Chapter Summaries

Jiang Zhizhou brought Yang Qing and Bu Er to his secluded Plum Garden residence in Northern Liang. Yang Qing grew suspicious of the mute servants, and the chapter ended when one of them knocked food from Jiang Zhizhou’s hands before he could eat.

• Jiang Zhizhou got the Northern Liang guards to let their carriage pass by offering them a jar of wine.
• Jiang Zhizhou took Yang Qing and Bu Er to Plum Garden, a residence he had secretly bought years earlier and staffed with seven mute servants.
• Yang Qing questioned Jiang Zhizhou about the servants, prompting him to consider that something might be wrong at the residence.
• A kitchen servant trembled while serving the meal and dropped a bowl, then knocked another bowl from Jiang Zhizhou’s hands as he was about to eat.
• Yang Qing told the servant to wait aside while he asked questions.

Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou pretended to be poisoned after learning something from a mute servant, drawing out two conspirators who planned to kill them. Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er killed the attackers, then prepared to flee.

• Yang Qing secretly communicated with the kneeling mute servant and told Jiang Zhizhou to stay calm and watch how events unfolded.
• Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou pretended to collapse from poisoned food, while Bu Er returned from the woodshed and played along.
• The gatekeeper and the kitchen servant entered, revealed their plot, and said they served the prince.
• Jiang Zhizhou seized the gatekeeper, while Bu Er stopped the kitchen servant's dagger attack and killed him.
• Jiang Zhizhou forced the gatekeeper to stab himself, then told Yang Qing they should leave.

Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou abandoned their compromised estate and sought help from the Northern Hawk, whose preparations gave them disguises and a chance to move safely through Northern Liang. They left the temple in disguise and headed toward a destination Jiang Zhizhou chose.

• Jiang Zhizhou worried that the enemy had discovered his estate and that their information had leaked from within their ranks.
• Yang Qing argued that Duan Hongzhuo's focus on Yan Pass might explain the estate's exposure and urged Jiang Zhizhou to hide their tracks.
• Yang Qing told Bu Er to search the small temple for a message from the Northern Hawk, and Bu Er found a bundle prepared for them.
• Yang Qing, Jiang Zhizhou, and Bu Er changed into new clothes, took identity papers, and put on masks to disguise themselves.
• Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou erased their traces at the temple before leaving, and Jiang Zhizhou directed the carriage toward a new place to stay.

Yang Qing and his companions entered Tong City after bribing a gate guard and learned that officials were searching for people fleeing from the south. Rather than continue to the inner Imperial City, Yang Qing headed for the First-Rank Residence, where they were greeted on a snowy night.

• Jiang Zhizhou answered a soldier's questions at the Tong City gate and slipped him a silver ingot.
• The soldier warned Jiang Zhizhou that orders called for searching for people who had fled from the south, then checked Yang Qing and Bu Er's travel papers and let them enter.
• Yang Qing decided to stay in Tong City and told Bu Er that the First-Rank Residence was their destination.
• Jiang Zhizhou drove the carriage to the First-Rank Residence, where a man came out to greet them.
• Yang Qing stepped down from the carriage and pointed out the bright lanterns guiding his way.

Yang Qing met Bei Chen at the First-Rank Residence and then went to the Delicacies Pavilion, where he reunited with Xue Ping and secretly discussed plans. The next morning, he asked Xue Ping about Tong City’s jurisdiction and ordered him to take him around the city to investigate.

• Bei Chen welcomed Yang Qing, Jiang Zhizhou, and Bu Er into the First-Rank Residence and reported on its staff and the restaurant Yang Qing planned to acquire.
• Yang Qing told Bei Chen to keep his arrival secret and left the First-Rank Residence despite the worsening snowstorm.
• Jiang Zhizhou led Yang Qing to the Delicacies Pavilion, where Xue Ping recognized him and welcomed him as his master.
• Yang Qing spoke privately with Xue Ping in the rear courtyard, and Xue Ping emerged later that night.
• The next morning, Yang Qing asked Xue Ping who governed Tong City, learned that prefect Cao Yan had jurisdiction, and told Xue Ping to take him around the city.

Yang Qing changed plans to visit the snowstorm-stricken north of Tong City, but a checkpoint searching for people from the south forced him to turn back. At the Rare Treasures Pavilion, he concluded that someone had exposed their movements and resolved to quiet the hunt before it hindered their future actions.

