Recaps

Feng Guan returned to the Capital with Jiang Shi and Feng Ci, where Feng Yan confronted him about staying away and defended his trust in Wei Zi'an. Feng Guan asked Feng Yan to help Ci'er advance, but Feng Yan blamed both father and son for Ci'er's failures and condemned Feng Guan for relying on him to clear the way.

• Feng Guan arrived at the Feng Residence with Jiang Shi and Feng Ci and bowed before Feng Yan.
• Feng Yan questioned Feng Guan about his long absence, then sent Jiang Shi and Feng Ci to the rear courtyard while he spoke privately with his son.
• Feng Guan asked whether Wei Zi'an could be trusted, and Feng Yan praised Zi'an's achievements and said he trusted him with the Feng Family's future.
• Feng Guan asked Feng Yan to guide Ci'er after he failed the Autumn Provincial Examination, comparing Ci'er's prospects with Wei Zi'an's scarlet robe.
• Feng Yan listed the help he had already given Ci'er and accused Feng Guan of failing to support his son's education and connections in Hangzhou.

Feng Guan told Feng Yan he would not pursue a career in letters, while Jiang Shi reunited with Fu Niang and approved her marriage to Wei Nisheng despite the dangers surrounding him. In Daming Prefecture, Zhang Zai received an imperial order to return to the capital and investigate Suzhou’s overdue tax grain and silver with Wei Nisheng.

• Feng Yan told Feng Guan that Fu Niang’s betrothal rites would take place next month and that Wei Zi would provide for Ci'er.
• Feng Guan told Feng Yan he would not follow the path of letters after his brothers’ deaths, then went to see Fu Niang with Jiang Shi.
• Jiang Shi reunited with Fu Niang, teased her about Wei Nisheng, and asked whether she feared the turmoil her marriage might bring.
• Fu Niang said she was not afraid to marry Wei Nisheng, and Jiang Shi promised to prepare her dowry.
• Zhang Zai received an imperial decree appointing him Deputy Superintendent to accompany Wei Nisheng in investigating Suzhou’s unpaid tax grain and silver, and prepared to return to the capital.

Wei Nisheng learned that Fu Niang’s family had arrived in the capital and hurried to meet them at the Feng Residence. Qu Niang persuaded him to go in his Scarlet Official Robe, and he left for the visit.

• Wei Nisheng returned to his courtyard after work and learned that Fu Niang’s parents and elder brother had arrived and invited him to the Feng Residence.
• Qu Niang told Wei Nisheng that Fu Niang’s mother wanted to meet him, and he hurried to change clothes for the visit.
• Qu Niang convinced Wei Nisheng that wearing his Scarlet Official Robe would show respect and prevent him from keeping the Feng Family waiting.
• Wei Nisheng put his official robe back on, took the prepared Calling Card, and told Cui Fu to go to the Feng Residence.

Wei Nisheng visited the Feng Residence, where Feng Yan’s family assessed his appearance and manners. After greeting Feng Yan, Feng Guan, Jiang Shi, and Feng Ci with careful courtesy, he exchanged a shy glance with Fu Niang.

• Wei Nisheng arrived at the Feng Residence after Cui Fu teased him about fussing over his appearance.
• Feng Yan, Feng Guan, Jiang Shi, Feng Ci, and Fu Niang waited in the Main Hall for Wei Nisheng.
• Wei Nisheng entered in his Scarlet Robe and impressed Feng Ci and the others with his handsome appearance.
• Wei Nisheng bowed to Feng Yan, greeted Feng Guan formally, and addressed Jiang Shi and Feng Ci with appropriate courtesy.
• Fu Niang came into the hall, and Wei Nisheng smiled at her as she blushed and stole a glance at him.

Wei Nisheng answered Feng Guan’s questions about his accounting methods, his impartial approach to investigating Suzhou’s arrears, and the small team he planned to take. Feng Guan approved and offered help from Hangzhou, leaving the family to turn from official business to dinner.

