Chapter Summaries

Genealogy scholar Dai Zhigao investigated a man’s ancestry for Liu Cheng, a young noble of the Hedong Liu Clan. After years of studying aristocratic lineages, Dai concluded that the man was not of Langya Wang, leaving Liu Cheng thrilled and seeking confirmation.

• Dai Zhigao recalled his lifelong pursuit of aristocratic culture, including being cheated out of his family’s savings by a swindler who promised to register him among the gentry.
• Dai Zhigao’s expertise in genealogy records earned him recognition as Jingzhou City’s foremost scholar and assistance with the commandery’s gentry registers.
• Liu Cheng sat with Dai Zhigao while he examined old documents to determine a man’s lineage.
• Dai Zhigao handed Liu Cheng his findings and declared that the man was definitely not of Langya Wang.
• Liu Cheng lowered his handkerchief and asked Dai Zhigao if he was certain.

Liu Cheng urged Liu Tan to expose Wang Yang as a fraud, but Liu Tan struggled between his suspicions and his admiration for Wang Yang’s scholarship. He agreed to report the evidence to the Prince of Badong after the grain ships arrived, so the investigation would not drive grain prices back up and harm the people.

• Liu Cheng told Liu Tan that Wang Yang had falsely claimed a Yixing ancestral home and that Zong Rui may have helped falsify his registration.
• Liu Tan rejected Liu Cheng’s suggestion that their family use the allegation to undermine Wang Yang and the Commandery Academy.
• Liu Cheng argued that Wang Yang’s apparent deception could involve a wider conspiracy and required investigation.
• Dai Zhigao presented genealogical charts linking Wang Yang to Wang Xizhi’s descendants, and Liu Tan asked whether there was further evidence.
• Liu Tan agreed to write to the Prince of Badong and have Dai Zhigao prepare a clearer chart for the report.
• Liu Cheng persuaded Liu Tan to delay reporting the matter until the grain ships arrived, to avoid driving prices up and harming the common people.

Liu Cheng persuaded Liu Tan to wait for the Prince of Badong’s banquet before publicly exposing Wang Yang’s false identity, while Liu Tan regretted that Wang’s talent might be wasted. Unaware of the danger, Wang Yang sent Xie Xinghan a playful note asking to see her, and she made an exception to receive him.

• Liu Cheng argued that exposing Wang Yang at the banquet would force the prince to address the matter publicly and help Liu Tan’s position.
• Liu Tan agreed to wait, while privately considering how he might save Wang Yang’s life.
• Xie Xinghan initially refused visitors at the Xie Residence and returned to reading in her garden.
• A maid delivered Wang Yang’s note, in which he asked Xie Xinghan to open the gate and receive his completed manuscript.
• Amused by the note, Xie Xinghan ordered the gate opened and asked Xiao Ning for a mirror before Wang Yang was brought in.

Wang Yang visited Xie Xinghan and asked her to arrange a request to Jiao Zheng and find several unfamiliar helpers for an undisclosed plan. After agreeing to help in exchange for a poem, Xie Xinghan heard Wang Yang’s odd verse, which revealed how much his sense of home had shifted toward the ancient world.

• Xie Xinghan teased Wang Yang for visiting only when he needed help, then asked him to promise he would repay her kindness.
• Wang Yang asked Xie Xinghan to have Xi Gongmu order Jiao Zheng to write a detailed account of his official career and to find several unfamiliar people for another task.
• Xie Xinghan agreed to help after Wang Yang promised to stand by his offer of future assistance.
• Xie Xinghan asked Wang Yang to compose a poem about her garden as payment, and he recited an unusual verse about dreaming of a former life.
• Xie Xinghan laughed at Wang Yang’s strange poem, and he reflected that he was too young and simple.

The author thanked readers, explained the novel’s approach to depicting the Southern Dynasties, and offered guidance on evaluating historical claims and sources. The author reflected on the history and personal experiences that inspired the book, then announced the print edition of the first volume and invited readers to continue with the next volume.

• The author said Wang would face greater challenges and described the novel’s focus on an immersive, carefully researched portrayal of Southern Dynasties life.
• The author advised readers to question the sources and scope behind historical claims, using assertions about salt monopolies and cannibalism as examples.
• The author explained that historical texts required scrutiny and comparison, since both official histories and fiction could reveal aspects of the past.
• The author recounted being inspired by episodes from Southern Dynasties history and by visiting ancient sites in Danyang.
• The author described writing the novel as a way to record historical reflections and share the pleasure of exploring ideas.
• The author announced that the print edition of Distant Chu Skies went on sale on September 26, 2025, and warned readers against pirated copies.

