Chapter Summaries

Wang Yang planned how to repay the debt and asked Black Han for money to buy fine clothes, drawing on A-Wu and her father's trust. The chapter ended with Wang Yang teasing A-Wu by pretending he might swindle them and leave.

• A-Wu said she had no need to study because her soldier-household status meant she would eventually serve with the army, and Wang Yang let the matter drop.
• Wang Yang considered ways to make money but rejected trading and inventing because he lacked the status, time, and skills required.
• After asking Black Han about the value of thirteen thousand two hundred coins, Wang Yang decided he needed two thousand coins for fine clothes and shoes.
• Black Han offered to scrape together three hundred coins, while A-Wu brought in a hidden hairpin worth five hundred coins that she had taken from a woman’s wooden box.
• A-Wu explained that she trusted Wang Yang to use the money to help repay the debt, and he praised her cleverness.
• Wang Yang pretended he might take their money and leave, prompting A-Wu to cling to his arm and beg him not to swindle them.

Black Han borrowed money from Ding Jiu to help Wang Yang, while Ding Jiu tried to trade the loan for a chance to leave the military register. After gathering nine hundred coins, Wang Yang prepared to travel to Jingzhou City with Black Han, leaving A-Wu behind with a promise of candy.

• Black Han asked Ding Jiu to lend money for Wang Yang, and Ding Jiu agreed to provide five hundred coins in exchange for Wang Yang's help leaving the military register.
• Ding Jiu tried to raise the stakes by taking another two thousand coins from his chest, but his wife stopped him.
• Black Han exchanged a hairpin for two hundred coins and added his savings and Ding Jiu's loan, gathering nine hundred coins.
• Wang Yang stopped Black Han from selling more belongings and said they had enough to go to Jingzhou City.
• A-Wu asked to come along, but Wang Yang declined and promised to bring her candy.

Wang Yang and Black Han searched for affordable clothes that would preserve Wang Yang’s aristocratic disguise, but even the cheapest suitable outfit exceeded their funds. After leaving the shop to find money, Wang Yang was pulled into a tavern by a richly dressed youth who urged him to sit and watch.

• Wang Yang rejected costly silk garments and settled on a White Lined Jacket made of fine kudzu cloth, bargaining the price down to two thousand cash.
• Wang Yang bought Tablet-Toe Shoes for five hundred cash but lacked enough money for the outfit, so he asked the shopkeeper to hold the items while he returned for more.
• Black Han worried that they were short by more than half the money they needed, while Wang Yang walked away thinking about how to earn it.
• A plump, richly dressed youth grabbed Wang Yang and pulled him into a tavern, then told him to sit and watch as the other young men inside looked toward the window.

Wang Yang met Le Pang at a tavern, where Le Pang warned him against trying to approach Lady Xie and told him about the famous Fourth Lady Xie. The two watched for her arrival, but the carriage outside the alley proved to be a false alarm.

• Le Pang warned Wang Yang that the Yin family's fifth son had been beaten and jailed after trying to approach a woman by staging a carriage collision.
• Wang Yang pretended he had come to see Lady Xie, treated Le Pang to more food, and introduced himself as a distant branch of the Langya Wang clan.
• Le Pang explained that Fourth Lady Xie, daughter of Xie Fei, was one of the Three Beauties of the Imperial Capital.
• Le Pang said he hoped to see the Three Beauties, though the other two were unlikely to appear.
• Tavern patrons cried that Lady Xie had arrived, but the elegant ox carriage outside was empty, and the crowd searched for the person who had raised the false alarm.

Wang Yang agreed to help Le Pang get a letter to Fourth Lady Xie, only to discover that Le Pang’s poem was full of lewd double meanings. After Le Pang tore it up, Wang Yang began writing a replacement and hinted at a plan to make Fourth Lady Xie keep reading.

• Le Pang told Wang Yang that Fourth Lady Xie regularly visited Abbess Hui Xu to study tea and refused to accept letters from admirers.
• Wang Yang offered to help Le Pang deliver his letter and asked to borrow two thousand coins, which Le Pang agreed to provide.
• Le Pang showed Wang Yang a poem his cousin Sun Duo had written, believing it was landscape poetry inspired by Xie Lingyun.
• Wang Yang explained the poem’s lewd double meanings, and Le Pang tore it up in anger at Sun Duo.
• Wang Yang began writing a replacement poem and told Le Pang that the key was making Fourth Lady Xie keep reading.