• Wei Nisheng calmly explained how his prior study of Ministry of Revenue records helped him find suspicious entries in the accounts.
• Wei Nisheng told Feng Guan he would report the facts about He Yanming and Suzhou’s accounts without presuming guilt or showing favoritism.
• Wei Nisheng said he would take Deputy Superintendent Zhang Zai, two clerks, and an accountant, focusing on discrepancies rather than examining every page.
• Feng Guan accepted Wei Nisheng’s answers and offered to assist him if anything arose in Suzhou.
• Jiang Shi ended the discussion of official affairs and invited Wei Nisheng to eat.

At a family feast, Feng Guan praised Wei Nisheng and asked who would handle the betrothal gifts and formal engagement. Wei Nisheng explained that he had no close elders to rely on and invoked Heaven, Earth, and the Emperor as witnesses to his love for Fu Niang.

• Jiang Shi served Wei Nisheng the dishes Fu Niang remembered he liked, and Feng Guan invited him to drink.
• After several cups, Feng Guan praised Wei Nisheng's courage, scholarship, and character, then drunkenly called him a splendid son-in-law.
• Feng Guan asked who would preside over Wei Nisheng's betrothal gifts and engagement, prompting silence as Wei Nisheng considered his lack of family elders.
• Wei Nisheng explained that his grandfather and adoptive father were dead and that he had separated from the Wei Second Branch, leaving him without a close clan member to entrust with the matter.
• Wei Nisheng told Fu Niang that Heaven and Earth and the Ruler-Father would witness their love, then saluted toward the imperial palace, saying the Emperor and Empress had witnessed it themselves.

Feng Guan explained to Jiang Shi that Wei Zi’s appeal to the Ruler-Father meant he wanted the emperor to know of and tacitly approve his marriage to Fu Niang, while his success in Suzhou would determine whether that favor came. Jiang Shi and Feng Guan agreed to support Wei Zi with Feng family connections and resources, then realized he had deliberately drawn them into his plans.

• Jiang Shi asked Feng Guan whether Wei Zi expected the Son of Heaven to witness his marriage, and Feng Guan explained that Wei Zi sought imperial knowledge and approval rather than the emperor’s attendance.
• Feng Guan told Jiang Shi that Wei Zi’s standing and future prospects could give Fu Niang lasting protection, but his answer to the Suzhou assignment would determine whether the emperor backed him.
• Jiang Shi urged Feng Guan to use his Jiangnan connections to support Wei Zi in Suzhou, and Feng Guan agreed to provide local help and troops if needed.
• Jiang Shi suspected Wei Zi had deliberately appealed to the Fengs and presented himself as having no one else to rely on, binding them to support his plans.
• Feng Guan and Jiang Shi recognized that they had been drawn into Wei Zi’s plans and would now have to help him for Fu Niang’s sake.

After the Feng family banquet, Wei Nisheng reflected on the lack of a suitable elder to oversee his betrothal to Fu Niang and wrote a memorial asking the emperor for an imperial betrothal document. Beneath that plea, he sought the emperor’s endorsement of his bond with the Feng family, which could help secure Feng Guan’s covert support when Wei Nisheng left the Capital.

• Feng Guan admitted that Wei Nisheng had maneuvered the Feng family into supporting him, and said he accepted him as Fu Niang’s intended husband.
• Wei Nisheng returned to the Small Courtyard and considered who could properly oversee his betrothal rites, since he had no clan kin and Feng Yan could not act for the groom.
• Wei Nisheng realized that invoking the emperor as his Ruler-Father could earn him protection on his journey from the Capital and encourage Feng Guan to help him.
• Wei Nisheng wrote a memorial describing his solitary circumstances and asking the emperor for a handwritten betrothal document.
• Wei Nisheng placed the memorial in a yellow silk envelope and murmured that he had done everything within his power for Fu Niang.