Jiao Zheng hosted Wang Yang for a venison feast while worrying that officials from the Capital were investigating him. Wang Yang revealed that the investigation concerned the old Chen Tianfu case and hinted that Jiao Zheng might be among the scapegoats, leaving him terrified as he named Liu Mingche.

• Jiao Zheng waited anxiously for Wang Yang while recalling the surveillance and inquiries into his career and property.
• Wang Yang arrived with Chen Qing Shan and explained that he had been delayed entertaining investigators from the Capital.
• Jiao Zheng and Wang Yang exchanged pleasantries while each waited for the other to raise the investigation.
• Wang Yang said the officials were investigating the old Chen Tianfu case and suggested they would find a scapegoat amid powerful political maneuvering.
• Wang Yang mentioned three possible scapegoats, including an Imperial Guard deputy general, and Jiao Zheng blurted out the name Liu Mingche.

Wang Yang pressured Jiao Zheng into admitting that he had transported Chen Tianfu’s plundered valuables to the Directorate of Arms. Chen Qing Shan realized the revelation could mean the plundering had been ordered by the Directorate, leaving her father’s case in a new light.

• Wang Yang identified Jiao Zheng as one of the men the investigators intended to arrest, and Jiao begged him to intervene in exchange for three hundred thousand coins.
• Wang Yang pretended to consider helping Jiao, then demanded that he explain his offense before he would get involved.
• Jiao said he had reported Chen Tianfu for plundering valuables but had only escorted them to the Capital under military orders.
• Wang Yang rejected Jiao’s account as incomplete and prepared to leave, prompting Jiao to confess that he had transported the valuables to the Directorate of Arms.
• Chen Qing Shan recognized the Directorate of Arms as a powerful imperial office and wondered whether it had ordered the plundering.

Wang Yang learned that Liu Yin had pressured Jiao Zheng to frame Chen Tianfu for the plunder and promised him riches. Chen Qing Shan resolved to seek justice through the courts, but Wang Yang warned that she would never win.

• Jiao Zheng told Wang Yang that a Directorate of Arms messenger redirected the valuables and later threatened him into blaming Chen Tianfu.
• Wang Yang stopped Chen Qing Shan from drawing her sword and persuaded Jiao Zheng to identify the messenger as Liu Yin.
• Wang Yang promised to arrange protection for Jiao Zheng in exchange for three hundred thousand in cash, which he said would be used to settle the case.
• Chen Qing Shan told Wang Yang she would go to Jiankang and beat the Appeals Drum, using Jiao Zheng and the money as evidence.
• Wang Yang explained that she had to appeal through every level of court first, then told her she would never win.

Wang Yang helped Chen Qing Shan identify Liu Yin as a lead in clearing her father’s name, and she agreed to stay while he investigated. The next day, Wang Yang attended a banquet at the Prince of Badong’s residence, where the prince publicly gave him a place of honor as Liu Cheng anticipated his death.

• Wang Yang explained why the estate was unlikely to help Chen Qing Shan and said he would investigate Liu Yin; Chen agreed to stay with him if he uncovered the truth.
• Wang Yang told Chen Qing Shan to collect Jiao Zheng’s three hundred thousand coins as compensation, though she considered the money dirty.
• The Prince of Badong hosted a banquet for Wang Yang and Jingzhou’s officials, while Liu Yin was absent on official business.
• The Prince of Badong moved Wang Yang’s seat beside himself, startling the assembled officials, while Liu Cheng believed Wang Yang would die that day.

Wang Yang explained how he had used the Xie Family’s grain fleet and sacks filled with sand to drive Jingzhou grain prices down, then faced the Prince of Badong’s demand that he lie again. The chapter ended with Wang Yang fooling the prince through the liar paradox and earning his delighted approval.

• The Prince of Badong praised Wang Yang for lowering grain prices and offered to buy the rest of his grain at a guaranteed price.
• Wang Yang privately revealed that the fleet belonged to the Xie Family and that the sacks unloaded in the city held sand and dirt.
• The Prince of Badong accused Wang Yang of lying and challenged him to fool him again or face punishment.
• Wang Yang stalled as the prince threatened to flip the banquet table and accuse him of fraud.
• Wang Yang declared, “I am lying,” and used the statement’s contradictory truth and falsehood to convince the Prince of Badong that he had been fooled.

At a feast in Jingcheng, Liu Cheng tested Wang Yang with questions about Yixing before publicly accusing someone of impersonating the Langya Wang and swindling gentry families. Wang Yang kept his composure as the Prince of Badong and the other guests learned that the alleged fraud targeted officials and dignitaries.

