Chapter Summaries

King Zhou met Wuti Marquis alone to negotiate an alliance, but tore up the tribute agreement and killed the Tu Fang chieftain. The chapter left the hundred thousand Tu Fang soldiers facing the sudden death of their leader.

• King Zhou rejected his ministers’ pleas and insisted on negotiating with Tu Fang in person.
• Wuti Marquis learned that King Zhou had come alone and decided to attend the meeting without an escort.
• King Zhou and Wuti Marquis met beside the Qi River as Chaoge’s garrison watched from the South Gate.
• Wuti Marquis accepted the tribute agreement and killed a white horse to seal the oath.
• King Zhou denounced Tu Fang’s atrocities, tore up the agreement, and beheaded Wuti Marquis with the Tai'a Sword.

Zi Shou killed the Wuti Marquis during the covenant ceremony, provoking Tu Fang’s cavalry to attack and sparking a battle outside Chaoge. As the armies fought, seven mysterious travelers neared the city.

• Zi Shou broke the Covenant of Chaoge by killing the Wuti Marquis and escaping to the Shang lines, while Chong Houhu recognized that the killing had been part of his plan.
• Wu Li led one hundred thousand Tu Fang cavalrymen in a charge, and Chong Houhu ordered the Shang forces to support Zi Shou and destroy Tu Fang.
• Chao Lei and Chao Tian raised clouds of dust with their riders, while Noble Consort Huang rallied the Shang soldiers and ordered them to fight without retreating.
• The Shang and Tu Fang armies clashed, and Zi Shou fought among his troops as the Shang officials helped restore order to their ranks.
• Seven travelers walked toward Chaoge, discussing a steamed bun and the Hall of Worthies.

The Shang Army broke Tu Fang’s attack after Yi Shangxie sent the Shamans into battle, and Wen Zhong’s spells turned the fighting into a rout. The Seven Monsters of Mount Mei helped trap the fleeing Tu Fang troops, then joined Zi Shou on his return to Chaoge while Wen Zhong pursued the survivors north.

• Yi Shangxie urged Wu Li to send Tu Fang’s Shamans into battle so their people could escape north.
• The Shamans blasted a gap in the Shang Army’s formation, but Wen Zhong killed them with his twin whips and Thunder Technique, shattering Tu Fang’s morale.
• Wu Li ordered a retreat, and Wen Zhong led the Shang Army in pursuit as Tu Fang’s troops fled north.
• The Seven Monsters of Mount Mei blocked the retreating Tu Fang army, and the surviving troops escaped after Yang Xian let some riders break through.
• Yuan Hong told Zi Shou that the seven brothers had come to enlist, and Zi Shou welcomed them into Shang service.
• Wen Zhong requested permission to pursue the remaining Tu Fang riders, and Zi Shou agreed before leading the army back to court.

Yin Jiao and Yin Hong organized Chaoge’s commoners to welcome Zi Shou, believing their efforts to protect and care for them had earned their gratitude. Zi Shou accepted the welcome warily, suspecting his sons had arranged it, while the crowd’s praise for him rang out as the procession entered the city.

• Yin Jiao and Yin Hong gathered displaced commoners at the South Gate and told them to keep order as they welcomed the emperor.
• Fei Zhong arranged for literate applicants from the Hall of Worthies to maintain order, while children prepared flowers and greenery for Zi Shou.
• Yin Jiao rebuked Yin Hong for suggesting that Chaoge’s commoners could be mobilized against Tu Fang, insisting that they should be protected.
• Zi Shou’s procession stopped after Yin Pobai and You Hun reported that crowds of commoners had come to welcome him.
• Fei Zhong slipped into the crowd and shouted, “His Majesty is wise and enlightened, may he live forever,” prompting the commoners to echo the praise.

After the people praised Zi Shou for risking his life to protect Chaoge, he decided that becoming a foolish ruler was still the best way to gain power against the forces of the mythic world. Shang Rong and the other ministers joined the public praise, and Zi Shou stepped down from his carriage to reassure a child who had fallen in the road.

• The people learned that Zi Shou had refused a treaty and fought the Tu Fang cavalry to protect Chaoge, and they began praising him as wise.
• Yin Hong admired Yin Jiao and their mother, while Yin Jiao worried that the people expected him to become a benevolent ruler like his father.
• Zi Shou considered the failures of past rulers and concluded that he still needed to become a foolish ruler to gain power and face the immortals and the Investiture Calamity.
• Shang Rong realized the people's support could help clear the ministers' reputations too, so he led the officials in praising Zi Shou.
• A child fell in front of Zi Shou's carriage, and Zi Shou stepped down to reassure the old woman who came to retrieve him.

