Chapter Summaries

Wang Yang visited Xie Xinghan in the Xie Residence garden, where she practiced sword forms and served him homemade osmanthus tea. After Xie Xinghan indirectly probed him about a friend’s stomach pains and asked where Xiao Shan was, Wang Yang concealed the truth and left her pressing him to define when the situation would be stable.

• Wang Yang admired the Xie Residence garden and abandoned his thoughts of buying a garden of his own.
• Wang Yang watched Xie Xinghan practice sword forms and praised her skill, delighting her.
• Xie Xinghan served Wang Yang homemade osmanthus tea and mentioned a close friend who enjoyed cold wine and suffered stomach pains, prompting him to react.
• Xie Xinghan asked where Xiao Shan was, and Wang Yang said he had sent her away until matters became stable.
• Xie Xinghan questioned what he meant by the situation becoming stable, and Wang Yang answered evasively.

Xie Xinghan used a story about a cunning rabbit and an eagle to warn Wang Yang against aligning himself too closely with a powerful faction, while probing his allegiances. She hinted that she had recognized his connection to the eldest young master and Lady Xiao, then ended the conversation by joking that dinner would be roast rabbit.

• Xie Xinghan asked Wang Yang whether a cunning rabbit should join an eagle plotting against its master, and he answered with jokes about the rabbit's size and its pretty companions.
• Xie Xinghan warned that the rabbit could be caught in the conflict regardless of its intentions, while Wang Yang insisted that a clever rabbit could defend itself.
• Xie Xinghan argued that a rabbit should adapt and kick any threat, then wondered whether it should spare companions from its three burrows.
• Xie Xinghan identified the eldest young master as one of the rabbit's burrows, but Wang Yang denied any connection and claimed the rabbit was carefree and unaffiliated.
• Xie Xinghan linked the rabbit's name to Lady Xiao and suggested they were family, leaving Wang Yang flustered.
• Xie Xinghan told Wang Yang that dinner would be roast rabbit, startling both him and the little gray rabbit.

The Son of Heaven tested Qian Ruo'er’s understanding of an envoy’s duty, then used Xiao Baoyue’s pearl gift to teach him that accepting benefits came with risks and that wealth should be shared. Qian Ruo'er remained terrified of facing Xiao Baoyue, and the emperor joked that he should change his name to Qian Qiang.

• The Son of Heaven praised Wang Sanqi while explaining that a remarkable envoy exceeded the emperor’s instructions, then burned his calligraphy about serving as an envoy to the four quarters.
• Qian Ruo'er presented two rare White Xuan Pearls from Xiao Baoyue and worried that he could not keep accepting her gifts while avoiding her request to see the emperor.
• The Son of Heaven refused to let Qian Ruo'er return the pearls and argued that he should bear the risks of the gifts he accepted.
• Qian Ruo'er offered one pearl to the Son of Heaven, who accepted it and advised him to share his wealth and cultivate support.
• Qian Ruo'er begged to explain the delay to Xiao Baoyue, and the Son of Heaven teased him for being so timid before suggesting he change his name to Qian Qiang.

Baoyue tried to deliver Wang Yang’s personal account to the Son of Heaven through Yu Cong, but the emperor secretly read it and bribed Yu Cong to conceal that fact, leaving Baoyue unable to secure an audience. While she struggled to alter Wang Yang’s household registration, the Son of Heaven removed the meticulous Wang Quanzhi from the post that stood in her way and appointed Zhang Rong in his place.

• Baoyue entrusted Wang Yang’s personal account to Yu Cong, but Yu Cong never met the Son of Heaven, who secretly read the letter and bribed him to mislead Baoyue.
• Baoyue failed to get an audience with the Son of Heaven, even after bribing Qian Ruo'er to approach him at Yanchang Hall.
• Baoyue arranged for Guo Jian to alter Wang Yang’s household registration, but Wang Quanzhi’s monthly audit prevented her from completing the change.
• The Son of Heaven transferred Wang Quanzhi to the Secret Archives and appointed Zhang Rong as Left Min Secretary.
• Wang Quanzhi’s father praised his promotion and said that A-Yue would bring greatness to their family.

Baoyue confronted Qian Ruo'er outside Yunlong Gate, reclaimed a letter, and learned that the Son of Heaven would meet the Eight Seats in the audience chamber the next day. As Baoyue's carriage and Qian Ruo'er headed away, Censorate officials rushed in and stopped them.