• The Prince of Badong praised Jingzhou crucian carp, and Liu Cheng impressed the guests with his knowledge of its history.
• Liu Cheng questioned Wang Yang about Yixing recipes, but Wang Yang dodged suspicion by describing pickled cabbage fish and inventing Beer Duck.
• Liu Cheng abandoned his probing questions and announced that an impostor had swindled members of gentry families.
• Liu Cheng named the Langya Wang as the family the impostor claimed to belong to, and the Prince of Badong realized the accusation concerned Wang Yang's family.
• Le Zhan described a past case of gentry impersonation and noted that the alleged Langya Wang fraud had deceived officials and multiple victims.

Liu Cheng brought Dai Zhigao before the Prince of Badong to challenge Wang Yang’s claim of descent from Wang Xizhi, but Wang Yang turned the accusation against Dai and derided his research. The dispute remained unresolved as Wang Yang accused Liu Cheng of being misled by a man who had not read the Yixing Branch Genealogy.

• Liu Cheng introduced Dai Zhigao as a genealogical scholar, and Dai presented a chart arguing that Wang Xizhi’s descendants did not live in Yixing Commandery.
• The Prince of Badong grew impatient with Dai’s lengthy genealogy recital and demanded that he explain his conclusion.
• The hall erupted when Dai declared Wang Yang’s identity false, and Wang Yang slapped Dai across the face.
• Wang Yang defended the honor of the Langya Wang clan and insulted Dai for discussing his ancestors without understanding the basics.
• Liu Cheng accused Wang Yang of evading the issue, but Wang Yang claimed Dai had never read the Yixing Branch Genealogy and blamed Liu for trusting him.

Wang Yang defended his claimed Langya Wang ancestry by telling a detailed account of his ancestor’s survival during the Sun En Rebellion, mixing authentic history with a fabricated escape. Just as his story persuaded the gathered officials, Liu Cheng called for Wang Yang’s household registration to be checked, leaving Wang Yang alarmed.

• Wang Yang challenged Dai Zhigao on Wang Ningzhi’s descendants, then used Dai’s uncertainty to undermine his expertise.
• Wang Yang claimed Wang Ningzhi had four sons and said his own ancestor, Wang Enzhi, had survived the fall of Kuaiji and been captured by Sun En’s rebels.
• Wang Yang recounted how Wang Enzhi survived among the rebels, helped Wu Yinzhi and Wang Dan, and returned north after Liu Yu defeated Lu Xun.
• The officials found Wang Yang’s account credible as its details matched historical records, while Dai Zhigao was left humiliated and shaken.
• Liu Cheng asked the authorities to examine the Provincial Government’s household registration records, and Wang Yang feared the request.

At a banquet, Liu Cheng challenged Wang Yang’s identity and pushed for an examination of his household registration. The provincial records confirmed the registration was genuine, leaving Liu Cheng and Liu Tan pale.

• The Prince of Badong pressed Liu Cheng to state whether he believed Wang Yang’s identity was reliable, and Liu Cheng said it was not.
• Wang Yang agreed to an investigation but warned Liu Cheng that he would face the same punishment if the accusation proved false.
• Liu Tan took over the request, arguing that examining the records was proper counsel rather than a criminal accusation.
• The Prince of Badong ordered Kong Changyu to retrieve the provincial household registration records.
• Kong Changyu returned and reported that Wang Yang’s documents were complete and his registration was genuine.

At a banquet, Xie Xinghan confirmed that she had met Wang Yang in Yixing, helping establish his claimed identity and prompting the Prince of Badong to punish Dai Zhigao while sparing Liu Cheng. Wang Yang wondered why Xie had vouched for him, then watched the performances until the Prince abruptly ordered the singers to stop.

• Liu Tan accepted responsibility for the mistaken accusation, but Liu Cheng demanded an inquiry into Yixing Commandery.
• Xie Xinghan arrived and said she had met Wang Yang in Yixing while accompanying her father, which appeared to confirm Wang Yang’s identity.
• Dai Zhigao begged Wang Yang for forgiveness, and the Prince of Badong sentenced him to fifty heavy-rod strokes and expulsion from Jingzhou City.
• The Prince docked Liu Tan two months’ salary but let Liu Cheng go unpunished, and Wang Yang privately questioned why Xie had supported his story.
• Wang Yang watched the White Ramie Dance and then listened as four singing girls performed; the Prince of Badong suddenly shouted for them to stop.