Emperor Jing of Zhou read Wei Nisheng’s petition asking him to write a betrothal proposal for his marriage to Fu Niang. He agreed to write it and ordered officials to assist with the remaining rites, giving Wei imperial approval and protection.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou criticized Suzhou Prefecture for sending him costly Dragon Garden Snow tea ahead of an upcoming inspection.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou set aside other memorials and opened Wei Nisheng’s petition asking for imperial grace.
• Wei Nisheng explained that he had no elder relatives to oversee his betrothal to Fu Niang and asked his Ruler-Father to write a proposal.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou recognized that Wei Nisheng had openly calculated that the imperial proposal would signal court approval of his marriage.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou wrote the Betrothal Proposal and instructed officials to assist with the remaining rites.

An imperial envoy delivered the Emperor’s handwritten betrothal decree, formally blessing Wei Nisheng and Fu Niang’s marriage. The Emperor also tasked Wei Nisheng with investigating Suzhou’s accounts, while Feng Yan agreed to pass along a request for mercy toward Li Jin.

• Wang Cheng arrived at the Feng Residence and read the Emperor’s decree bestowing an imperial betrothal on Wei Nisheng and Fu Niang.
• Feng Yan received the decree, while Feng Guan, Jiang Shi, and Fu Niang reacted with deep emotion and relief.
• Wang Cheng relayed the Emperor’s demand that Wei Nisheng investigate Suzhou Prefecture’s accounts and asked Feng Yan to request leniency for Li Jin.
• Wang Cheng said the Emperor hoped to drink at the wedding, then left after Feng Guan escorted him out.
• Feng Yan told Feng Guan that Wei Nisheng had earned the Emperor’s favor and celebrated that Fu Niang deserved the best.

On the day the Feng Residence received Wei Nisheng’s betrothal gifts, Wei Nisheng met Shen Yi at Riverview Tower and urged him to become Suzhou’s prefectural judge. He left Shen Yi weighing whether to serve the court and the people of Suzhou despite the consequences for his family.

• Wei Nisheng sent Qu Niang to the Feng Residence with instructions to bring back any message from Fu Niang, then traveled to Riverview Tower.
• Wei Nisheng asked Shen Yi to accept the post of prefectural judge in Suzhou and acknowledged Shen Yi’s ties to Chief Minister Shen and the Shen Faction.
• Wei Nisheng explained that he planned to bring down Xie Lin but did not intend to take the Shen Faction’s entire share of interests in Suzhou.
• Wei Nisheng argued that Shen Yi’s impartiality and legal experience made him the right person to oversee Suzhou’s grain transport, water conservancy, lawsuits, and granaries.
• Shen Yi worried about how his grandfather would react, while Wei Nisheng urged him to act as himself and give His Majesty a pledge of allegiance.

After Wei Nisheng proposed that Shen Yi replace Xie Lin as Suzhou’s prefectural judge, Shen Yi weighed his resentment toward his grandfather and the political stakes of the move. He decided to seize the opportunity and leave his years of waiting behind.

• Wei Nisheng left Riverview Tower, intent on building a faction with Zhang Zai, Wang Kan, and Shen Yi.
• Shen Yi reflected on his stalled career in the Ministry of Justice and his grandfather’s greater trust in Xie Lin.
• Shen Yi recognized that Wei Nisheng’s plan would give the Shen Family a chance to support the investigation while placing him in Suzhou.
• Shen Yi left Riverview Tower and declared that he would accept the post of prefectural judge of Suzhou.

Wei Nisheng read a letter from Fu Niang that included Feng Yan’s advice about Wang Cheng’s plea for leniency for Li Jin. He decided to judge Li Jin by his conduct when he reached Suzhou, leaving the letter close to his heart.