• Yang Qing decided to head toward northern Tong City to assess the snowstorm damage, reasoning that acting now could draw attention before someone else took the initiative.
• At a checkpoint, a Prefectural Soldier demanded that Yang Qing and his companions get out and questioned them while checking portraits.
• Yang Qing claimed to be Jia Qing, a native of Zi City, and learned that the soldiers were searching for criminals and ordering people to report anyone with a southern accent.
• Yang Qing bought food with his companions and returned to the Rare Treasures Pavilion, saying others were already helping people in the north of the city.
• Yang Qing told Jiang Zhizhou and Bu Er that someone had likely disclosed their movements to Northern Liang and said they needed to quiet the matter down.

Yang Qing built a reputation for the Rare Treasures Pavilion while keeping a low profile, then met Tong County Magistrate Gao Jinguang when he came to investigate the restaurant's new proprietor. Gao Jinguang questioned Yang Qing about his background and asked whether he knew that bandits from the south had infiltrated Northern Liang.

• Yang Qing told Jiang Zhizhou to handle a matter without leaving traces, then said he and Bu Er would establish themselves and make a living.
• The Rare Treasures Pavilion gained a reputation in Tong City for its fine wine while Yang Qing practiced calligraphy and Jiang Zhizhou worked outside.
• Xue Ping informed Yang Qing that Tong County Magistrate Gao Jinguang had arrived, and Yang Qing went to meet him while Bu Er stayed behind.
• Gao Jinguang praised the wine and questioned Yang Qing, who introduced himself as Jia Qing and claimed to have escaped a flood that submerged Zi City.
• Gao Jinguang asked Yang Qing whether he knew that bandits from the south had recently infiltrated Northern Liang.

Yang Qing answered Gao Jinguang’s questions about his origins and business, then recovered from the strain of their meeting with Bu Er’s help. After Jiang Zhizhou reported that Yang Qing’s Zi City background had been verified, Yang Qing asked about the conflict between the emperor and the Regent King and the officials supporting them.

• Yang Qing told Gao Jinguang he had left Zi City years ago, had been ill, and had delayed opening the Rare Treasures Pavilion while seeking treatment.
• Gao Jinguang warned Yang Qing to report suspicious people during the year-end rush, praised his Carefree Drunk, and said he would return to taste Yang Qing’s new wine in spring.
• After Gao Jinguang left, Yang Qing felt chilled and unwell, and Bu Er helped him bathe and change clothes.
• Jiang Zhizhou reported that people were checking Yang Qing’s Zi City origins, but that Chen Mo had added household-register entries for them to verify.
• Yang Qing asked Jiang Zhizhou about the emperor and the Regent King, then criticized resolving disputes through force and asked about the military officials’ backgrounds.

Yang Qing sought detailed information on the officers loyal to Duan Hongzhuo while concealing how badly his health had worsened from Bu Er and Jiang Zhizhou. He told Jiang Zhizhou that resolving Northern Liang could take half a year and securing it a year, then asked him to visit land Yang Qing had bought on the Pasture Plains once their work was done.

• Yang Qing asked Jiang Zhizhou to investigate the officers’ backgrounds in detail, focusing on their differing closeness to and favor with Duan Hongzhuo.
• Yang Qing suffered a coughing fit, and Bu Er questioned him about the changed pills; Yang Qing admitted Divine Doctor Xue had prepared them but insisted his mission mattered more than his own safety.
• Jiang Zhizhou confronted Yang Qing about his failing health, but Yang Qing avoided giving a clear answer and said Northern Liang could be settled in half a year and secured in a year if everything was in place.
• Yang Qing told Jiang Zhizhou he had bought land on the Pasture Plains and asked him to accompany him there after their work in Northern Liang was finished.
• Jiang Zhizhou gave Yang Qing the findings he had brought back about the officers.

Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou investigated the strained relationship between Xiao Shandong and Tan Wenjie and noticed an unexplained reference to Lady Li. Yang Qing sent a message by carrier bird, then summoned Bei Chen to learn what he knew about the two officials’ private dealings.

• Jiang Zhizhou told Yang Qing that Xiao Shandong and Tan Wenjie, despite serving Duan Hongzhuo, were often at odds and might provide an opening against him.
• Yang Qing found a note on the scroll saying that Lady Li had died at thirteen and asked Jiang Zhizhou to investigate her connection to the two men.
• Jiang Zhizhou agreed to investigate Lady Li carefully, and Yang Qing sent a message by carrier bird while waiting for a reply.
• Bei Chen arrived after Yang Qing summoned him, and Yang Qing asked about Xiao Shandong and Tan Wenjie’s relationship.
• Bei Chen said the two officials had many private dealings and began preparing to tell Yang Qing about them.

