Chapter Summaries

Yang Qing was released from prison after Northern Liang withdrew from the peace talks and compensated Yan Prefecture, while Fu Bonian was condemned for his crimes. An imperial summons to the Thousand Longevity Banquet made Yang Qing uneasy, and he left for Capital City after a restrained farewell with Murong Qian.

• Yang Qing donated Northern Liang’s compensation to relief for impoverished families and received another commendation from Chu Jinghui.
• After leaving prison, Yang Qing told Jiang Zhizhou that their actions had dealt Wei Sizhong a first defeat, though he expected Wei to grow more cautious.
• Yang Qing learned Fu Bonian had confessed to bribery and selling official posts and had been sentenced to execution after autumn.
• Yang Qing discovered he had been exceptionally summoned to the Thousand Longevity Banquet and secretly asked Jiang Zhizhou to watch over Yan Prefecture before departing for Capital City.
• Murong Qian saw Yang Qing off at Yan Prefecture’s gates, and Yang Qing looked back at her as his carriage departed.

Yang Qing attended the Thousand Longevity Banquet in the Hall of Eternal Peace, where he faced approaches from Qiu Qifang and Chancellor Wei Sizhong. Several days later, he was summoned to the palace on a charge of deceiving the emperor, and he understood that his recent unease had been justified.

• Yang Qing met Qiu Qifang on the way to the banquet, but declined his implied offer to ally with officials opposed to Wei Sizhong.
• Yang Qing chose a quiet seat in the Hall of Eternal Peace, where Wei Sizhong approached him and warned him against youthful impetuousness.
• Chu Jinghui arrived and questioned Yang Qing and Wei Sizhong about their conversation; both men presented it as a respectful exchange and returned to their seats.
• Yang Qing and Wei Sizhong appeared to drink and chat amiably during the banquet, disappointing ministers who expected a confrontation.
• Several days later, Yang Qing received an imperial summons accusing him of deceiving the emperor, and he recognized it as the realization of his foreboding.

Yang Qing explained to Chu Jinghui why he had investigated Fu Bonian and altered his confession, admitting that he had deceived the emperor to protect Chu Jinghui and Wei Sizhong from Fu Bonian’s schemes. Chu Jinghui believed him and ordered him to rise.

• Chu Jinghui questioned Yang Qing about how he knew the capital’s affairs and whether he had secretly gathered informants.
• Yang Qing admitted that his actions had overstepped his bounds and said his interest in Fu Bonian had begun years earlier.
• Yang Qing explained that Fu Bonian had pressured him in prison to write a false confession and claimed Wei Sizhong would secretly support him.
• Wei Sizhong fell to his knees and denied instructing Fu Bonian to pressure Yang Qing.
• Yang Qing said he had altered the confession to prevent Fu Bonian from tarnishing Chu Jinghui’s and Wei Sizhong’s reputations, then asked for punishment.
• Chu Jinghui accepted Yang Qing’s explanation, acknowledged his loyalty, and told him to rise.

Yang Qing met with Chu Jinghui and then joined Wei Sizhong for a meal, where Wei probed him about Wei Li’s death and offered to recommend him for a post in the capital. Yang Qing declined and returned to his residence, while Wei Sizhong realized he had underestimated him.

• Chu Jinghui dismissed Yang Qing and Wei Sizhong from the Hall of Mental Cultivation after Yang Qing’s matter was resolved.
• Wei Sizhong invited Yang Qing to dine at the Jadeite Pavilion and asked him to recount the attack in which Wei Li died.
• Yang Qing blamed Northern Liang brigands for Wei Li’s death and said he would focus on safeguarding Yan Prefecture.
• Wei Sizhong offered to recommend Yang Qing for a position in the capital, but Yang Qing refused and said he would establish himself in Yan Prefecture.
• After Yang Qing left, Wei Sizhong slammed the table and admitted that he had underestimated him.
• Yang Qing returned to his residence, reassured Bu Er that all was well, and said he had been drinking with Wei Sizhong.

Yang Qing met with Chu Jinghui to discuss the threat Northern Liang posed to Yan Pass and proposed supporting Cheng Ziqian against Cheng Hongzhuo. Chu Jinghui revealed that Northern Liang had offered a princess for a marriage alliance, leaving Yang Qing surprised.