Wang Yang helped Le Pang stop Xie Xinghan’s carriage to repay an alleged debt between their ancestors, using arguments and a poem praising Xie An to persuade her to hear their proof. Xie Xinghan read the letter, and the confrontation remained unresolved as the chapter ended.

• Le Pang stopped Xie Xinghan’s carriage, but the Xie household servants moved to drive him and his companions away.
• Wang Yang argued that Le Pang was openly repaying an ancestral debt, while Xie Xinghan challenged their claim and grew angry when he explained it.
• Wang Yang sent Black Han to fetch further proof and presented Xie Xinghan with a letter containing a poem about Xie An and the alleged debt.
• Xie Xinghan ordered a servant to bring her the letter and read its contents.

Wang Yang used a poem about Xie An and a staged escape to deliver his message to Lady Xie, but she ordered her servants to seize him. After Wang Yang escaped with Le Pang and sent Black Han to collect money, Le Pang returned home and was beaten by his father before a young girl intervened.

• Xie Xinghan saw through Wang Yang's poem and ordered her servants to seize him and his companions.
• Wang Yang threw flour and coins to create a commotion, then fled with Le Pang and Black Han.
• Wang Yang declined Le Pang's invitation and sent Black Han to collect two thousand coins from Le Pang's home.
• Le Pang arrived home and called for men to help him confront Sun Duo, but his father ordered the servants to seize him.
• Le Zhan beat Le Pang for his behavior until a young girl asked him to hear what had happened first.

Le Pang was beaten for sending Xie Xinghan a poem written by Wang Yang, but he refused to reveal his friend’s name. Meanwhile, Wang Yang used the money Le Pang had arranged to buy clothes and prepared to visit the Commandery Academy, though he could not afford the headscarf he wanted.

• Le Zhan beat Le Pang over the poem he had sent Xie Xinghan and demanded to know who wrote it.
• Xie Xinghan asked Le Pang for the poet’s name, but Le Pang claimed he did not know and kept Wang Yang’s identity secret.
• After Xie Xinghan left, Le Zhan praised Le Pang for protecting his friend and asked him again who wrote the poem.
• Black Han collected the money from the Le Residence and returned to Wang Yang with enough to buy clothes and shoes.
• Wang Yang changed into a white lined jacket and considered buying a Folded-Corner Scarf for his visit to the Commandery Academy, but he had no coins left.

Wang Yang learned about Jingzhou’s past and present from Black Han before heading to the local government Commandery Academy. At the academy gate, a Confucian scholar asked whether he had come to see the Libationer.

• Black Han pawned his Ring-Pommel Saber so Wang Yang could take the Folded-Corner Scarf and Azure Cloud Skirt, promising to redeem it within three days.
• Wang Yang told Black Han to stop using humble language when they were alone, and Black Han agreed.
• Black Han described the Prince of Yuzhang’s popularity and reported rising prices, unrest among the barbarians, and a deadly ambush whose news had been suppressed.
• Wang Yang chose the local government academy over the Wang Academy and went there with Black Han.
• At the academy gate, Wang Yang approached a scholar reading on a couch, and the scholar asked if he had come to see the Libationer.

Wang Yang visited the Jingzhou Commandery Academy and faced a scholar who challenged his learning before he could meet the Libationer. Wang Yang answered the scholar’s questions convincingly, leaving the scholar and students stunned as he waited at the gate.

• Black Han invoked Wang Yang’s Langya Wang heritage and the Prince of Badong’s status, but the scholar insisted that the academy honored age and virtue over rank.
• Wang Yang asked the scholar to pass a letter to the Libationer and said he had come to discuss scholarship; the scholar demanded that he answer three questions to earn an audience.
• Wang Yang explained why the Analects presented literary study in different orders, distinguishing how students practiced teachings from how teachers instructed them.
• Wang Yang named seven recorded cases of feudal states moving their capitals and explained that the Spring and Autumn Annals recorded moves forced by outside powers, not moves made freely.
• The scholar and the students fell silent at Wang Yang’s answers, while Black Han admired his young master’s learning and character.

Wang Yang delivered a letter to the Jingzhou Commandery Academy, where Yu Yuling had tried to keep outsiders away. As Liu Zhao and Xie Xinghan weighed how to save the academy from closure, Liu Zhao read Wang Yang’s letter and reacted with visible shock.

