Recaps

Shen Mingxuan visited Li Jin at the Suzhou Weaving Bureau, where Li challenged his assumptions about their alliance and their ability to resist Wei Nisheng. Li warned that keeping Wei Zi at bay depended on Shen Mingxuan not losing his footing first.

• Shen Mingxuan waited outside the Suzhou Weaving Bureau before being admitted to its rear courtyard, where Li Jin sang a mocking passage in opera costume.
• Li Jin confronted Shen Mingxuan about why he had come and rejected the idea that he needed comfort over Wei Nisheng's actions.
• Li Jin said the Imperial Silk Bureau could replace Shen Mingxuan's firm and that Shen could not reach the powerful interests behind Wei Nisheng.
• Shen Mingxuan argued that his place in the Shen family genealogy made the Everlasting Abundance Firm harder to replace than Li Jin claimed.
• Li Jin told Shen Mingxuan to warn He Yanming that holding off Wei depended on Shen preventing Wei Zi from slipping through the gap.

Wei Nisheng visited Dragon Pool Temple and had Cui Fu investigate Suzhou’s monasteries, suspecting that Buddhist devotion concealed a pursuit of fame and corruption. He learned that major temples maintained a pure public image while smaller temples were notorious for illicit activity, and he suggested that the great temples might be hiding what lay beneath their reputation.

• Wei Nisheng visited Dragon Pool Temple with Qu Niang and offered incense while she prayed.
• When Qu Niang asked why he had been visiting temples, Wei Nisheng said people sometimes turned to Buddha to seek fame.
• Cui Fu reported that several smaller temples in Suzhou were known for sexual misconduct disguised as religious worship.
• Cui Fu shared a verse condemning the corruption of temples, and Wei Nisheng praised it as a fine poem.
• Cui Fu said the major temples remained respected and pure, but Wei Nisheng questioned how an abbot who never left the temple could know what happened in Suzhou.
• Wei Nisheng explained that major temples had to preserve their spotless public image to maintain pilgrims and offerings, while what lay beneath that image could be different.

Wei Nisheng explained to Zhang Zai that he had investigated Suzhou’s temples to expose their abuses and create a pretext for securing command of troops before auditing the accounts. He left Zhang Zai alarmed but resolved to press ahead, insisting that the military intervention and the audit were separate matters.

• Wei Nisheng praised Cui Fu for investigating Suzhou’s temples, ended the inquiry, and sent him to enjoy an opera.
• Zhang Zai arrived and confronted Wei Nisheng about the temple investigation, and Wei Nisheng confirmed that it concerned abused daughters of ordinary families forced into temple service.
• Zhang Zai condemned Suzhou’s officials and scholars for knowing about the temple abuses while failing to act.
• Wei Nisheng told Zhang Zai that they lacked authority, evidence, and security to investigate the accounts safely, and that the temples could provide grounds to seek command of troops.
• Wei Nisheng explained that he had deliberately used the temple inquiry as a pretext to gain leverage while concealing his true goal of auditing the accounts.

Xie Lin realized that Wei Nisheng had used a series of hidden moves to draw him into a larger scheme centered on the temple. The chapter left Xie Lin recognizing that Wei had won the contest for Suzhou’s name while he had been deceived into playing against himself.

• Xie Lin replayed his game against Wei Nisheng and recognized that Wei’s opening at tengen had anticipated his impatience.
• Xie Lin examined his secret reports and understood how Wei had used the imperial decree, a board game, Zhang Zai, Li Jin, and Shen Mingxuan as successive hidden moves.
• Xie Lin saw that the scattered stones formed a single line from the side and realized the hidden moves all led to tengen, the temple.
• Xie Lin concluded that Wei had been moving throughout while he mistook his own withdrawal for stillness and had played against himself.
• Xie Lin laughed that Suzhou would lose its name while Wei Zi won his, as Xu Shi left the hot soup outside without knocking.