At a banquet in the Prince of Badong’s residence, Wang Yang was challenged by the drunk Liu Cheng to compose Song Poetry. Wang Yang accepted a high-stakes wager, and the two were set to compete.

• The Prince of Badong demanded Western Songs, and the singing girls performed “Song of Mochou.”
• Le Zhan told the tale of Mochou and her beloved, prompting the Prince of Badong to lament that the song did not include their reunion.
• Liu Cheng proposed composing new lyrics and challenged Wang Yang to a poetry wager, while Liu Tan and Xie Xinghan tried to intervene.
• Liu Cheng demanded that Wang Yang kowtow if he lost; Wang Yang countered that Liu Cheng would surrender his ox cart and never ride in one again if he lost.
• Wang Yang accepted the wager, and Liu Cheng insisted he would make Wang Yang kowtow as Xie Xinghan noticed Wang Yang’s suspicious smile.

Wang Yang and Liu Cheng competed by composing poems titled “Mo Chou's New Song” before the Prince of Badong and his judges. Liu Cheng impressed the hall with a swift poem, but Wang Yang's recitation of a powerful lyric won the audience over and left Liu Cheng defeated.

• The Prince of Badong set the poetry wager and named three senior officials and Kong Changyu as judges.
• Liu Cheng quickly finished his poem about Mo Chou, and Kong Changyu read it aloud to widespread praise.
• Liu Cheng and Liu Tan argued that Wang Yang's slower writing should disqualify him, but Xie Xinghan defended him.
• Wang Yang recited his poem as he wrote, and its lines silenced and astonished the hall.
• Wang Yang completed the poem, prompting thunderous applause as Liu Cheng admitted defeat.

Wang Yang defeated Liu Cheng’s attempt to challenge him with another poem at the Prince of Badong’s banquet, but the Prince’s admiration turned to anger when Wang Yang explained his courtesy name, Zhi Yan. The chapter left Wang Yang facing the Prince’s accusation of arrogance.

• Liu Cheng recited a poem about Mo Chou and demanded that Wang Yang answer with another, while Liu Tan tried to restrain him.
• Wang Yang composed a poem praising Mo Chou, ending with the line that he would be a mandarin duck and envy no immortal, and Liu Cheng staggered out of the hall.
• The Prince of Badong praised Wang Yang’s poems, while Xie Xinghan kept her copy of the latest poem and considered finding him calligraphy copybooks.
• The Prince of Badong asked Wang Yang’s courtesy name, and Wang Yang explained that Yan referred to Yan Hui.
• The Prince of Badong grew cold and accused Wang Yang of arrogance for invoking the name of Confucius’s foremost disciple.

Wang Yang traded sharp remarks with the Prince of Badong, who invited him to ride and welcomed him with wine. The banquet turned tense when Supervisory Officer Wu Xiuzhi arrived and confronted the prince, who erupted in anger.

• Wang Yang challenged the Prince of Badong’s objections to his expressions, and the prince laughed and invited him to ride outside the city.
• Wang Yang admitted he was poor at horsemanship, accepted the invitation, and drank Yicheng Spring with the Prince of Badong and the other guests.
• A servant announced Supervisory Officer Wu Xiuzhi, whose arrival silenced the banquet.
• Wu Xiuzhi challenged the Prince of Badong for failing to invite him and cited the regulations requiring his attendance.
• The Prince of Badong mocked Wu Xiuzhi over his reports to the emperor, then angrily cursed him and demanded that he either bring about the prince’s death or keep quiet.

At a banquet, the Prince of Badong provoked his supervisory secretary Wu Xiuzhi and tested Wang Yang with a politically charged remark about Jingzhou. Later, he explained his strategy to Kong Changyu and said he wanted to put Wang Yang to the test.

• The Prince of Badong insulted Wu Xiuzhi publicly, then brought up the former boundaries of Jingzhou while speaking with Wang Yang over wine.
• Wang Yang answered that distant, difficult-to-reach delicacies were especially prized, avoiding a direct response about Jingzhou.
• The Prince of Badong taunted Wu Xiuzhi to record Wang Yang's words and use them to accuse him, while Wu Xiuzhi remained silent.
• After the banquet, the Prince of Badong asked Kong Changyu whether Guo Jian had replied about verifying Wang Yang's identity, and demanded certainty.
• The Prince of Badong said his reputation for outrageous behavior would make his increasingly serious mistakes seem less suspicious and weaken Wu Nuer's reports to the emperor.
• The Prince of Badong dismissed the idea that Wang Yang had been sent by rivals and said he wanted to play a game with him and put him to the test.