• Qu Niang gave Wei Nisheng a letter from Fu Niang after he returned to the Wei Residence.
• Wei Nisheng read Fu Niang’s account of the imperial betrothal inscription and her affectionate reminder to go to bed early.
• Feng Yan wrote that Wang Cheng had asked Wei Nisheng to consider sparing Li Jin and advised him to grant leniency only if Li Jin cooperated.
• Wei Nisheng considered Li Jin’s ties to the Inner Court and the Suzhou corruption investigation.
• Wei Nisheng wrote that he would observe Li Jin’s attitude in Suzhou, show leniency if he cooperated, and deal severely with him if he obstructed the investigation.

Wei Nisheng waited at Upright Sun Gate in the snow to welcome Zhang Zai back to the Capital after three years away. The old friends reunited and headed into the city together, where Wei Nisheng had arranged a meal and wine.

• Wei Nisheng walked through the snow to Upright Sun Gate and waited with Cui Fu for Zhang Zai.
• Zhang Zai arrived from Daming Prefecture in an Official Post Station carriage, and Wei Nisheng greeted him with a poem about his return.
• Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai exchanged solemn bows, then joked about each other's robes, nicknames, and years apart.
• Wei Nisheng invited Zhang Zai to his courtyard for a meal and wine, and Zhang Zai retrieved his wicker trunk from Chen Yi before they entered the city together.

Wei Nisheng reunited with Zhang Zai and Wang Kan in the Capital before planning their campaign against Suzhou’s entrenched officials. The chapter ended with He Yanming reading an ominous imperial response to his memorial as the new year approached.

• Wei Nisheng hosted Zhang Zai and Wang Kan for a welcome feast, where they discussed Zhang Zai’s return and Wei Nisheng’s coming assignment in Suzhou.
• Wei Nisheng estimated his chances against He Yanming, Xie Lin, and Li Jin at only thirty or forty percent, and said Zhang Zai would help uncover the truth in the accounts.
• Wang Kan pledged to serve as Wei Nisheng’s blade against corruption, while Zhang Zai warned that upright officials could suffer for challenging powerful enemies.
• Wei Nisheng confided to Zhang Zai that he feared the sky would not fall, and Zhang Zai observed that the Emperor wanted silver rather than heads.
• He Yanming read the Emperor’s unusual reply to his memorial, which praised his tea and threatened that he would taste winter tea in spring.

He Yanming worried that the emperor’s annotation on Suzhou’s tribute tea was a warning, and Xie Lin interpreted it as a caution against letting the prefecture’s affairs grow stale. With Wei Nisheng due to arrive to investigate arrears, Xie Lin proposed a strategy to protect He Yanming by asking to leave office first.

• He Yanming summoned Xie Lin after reading the emperor’s annotation, which praised Dragon Garden Snow but warned against offering stale tea.
• Xie Lin reassured He Yanming that the annotation was a reminder, not a concealed threat, and questioned his fear of Wei Nisheng.
• Xie Lin said Wei Nisheng feared He Yanming, whom the people regarded as a just official, and presented a prepared memorial requesting relief from office.
• Xie Lin advised He Yanming that requesting relief would force the Court to decide whether he could leave and constrain Wei Nisheng’s investigation either way.
• Xie Lin argued that the people of Suzhou would petition for He Yanming to stay, making Wei Nisheng a public enemy if he tried to drive the prefect from office.

Xie Lin advised He Yanming to submit a memorial requesting his own removal as a maneuver against Wei Nisheng, while warning that Shen Duan could abandon him if the Suzhou corruption network were exposed. He Yanming sent the memorial that night and awaited Wei Nisheng’s arrival, uncertain whether Xie Lin meant to protect or use him.

• Xie Lin reassured He Yanming that the emperor’s endorsement was only a warning and explained that Shen Duan had granted him full authority in Suzhou.
• He Yanming read Shen Duan’s letter and learned that he could be discarded if Wei Nisheng uncovered the local web of corruption, though Wei must not be killed.
• Xie Lin promised not to let He Yanming bear the blame alone and urged him to submit a memorial requesting his own removal that night.
• He Yanming reflected on his public achievements and his involvement in kickbacks and skimming silver, then signed the memorial and sent it by urgent relay.
• He Yanming considered how either acceptance or rejection of his removal request could turn public opinion against Wei Nisheng and wondered what the young imperial commissioner would do in Suzhou.