In a rainy Suzhou, Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai discuss Xie Lin’s prolonged fixation on their political chess game. Xie Lin admits he believes he lost everything from his first move, but Wei tells him he can still take up the axe and act.

• Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai ate an extravagant breakfast while watching Xie Lin wait outside in the rain.
• Wei Nisheng compared Xie Lin to Wang Zhi, the woodcutter who watched immortals play chess until his axe handle rotted, and said Xie had lost himself in the game.
• Xie Lin entered the station and told Wei Nisheng he had realized he had lost everything from his very first move.
• Wei Nisheng told Xie Lin he had not lost yet because the axe handle had not rotted and he could still take it up.

Wei Nisheng revealed how his hidden moves in Suzhou had outmaneuvered Xie Lin and pressed him to help prepare a memorial for the Capital. Xie Lin admitted defeat but left with the possibility of continuing the struggle.

• Wei Nisheng explained that Xie Lin had mistaken the visible tengen move for his true objective and had overlooked the other moves he had set in Suzhou.
• Wei Nisheng reminded Xie Lin that dwelling on past defeats would not change the outcome, while Xie Lin sat silently with his regret.
• Zhang Zai challenged Xie Lin to explain what Wei Nisheng could take back to the Capital, noting that the accounts, people, taxes, and cases remained beyond their reach.
• Xie Lin realized Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai had sought legitimacy from the beginning, and Wei Nisheng offered him a chance to amend their memorial before it went to the Capital.
• Xie Lin declined to alter the memorial, admitted he had lost, and heard Wei Nisheng say it was not too late as he recalled that knowing defeat yet advancing meant he was not defeated.

Wei Nisheng revealed to Zhang Zai that the memorial he had shown Xie Lin was blank and that his air of perfect calculation had been a deliberate show of composure. Zhang Zai then realized the Imperial Silk Bureau had invited him because they hoped to use him as a way out.

• Wei Nisheng explained that Zhang Zai’s sharp words had pulled Xie Lin out of self-torment by giving his anger somewhere to go.
• Zhang Zai asked when Wei Nisheng had written the memorial, and Wei Nisheng showed him that its pages were blank.
• Wei Nisheng admitted he had let Xie Lin believe he had planned everything, while Zhang Zai complained that he had been left out of the performance.
• Wei Nisheng warned Zhang Zai that He Yanming doubted most of what he said and that continued contact might make him more receptive.
• Zhang Zai recalled the Imperial Silk Bureau’s deferential invitation and concluded that its superintendent was seeking a way out by approaching him.
• Salted Fish posted an examination message encouraging students to focus on effort rather than the outcome.

Wei Nisheng wrote a memorial portraying Suzhou’s corrupt temples as an affront to the late emperors, fallen soldiers, and the court, using that case to request authority to send the Hangzhou Guard into Suzhou. He sealed the memorial and left the story poised for the Ruler-Father’s decision.

• Wei Nisheng returned to his desk and prepared to write a memorial about Suzhou’s temples.
• Wei Nisheng framed the temples’ abuses as a desecration of Emperor Taizong’s wishes and an injury to the families of the Northern Expedition’s fallen soldiers.
• Wei Nisheng invoked historical rulers who suppressed Buddhism to argue that extraordinary action could restore order and protect the state.
• Wei Nisheng requested that the Ruler-Father send three thousand Hangzhou Guards to garrison Suzhou and purge its temples.
• Wei Nisheng sealed the memorial and recalled Feng Yan’s words that true authority was established by oneself.

Xie Lin advised He Yanming how to counter Wei Zi’s plan to bring the Hangzhou Guard into Suzhou by involving Xiong Hui and appealing to public welfare. He Yanming accepted the strategy but remained wary of Xie Lin’s loyalties.

