Chapter Summaries

Huang Feihu brought the northern tribal chiefs into Great Shang by forcing them to honor their ancestors, then sought advice on how to govern them. Xin Jia proposed settling the tribes around northern mineral deposits, and Huang Feihu decided to report the plan to King Zhou in Chaoge.

• Huang Feihu subdued the rebellious chiefs, led them through ancestral rites, and had them pledge loyalty to His Majesty.
• Huang Feihu worried that governing the settled northern tribes would prove harder than winning their submission, so Ji Sheng recommended Xin Jia.
• Xin Jia argued that mining could provide lasting work and settlements for the tribes after construction of the Great Wall and roads ended.
• Xin Jia suggested searching for useful minerals in the north rather than limiting mining to copper, and Huang Feihu agreed to take the proposal to Chaoge.
• Huang Feihu invited Xin Jia to accompany him to report to King Zhou, and Xin Jia accepted.

Huang Feihu returned to Chaoge and discussed his wife’s pregnancy with Zi Shou, who lamented his own lack of children. When Huang Feihu’s wife went into labor eight months into her pregnancy, Zi Shou accompanied him home, where physicians reported that the child seemed to be coming early.

• Huang Feihu returned to Chaoge after the northern tribes submitted, and Zi Shou received him to discuss settling them.
• Zi Shou asked whether Huang Feihu had a secret remedy for having children, and Huang Feihu said he had been exceptionally gifted since childhood.
• Zi Shou explained how saltpeter could make ice and drank chilled grape wine while Huang Feihu watched hungrily.
• A eunuch reported that Huang Feihu’s wife had developed severe abdominal pain, so Zi Shou accompanied Huang Feihu to his residence.
• An imperial physician told Zi Shou and Huang Feihu that the eight-month pregnancy seemed to be ending in an early birth.

Lady Jia faced a life-threatening premature, malpositioned delivery, and Zi Shou ordered Qian Bao to attempt a caesarean section after Gao Ming and Gao Jue brought an elixir that would buy three days. The chapter ended with Zi Shou extending the order to other women in Chaoge with dangerous deliveries, leaving Qian Bao responsible for the operations.

• Huang Feihu learned that Lady Jia’s premature baby was malpositioned and that both mother and child might die in childbirth.
• Qian Bao examined Lady Jia but could offer no timely remedy, while Huang Feihu desperately sought a way to save his wife and child.
• Gao Ming and Gao Jue reported that Daoist Yun Zhongzi had given them an elixir that could buy three days, while Daoist Duobao had sensed a sliver of hope.
• Zi Shou ordered Lady Jia’s baby delivered by caesarean section, and Qian Bao judged that surgery might give both mother and child a better chance.
• Zi Shou commanded that women in Chaoge with premature or malpositioned babies be brought to the palace for caesarean deliveries under Qian Bao’s care.

Qian Bao found surgical methods in the Outer Canon and began performing cesarean sections, while Zi Shou accepted the public blame for the dangerous operations. The chapter ended with Daji revealing that she had spread rumors portraying herself as a demon consort to shield Zi Shou.

• Qian Bao dreamed that the Inner Canon turned into the Outer Canon and studied Yu Fu’s accounts of treating illnesses through surgery.
• Qian Bao performed cesarean sections on women with difficult births, and angry relatives protested after learning their abdomens were being cut open.
• Huang Feihu sought Xin Jia’s advice and confirmed that Lu Zhong’s sons, including Peng Zu, had been delivered through an incision.
• Zi Shou learned that most of Qian Bao’s cesarean patients had died and considered the medical risks and public outrage.
• A eunuch told Zi Shou that rumors blamed Daji for forcing pregnant women into the palace, and Zi Shou ordered the rumor-spreaders killed.
• Daji revealed that she had started the rumors herself to divert blame from Zi Shou and said her ancestor Nü Jiao had told her of earlier cesarean births.

Qian Bao performed a cesarean section on Lady Jia, and the Three Xiao Sisters intervened to deliver and cleanse Huang Tianxiang. Lady Jia and her son survived for the time being, while Yunxiao asked whether the procedure could be taught to others.

• Qian Bao began Lady Jia's cesarean section after giving her a knockout drug, and he extracted the fetus despite her pain.
• Qiongxiao used the Dragon Binding Rope to carry Lady Jia and the infant from the operating room, and the Three Xiao Sisters arrived with Zhao Gongming.
• Bixiao cut the umbilical cord with the Golden Flood Dragon Scissors, and Yunxiao cleansed the infant with the Primordial Golden Dou as he began to cry.
• Yunxiao asked to take Huang Tianxiang as her disciple, but Zi Shou refused and insisted that Lady Jia receive care before anyone took the child away.
• Zhao Gongming returned Lady Jia and Huang Tianxiang to the room, where Qian Bao stitched Lady Jia's wound and reported that mother and child were safe for the time being.
• Yunxiao asked Zi Shou whether the cesarean method could be taught to others, stirring his foreboding.