• Bu Er warned Yang Qing that Wei Sizhong’s banquet invitation was a trap, and Yang Qing reprimanded him for speaking rashly in the Capital City.
• Yang Qing reasoned that Chu Jinghui still had a use for him and expected the emperor to summon him about Yan Pass.
• Suotu escorted Yang Qing to the Imperial Study and quietly told him that Chu Jinghui had been troubled by Yan Pass.
• Yang Qing told Chu Jinghui that Northern Liang would threaten Yan Prefecture again and proposed supporting Cheng Ziqian against the ambitious Cheng Hongzhuo.
• Chu Jinghui said Northern Liang had offered to send a princess for a marriage alliance, and Yang Qing reacted with surprise.

Yang Qing learned that a Northern Liang princess was coming to the capital for a marriage alliance and decided to visit Purple Smoke at Taste Pavilion. He met her there the next day, while Purple Smoke cautiously welcomed him and wondered why he had come.

• Chu Jinghui told Yang Qing that the Northern Liang envoy was on the way and asked him to remain in the capital until the marriage alliance was settled.
• Yang Qing asked Bu Er to tell Purple Smoke that he would visit Taste Pavilion the following day.
• Bu Er delivered Yang Qing's message, and Purple Smoke eagerly prepared to meet him.
• Yang Qing arrived at Taste Pavilion with Bu Er and went upstairs to try the teahouse's premium Biluochun.
• Purple Smoke entered Yang Qing's private room and made conversation while wondering why he had come.

Yang Qing impressed Purple Smoke with his genuine appreciation of tea, while Chu Jinghui concluded that Yang Qing’s worldly weakness made him easier to keep in hand. The emperor rewarded Yang Qing for his service and ordered a residence granted to him in the capital.

• Yang Qing rebuked Purple Smoke for sizing him up, then relented when she apologized and asked her to brew tea.
• Purple Smoke prepared tea for Yang Qing, who praised her skill and drank with her until evening.
• A report told Chu Jinghui that Yang Qing had spent half the day at the Elegant Charm Pavilion watching Purple Smoke brew tea.
• Chu Jinghui and Eunuch Zhang discussed Yang Qing’s abilities and decided that his love of tea showed he had a weakness the emperor could use.
• Chu Jinghui ordered Yang Qing to receive one hundred taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, and an imperial residence.

Yang Qing received an imperial edict rewarding his service with money and a residence in the capital, though he feared the honor would keep him from returning to Yan Prefecture. After moving in and entertaining visiting officials, he welcomed Chancellor Wei Sizhong, whose praise hinted at Yang Qing’s rising influence.

• Eunuch Zhang delivered the Emperor’s edict, granting Yang Qing a hundred taels of gold, ten thousand taels of silver, and a residence on Central Straight Street.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er that the rewards would only add fuel to a raging fire, then ordered him to pack essentials for their move.
• Yang Qing and Bu Er moved into the new residence and hosted a crowd of capital officials who came to congratulate him.
• Wei Sizhong visited Yang Qing with a calligraphy scroll, praised his favor with the Emperor, and left after inspecting the residence’s plaque.

Chu Jinghui appointed Yang Qing to receive Northern Liang’s Marriage Envoy Mission, prompting a tense exchange with Minister Qin Weide. Back at his residence, Yang Qing learned the Northern Hawk’s intelligence was still on the way, then collapsed during a meal and was caught by Jiang Zhizhou.

• Chu Jinghui made Yang Qing Master of Ceremonies, giving him sole responsibility for receiving the Northern Liang Marriage Envoy Mission.
• Qin Weide confronted Yang Qing over taking an assignment usually handled by the Ministry of Rites, then apologized after Yang Qing pointed out that Chu Jinghui had personally made the appointment.
• Yang Qing asked Bu Er about intelligence from the Northern Hawk and learned its report was still on the way.
• Yang Qing gave Bu Er instructions and began eating, but suddenly grew dizzy and nearly collapsed.
• Jiang Zhizhou helped Yang Qing onto a couch and asked whether he planned to use up the rest of his life in the Capital City.

Jiang Zhizhou confronted Yang Qing about his illness, then explained the dangers surrounding Northern Liang’s Marriage Envoy Mission arriving in Capital City. Yang Qing agreed that the mission could unsettle the capital and was left preparing for trouble.

• Jiang Zhizhou showed Yang Qing the medicine bottle, and Yang Qing explained that Poison Smoke had damaged his internal organs when he escaped a fire.
• Yang Qing admitted that his illness was known to only a few people in the Dark Alliance and worried that Jiang Zhizhou might risk everything for him.
• Jiang Zhizhou said he had come to Capital City to help Yang Qing deal with the Marriage Envoy Mission, which would arrive the next day.
• Jiang Zhizhou told Yang Qing that the delegation was led by Gao Yue’s son, Gao Zhanwen, who might be targeting him.
• Jiang Zhizhou warned Yang Qing that Princess Cheng Nazhen’s marriage alliance might involve the Regent King, and Yang Qing predicted the capital would soon be stirred into turmoil.