• He Yanming explained why he intended to wait for the court and Shen Duan rather than oppose Wei Zi’s memorial.
• Xie Lin warned that Feng Guan’s ties to Wei Zi and the Hangzhou Guard could make the incoming troops serve Wei Zi’s interests.
• Xie Lin urged He Yanming to enlist Li Jin to persuade Xiong Hui that the Hangzhou Guard’s arrival threatened the Suzhou Guard’s standing.
• Xie Lin proposed that He Yanming gather gentry petitions and offer to investigate Suzhou’s temples himself within three months, citing the people’s livelihood and spring plowing.
• He Yanming questioned whether Xie Lin was serving him or Wei Zi, and Xie Lin affirmed his loyalty to He Yanming and Suzhou.
• He Yanming agreed to speak to Li Jin and asked Xie Lin to draft the gentry’s petition.

He Yanming asked Li Jin to deliver a letter to Xiong Hui, hoping the Suzhou Guard could counter Wei Zi'an’s plan to bring the Hangzhou Guard into Suzhou. Li Jin agreed but warned that only Shen Duan could stop an imperial order, and urged He Yanming to tell him they could not wait any longer.

• He Yanming met Li Jin at the Suzhou Weaving Bureau to discuss Wei Zi'an’s plan to bring the Hangzhou Guard into Suzhou.
• He Yanming asked Li Jin to deliver a blank-envelope letter to Xiong Hui so the Suzhou Guard might resist the Hangzhou Guard’s entry.
• Li Jin agreed to deliver only the letter and deny knowing its contents, then questioned whether He Yanming or Xie Dao'an had devised the plan.
• Li Jin warned He Yanming that Xiong Hui could not defy an imperial decree and that they needed someone who could stop it.
• Li Jin agreed to speak with Xiong Hui and told He Yanming to tell Shen Duan to stop waiting.

Xie Lin’s letter warned Xiong Hui that corruption among his subordinates and his own ties to Suzhou’s wealth could implicate him if an investigation began. Xiong Hui recognized how isolated he was and left Lakeview Tower carrying the letter.

• Li Jin delivered Xie Lin’s letter to Xiong Hui at Lakeview Tower on behalf of He Yanming.
• Xiong Hui read the letter’s accusations about gifts from Shen Mingxuan’s Everlasting Abundance Firm and temple money reaching his officers.
• Xie Lin warned that Wei Zi’s troop-deployment request could bring the Hangzhou Guard to investigate Suzhou and implicate Xiong Hui and his subordinates.
• Xiong Hui realized that his subordinates’ conduct could make him answer to the court and that he had no trusted allies in Suzhou.
• Xiong Hui laughed bitterly, drank from the wine pot, paid the proprietor, and walked into the rain with the letter in his sleeve.

Wei Nisheng visited Xie Lin and listened as he played the zheng, then wrote a lyric in response to the music. Their conversation acknowledged their shared outlook and opposing sides, leaving Xie Lin to keep the lyric as dusk fell.

• Wei Nisheng visited Xie Lin at his lakeside residence and proposed that they drink and talk like the celebrated Wei-Jin gentlemen.
• Xie Lin played “Wind Through the Pines” on the zheng, and Wei Nisheng said he heard a man unwilling to accept his lot.
• Xie Lin and Wei Nisheng reflected on how they might have related if they had met elsewhere, then agreed they had never stood on the same side.
• Wei Nisheng wrote a lyric inspired by Xie Lin’s zheng melody and gave it to him in return.
• Xie Lin called the lyric cruel, saying written words were harder to erase than a lost game, then rolled it up and slipped it into his sleeve.

As Xie Lin weighed the conflicting loyalties of his three allies against Wei Zi'an’s influence, he lamented that his rival was also the only person who truly understood him. Xu Shi reassured him that their contest was not yet decided, and Xie Lin regained his resolve.

• Xie Lin reflected that He Yanming, Li Jin, and Shen Mingxuan each had private aims, leaving him at a disadvantage against Wei Zi.
• Xu Shi brought Xie Lin hot soup and asked why he seemed troubled.
• Xie Lin told Xu Shi that he regarded Wei Zi'an as both a worthy rival and a kindred spirit, but lamented that Wei held the Son of Heaven while Xie had only three unreliable men.
• Xu Shi reminded Xie Lin that victory and defeat were still undecided, and he agreed that the outcome could not yet be known.
• Xu Shi went to fetch more soup, warning Xie Lin not to let it grow cold, and he smiled as she left.