• Baoyue revealed that she knew details of Qian Ruo'er's family and demanded that he return the letter.
• Qian Ruo'er handed over the letter, but pleaded to speak once more before Baoyue's carriage departed.
• Qian Ruo'er told Baoyue that the Son of Heaven would meet the Eight Seats in the audience chamber the next day, a report he said he had heard from Qimu Zhenzhi.
• Censorate officials shouted for everyone to halt, intercepted Baoyue's carriage, and seized Qian Ruo'er as he tried to flee toward Yunlong Gate.

Censor-in-Chief Shen Yuan stopped Baoyue’s carriage and accused her of passing secret correspondence, but she challenged his authority and forced her way out of the palace. Just as Shen Yuan ordered his clerks to pursue her, the Iron Chime rang and the palace gates closed.

• Legal Clerks searched and restrained Qian Ruo'er, and Shen Yuan questioned him about his identity.
• Baoyue confronted Shen Yuan, defended Qian Ruo'er, and challenged his claim that he had evidence of secret correspondence.
• Shen Yuan ordered Baoyue to leave her carriage so it could be searched, but her Imperial Guards displayed their palace passes and blocked the clerks.
• Baoyue demanded officials from the Ministry of Ceremonies and the Court of the Commandant of Justice, then ordered her carriage to move forward before they arrived.
• Shen Yuan lamented that Baoyue had escaped his reach, while the Son of Heaven watched from Xingguang Tower.
• The Iron Chime rang three times as Baoyue’s carriage rounded a corner, and Shen Yuan ordered his clerks to pursue her before the palace gates closed.

Baoyue fled to the Lower Department of State Affairs, where Shen Yuan pursued her with the Censorate and accused her of exchanging confidential letters. As the two sides prepared to clash over the inspection, Xiao Luan appeared above the courtyard as Right Vice Director.

• Baoyue diverted her carriage to the Lower Department of State Affairs, while Shen Yuan sent his subordinate to muster more Censorate officers.
• Shen Yuan led the Censorate into the lower quarters and told Fan Zhen that he was investigating Baoyue and Qian Ruo'er for secretly exchanging confidential letters.
• Fan Zhen challenged Shen Yuan's authority to inspect, while Baoyue questioned whether he intended to use force.
• Supervisor Zhen arrived, and Shen Yuan's clerks carried the injured-foot-claiming Dao Xingsi inside.
• Jiang Xue ordered Shen Yuan to leave and summoned the department's officers; Shen Yuan called in Censorate reinforcements, and both groups moved toward a fight.
• A sword struck the courtyard, and the assembled officials bowed to Xiao Luan, who stood on the eastern pavilion as Right Vice Director.

Xiao Luan stopped Shen Yuan’s unauthorized search of the Department of State Affairs by invoking old statutes and ordering the Left Guard Army summoned. Shen Yuan seized on a carriage-color mistake to escape, and Xiao Luan ordered Baoyue to come with him.

• Xiao Luan had weapons brought into the courtyard and ordered the Department of State Affairs officials to take them before offering them to Shen Yuan’s Censorate clerks.
• Shen Yuan refused the weapons and accused Baoyue of secretly corresponding with Qian Ruo'er, prompting Xiao Luan to demand that she be imprisoned despite the lack of evidence.
• Xiao Luan exposed that Dao Xingsi had left and had Kong Zhigui explain that the Censorate had entered the department without authorization.
• Xiao Luan ordered Kong Zhigui to summon the Left Guard Army and called Shen Yuan’s forced entry an act of rebellion, so Shen Yuan admitted his procedural fault and begged for leniency.
• Shen Yuan claimed his men had mistaken Baoyue’s red-roofed carriage for the gray-roofed one they sought, then left with the Censorate clerks to pursue the supposed carriage.
• Xiao Luan ordered the weapons put away and the courtyard cleared, then told Baoyue to come with him.

Baoyue accompanied Xiao Luan to the Lower Secretariat, struggling to ask her father for help after her clash with Shen Yuan. As Xiao Luan handled urgent state business and later questioned her about the affair, he pointed out that the real issue was who had informed on her and why.

