Chapter Summaries

After Great Shang's sweeping victories exposed Ji Chang's designs, the court celebrated Zi Shou's growing power. Hu Fang's leader Zhen Zu, impressed by Shang's strength and the fate of neighboring tribes, asked to submit and settle in Chaoge, giving Zi Shou an idea for recovering his Foolishness Value.

• Jiang Wenhuan threw the Zhu before Ji Chang and openly declared that they were bullying and humiliating him, while Jiang Huanchu watched Ji Chang coldly.
• Zhao Bing reported the victories, and Wen Zhong, Lu Xiong, and the other ministers praised Great Shang's expanded territory and Zi Shou's apparent foresight.
• Shang Rong called for the lords who had deceived Zi Shou with worthless stones to be punished, and the officials congratulated the king.
• Zhen Zu considered how Great Shang had absorbed Gui Fang and Yu Yue and decided that Hu Fang would be safer and more prosperous under Shang rule.
• Zhen Zu asked to lead Hu Fang in submitting to Great Shang and to live permanently in Chaoge, and Zi Shou realized the request might help him recover his Foolishness Value.

Zi Shou appointed Jiang Wenhuan governor of Li Territory and tried to keep submitted foreign chiefs in Chaoge, alarming the court and feudal lords. Fei Zhong accused Ji Chang of treason, and Zi Shou sent him to Youli, where a sudden radiance appeared.

• Zi Shou rejected Jiang Wenhuan’s proposal to attack Baiyue and appointed him governor of Li Territory.
• Zi Shou granted titles to submitted foreign chiefs and sought to keep them in Chaoge, prompting Yang Ren and the feudal lords to object.
• The Hufang chief and Gui Fang chief volunteered to serve at court, while the court’s objections delayed arrangements for the Tu Fang Leader and Yu Yue chief.
• Fei Zhong accused Ji Chang of plotting treason with the Western Rong and urged Zi Shou not to let him return to Xiqi.
• Ji Chang admitted guilt, and Zi Shou ordered him sent to Youli; a sudden radiance shone from the ground.

Zi Shou returned to Shouxian Palace after intercepting a radiant stone and told Daji about the court gathering. He decided to send Bo Yi and Shu Qi away to build roads while collecting folk songs and compiling ceremonial music, leaving them little time to interfere with his plans.

• Zi Shou took the cracked stone from Shen Gongbao, appointed him Imperial Preceptor, and hurried back to the palace with the stone.
• Daji reassured Zi Shou that the frontier troubles were manageable, while he dismissed the radiant stone as a tool for cracking walnuts.
• Zi Shou decided Bo Yi and Shu Qi needed other duties because their talents and rising reputations made them a threat to his plans.
• Daji proposed that Bo Yi and Shu Qi build roads while collecting folk songs and compiling ceremonial music during their travels.
• Zi Shou welcomed the plan, expecting the brothers to be too occupied with the work to cause trouble in Chaoge.

Zi Shou welcomed a new chance to gain foolishness value when road construction forced him to conscript laborers, and he refused his ministers’ advice to delay it. As resentment spread, Chong Houhu tried to decipher the King’s hidden purpose and went out to question the people.

• Zi Shou planned to seek foolishness value through salt prices, weeping at the Great Wall, unrest among the tribes, and Ji Chang’s imprisonment in Youli.
• You Hun reported that Bo Yi and Shu Qi lacked slaves to build roads, so laborers would have to be conscripted while the Great Wall was still under construction.
• Zi Shou rejected the ministers’ advice to postpone the roads and ordered Chao Lei and the Navy recalled to influence public sentiment about the conscription.
• Chong Houhu worried as people began criticizing King Zhou for forcing road construction, but he suspected the decision concealed a deeper plan.
• Chong Houhu changed clothes and went among the people to seek clues about Zi Shou’s intentions.

Chong Houhu observed Chaoge’s flourishing markets and realized that King Zhou’s promotion of commerce carried on Wang Hai’s legacy and could strengthen the state. He concluded that building roads would expand trade, but was left wondering where the road builders would come from as a messenger arrived from the south.