Shen Duan convened the Grand Secretariat to debate conflicting memorials from Suzhou: Wei Zi'an sought troops to investigate temple abuses, while He Yanming and local gentry opposed dispatching them. He postponed a recommendation until the court session in two days, leaving the ministers to prepare their positions.

• Shen Duan presented Wei Zi'an's request to send Hangzhou Guard troops into Suzhou and He Yanming's petition against disrupting spring plowing.
• Fang Qi summarized both memorials, while Song Yue challenged him to state what recommendation he would make.
• Kou Yuan argued that Wei Zi'an's claims about temple abuses had evidence, while He Yanming's prediction of disruption was not yet supported by facts.
• Shen Duan warned that troops entering Suzhou would reach beyond the temples, and Song Yue declined to give a personal position on dispatching them.
• Fang Qi proposed delaying the decision for a joint local investigation, but Song Yue questioned whether He Yanming could be trusted to investigate.
• Shen Duan set the memorials aside and told the ministers to prepare their answers for the court session in two days.

Emperor Jing of Zhou weighed Wei Zi'an’s proposal to send troops into Suzhou against He Yanming’s plea to delay, and became tempted by the wealth that could be seized from the region’s temples. He ultimately held back from endorsing the deployment himself and ordered a copy of Wei’s memorial sent to Wang Kan.

• Wang Cheng reported that the grand secretaries had left Wei Zi'an’s and He Yanming’s memorials for the emperor’s judgment at morning court.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou read both memorials and asked Wang Cheng what Wei Zi'an intended to accomplish.
• Wang Cheng suggested that investigating Suzhou’s temples could bring substantial revenue to the court and recalled Emperor Taizu melting temple statues to mint coins.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou considered the treasury’s needs and the risks of giving Wei Zi'an military authority, while questioning whether He Yanming spoke for the people or himself.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou decided not to raise the matter first and ordered Wang Cheng to copy Wei Zi'an’s memorial and deliver it to Wang Kan.

Shen Duan and the Party Faction planned how to oppose Wei Zi's memorial at morning court, drawing on Xie Dao'an's advice. Shen Duan also ordered Fang Qi to send a warning to Xiong Hui, then burned Xie Dao'an's note and reflected that Dao'an had lost to Wei Zi.

• Fang Qi proposed delaying Wei Zi's memorial through prolonged deliberations, but Shen Duan warned that the Emperor expected a persuasive response at morning court.
• Shen Duan outlined three arguments against deploying the Hangzhou Guard: spring plowing, Wei Zi's lack of military authority, and the availability of Suzhou's local officials and troops.
• Shen Duan invoked Emperor Taizu's principle of benefiting the people to argue that spring plowing and livelihoods should take priority over investigating the temples.
• Shen Duan ordered Fang Qi to write Xiong Hui that night and have him stir up the Suzhou Guard enough to remind Wei Zi that Suzhou had troops of its own.
• After the others left, Shen Duan reread Xie Dao'an's note, burned it, and sighed that Dao'an had lost to Wei Zi.

Wang Kan told Song Jing that he had learned courage alone could not protect Wei Zi'an or achieve change, and asked for support against Shen Duan and the Shen Faction. Song Jing agreed to study the Two Memorials and back Wang Kan at court, declaring that he was no longer alone but the Wei Faction's spearhead.

• Wang Kan explained that he had failed to stand against Shen Duan at court and feared that his death would leave Wei Zi'an without protection.
• Wang Kan reflected on his past belief that dying for his principles was enough and said he now understood that collective effort was needed to accomplish anything.
• Song Jing compared Wang Kan's former solitary resistance to the debaters of the School of Names and praised his new understanding that people had to work together.
• Song Jing recognized that Wang Kan had brought the Two Memorials seeking support against Shen Duan and the Shen Faction.
• Song Jing promised to study the memorials before Morning Court and said Wang Kan had the Censorate's backing as his disciple.
• Song Jing told Wang Kan that Wei Zi'an, Zhang Zai, and others stood behind him, and called him the Wei Faction's spearhead.

