Zhangsun Chong’s pig-raising operation, leaving Wang Jinyuan eager to invest.
• Qing Mo brought Wang Jinyuan to the cement workshop, where Li Chengqian, Li Ke, and Cheng Chumo were helping lay a road.
• Cheng Chumo showed Wang Jinyuan how cement was made and used, and Wang Jinyuan agreed that the Taiyuan Wang Family would finance its production.
• Wang Jinyuan signed a cement cooperation contract with Cheng Chumo, then visited the red-brick workshop and Zhangsun Chong’s pig operation.
• After Wang Jinyuan left, Qing Mo reassured Li Chengqian that the court would benefit most from private funding and urged him to prioritize the people’s welfare.

He Xi made a detailed sand table of the Tang Dynasty as a gift for Li Chengqian, and Qing Mo presented it at court alongside a working miniature train. After Li Chengqian explained the train, the ministers argued over the cost and security of building railways, and their debate erupted into a brawl.

• He Xi gave Qing Mo a handcrafted sand table depicting the Tang Dynasty, complete with a miniature steam train and railway.
• Qing Mo presented the sand table to Li Chengqian at court, but Li Shimin asked to borrow it and ignored Li Chengqian's request that it be returned promptly.
• Li Shimin recognized the miniature train and railway, and Qing Mo had Li Chengqian explain how trains worked to the gathered officials.
• Qing Mo invited the ministers to discuss investing in trains and railways, prompting arguments over steel costs and how to prevent track theft.
• The ministers' debate turned into curses and punches, beginning what Qing Mo called the Tang Dynasty Unlimited Free-Fighting Tournament.