• Xiao Luan settled Baoyue in his private courtyard, but she hesitated to tell him what she needed before he left for the Upper Secretariat.
• Xiao Luan reviewed state documents, drafted rulings on four cases, and refused to discuss a matter involving the Crown Prince with the Chief Secretariat Registrar.
• Baoyue waited for Xiao Luan to return and shared dinner with him, drinking until he ordered the wine taken away.
• Baoyue offered Xiao Luan three Guangzhou trading houses, worth at least thirty million cash, and called the gift filial devotion rather than a bribe.
• Xiao Luan asked Baoyue who had informed Shen Yuan that she was exchanging information with a Junior Yellow Gate Attendant, and what the informant hoped to provoke.

Baoyue considered who might have arranged the trap around Qian Ruo'er and Shen Yuan before bringing Xiao Luan Wang Yang’s letter proposing a strategy to quell the rebellion. Xiao Luan read it but refused to help, leaving Baoyue to argue that ignoring the letter would make him responsible for the consequences.

• Baoyue considered whether the informer had targeted Qian Ruo'er, Shen Yuan, herself, Xiao Luan, or someone in the rear palace, and Xiao Luan urged her to consider even seemingly impossible possibilities.
• The Son of Heaven made an unusual move in a Go game with Qimu Zhenzhi and forced him to answer it.
• Baoyue told Xiao Luan about Wang Yang’s talents and his secret efforts to help suppress the rebellion, while concealing some details of his abilities and identity.
• Baoyue gave Xiao Luan Wang Yang’s letter after he said he would decide whether to help only after reading it.
• Xiao Luan questioned Wang Yang’s motives and refused to submit the letter, while Baoyue warned that ignoring its strategy could endanger the state and make him responsible.

Baoyue told Xiao Luan how she and Wang Yang became Divine Envoys among the Yidu Barbarians, while omitting Chen Qing Shan and embellishing Wang Yang’s loyalty. Meanwhile, Chen Qing Shan rejected a proposed blessing in her honor, but her restraint increased her standing among the tribes; Xiao Luan then questioned Baoyue about how she and Wang Yang had ended up together in Yidu captivity.

• Baoyue recounted her and Wang Yang’s experiences among the Yidu Barbarians, emphasizing his courage and devotion while leaving out details that might diminish her or elevate Chen Qing Shan.
• Tian Dadao proposed adding “Ten thousand years to the Saint General” to the evening blessing, and the tribal leaders supported him.
• The Right High Shaman suggested honoring Lord Moon Slave too, but Tian Dadao argued that only Chen Qing Shan had received a sacred title from Wang Yang.
• Chen Qing Shan rejected the added blessing and ordered the tribes to follow Wang Yang’s sacrificial rites exactly, without additions or omissions.
• Word of Chen Qing Shan’s decision spread, raising her prestige and prompting the Yidu Tribe to recognize the Saint General rather than Moon Slave.
• Xiao Luan asked Baoyue how she and Wang Yang became captives of the Yidu Tribe together when they had been in different tribes.

Baoyue recounted Wang Yang’s negotiations and victory over the Yongning Tribe to Xiao Luan, who praised Wang Yang’s civil and military abilities. When Xiao Luan hesitated to submit Wang Yang’s letter, Baoyue offered to return home in exchange, then firmly declared that she would not marry Xu Kuang.

• Baoyue told Xiao Luan how Wang Yang had secured the Wenyang Tribe’s allegiance and defeated Ang Ta’s forces.
• Xiao Luan analyzed the battle and praised Wang Yang’s command, prompting Baoyue to wonder whether he knew more about her role than she had said.
• Baoyue insisted that Wang Yang had protected her and asked Xiao Luan to submit his letter to the Son of Heaven.
• When Xiao Luan remained silent, Baoyue offered to move back to the marquis’s residence if he presented the letter the next day.
• Xiao Luan began to mention Xu Kuang, and Baoyue declared that she would not marry him because she had made up her mind.

Baoyue tried to secure Xiao Luan’s help in protecting Wang Yang by agreeing to consider marriage to Xu Kuang, while setting conditions. Xiao Luan revealed that he knew about Wang Yang’s concealed identity and urged Baoyue to choose him over Xu Kuang, leaving her stunned by her father’s confidence in Wang Yang.