• Yu Yuling introduced himself to Wang Yang, who gave his name and handed him a letter for the academy’s Libationer.
• Yu Yuling urged Wang Yang to consider the academy’s long history and defend its teaching before carrying the letter inside.
• Liu Zhao told Xie Xinghan he planned to rally Jingzhou’s gentry and confront the Prince of Badong over the academy’s threatened closure.
• Xie Xinghan proposed asking Liu Cheng and Yu Yi to intervene, while Liu Zhao lamented Yu Yi’s silence.
• Yu Yuling delivered Wang Yang’s letter to Liu Zhao, who trembled as he read it.

Wang Yang visited Liu Zhao and answered difficult questions about the Book of Documents with detailed philological arguments. Liu Zhao was deeply impressed, while Xie Xinghan recognized something familiar and grew wary when she heard Wang Yang came from the Langya Wang clan.

• Liu Zhao rejected Xie Xinghan's warning and insisted on meeting the scholar who had written answers to his questions.
• Yu Yuling brought Wang Yang to Liu Zhao, who was surprised by the young visitor and asked whether he could answer the questions in the letter.
• Wang Yang explained that “an-an” described qualities arising naturally and that “li” meant the people had been settled, citing classical texts to support both interpretations.
• Liu Zhao praised Wang Yang's scholarship and asked about his teachers, then learned that he belonged to the Langya Wang clan.
• Xie Xinghan, hidden behind the screen, recognized Wang Yang's voice as familiar and frowned when she heard his clan name.

Wang Yang impressed Liu Zhao and Yu Yuling with his scholarship on the Book of Documents, then drew Xie Xinghan’s sharp challenge after presenting an unsupported theory about three rivers. The chapter ended with Liu Zhao and Yu Yuling watching as Wang Yang struggled to answer her demand for a source.

• Wang Yang clarified that he had come independently to discuss scholarship, and Yu Yuling apologized for mistaking him for an envoy from the Wang Academy.
• Wang Yang answered questions and delivered extensive interpretations of the Book of Documents, leaving Liu Zhao, Yu Yuling, and Xie Xinghan astonished.
• Wang Yang discussed the three rivers in the Tribute of Yu, and Xie Xinghan questioned how they could remain three after merging at Pengli.
• Wang Yang argued that the rivers’ distinct flavors remained discernible after they joined, but Xie Xinghan demanded his source for the Three Chills.
• Wang Yang hesitated, and Xie Xinghan accused him of making the claim up as Liu Zhao and Yu Yuling looked to him.

Wang Yang bested Xie Xinghan in a debate over the Three Rivers, then realized she might recognize him from a poem he had altered. As Liu Zhao urged Wang Yang to stay for a banquet, Xie Xinghan also declined the invitation, leaving Wang Yang caught between them.

• Wang Yang countered Xie Xinghan’s arguments about the Three Rivers by citing alternative classical sources and interpretations, earning her praise.
• Xie Xinghan emerged from behind the screen and asked Wang Yang about a poem beginning, “Footloose through rivers and lakes, I traveled with wine,” making him suspect she knew he had altered the line.
• Wang Yang pretended not to know the poem and denied Xie Xinghan’s suggestion that he had white powder in his hair, though he realized she was testing him.
• Liu Zhao asked Xie Xinghan to stay and hear Wang Yang discuss the Book of Documents, but she declined.
• When Wang Yang tried to leave, Liu Zhao insisted he stay for a banquet, and Xie Xinghan unexpectedly agreed that there was no need for one.

Wang Rong managed a sensitive operation concerning the Prince of Badong while rewarding a loyal agent. Meanwhile, Wang Yang impressed Liu Zhao with his learning over dinner, but his unfamiliar drinking gesture startled Liu Zhao and Yu Yuling.

• Wang Rong ordered his visitors handled separately and chose to hear the man from Jingzhou before Niu Mu.
• Wang Rong forbade his cousin from approaching the Prince of Badong's sixty guards and insisted the plan wait for a secure opportunity.
• Wang Rong promised his cousin a high post and offered the Jingzhou agent a position, then told him to rest and visit his mother before leaving.
• Wang Yang discussed the Book of Documents, military organization, and criminal law with Liu Zhao over dinner, earning his admiration.
• Wang Yang tapped the table with his fingers to thank Yu Yuling for refilling his wine, leaving Yu Yuling and Liu Zhao stunned.

Wang Yang discussed suspected textual errors in the Book of Documents with Liu Zhao and Yu Yuling, impressing them enough that Liu Zhao insisted he stay and record his ideas. The chapter ended with Wang Yang and Liu Zhao agreeing on the title Pointing out flaws in the modern- and ancient-script versions of the Book of Documents.