An unknown man urged Qin Weide to reclaim the chance to lead the Northern Liang marriage mission, while the delegation arrived in Capital City under heavy guard. Jiang Zhizhou spotted and seized a suspicious man in the crowd, and Yang Qing’s welcome to envoy Gao Zhanwen ended with Gao insulting him.

• A mysterious visitor taunted Qin Weide for giving up his opportunity and urged him to take it back, leaving Qin to consider his advice.
• Imperial guards secured the route as Northern Liang’s Marriage Envoy Mission entered Capital City, and Jiang Zhizhou watched from a teahouse.
• Jiang Zhizhou noticed a suspicious man concealing something beneath his robe and swiftly captured him.
• Yang Qing greeted the delegation outside the Imperial City on His Majesty’s command, and Gao Zhanwen recognized him and accused him of bullying Northern Liang.

Yang Qing received Princess Cheng Nazhen and the Northern Liang delegation, then faced an unexpected marriage proposal when she asked to marry him. He refused, citing his unsettled affairs, while Chu Jinghui pressed him to confirm his decision.

• Yang Qing dismissed Gao Zhanwen’s objections and led the Northern Liang delegation to the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
• Princess Cheng Nazhen and Gao Zhanwen met Chu Jinghui, and Nazhen asked how Western Chu planned to arrange her marriage alliance.
• Cheng Nazhen declared that she admired Yang Qing and was willing to marry him, surprising the court.
• Yang Qing declined the proposal, saying he had given no thought to household affairs and asking Chu Jinghui to grant his wish.
• Chu Jinghui asked Yang Qing whether he had truly considered his refusal, and Yang Qing affirmed that he never spoke rashly.

Yang Qing escorted Princess Nazhen and Gao Zhanwen to their lodgings after Nazhen withdrew her marriage proposal, while Jiang Zhizhou discovered a Gu Insect plot targeting her. After learning Yang Qing had returned to the palace, Jiang Zhizhou hurried to the Imperial City to warn him.

• Princess Nazhen withdrew her marriage proposal and explained that she had acted out of admiration for Yang Qing, then Chu Jinghui asked Yang Qing to escort the envoys to their lodgings.
• Jiang Zhizhou seized a suspicious man in the crowd and forced him to spit out a black pill containing a winged Gu Insect, which Jiang Zhizhou killed.
• The man claimed he had been paid to throw the pill into Nazhen's sedan chair but did not know who had hired him.
• After Jiang Zhizhou left, another Gu Insect emerged from the man and killed him, so Jiang Zhizhou trapped it in a jar.
• Jiang Zhizhou went to Yang Qing's residence, learned Yang Qing had returned to the palace, and rushed to the Imperial City to warn him.

After several Northern Liang envoys and Princess Nazhen fell ill from food at the Guesthouse, Yang Qing joined Jiang Zhizhou to investigate a suspicious Gu Insect. Yang Qing went to confront the delegation’s commander as Jiang Zhizhou slipped away to trace the insects.

• Chu Jinghui ordered Yang Qing to investigate the illnesses among the Northern Liang delegation and warned him that failure could have serious consequences.
• Jiang Zhizhou showed Yang Qing a Gu Insect and explained that its distant controller could use its offspring to affect multiple people.
• Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou suspected that someone connected to the Northern Liang delegation had brought the Gu Insects into the capital, so Yang Qing sent Bu Er to investigate people who had encountered the delegation.
• Yang Qing headed to the Guesthouse while Jiang Zhizhou planned to trace the insects, then quietly disappeared from the carriage.
• At the Guesthouse, Gao Zhanwen threatened Yang Qing over Princess Nazhen, and Yang Qing challenged the commander’s insubordination.

Yang Qing investigated Princess Nazhen’s sudden illness, while she dismissed Gao Zhanwen’s attempt to exploit the incident against him. Back at his residence, Yang Qing remained shut in his study for hours, then opened the door just as Bu Er stood up to check on him.

• Gao Zhanwen accused Yang Qing of neglecting Nazhen, but Yang Qing said her life was not in danger and agreed to investigate before visiting her.
• Imperial Physician Song attributed Nazhen’s symptoms to difficulty acclimatizing, and Nazhen confirmed that she and the others were suffering from it.
• Nazhen dismissed Yang Qing and rebuked Gao Zhanwen for acting rashly, warning him to be prudent in Western Chu’s Imperial City.
• Yang Qing returned to his residence and stayed alone in his unlit study while Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er waited outside.
• Bu Er stood up to check on Yang Qing, and the study door opened.