• Baoyue told Xiao Luan she would not accept the Xu Family’s proposal because she did not want to repeat her mother’s path, and she explained that Wang Yang had shared a room with her while she was disguised among the Yidu Tribe.
• Xiao Luan agreed to vouch for Wang Yang and present the letter to the Son of Heaven, but only if Baoyue agreed to marry Xu Kuang.
• Baoyue accepted on the condition that Xiao Luan wait to discuss the marriage until the Son of Heaven had read the letter and Wang Yang’s safety was secured.
• Xiao Luan asked Baoyue to describe Wang Yang, then revealed he knew she had worked through the Department of State Affairs to arrange Wang Yang’s household registration and suspected him of impersonating a Langya noble.
• Xiao Luan praised Wang Yang’s talent and prospects as far beyond Xu Kuang’s, and argued that Wang Yang had returned to Jingzhou knowing the Prince of Badong would need him if he sought to seize the realm.
• Baoyue was left dumbfounded as Xiao Luan reproached her for agreeing to marry Xu Kuang instead of fighting for Wang Yang.

Wang Yang joined the Prince of Badong’s advisers after persuading Yu Yi to surrender, and the prince assigned him to help recruit eight thousand retainer troops within seven days. When asked what the army should do next, Wang Yang called for an attack on rebellious Wenyang Commandery, provoking immediate objections and leaving Li Jingxuan silently watching him.

• Wang Yang arrived at the Prince of Badong’s Residence, where the prince praised him for winning Yu Yi’s surrender and appointing him acting Chief Clerk of Jingzhou.
• Wang Yang joked with the prince, who promised him a grand residence on Pingduan Lane and the help of servants and maids.
• The prince ordered Wang Yang, Yu Yi, and Xue Shao to recruit eight thousand retainer troops within seven days and establish camp on Swallowtail Islet.
• Wang Yang accepted the command after the prince promised to transfer the house to him once the recruitment was finished.
• The prince asked Wang Yang what the army should do next, and Wang Yang proposed attacking Wenyang Commandery to eliminate resistance.
• Several advisers objected to Wang Yang’s proposal while Li Jingxuan watched him in silence.

Wang Yang argued that the Prince of Badong should lead the main army to capture Wenyang before marching east, convincing the assembled advisers that the city could fall quickly once its defenders lost hope. The prince defended Wang Yang after he threatened Chen Qiming, and Tao Rui began to explain why the siege plan still should not alter the broader strategy.

• Xue Shao challenged Wang Yang’s advice to attack Wenyang first, but Wang Yang argued that a small threat could grow dangerous if ignored.
• Chen Qiming warned that a prolonged siege could exhaust the army, and Wang Yang explained that Wenyang had held out only because the prince’s main army had not yet targeted it.
• Wang Yang predicted that Wenyang would fall within seven days if the main army attacked, then threatened Chen Qiming for suggesting a wager on failure.
• The Prince of Badong stopped Wang Yang from risking his life, ordered Chen Qiming to apologize, and defended Wang Yang against further insinuations.
• Tao Rui began to argue that Wang Yang’s likely ability to take Wenyang did not justify changing the army’s overall plan to march east.

Wang Yang defended his plan to take Wenyang before campaigning east, dismantling the advisers’ objections and promising to repel even a vast Imperial Army. The Prince of Badong appeared ready to commit to Wang Yang’s strategy, but Li Jingxuan toppled over before he finished announcing his decision.

• Tao Rui accused Wang Yang of abandoning the greater contest for Jiankang to pursue the lesser prize of Wenyang, but Wang Yang argued that Jingzhou was their own vital root and had to be secured first.
• Guo Wenyuan cited Shen Youzhi’s defeat as a warning against delaying an advance, and Wang Yang explained why Shen had besieged Yingcheng and why that campaign ultimately failed.
• Wang Yang argued that Wenyang’s defenders and commanders were far less capable than Shen Youzhi’s opponents, and the Prince of Badong loudly praised his assessment.
• Kong Changyu urged the prince to maintain the siege rather than risk abandoning the army’s work, while Wang Yang warned that leaving Wenyang unconquered would threaten Jingzhou.
• When Kong Changyu asked what Wang Yang would do against an Imperial Army of one or two hundred thousand, Wang Yang promised to hold or defeat them, leaving the assembly in stunned silence.
• The Prince of Badong declared that he would command the troops with Zhi Yan devising the plans, but Li Jingxuan suddenly toppled over with his table before the prince could finish his decision.