• Chong Houhu explored the market, where standardized weights and measures supported sellers of vegetables, charcoal, and game caught by Lei Kai’s Hunting Team.
• Chong Houhu followed the hunters outside the city and saw people gambling on stones and attending cockfights organized by Tao Rong and Xin Huan.
• Chong Houhu watched a wealthy Daoist lose at stone gambling and cockfighting, then recognized that Chaoge’s expanding variety of businesses showed that its market was flourishing.
• Chong Houhu recalled Jizi’s account of Wang Hai’s trade and realized that commerce had helped the Shang people prosper and rise to power.
• Chong Houhu decided that roads could extend commerce beyond Chaoge and enrich the people and state, but he wondered who would build them as a dusty messenger arrived from the south.

King Zhou's attempt to keep tribal leaders in Chaoge appeared to provoke a rebellion, but the urgent report revealed that Yu Yue had risen while Hu Fang remained largely under control. The chapter ended with Hu Fang troops marching toward the Yu Yue borderlands under Shang command.

• Ji Chang continued growing vegetables in Youli to appear unambitious, while King Zhou ordered the Marquis of Hu and Marquis of Gui to stay and summoned the Yu Yue and Tu Fang leaders to Chaoge.
• A messenger named Tai Luan arrived from Three Mountains Pass with an urgent report, and Wen Zhong and King Zhou suspected Hu Fang had rebelled.
• Tai Luan reported that Yu Yue had rebelled and that Deputy General Deng Xiu had been ambushed and defeated while trying to suppress it.
• Tai Luan explained that Yu Yue's tribespeople had rejected submission after their former leader died at Shang hands, despite Chief Commander Deng's assurances of support.
• Tai Luan reported that Hu Fang had remained mostly orderly under Zhang Shan, who recruited Hu Fang tribespeople with promises of military titles and sent them toward the Yu Yue borderlands.

After Yu Yue rebelled, Zi Shou rejected his ministers’ plans to manage the tribes and instead approved Ji Chang’s proposal to make the Tu Fang people build roads. Ji Chang believed he had passed Zi Shou’s test, while Zi Shou saw the decision as another chance to cause trouble for his enemies.

• Lu Xiong, Tai Luan, and Yang Ren explained why Yu Yue’s leader could not command his people’s loyalty, and Wen Zhong proposed summoning tribal leaders to Chaoge.
• Zi Shou rejected Wen Zhong’s plan, then reversed course and agreed with Lu Xiong that the Tu Fang Leader should be summoned to Chaoge.
• Yang Ren proposed settling the Tu Fang people on farmland and gradually integrating them into Great Shang.
• Ji Chang proposed having the Tu Fang people build roads, prompting the ministers to accuse him of endangering Great Shang and King Zhou’s prestige.
• Zi Shou approved Ji Chang’s proposal despite the ministers’ objections, while Ji Chang believed his advice had fooled the king.

Zi Shou dreamed that Fuxi, Shennong, and Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan discussed the coming tribulation and the threat to the Human Race’s fortune, while Xuanyuan sent his cauldron into the mortal world. Meanwhile, Jiang Wenhuan struggled to hold Li Territory as Marquis Li’s family stirred up opposition, and Zi Shou feared his policies would make him seem like a foolish ruler.

• Fuxi divined that the Xuanyuan Tomb would be burned and the Xuanyuan Temple destroyed, threatening Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan’s incense worship and fortune.
• Fuxi, Shennong, and Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan refused to abandon their attachments to the Human Race in pursuit of enlightenment.
• Fuxi revealed that the Kongtong Seal had entered Chaoge, where Zi Shou had unknowingly reduced it to a nutcracker.
• Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan sent his cauldron out of the Fire Cloud Palace, and Zi Shou woke from his unclear dream beside Empress Jiang.
• In Li City, Marquis Li’s relatives rallied the people against Jiang Wenhuan and King Zhou for taking the territory and killing Marquis Li.
• Jiang Wenhuan defeated hundreds of challengers to suppress dissent among his troops, but feared that opposition would eventually drive him from Li Territory.