Zi Shou rejected the Three Xiao Sisters’ attempt to claim credit for cesarean sections and proposed a Medical Academy that would train female physicians. He ordered ministers to send suitable young women from their households, despite the court’s objections.

• Zi Shou told Qian Bao to wait before promoting cesarean sections and announced a Medical Academy under Qian Bao’s leadership.
• Zi Shou argued that female physicians could make cesarean sections more acceptable, and he declared that Huang Tianxiang would stay in Chaoge as his adopted son.
• The Three Xiao Sisters left after Yunxiao said they needed time to consider the proposal, and Zhao Gongming departed after apologizing.
• At court, Yang Ren proposed training eunuchs instead, while Fei Zhong and You Hun supported recruiting female physicians.
• After letting the ministers debate, Zi Shou ordered officials to send suitable young women from their households to the Medical Academy, alarming Shang Rong.

Zi Shou ordered noble families to send their daughters to the medical academy to learn cesarean sections, despite their protests, and Daji chose to enroll as well. About half a month later, Bo Yikao, the Marquis of the West’s eldest son, arrived in Chaoge.

• Zi Shou decreed that women who died in childbirth must undergo cesarean sections and ordered a hundred noble daughters to enroll in the medical academy and pay tuition.
• Shang Rong and other ministers protested, but Zi Shou refused to remove their daughters from the register, and Shang Rong fainted.
• Zi Shou collected tuition at the Chaoge Medical Academy, where the Three Xiao Sisters enrolled and Qiongxiao agreed to study cesarean sections.
• Daji said she wanted to learn the procedure to protect the noblewomen from rumors, but Zi Shou took her back to Shouxian Palace.
• Bo Yikao arrived in Chaoge about half a month later.

Zi Shou learned that Bo Yikao was using opera praising Xiqi’s Three Tais to win support from Chaoge’s nobles and pressure him to abolish the Medical Academy. After ignoring Xiqi for another half month, Zi Shou received Bo Yikao’s request for an audience once the songs had spread among the people.

• Zi Shou divided the Xiqi envoys’ bribes with You Hun and asked what they had been doing in Chaoge.
• You Hun told Zi Shou that Bo Yikao was performing opera and playing the zither, including a song about Tai Jiang, Tai Ren, and Tai Si.
• Zi Shou realized Bo Yikao was using praise of the Three Tais to court the nobles’ support against the Medical Academy.
• Zi Shou learned that Ji Chang’s wife and mother had also come to Chaoge, but decided to maintain his course and keep ignoring the Xiqi delegation.
• After another half month, a song praising the Three Tais circulated among the common people, and Bo Yikao requested an audience with Zi Shou.

Bo Yikao brought San Yisheng to court to offer a Jade Phoenix and stage a protest against King Zhou, hoping to build San Yisheng’s reputation as a loyal remonstrator. When King Zhou told San Yisheng to go ahead and smash his head against a pillar, Hong Yao snatched away the treasure, and Bo Yikao stepped forward with three more offerings.

• Bo Yikao brought San Yisheng before Zi Shou, who delayed acknowledging them while attending to Daji.
• San Yisheng presented the Jade Phoenix, then accused Zi Shou of attending court drunk and demanded that he change his ways.
• San Yisheng threatened to smash his head and the Jade Phoenix against a pillar, but Zi Shou told everyone to let him do it.
• Bo Yikao worried that King Zhou had seen through their scheme to use San Yisheng as a spy and a public remonstrator.
• Hong Yao rushed in and took the Jade Phoenix from San Yisheng, then offered it to Zi Shou.
• Bo Yikao apologized for bringing a disorderly subject and offered Zi Shou three more treasures to inspect.

Zi Shou tested San Yisheng’s loyalty by letting him strike the pillar, then watched Hong Yao use Bo Yikao’s White-Faced Ape to expose Daji as a demon. The ape lunged at Daji, leaving Hong Yao expecting the accusation to bring him acclaim, though the chapter ended before the consequences were shown.

• Zi Shou returned the jade Phoenix to San Yisheng and invited him to continue, and San Yisheng struck the pillar before pretending to be unconscious.
• Zi Shou ordered San Yisheng taken to Qian Bao for treatment and told the court he could use the pillar again whenever he wished.
• Bo Yikao presented the White-Faced Ape, and Hong Yao struck the chime so it would sing and dance.
• Hong Yao rebuked Zi Shou and the ministers, mocking their abilities and accusing the court of failing to remonstrate.
• Hong Yao claimed the White-Faced Ape could detect demons, and after he discarded the mallet, the ape lunged at Daji.