Xie Lin warned Shen Mingxuan that Wei Nisheng was coming to Suzhou to arrest those responsible for wrongdoing and instructed him to cooperate openly while concealing and transferring evidence. Meanwhile, Wang Cheng read He Yanming’s resignation memorial and recognized it as a trap that could damage the court and the emperor whichever way they responded.

• Xie Lin told Shen Mingxuan that Shen Duan had ordered him to act according to circumstances when Wei Zi arrived.
• Xie Lin urged Shen Mingxuan to prepare two sets of accounts, conceal evidence, pay what he owed, and avoid giving Wei Zi any grounds to accuse him.
• He Yanming’s memorial requesting to relinquish his post reached the Directorate of Transmission, where Wang Cheng read it before it reached the Grand Secretariat.
• Wang Cheng realized that either accepting or rejecting He Yanming’s resignation would leave Wei Zi’s investigation politically compromised and harm the court, so he hurried to inform the emperor.

At the final court audience of the year, officials debated He Yanming’s request to resign before the envoy investigated Suzhou’s arrears. Shen Duan argued that He Yanming should remain in office, and the emperor left the matter unresolved.

• Fang Qi told Shen Duan that the Grand Secretariat had drafted He Yanming’s resignation memorial and that all three drafters recommended approval.
• Wang Cheng read He Yanming’s memorial, which claimed he wanted to resign so the envoy could investigate Suzhou without impediment.
• Kou Yuan supported approving He Yanming’s request, praising his service and presenting approval as generous treatment of a worthy minister.
• Shen Duan argued that He Yanming should stay in office to help the envoy investigate, while Fang Qi invoked the people’s esteem and He Yanming’s Ten-Thousand-People Umbrellas.
• Song Jing could not challenge the claims of He Yanming’s popularity, and Emperor Jing of Zhou made no decision.

Emperor Jing of Zhou saw the court officials evade taking a position on He Yanming and grew furious over the obstacles to recovering the missing Suzhou silver. He summoned Wei Zi'an and ordered Wang Kan to ease his troubles, setting the stage for a forceful move against Suzhou.

• Song Jing refused to judge He Yanming without firsthand knowledge, and Emperor Jing of Zhou adjourned court until the next day.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou reviewed He Yanming's request to leave office and recognized that either granting or refusing it would benefit Shen Duan's interests in Suzhou.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou erupted over Kou Yuan's failed grain investigation and the court's reluctance to help recover the silver.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou ordered Wang Cheng to summon Wei Zi'an and tell him to have Wang Kan ease his Ruler-Father's troubles.
• Wang Cheng understood that the emperor intended Wang Kan to wield his authority against those obstructing the investigation.

Wei Nisheng explained to Zhang Zai that the emperor was preparing to replace Shen Duan and another senior minister, then was urgently summoned to the palace over He Yanming’s request for dismissal. Emperor Jing of Zhou demanded Wei address him as Ruler-Father and asked how to counter He Yanming’s maneuver, leaving Wei’s answer pending.

• Wei Nisheng told Zhang Zai that He Yanming’s request for dismissal was a trap devised with Xie Lin’s influence and that the emperor was preparing to replace Shen Duan and another minister.
• Wang Cheng arrived with an urgent summons, and Wei Nisheng left for the palace while Zhang Zai remained behind.
• On the carriage ride, Wang Cheng warned Wei Nisheng that the emperor wanted silver and told him to heed the emperor’s words and offer his heart.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou ordered Wei Nisheng to address him as Ruler-Father, then gave him He Yanming’s memorial to read.
• Wei Nisheng explained how either granting or refusing He Yanming’s request would obstruct the Suzhou investigation, and Emperor Jing of Zhou asked how he should respond.