Zi Shou rewarded the defenders of Chaoge, appointing the Seven Colonels of the West Garden despite Yang Ren’s objections. He pardoned Mai Zhi and Mai Yun but exiled them to the Southern Ridge, then heard Yin Jiao recommend two more men for rewards.

• Zi Shou appointed Lei Kai Commander of the Golden Mace and made Tao Rong, Xin Huan, and others deputy commanders of the four gates.
• Zi Shou named Yuan Hong and his six companions the Seven Colonels of the West Garden, dismissing Yang Ren’s objections with a claim that his ancestors had revealed their talents in a dream.
• Yin Jiao asked Zi Shou to reward Mai Zhi and Mai Yun for helping persuade the generals and defend Chaoge.
• Zi Shou waived Mai Zhi and Mai Yun’s death sentences but exiled them to the Southern Ridge, returning Zi Qi’s dagger to them.
• Yin Jiao recommended two more men who had earned merit, leaving Zi Shou surprised that there were still further candidates.

Yin Jiao presented the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin and the newly standardized copper currency, and Zi Shou rewarded Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao by naming the coins “Rising Wealth” and “Bringing in Treasure.” The chapter ended with Yang Ren again urging human burial sacrifice as a way to restore relations with the feudal lords, darkening Zi Shou’s mood.

• Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao presented the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin, which Yin Jiao said had inspired Great Shang’s new standardized copper coins.
• Zi Shou recognized the benefits of unified currency and considered using fixed prices for selling official titles.
• Zi Shou named the coins “Rising Wealth” and “Bringing in Treasure,” and Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao pledged themselves as servants of Great Shang.
• Golden merit flowed from the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin to Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao after they accepted Zi Shou’s favor.
• Yang Ren again advocated human burial sacrifice to ease relations with the feudal lords, leaving Zi Shou’s face dark.

Zi Shou banned human burial sacrifices throughout Great Shang and held a memorial ceremony for the soldiers killed fighting Tu Fang. The chapter ended with Shang Rong beginning to understand the significance of Zi Shou’s use of pottery figurines and straw figures instead of living victims.

• After the battle against Tu Fang, Yang Ren proposed human burial sacrifice for the captives, but Zi Shou said he had other plans for them.
• Zi Shou outlawed human burial sacrifices across Great Shang and declared that offenders would be severely punished, regardless of status.
• Three days later, Zi Shou led officials and commoners to the soldiers’ burial site and recited a sacrificial address before their memorial stele.
• Yin Hong wondered why Zi Shou would not bury Tu Fang prisoners with the soldiers, while Yin Jiao told him to wait and see.
• Zi Shou ordered the red silk removed from the carts, revealing pottery figurines and straw figures to accompany the dead instead of living people.
• Shang Rong reflected on the bones of commoners and slaves beneath noble prosperity and began to understand Zi Shou’s purpose.

Zi Shou invited his ministers to celebrate at the palace wine pool, and their alarm over the apparent extravagance grew as they wondered what purpose it served. The chapter ended as Zi Shou considered how to provide enough undiluted wine without wasting it or provoking his ministers.

• Shang Rong realized that banning human burial sacrifice could save lives, increase Great Shang's population and military strength, and pressure disloyal vassals into compliance.
• Shang Rong quietly stopped Yang Ren from remonstrating against the decree, and Zi Shou ordered pottery figurines and straw figures buried in place of people.
• After returning to Chaoge, Zi Shou proposed a grand banquet and invited the ministers to the palace wine pool, leaving them puzzled and concerned about wasting grain.
• Zi Shou recalled that wine pools had grown from an old communal drinking custom, but worried that filling one with undiluted wine would be difficult and that wasting any could make him seem foolish.

Wan Nian presented Zi Shou with wine brewed from mountain grapes, which spared grain and delighted the officials. The banquet continued, though Zi Shou noted that the Meat Forest still remained.

• Wan Nian explained that he had brewed wine after Lady Su repaired the Wine Pool, and Zi Shou invited him to the banquet.
• Wan Nian opened the wine vessels and poured fragrant red wine into the Wine Pool, impressing Zi Shou and the officials.
• Zi Shou realized the wine was made from mountain grapes and questioned how Wan Nian had discovered the method.
• Wan Nian said a dream and the Hundred Herbs Classic had inspired his search for wild fruit and his experiments with mountain grapes.
• Lu Xiong and the other officials praised Zi Shou because grape wine could save grain and help people endure the cold, while Zi Shou turned his attention to the Meat Forest.