Yang Qing and Bei Chen examined the rumors and strange rivalry between Tan Wenjie and Xiao Shandong, suspecting that Duan Hongzhuo had a hidden purpose. Yang Qing ordered an investigation into the two officials’ pasts, worried that they had overlooked something important.

• Bei Chen told Yang Qing that Xiao Shandong was rumored to be promoted to Left Imperial Censor, and they discussed how Duan Hongzhuo’s silence might be intended to turn Xiao against Tan Wenjie.
• Yang Qing asked about Lady Li, and Bei Chen offered to investigate, but Yang Qing said he had already sent someone to look into her.
• Bei Chen revealed that Tan Wenjie repeatedly met a veiled, unidentified guest in the Cold Plum Pavilion, while Xiao Shandong visited the room opposite a few days later to meet colleagues.
• Bei Chen described how Tan Wenjie and Xiao Shandong openly competed through court disputes, romantic entanglements, and efforts to win over officials.
• Yang Qing suspected their conspicuous rivalry concealed another purpose and ordered Bei Chen to investigate what the two had done before entering official service.

Tan Wenjie, the prefect of the Capital Prefecture, visited the First-Rank Residence and spent the day drinking tea with Bei Chen without explaining his purpose. After Tan Wenjie left, Bei Chen worried the visit might be a trap and ordered an investigation into the prefect’s recent activities.

• Tan Wenjie arrived at the First-Rank Residence in disguise, startling Bei Chen, who feared he might know about the Dark Pavilion.
• Tan Wenjie said he had come to try the residence’s new tea, and Bei Chen personally brewed it for him.
• Tan Wenjie and Bei Chen spent the day discussing tea before Tan Wenjie departed at dusk.
• Bei Chen considered seeking Yang Qing’s advice but worried that leaving might play into Tan Wenjie’s hands.
• Bei Chen summoned a black-clad figure and ordered an investigation into whether anything had recently happened to Tan Wenjie.

Tan Wenjie secretly investigated the First-Rank Residence, hoping to confirm that the Marquis of Anguo's Heir Apparent was safe, but he chose not to reveal himself. After learning that Tan Wenjie had deep ties to the Marquis of An's Residence, Jiang Zhizhou and Yang Qing realized their arrival in Tong City had attracted attention and resolved to be more careful.

• Tan Wenjie left the First-Rank Residence and told his companion that he had decided not to disclose his purpose there.
• Tan Wenjie learned that a man resembling the Heir Apparent had reached Tong City safely, then ordered his people to watch the First-Rank Residence.
• A black-robed figure emerged from hiding after Tan Wenjie departed and followed the carriage with his gaze before vanishing.
• Jiang Zhizhou told Yang Qing that he had seen Tan Wenjie visit the First-Rank Residence and secretly followed him.
• Jiang Zhizhou revealed that Tan Wenjie had deep connections to the Marquis of An's Residence and had intended to seek him out.
• Yang Qing warned that their arrival in Tong City had not gone unnoticed, and he and Jiang Zhizhou agreed to act more cautiously.

Jiang Zhizhou and Yang Qing weighed Tan Wenjie’s unexplained interest in Jiang and decided not to respond until they knew more. Yang Qing then warned that Duan Hongzhuo might use Jiang’s family to pressure him, so Jiang agreed to visit the Marquis of An’s Residence on his own terms.

• Jiang Zhizhou told Yang Qing he did not recognize Tan Wenjie and could not explain why Tan had sought him out.
• Yang Qing suggested investigating Tan’s intentions but advised Jiang to act as though their meeting had never happened.
• Jiang urged Yang Qing to take care in the cold and promised to take him out after the wind and snow passed.
• Yang Qing argued that Duan Hongzhuo might have been watching Jiang since his return and could target the Marquis of An’s Residence to force Jiang to submit.
• Jiang agreed to visit the Marquis of An’s Residence voluntarily rather than wait to be pressured into going.

At Yang Qing’s urging, Jiang Zhizhou returned to the Marquis of An’s Residence after years away, hoping to see his father. He reunited with the Marquis of Anguo, who immediately ordered him to leave.