Wei Nisheng pledged to secure silver and men for Emperor Jing of Zhou through the Suzhou undertaking, and persuaded the emperor to grant Wang Kan special authority at court. The chapter ended with the emperor comparing Wang Kan to Wei Wenzhen, while Wei Nisheng noted that Wei Wenzhen had served Emperor Taizong.

• Wei Nisheng asked Emperor Jing of Zhou whether he sought men or silver, then explained that Suzhou’s arrears investigation was meant to obtain both.
• Wei Nisheng presented his pledge of loyalty and volunteered to undertake the Suzhou mission, saying the key to silver was people.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou accepted Wei Nisheng’s pledge and ordered him to have Wang Kan refute He Yanming and Shen Duan at the final court audience before the new year.
• Wei Nisheng secured a special decree allowing Wang Kan to attend grand and regular court audiences after Wei Nisheng left the capital.
• Wei Nisheng thanked Emperor Jing of Zhou for recognizing Wang Kan, and the emperor compared Wang Kan to Wei Wenzhen.

At the grand court assembly, Wang Kan denounced He Yanming’s resignation memorial as an attempt to use popular support to pressure the emperor and obstruct an investigation into Suzhou’s accounts. He removed his official hat and demanded that the court decide the matter by law, leaving his fate in Emperor Jing of Zhou’s hands.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou summoned Wang Kan to address the deadlocked proposals over He Yanming’s request to leave office.
• Wang Kan accused He Yanming of using the Ten-Thousand-People Umbrella and claims of popular will to pressure the court.
• Wang Kan challenged Shen Duan, Fang Qi, and Kou Yuan over their defenses of retaining or praising He Yanming.
• Wang Kan declared that he impeached the practice of using the people to coerce the ruler, rather than impeaching any individual minister.
• Wang Kan knelt, removed his futou, and demanded that the emperor decide He Yanming’s resignation and the Suzhou accounts investigation according to law.

Wang Kan defended his attack on He Yanming before Emperor Jing of Zhou, while Shen Duan argued that the accusation condemned a man without evidence. Song Jing then defended Wang Kan’s right to remonstrate and challenged Shen Duan, leaving the Censorate united behind its colleague.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou invited the ministers to speak after Wang Kan refused to put his hat back on and entrusted his fate to the emperor.
• Shen Duan defended He Yanming’s record in Suzhou, argued that his request to leave office was proper, and warned against condemning officials without evidence.
• Song Jing stepped forward and argued that He Yanming’s request to avoid suspicion did not erase the irregular accounts that required investigation.
• Song Jing defended Wang Kan’s memorial as an expression of a Remonstrance Official’s opinion, not a judicial conviction, and demanded that Shen Duan refute it rather than suppress it.
• The Censors stepped forward together as Song Jing declared that the Censorate’s integrity was not Kou Yuan’s integrity.

Song Jing defended Wang Kan’s right to remonstrate, and Emperor Jing of Zhou restored Wang Kan’s cap and praised his loyalty. The emperor then kept He Yanming in office while placing the Suzhou investigation entirely under Imperial Envoy Wei Nisheng and ordering He Yanming to surrender all relevant records.

• Song Jing argued that Wang Kan’s accusations should be investigated and that officials must not be punished merely for speaking.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou descended from the throne, replaced Wang Kan’s Futou, and promised that Wang Kan would live to earn great renown.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou rejected He Yanming’s request to leave office but said the court could not employ him enough to dismiss him over an investigation.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou assigned the Suzhou investigation exclusively to Wei Nisheng and ordered He Yanming to hand over all relevant account books and documents without interference.
• Shen Duan concluded that He Yanming could not be saved and resolved to ensure Dao'an returned safely before the court was dismissed.