Zi Shou presented his ministers with grape wine and brought them to his forest of meat, where he explained the lavish process used to make the cured meat. He ordered Yin Pobai to serve the ministers, leaving them admiring the feast.

• Zi Shou warmed grape wine and shared it with Yang Ren, Shang Rong, and Lu Xiong, though Yang Ren became dizzy after one cup.
• Zi Shou led the officials to a grove of orange trees hung with cured meat.
• Zi Shou explained how he had used large quantities of salt and carefully selected meat to make the forest’s smoked provisions extravagantly luxurious.
• Zi Shou ordered Yin Pobai to fetch meat for the ministers.

Zi Shou hosted a feast in the Forest of Meat, where Yang Ren remonstrated against the expense but was rewarded with extra cured meat. When palace maids arrived, Shang Rong explained that the gathering followed ancient matchmaking customs, and Zi Shou recognized it as a chance for unmarried officers and maids to find spouses; he then led the ministers back to the Pool of Wine for one final task.

• Yin Pobai served cured meat to the ministers as Yang Ren warned Zi Shou that the extravagant feast could be disastrous in a year of hardship.
• Yang Ren remonstrated again about frugality, and Zi Shou praised his frank counsel by ordering Yin Pobai to give him more meat.
• Zi Shou summoned palace maids to the Forest of Meat, prompting Fang Xiang, Fang Bi, and other young officers to prostrate themselves in gratitude.
• Shang Rong explained that the gathering reflected ancient customs for matching unmarried men and women, and Zi Shou understood that it could help the palace maids and young officers marry.
• Zi Shou led the ministers back to the Pool of Wine to complete one final task.

Zi Shou hosted a lavish banquet, demonstrating Pao Luo and a five-flavor hot pot while using the spectacle to signal his resolve to punish lawbreakers. When Yang Ren remonstrated that ordinary people lacked grain, Zi Shou asked why they did not eat meat porridge.

• Zi Shou heated a greased bronze pillar and roasted meat on it, naming the method Pao Luo and describing how it could serve as a punishment.
• Shang Rong tasted the meat, and the officials and Seven Monsters of Mount Mei joined the feast while Yuan Hong teased Zhu Zizhen over a chicken wing.
• Zi Shou brought out a five-compartment Yuan-Yang Pot and ordered more meat, while Yang Ren grew concerned about the banquet's cost and waste.
• Yang Ren remonstrated that many households lacked foxtail millet, and Zi Shou replied by asking why they did not eat meat porridge.

Zi Shou granted Hu Ximei permission to build a fowl house in the West Garden, and she began improving chicken husbandry, believing it could help fulfill King Zhou’s plans to provide meat for the people. The chapter left Hu Ximei working alongside the chickens to learn how to raise them effectively.

• Zi Shou relaxed with Daji after rewarding Wan Nian and sending him away to explore the world.
• Hu Ximei asked Zi Shou to build a fowl house in the West Garden, and he granted her request.
• Hu Ximei reflected on how the Early Fowl Tribe had bred chickens and concluded that chicken meat could be the key to King Zhou’s remark about meat porridge.
• Hu Ximei began researching chicken husbandry and lived among the domestic chickens to understand their needs.

The Seven Monsters of Mount Mei initially resented being appointed to raise animals, but Yang Xian convinced them that King Zhou had assigned them a chance to earn merit by improving animal husbandry and related work. They agreed to carry out their duties and report back once they had results.

• Zhu Zizhen, Yuan Hong, Jin Dasheng, Dai Li, and Chang Hao protested their appointments to livestock posts and considered quitting or retaliating against King Zhou.
• Yang Xian argued that King Zhou understood the people's hunger and had a larger purpose for assigning the monsters to raise animals.
• Yang Xian persuaded the Seven Monsters that raising livestock could help ordinary people eat meat and earn them great merit.
• Yang Xian proposed that Yuan Hong train monkeys to gather fruit, Dai Li breed dogs, Chang Hao breed snakes, and Wu Long raise centipedes for medicinal uses.
• The Seven Monsters recovered their official items and agreed to focus on their duties, then report to King Zhou after producing results.