Li Yu manipulated Jiang Wenhuan into refusing supplies to Wugao Rong, hoping to provoke an invasion and drive him from Li Territory. Jiang Wenhuan rejected his officer’s warnings and vowed to carry out King Zhou’s orders, even as he prepared to punish people who criticized him.

• Li Yu pretended to support Jiang Wenhuan and suggested fortifying Li City and clearing the fields against a possible Wugao Rong attack.
• Jiang Wenhuan ordered the defenses prepared, while Li Yu planned to secretly lure Wugao Rong into invading and used his wealth to win over Li Territory’s nobles.
• Jiang Wenhuan dismissed his officer’s suspicion of Li Yu and ordered him to seize and hang people who had cursed Jiang and King Zhou.
• Jiang Wenhuan declared that he would bear the consequences of defending Li Territory and obeying King Zhou, even if he failed and died.
• Jiang Wenhuan’s officer left to arrest the loudest critics.

Li Yu’s plot to provoke Jiang Wenhuan coincided with the arrival of the Wugao Rong and Yuwu Rong armies at Li City. As the enemy kings demanded tribute and Jiang warned them not to pass his arrow, Li Yu urged him to focus on defending the city.

• Li Yu discovered that Jiang Wenhuan’s retainers had taken his younger brother, then heard the warning that the Wugao Rong were approaching Li City.
• The Yuwu Rong joined the Wugao Rong outside the city, and Li Yu realized their combined forces could threaten Li City.
• Jiang Wenhuan appeared in golden armor with Li Yu’s younger brother beside him, apparently having played football with him, while officials and retainers worried that he had neglected the defenses.
• King Wugao and King Yuwu demanded gifts and tribute from Jiang Wenhuan, disguising their threat as congratulations.
• Jiang Wenhuan shot an arrow into the stone wall and warned the Rong not to cross it, while Li Yu urged him to arrange the city’s defenses.

Jiang Wenhuan left Li City to confront the Rong leaders and fought his way through their army, returning alive after killing scores of warriors. Li Yu rallied the defenders, while the two Rong kings ended the chapter unwilling to pursue Jiang Wenhuan again.

• Jiang Wenhuan ordered the soldiers to defend Li City as civilians recognized the value of Li Yu's fortifications and cleared countryside.
• Li Yu encouraged the defenders while Jiang Wenhuan left the walls with a household officer and rode out with just over thirty men.
• King Wugao and King Yuwu mocked Jiang Wenhuan and proposed a marriage alliance, but Jiang Wenhuan declared he would not marry until the Rongdi were destroyed.
• Jiang Wenhuan shot King Wugao in the left eye, then charged into the Rong army and killed scores of warriors as the two kings tried to stop him.
• Jiang Wenhuan repeatedly turned on pursuing Rong warriors, killing nearly all of the hundred sent after him before returning to Li City.
• The gate commander opened the gates for Jiang Wenhuan, while the Rong forces refused to pursue him again.

Jiang Wenhuan united Li City by repeatedly slaughtering the Rong attackers, then led its forces to drive them into retreat. His victory strengthened King Zhou’s position, while Li Yu realized his plans and reputation had collapsed and that memorials attacking Jiang Wenhuan in Chaoge might now backfire.

• King Wugao and King Yuwu continued their siege despite Jiang Wenhuan’s repeated victories, unwilling to retreat in disgrace.
• Over seven days, Jiang Wenhuan led increasingly large groups out of Li City and killed so many Rong People that the city’s soldiers, civilians, and nobles rallied behind him.
• On the eighth day, Jiang Wenhuan urged Li City’s people to trust King Zhou, then led the united army out to fight the Rong People.
• The Rong People fled by dusk, and King Yuwu claimed Jiang Wenhuan was the reincarnation of a Yuwu Tribe general to explain the defeat and save face.
• Li Yu watched the Rong retreat and realized the nobles had abandoned him and Jiang Wenhuan had ruined his plans.
• In Chaoge, Feudal Lords submitted memorials condemning Jiang Wenhuan, the Marquis of the East, and King Zhou, and called for Marquis Li’s more popular son to inherit his title.