Yang Qing revealed that Princess Nazhen of Northern Liang and her entourage were not merely suffering from difficulty adjusting to the local climate, while he and Jiang Zhizhou considered the political danger and turned their attention to the Gu Insect. The chapter ended with Jiang Zhizhou preparing to search for a severely injured person who might be unable to control the mother Gu Insect.

• Yang Qing told Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er that Princess Nazhen and her entourage’s illness had another cause, and Imperial Physician Song was keeping outsiders from interfering.
• Jiang Zhizhou concluded that the Northern Liang delegation’s illness concealed a grave matter, while Yang Qing said he would use the affair as bait to expose his enemies.
• Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou discussed the Gu Insect, which had stayed quiet since the death of the person connected to it.
• Yang Qing suggested the keeper of the mother Gu Insect might be unable to act freely, and Jiang Zhizhou decided to investigate people with severe injuries who had sought treatment in the city.

Gao Zhanqi failed to recover the Gu Insect and learned that its Mother Insect would turn on its master in ten days if it was not retrieved. He tracked the insect’s scent through Capital City, where Jiang Zhizhou seized him, and the chapter ended with both men acknowledging that neither had won.

• Gao Zhanqi told Lu Qian that the missing Gu Insect’s Mother Insect would attack its master in ten days unless they recovered it.
• Lu Qian ordered Gao Zhanqi to find the person who had taken the Gu Insect within one day.
• Jiang Zhizhou sensed the Gu Insect moving inside its jar while wandering through Capital City.
• Gao Zhanqi followed the insect’s scent to an alley and sent his bearers to search the nearby houses.
• Jiang Zhizhou captured Gao Zhanqi and carried him away, but Gao Zhanqi pointed out that Jiang Zhizhou had not won either.

Jiang Zhizhou confronted Gao Zhanqi about the Gu Insects and persuaded him to consider a path to freedom in exchange for helping him. Jiang later reported to Yang Qing that their plan had gained an opening, while Emperor Chu Jinghui, troubled by an unexplained feeling, ordered Yang Chengming summoned the next day.

• Jiang Zhizhou revealed that he had come for Gao Zhanqi and suspected Gao could suppress the mother Gu Insect.
• At the Prime Minister's Residence, Jiang pressed Gao to reveal the number of offspring insects and offered him a dangerous route to freedom.
• Gao asked what Jiang wanted him to do, and Jiang began explaining his request.
• Jiang removed his disguise before Yang Qing and reported that he had offered the Gu-Expelling Practitioner a way forward against the restless prime minister.
• Chu Jinghui felt uneasy and asked why Yang Chengming had not visited, then ordered Eunuch Zhang to summon him the next day.

Eunuch Zhang summoned Yang Qing to meet Chu Jinghui, whose strange behavior made Yang Qing suspect the Gu Insect was involved. After Chu Jinghui questioned him about the Northern Liang delegation and Chancellor Wei, he suddenly accused Yang Qing and threw an impeachment memorial at him, leaving Yang Qing to defend himself.

• Eunuch Zhang told Yang Qing that Chu Jinghui had acted unusually and claimed not to remember refusing to see him.
• Yang Qing suspected the Gu Insect might explain Chu Jinghui's change and went with Eunuch Zhang to the palace.
• Yang Qing noticed a faint red thread in Chu Jinghui's eye, which confirmed his fears about the Gu Insect.
• Chu Jinghui questioned Yang Qing about the Northern Liang delegation, Princess Nazhen's marriage, and Yang Qing's relationship with Chancellor Wei.
• Chu Jinghui suddenly shouted at Yang Qing, presented impeachment memorials, and demanded that he explain how he had been wronged.

Yang Qing endured ten strokes after denying the accusations against him, then told Jiang Zhizhou that the other Offspring Insect was inside the imperial household and that Chancellor Wei likely held the Mother Insect. They planned a risky move to expose Wei Sizhong at court the next day, using the Gu Insect to detect the Mother Insect.

• Chu Jinghui accepted Yang Qing's denial but ordered the guards to beat him, and Yang Qing received ten strokes before leaving the palace.
• Yang Qing returned to his residence, where Jiang Zhizhou applied medicine to his injuries.
• Yang Qing told Jiang Zhizhou that the Mother Insect was likely with Chancellor Wei and that the other Offspring Insect was inside the imperial household.
• Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou planned to use the man who planted the gu and the Gu Insect to expose Wei Sizhong at court.
• Jiang Zhizhou gave Yang Qing the earthenware jar containing the Gu Insect and promised to secure him one hour during the confrontation.