After ambushing the Tu Fang at a settlement, Wen Zhong drove them north toward the Great Wall Guards. Wu Li and Yi Shangxie failed to lure the guards into battle and prepared to force their way through an unfinished section of the wall.

• Yi Shangxie ordered the starving Tu Fang to loot a settlement, but Wen Zhong's hidden Shang soldiers ambushed them and forced them to flee.
• Wen Zhong refused to pursue, explaining that the ambush had depleted the Tu Fang and that he would join the Great Wall Guards.
• Wu Li and Yi Shangxie sent three thousand weak riders to bait the Great Wall Guards, but Su Quanzhong refused Zhao Bing's request to attack.
• After waiting two days without drawing the guards out, Wu Li and Yi Shangxie decided to charge through an unfinished stretch of the Great Wall.

Tu Fang’s retreat was trapped by earthen walls, forcing its warriors to abandon their horses and flee north while blaming Ji Xian. Wen Zhong praised Su Quanzhong for capturing the horses, and Fei Lian and Kong Xuan discovered Gui Fang tribespeople had been moving boundary steles so the Great Wall would enclose their tribe.

• Yi Shangxie realized the Shang had used the Great Wall, Ji Xian’s persuasion, and King Zhou’s treaty to lure Tu Fang south and trap its retreat.
• Tu Fang’s shamans opened a breach in the Great Wall but died from karmic backlash after intervening.
• Yi Shangxie and Wu Li ordered their people to leave their horses and flee north, and the Tu Fang warriors vowed that Ji Xian must die.
• Wen Zhong praised Su Quanzhong for capturing tens of thousands of horses, but Su Quanzhong stayed silent and told Zhao Bing to build the wall.
• Fei Lian and Kong Xuan discovered Gui Fang tribespeople had moved boundary steles so the Great Wall would enclose their tribe.

After Tu Fang’s defeat, Huang Feihu, Fei Lian, and Kong Xuan planned to use the crisis to bring Gui Fang under Great Shang’s protection and prepare for resistance from the feudal lords. At court, Zi Shou turned the captured horses into an opportunity to launch horse racing, continuing his plan to indulge in entertainment.

• Huang Feihu reported that King Zhou had defeated Tu Fang and that the starving tribe would likely raid Gui Fang, creating a chance to bring Gui Fang into Great Shang.
• Huang Feihu, Fei Lian, and Kong Xuan discussed securing Gui Fang’s submission before the homage ceremony and asking Shen Gongbao to bring its leader to Chaoge.
• Zi Shou attended court to monitor his ministers and heard that Grand Tutor Wen had returned with tens of thousands of horses abandoned by Tu Fang.
• Zi Shou ordered Chao Tian to oversee a racecourse where riders would compete every seven days for titles and lavish rewards.

Tongtian entered Chaoge with Zhao Gongming to observe the city as the great tribulation approached, and found signs of merit throughout the Shang capital. At the racecourse, Tongtian placed a large bet on the horse with the longest odds.

• Tongtian arrived in Chaoge, where Zhao Gongming told him Shi Ji was reading fortunes at the northern gate to win the people's support.
• Tongtian and Zhao Gongming listened to locals praise King Zhou, then saw merit in Chaoge's copper coins, calendar, West Garden, and Bi Gan's estate.
• Tongtian and Zhao Gongming went to the racecourse and learned how its horse races and betting worked.
• Tongtian bet on horse number ten, and Zhao Gongming wagered ten strings of coins on it despite its hundred-to-one odds.

Tongtian repeatedly bet on the horses with the longest odds, claiming he was trying to seize the one chance that escaped, while Zi Shou used his appearance at the racecourse to draw large wagers from nobles. After Zi Shou deliberately finished last, Tongtian continued gambling and then headed back to the city with Zhao Gongming to visit Jin Ling.

• Number Ten finished last in the first race, and Zhao Gongming explained horse appraisal to Tongtian.
• Tongtian bet ten strings of coins on Number Eleven despite Zhao Gongming's assessment, and Number Eleven finished last.
• Zi Shou arrived at the racecourse, mounted Number Twelve, and attracted bets from nobles after its odds were set highest.
• Tongtian also bet on Number Twelve, and Zi Shou rode at a walk to finish last as nobles accused him of rigging the race.
• Zi Shou left, and Tongtian spent the rest of the day betting on the longest-odds horses and losing his money.
• Tongtian told Zhao Gongming they would return to the city to see Jin Ling and her promising new disciple.