Zi Shou ignored reports criticizing Jiang Wenhuan and ordered their contents spread, hoping Jiang Wenhuan’s troubles would increase his foolishness value. You Hun left the palace believing Zi Shou’s decision concealed a deeper purpose, while Zi Shou spent the night with Queen Jiang.

• Li Yu bribed You Hun and asked him to pass along a report criticizing Jiang Wenhuan’s rule in Li Commandery.
• You Hun presented Li Yu’s bamboo slips to Zi Shou, who dismissed the suggestion to replace Jiang Wenhuan and asked how much wealth Li Yu had sent.
• Zi Shou told You Hun to burn the bamboo slips but spread the news about Jiang Wenhuan and Li Commandery.
• You Hun withdrew, afraid of Zi Shou’s motives and convinced that the order had a deeper meaning.
• Zi Shou spoke with Queen Jiang before retiring, while the Grand Preceptor’s Residence remained lit after the rest of Chaoge went dark.

Shang Rong and Wen Zhong worried that Jiang Wenhuan’s reforms in Li Territory would provoke a crisis, and an urgent report confirmed that Rongdi forces had reached Li City. King Zhou summoned the ministers and Li nobles, publicly praised Jiang Wenhuan, and prepared to turn the emergency against Marquis Li.

• Shang Rong told Wen Zhong that King Zhou had let rumors about Li Territory spread to buy Jiang Wenhuan time, but feared Jiang’s harsh measures would alienate the people and provoke the Rongdi.
• A messenger reported that the Wugao Rong and Yuwu Rong had reached Li City after Jiang Wenhuan’s fortifications and cleared fields weakened the city’s sentry coverage.
• Wen Zhong hurried to the palace and woke King Zhou, while Empress Jiang learned that Li City was under threat.
• King Zhou ordered the ministers and Li Territory nobles summoned, praised Jiang Wenhuan’s courage, and condemned the alternative of leaving Li Territory under Marquis Li.

Zi Shou and his ministers debated the Rongdi invasion of the Li Territory, while the nobles praised Li Yu and blamed Jiang Wenhuan’s appointment for the crisis. The court ordered nearby feudal lords to send troops, but the swift riders carrying the command soon turned back.

• The Li Territory’s nobles praised Li Yu’s preparations and criticized Jiang Wenhuan as the court reviewed the Rongdi attack on Li City.
• Shang Rong proposed recalling Jiang Wenhuan and restoring Li Yu as Marquis Li, but Wen Zhong said the court had to prioritize the invasion.
• Wen Zhong advised calling on nearby feudal lords to send troops, and Lu Xiong explained that sending forces from Chaoge was too difficult.
• Zi Shou ordered swift riders to tell the nearby feudal lords to dispatch troops and drive the Rongdi beyond Great Shang’s borders.
• The swift riders set out through the night, then turned back along the same road.

Messengers reported that Jiang Wenhuan had defeated the Rongdi and won Li Commandery’s allegiance, leaving Zi Shou to accept that the victory was real and hear the court praise Jiang. The feudal lords urged Zi Shou to reward him, while Zi Shou acknowledged that the Marquis of the East had raised a fine son.

• Two messengers reached Chaoge and reported a great victory in Li Commandery.
• Zi Shou initially ignored the report while Yang Ren scolded him, but the messenger’s account left the court astonished by Jiang Wenhuan’s supposed solo feats.
• The messenger said Jiang Wenhuan had defended Li City, led its people in a counterattack, and driven away the Rongdi; Li Yu had been beheaded for luring them into attacking.
• Zi Shou questioned the first report’s accuracy, then summoned more messengers whose accounts confirmed the victory.
• The feudal lords requested rewards for Jiang Wenhuan, and Zi Shou accepted the reports as true while the officials praised Jiang and Zi Shou’s judgment.