• Yang Qing persuaded Jiang Zhizhou to return to the Marquis of An’s Residence, and Bu Er questioned why he had sent him there.
• Jiang Zhizhou entered the Inner Imperial City and reached the residence through a side entrance.
• Jiang Zhihuai saw Jiang Zhizhou arrive and secretly ordered his Shadow Guards to investigate the intruder.
• Jiang Zhizhou slipped into the Marquis of Anguo’s study and found his father visibly aged.
• Jiang Zhizhou knelt and greeted the Marquis of Anguo, who threw a book at him and urgently told him to leave.

Jiang Zhizhou secretly met with the Marquis of Anguo after returning to Northern Liang, and they discussed the trap at the estate and the danger of a possible traitor. The Marquis gave Jiang Zhizhou a Jade Pendant to seek help from Shopkeeper Liu and warned him to act cautiously as he pursued his mission.

• Jiang Zhizhou let the Marquis of Anguo strike his forehead with a book, then secretly explained that he had returned to Northern Liang after finishing his work in Western Chu.
• Jiang Zhizhou told the Marquis of Anguo that the Regent King had turned the estate into a trap, and suggested someone inside the residence might have leaked the secret arrangements.
• The Marquis of Anguo gave Jiang Zhizhou a Jade Pendant and told him to seek out Shopkeeper Liu at the Liu Family Bookshop if he faced trouble.
• The Marquis of Anguo warned Jiang Zhizhou not to act rashly or let his achievements overshadow the sovereign, and Jiang Zhizhou promised to be careful before leaving.

Jiang Zhihuai confronted the Marquis of Anguo over his favoritism toward Jiang Zhizhou and was struck and confined. Days later, Jiang Zhizhou took Yang Qing to Cloud Return Zen Temple for the Laba Festival, where they unexpectedly encountered Regent King Duan Hongzhuo.

• The Marquis of Anguo found Jiang Zhihuai waiting outside his study after Jiang Zhizhou had left.
• Jiang Zhihuai suggested Jiang Zhizhou might have returned from Western Chu and accused the Marquis of Anguo of treating his sons unfairly.
• The Marquis of Anguo slapped Jiang Zhihuai and ordered the guards to confine him to his courtyard.
• Several days later, Jiang Zhizhou took Yang Qing to Cloud Return Zen Temple for the Laba Festival.
• Jiang Zhizhou and Yang Qing recognized Regent King Duan Hongzhuo at the temple and wondered why he had come there.

Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou discovered that Duan Hongzhuo had secretly entered Cloud Return Zen Temple, apparently seeking a rumored Wandering Monk. They followed the abbot to the meditation quarters, while hidden watchers hurried to report their movements to His Highness.

• Yang Qing told Jiang Zhizhou that Duan Hongzhuo had arrived with few attendants and likely came in secret to seek the Wandering Monk rumored to be at Cloud Return Zen Temple.
• Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou decided to enter the temple rather than risk drawing attention by leaving.
• The abbot met Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou in the covered corridors and invited them to sample Snow Plum tea.
• Yang Qing accepted the abbot's invitation, and the abbot led both men toward the meditation quarters.
• Two hidden figures saw them follow the abbot and went to report to His Highness.

Duan Hongzhuo learned that two suspicious visitors had been invited to tea by the abbot of Cloud Return Zen Temple and went to investigate. As Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou were about to taste the abbot’s Snow Plum tea, Duan Hongzhuo arrived and was welcomed into the meditation chamber.

• Duan Hongzhuo learned that the wandering monk was absent and refused his subordinate’s offer to search the temple by force.
• Duan Hongzhuo heard that two suspicious visitors had been seen wandering the hillside corridors and had gone to drink tea with the abbot.
• Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou followed the abbot to his meditation chamber, where he prepared Snow Plum tea with water melted from the winter’s second snowfall.
• Duan Hongzhuo followed the tea’s fragrance to the meditation chamber and asked to join the guests.
• The abbot opened the door and invited Duan Hongzhuo inside.

Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou avoided entanglement with Duan Hongzhuo at Cloud Return Zen Temple and left the crowded Laba Festival grounds. As they headed for their carriage, someone stopped them.

• Duan Hongzhuo found Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou kneeling in the abbot’s chamber, then left and ordered his subordinate to investigate them.
• The abbot apologized for the ruined tea, and Yang Qing said that gain and loss were ordained by Heaven.
• Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou offered incense, avoided the Laba porridge crowds, and discussed Duan Hongzhuo’s visit as they walked through the temple.
• Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou decided not to approach another group of meditation chambers and left the temple without seeking a protective talisman.
• Someone blocked Yang Qing and Jiang Zhizhou on their way to their carriage and called out to them.