The Prince of Badong appointed Wang Yang Military Commander and let him oversee recruiting retainer troops, while dismissing advisers’ warnings about his growing authority. Late that night, soldiers surrounded Wang Tai’s courtyard, leaving him convinced the Prince of Badong had rebelled and wondering whether Wang Rong had used him to provoke it.

• The Prince of Badong appointed Wang Yang Military Commander and assigned him to organize the recruitment of retainer troops.
• Wang Yang took charge of the recruitment effort, coordinating with the great families and expanding his reach into military and administrative affairs.
• Chen Qiming warned the Prince of Badong that Wang Yang was gathering power, but the prince defended Wang Yang and mocked Chen as Chen Blabbermouth.
• Wang Yang requested a squad of soldiers as an official escort, and the Prince of Badong dismissed Li Jingxuan’s objections and approved the request.
• Soldiers pounded on Wang Tai’s courtyard gate at night, and Wang Tai feared that the Prince of Badong had rebelled and that Wang Rong had used him as a weapon.

Wang Tai panicked after learning Wang Yang had returned and gained the Prince of Badong’s favor, then tried to survive by pretending to be his affectionate elder brother when Wang Yang arrived with soldiers. The two entered Wang Tai’s house together after Wang Yang ordered it inspected, leaving their supposed brotherly harmony on display across Jingzhou.

• Wang Tai rejected fleeing or hiding and stayed in his courtyard, hoping Wang Yang would not expose him.
• After learning Wang Yang had become the Prince of Badong’s favored Military Commander, Wang Tai feared his chances of surviving had vanished.
• Wang Yang arrived at night with soldiers, and Wang Tai greeted him with an exaggerated display of brotherly affection.
• Wang Yang hinted at crimes including impersonating gentry, making Wang Tai nervously deny that anyone could impersonate the Langya Wang clan.
• Wang Yang had soldiers inspect Wang Tai’s house, then entered alongside him after the two repeatedly insisted that the other go first.

Wang Yang confronted Wang Tai over framing him and falsely implicating him in the Eastern Palace, then squeezed money, property, and gold from his Elder Brother under the pretext of a Clothing-and-Cap Tomb. He also forced Wang Tai to write letters helping him obtain an Official Register, leaving Wang Tai drained and trapped in Wang Yang’s schemes.

• Wang Yang refused Wang Tai’s wine and confronted him for fabricating testimony and blaming him for the affair involving the Prince of Badong and the Eastern Palace.
• Wang Tai claimed he had planned a Clothing-and-Cap Tomb for Wang Yang, so Wang Yang demanded its cost in cash and pressured him into handing over 156,000 coins and his property deed.
• Wang Yang demanded thirty Small Gold Cakes, and Wang Tai agreed to provide twenty-two immediately and the remaining eight within two days.
• Wang Yang accused Wang Tai of targeting the Crown Prince and threatened to recommend him to the Prince, then returned to the earlier accusations after collecting the gold.
• Wang Yang made Wang Tai write letters to the Prince of Ancheng Commandery to help him obtain an Official Register, keeping one letter as a memento of their brotherly affection.
• Wang Yang left demanding the money, property deed, and gold, while Wang Tai realized he was now expected to pay rent for his own courtyard.

He Ji resolved to become one of Wang Yang's retainers and strengthened their bond by offering him goji berries. Wang Yang then welcomed Jiao Zheng, whose arrival gave him the chance to act on the long-awaited plan connected to the Chen Tianfu Case.

• Wang Yang gave He Ji five thousand coins to distribute among the soldiers, and He Ji resolved to enter Wang Yang's service when the time was right.
• He Ji brought Wang Yang a box of goji berries, and Wang Yang accepted them and sent him home with sweets and cakes.
• Black Han led Wang Yang to Jiao Zheng, who had waited in the gatehouse for hours, and Wang Yang warmly invited him inside.
• Jiao Zheng recalled how fear and uncertainty about the Chen Tianfu Case had kept him from approaching Wang Yang again.
• Wang Yang had been waiting for Jiao Zheng to return so he could carry out his plan, and Jiao Zheng's arrival marked the right moment.