Tai Dian exposed Hong Yao and San Yisheng as allies of Xiqi, disrupting their attempt to discredit King Zhou, while Zi Shou detained both men and examined Bo Yikao’s second treasure. The chapter ended with Wen Zhong revealing that the Sobering Mat’s failure to produce clouds meant Zi Shou had not been drunk.

• Tai Dian stripped in the royal hall, denounced Hong Yao as a traitor, and challenged him to prove his innocence by cutting out his heart.
• Zi Shou ordered Hong Yao and Tai Dian seized, while realizing Tai Dian’s accusation had exposed Hong Yao and San Yisheng’s ties to the Marquis of the West.
• Bo Yikao presented the Sobering Mat, and Zi Shou claimed it had sobered him after trying it.
• Wen Zhong explained that the mat should produce clouds and mist when it sobered a drunk person.
• Bo Yikao stated that the lack of clouds meant Zi Shou had not been drunk.

Bo Yikao presented the Seven Fragrance Chariot after the court ministers concluded that Zi Shou’s half-year of appearing drunk had exposed disloyal officials and their own neglect. Intrigued by the self-guiding four-wheeled carriage, Zi Shou prepared to test it before letting Daji ride.

• Chong Houhu reasoned that Zi Shou had feigned drunkenness to test the ministers, uncover San Yisheng and Hong Yao, and identify loyal officials such as Tai Dian.
• The ministers and Bo Yikao grew chilled as they considered the scheme’s consequences for Ji Chang, Bo Yikao, and the officials at court.
• Zi Shou changed the subject and asked Bo Yikao to present the third treasure.
• Bo Yikao described the Seven Fragrance Chariot as a self-guiding treasure left by Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan and had it carried into the hall.
• Zi Shou eagerly invited Daji to ride, then decided to test the carriage himself first to make sure it was safe.

Zi Shou tested the Seven Fragrance Chariot, then dismantled it in front of the court and rewarded Bo Yikao with a Palace Dress. The chapter ended with news that Bo Yikao’s elderly mother, Tai Ren, had suddenly lost consciousness.

• Zi Shou rode the voice-controlled Seven Fragrance Chariot and ordered improvements to its cabin and seats.
• Zi Shou flipped the chariot over, removed its wheels, and tore it apart while the ministers watched.
• Zi Shou ordered the attendants to gather the parts and awarded Bo Yikao a Palace Dress for presenting the chariot.
• An Eunuch reported that Tai Ren had suddenly lost consciousness, leaving Bo Yikao stunned and asking permission to withdraw.

Shang Qingjun and the Medical Academy’s female physicians were summoned to treat Tai Ren at the Marquis of the West’s Mansion while Qian Bao was away. Shang Qingjun faced the household as a physician rather than a rejected bride, and Bo Yikao pleaded with Zi Shou to bring Qian Bao to save his grandmother.

• Shang Qingjun recalled Qian Bao’s surgical demonstrations and continued studying medicine by carving lessons into a wooden tablet.
• A fellow student reported that Tai Ren had fallen critically ill, and Shang Qingjun agreed to lead the female physicians to the Marquis of the West’s Mansion.
• Shang Qingjun remembered how Ji Fa had repudiated their engagement because she had become a female physician, while Bo Yikao had prevented the rejection from becoming public.
• Shang Qingjun gathered surgical tools and arrived at the mansion with the other female physicians.
• Bo Yikao pleaded with Zi Shou to summon Qian Bao after the palace physician and the Xiqi physicians failed to improve Tai Ren’s condition.

After Tai Ren stopped breathing, Shang Qingjun began an emergency resuscitation attempt, while Zi Shou took responsibility for the apparent failure of the physicians. The chapter ended with Shang Qingjun performing an unfamiliar procedure as the onlookers watched in confusion.

• Shang Qingjun arrived with the female physicians and examined Tai Ren, whose pulse was barely perceptible.
• Tai Ren stopped breathing, and Bo Yikao wept as the physicians believed she was beyond saving.
• Zi Shou claimed responsibility for Tai Ren's death to shield the female physicians from blame.
• Shang Qingjun ordered the others aside and began resuscitating Tai Ren with help from Yuan'er and Wan'er.
• Bixiao explained the need for careful compressions, while Zi Shou recognized the procedure as cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

Shang Qingjun revived Tai Ren with cardiopulmonary resuscitation and artificial respiration, winning recognition for the female physicians and earning praise from Zi Shou. Zi Shou began asking about Shang Qingjun’s former engagement, leaving its identity and his plans unresolved.