Jiang Wenhuan’s victory in Li Territory let Zi Shou weaken the Feudal Lords while blaming Ji Chang for Li Yu’s collusion with the Rongdi. Zi Shou then sent You Hun north with women to protest the Great Wall’s construction and began considering a tax on nobles who avoided military service.

• The nobles of Li Territory blamed Ji Chang for Li Yu’s collusion with foreign enemies, while Chong Houhu realized Zi Shou had used the crisis to isolate Marquis Li’s line and divide the Feudal Lords.
• Wen Zhong praised Jiang Wenhuan for defeating the Wugao Rong and Yuwu Rong, and Zi Shou ordered the nearby Feudal Lords to answer for failing to relieve Li Commandery and threatened to send Jiang Wenhuan against the foreign enemies.
• After court, Zi Shou asked You Hun to take a hundred prisoners’ wives and daughters to the Northern Border to weep at the Great Wall, with palace maids among them to ensure they carried out the plan.
• Zi Shou explained that he would accept public blame because the Great Wall had to be completed, and You Hun departed for the Northern Border, still uneasy about the mission.
• Zi Shou considered King John of England’s practice of taxing nobles who did not go to war and thought about applying it to the untaxed nobles living in Chaoge City.

Zi Shou devised a way to profit from Chaoge’s nobles by imposing a small land tax and summoning their young men to the palace as study companions, where he planned to open a market. The noble youths arrived expecting royal favor, but Peng Zun’s contempt for the palace servants exposed the clash ahead.

• Zi Shou weighed the risks of taxing the nobles heavily and instead issued an edict imposing a modest land tax on Chaoge’s nobles.
• Zi Shou ordered noble youths of suitable age to enter the palace as study companions, while the nobles welcomed the summons and paid the tax.
• With Duobao’s help, Zi Shou recruited market vendors to establish a market inside the palace, hoping the nobles’ youths would lose face and bring him Foolishness Value.
• Peng Zun and other noble youths entered the palace, believing King Zhou meant to win their families’ support.
• Peng Zun kicked the eunuch assigned to receive them, then demanded to be taken to see His Majesty.

Peng Zun and the other noble scions discovered that King Zhou had assigned them to work in Shanglin Garden’s marketplace rather than simply play with him. Peng Zun accepted the humiliating task but remained convinced he could complain to the king, and the next morning he found the marketplace crowded with commoners.

• Fei Zhong gave the noble scions numbered tokens, warned them not to anger King Zhou, and told them to report to the marketplace to buy and sell.
• When one scion tried to flee, the Royal Guards caught him and hung him in a tree, frightening Peng Zun into agreeing to stay.
• Peng Zun found an Old Woman in his chamber, endured sharing the room and meals with her, and decided to ask King Zhou to replace her with servants from home.
• Peng Zun refused the meat porridge brought for breakfast because he considered three meals a day improper.
• The Imperial Guards brought the scions to a marketplace full of ordinary people, leaving Peng Zun indignant that commoners would witness the nobles trading.

Zi Shou opened a market in Shanglin Garden and forced noble scions to trade alongside commoners, while Long Ji explored the stalls. The scions’ pride left them unable to sell anything, and Zi Shou ended the day by ordering their clans to cover their losses.

• Zi Shou ordered the market opened, and Yin Pobai used the Royal Guards to drive back noble scions who tried to disrupt it.
• Peng Zun stayed quiet at his wine stall while the Old Woman called out to customers selling Heartless Vegetable.
• Long Ji bought Heartless Vegetable after interpreting the Old Woman’s pricing as a bargain, and Zi Shou watched the noble scions struggle to fit in.
• Peng Zun and the other noble scions discovered they had no money for food because they had sold nothing all morning.
• An Imperial Guard stole Peng Zun’s wine, explaining that he was acting as both thief and officer in the simulated market.
• At market closing, Zi Shou ordered the scions’ losses recorded and sent to their clans for their elders to pay.