• Liu Zhao guessed that Wang Yang was connected to Yixing, and Wang Yang redirected their conversation to the Book of Documents.
• Wang Yang explained how lost or disordered bamboo slips could have caused errors in the Book of Documents and used the 'Counsels of Gaoyao' as an example.
• Liu Zhao and Yu Yuling urged Wang Yang to stay, and Liu Zhao lent him three thousand coins for his tailor bill.
• Wang Yang arranged sweets for A-Wu and food for his friend while continuing to discuss the Book of Documents with Liu Zhao through the night.
• Liu Zhao proposed writing down Wang Yang's observations, and they settled on the title Pointing out flaws in the modern- and ancient-script versions of the Book of Documents.

Wang Yang and Liu Zhao worked through the night on a book correcting errors in the Book of Documents, with Liu Zhao becoming convinced that their work would endure for generations. Wang Yang paused their collaboration to address his looming debt of thirteen thousand two hundred cash, prompting Liu Zhao to ask whether he gambled at chupu.

• Liu Zhao gave the exhausted Wang Yang a guest room, then stayed up all night organizing and studying their manuscript.
• At breakfast, Wang Yang answered Liu Zhao's questions about the Book of Documents, and Liu Zhao praised his scholarship and urged him to keep writing.
• Wang Yang dictated textual corrections and arguments while Liu Zhao recorded them, convinced they were creating an essential work.
• When Liu Zhao pressed to continue, Wang Yang explained that he needed to find money to repay his debt of thirteen thousand two hundred cash.
• Liu Zhao grew serious and asked Wang Yang whether he had a habit of gambling at chupu.

Wang Yang secured Liu Zhao’s help to repay the money owed by Black Han’s family, then hurried to deliver it. At Black Han’s home, he found Third Master Du holding Black Han and A-Wu captive and accusing him of fraud, so he declared himself a son of the Langya Wang as officers moved to arrest him.

• Liu Zhao agreed to provide the thirteen thousand coins Wang Yang needed after Wang Yang explained he was helping a friend.
• Wang Yang declined to stay and work on Pointing Out Flaws, and he and Yu Yuling set out for Black Han’s home with the money.
• Wang Yang found Third Master Du’s men restraining Black Han and holding A-Wu, while Third Master Du accused Wang Yang of impersonating the gentry.
• Third Master Du ordered Patrol Chief Tong to arrest Wang Yang, and the officers moved toward him.
• Wang Yang shouted that he was a son of the Langya Wang and challenged the officials for daring to oppress the gentry.

Wang Yang and Yu Yuling confronted Third Master Du over Black Han's family's debt, using their aristocratic standing to force him to accept repayment and surrender the contract. Yu Yuling revealed that Du's pawnshop might be backed by the Prince of Luling, leaving Wang Yang aware that the dispute could have powerful consequences.

• Wang Yang summoned the county magistrate after Patrol Chief Tong and Third Master Du challenged his identity, and Yu Yuling arrived with a carriage bearing the Niyang Liu Clan's crest.
• Yu Yuling ordered Patrol Chief Tong to arrest Third Master Du's men on suspicion of colluding with bandits, but Du identified himself as the owner of the Vast Source Pawnshop and presented the debt contract.
• Wang Yang paid Du the thirteen thousand two hundred coins owed by Black Han's family and questioned why Du had come before their agreed date.
• Outside, Du apologized and asked about Wang Yang's connection to Black Han's family, but Wang Yang demanded that he take the money and leave.
• Wang Yang stopped Du from leaving without the contract, and Yu Yuling warned that the Prince of Luling might secretly own the Vast Source Pawnshop.

Wang Yang resolved the village dispute, arranged money and plans for Black Han and A-Wu, and promised to take A-Wu to Jingzhou City the next day. At the Commandery Academy, Liu Zhao waited for Wang Yang and received a reply from his cousin about seeking the Prince of Jingling’s help.

• Third Master Du abandoned plans to use force against Wang Yang’s group, while Wang Yang explained why he had treated Patrol Chief Tong with restraint.
• Wang Yang learned Black Han would return to camp and directed him to redeem his saber, repay Ding Jiu with interest, and keep part of the remaining coins.
• A-Wu asked Wang Yang to take her to Jingzhou City, and he promised to pick her up at noon the next day.
• Liu Zhao declined Mr. Zong’s housewarming invitation and sent mottled-bamboo brushes and a stacked-stone inkstone as gifts.
• Liu Zhao received a reply from Liu Qiu, who had been asked to seek the Prince of Jingling’s assistance over the possible abolition of the Commandery Academy.