• Shang Qingjun and the female physicians performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and artificial respiration on Tai Ren while Zi Shou prevented others from interfering.
• Tai Ren began breathing again, and an imperial physician confirmed that her pulse was stabilizing.
• The female physicians celebrated their success, while Tai Ren said she had seen her late husband and Bo Yikao asked whether she needed medicine.
• Zi Shou praised the female physicians, named Shang Qingjun a paragon for women, and prompted Shang Rong to identify her as his daughter.
• Zi Shou asked Shang Qingjun whether she had been betrothed and, after she admitted she had once been engaged, demanded to know which family.

Zi Shou tried to use Shang Qingjun’s appointment and broken engagement to provoke Xiqi, but Bo Yikao could not defend Ji Fa’s decision before the court. Shang Qingjun rejected the match and chose medicine, while Bo Yikao put on his Palace Dress.

• Zi Shou appointed Shang Qingjun an Imperial Physician and ordered a celebratory procession, hoping to publicize her engagement to Ji Fa and anger Xiqi.
• Shang Qingjun revealed that Ji Fa had already broken off their engagement, leaving Zi Shou unable to use the marriage to provoke him.
• Zi Shou challenged Bo Yikao to explain why Ji Fa had repudiated Shang Qingjun, and Bo Yikao could not justify the decision without insulting the woman who had saved Tai Si.
• Bo Yikao asked Shang Qingjun to give him a chance to make amends, but Shang Rong condemned the Ji family and Shang Qingjun said she would rather practice medicine than marry into Xiqi.
• Shang Qingjun declared that she wished only to practice medicine and save lives, and Bo Yikao suddenly put on the Palace Dress he had been granted.

Bo Yikao left Chaoge for Xiqi after demonstrating his willingness to wear a Palace Dress, while Zi Shou anticipated that the feud would generate Foolishness Value. Meanwhile, Jiang Midang led the strengthened Qiang south to raid, but after Jiang Wenhuan routed his army at Li Commandery, he turned west toward Xiqi and the western Feudal Lords.

• Bo Yikao asked to enter the Medical Academy, and Zi Shou let him return to Xiqi in a Palace Dress after Tai Ren revived.
• Zi Shou gave the dismantled Seven Fragrance Chariot to Yin Jiao and Yin Hong and looked forward to gaining Foolishness Value from Xiqi and other events.
• Jiang Midang mustered the Qiang army to raid south, but he changed course when the completed Great Wall blocked their way.
• Jiang Wenhuan charged through the Qiang army at Li Commandery, and Jiang Midang claimed that he had accepted their offerings to preserve morale.
• Jiang Midang led the Qiang west toward Xiqi, where the absence of a Great Wall left the western Feudal Lords exposed to raids.

Jiang Midang rallied Qiang Fang to attack Xiqi by invoking the Ji clan’s role in supplying Qiang people for human sacrifices. Ji Fa realized King Zhou’s policies had redirected the Qiang’s anger toward Xiqi, and he hurried to mobilize troops as his family returned toward the threatened city.

• Jiang Midang reminded the Qiang of their shared origins with the Ji and accused the Ji of betraying them by supplying their kin for Shang sacrifices.
• Jiang Midang stirred the Qiang and their northern allies to seek revenge, and Qiang Fang marched toward Xiqi.
• Ji Fa learned that his betrothal had been canceled, his grandmother had fallen gravely ill, and Qiang Fang was advancing on Xiqi.
• Ji Fa and Ji Dan recognized how King Zhou’s policies had enabled Qiang Fang to target Xiqi, which had made no preparations for an attack.
• Ji Fa ordered Fourth Brother to take troops with Nangong Shi to meet Bo Yikao, Tai Si, and Tai Ren before they encountered the Qiang army.

Bo Yikao was ambushed by Qiang troops and realized King Zhou had arranged the attack to undermine Xiqi’s standing with its people. Rather than escape, he changed his surname to Jiang and approached the Qiang general, while Chong Heihu carried his final message to Ji Fa.

• Ehe’s Qiang troops ambushed Bo Yikao’s party, forcing them to flee into a ruined temple as Tai Ren struggled to escape through a hole in its wall.
• Chong Heihu appeared and offered to help Bo Yikao break out, but Bo Yikao recognized the attack as King Zhou’s plan to make Xiqi lose its people’s support.
• Bo Yikao asked Chong Heihu to deliver a message to Ji Fa, then faced Ehe’s troops and introduced himself as Jiang Kao.
• Ji Dan found Tai Si and Tai Ren after they escaped, and refused Nangong Shi’s offer to rescue Bo Yikao, saying they needed to drive out the Qiang first.
• Chong Heihu reached Ji Fa’s manor and reported that Bo Yikao was surrounded, then began conveying Bo Yikao’s final request.