At the regular court audience, Shen Duan’s faction challenged Wei Zi’an’s request to send Hangzhou Guard troops into Suzhou to investigate temple abuses. Shen Duan argued that local officials should handle the inquiry through proper procedures, leaving the emperor to weigh the memorials and the court’s rival factions poised for further debate.

• Shen Duan instructed Fang Qi to follow their strategy, while Kou Yuan and Song Yue recognized the dispute as a contest between the court’s Three Factions.
• Wang Kan assured Song Jing that he would argue through reason rather than risk his life, and he brought the ivory court tablet bestowed by the emperor.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou invited the ministers to debate Wei Zi’an’s request for troops and He Yanming’s petition to delay their deployment.
• Fang Qi argued that troop deployment should wait until after spring plowing, while Yao Zhen challenged his claims and questioned the gentry’s petition.
• Zou Mo argued that Wei Zi’an lacked authority to deploy troops and that the treasury could not bear the cost; Censor Xu countered that an imperial envoy could act in an emergency.
• Shen Duan argued that local authorities should investigate the temples and that the court should follow proper procedures rather than let Wei Zi’an extend his authority through military force.

At court, Shen Duan’s faction argued that Wei Zi'an had overstepped by investigating temple lands, while the Upright Officials challenged the temples’ tax exemptions and the Ministry of Revenue’s records. Fang Qi then accused the Censorate of acting as Wei Zi'an’s personal advocates, and the hall waited to see whether Wang Kan would respond, but he was nowhere to be seen.

• Yao Zhen argued that investigating untaxed temple lands fell within Wei Zi'an’s arrears inquiry, but Fang Qi defended temple exemptions as an ancestral institution.
• Zou Mo demanded exact evidence of excess temple holdings, exposing that Yao Zhen’s report gave no figures.
• Censor Chen challenged Zou Mo to produce the Ministry of Revenue’s records, risking scrutiny of the ministry’s performance.
• Fang Qi accused the Censorate of serving Wei Zi'an, prompting Chen Han to restrain Yao Zhen from responding and giving the Shen Faction grounds to accuse Wang Kan.
• The officials searched the hall for Wang Kan, but he did not appear.

Wang Kan calmly defended Wei Zi'an and the Censorate in court, countering Fang Qi’s accusations with evidence and pointed allusions. He left Fang Qi furious and humiliated, while Shen Duan watched without revealing his thoughts.

• Wang Kan challenged Fang Qi’s claim that the Censorate was merely championing Wei Zi'an and argued that its officials were fulfilling their duty by speaking on matters of state.
• Wang Kan questioned whether Fang Qi opposed Wei Zi'an because his arguments were unsound or because he was Grand Tutor Feng’s disciple, and defended the memorials as grounded in facts and precedent.
• Wang Kan presented the emperor with a memorial compiling reports of depraved acts in Suzhou temples, including the names of temples, monks, and recorded offenses.
• Fang Qi mocked the Censorate for preparing Wei Zi'an’s documents, but Wang Kan calmly replied that he had only fulfilled his duty and asked whom Fang Qi was championing.
• Wang Kan compared Fang Qi to the smug coachman in the story of Yan Zi and then called him a dog tail filling a court post, leaving Fang Qi trembling with rage.

Wang Kan turned Fang Qi’s accusation into a public defense of his remonstrance, then traded insults with him until their confrontation became a brawl in the Golden Hall. The dispute between the Censorate and the Shen Faction erupted into a full-scale fight among the court officials.

• Wang Kan removed his official cap and knelt to stake his office and life on his claim that he had not insulted Fang Qi, and Emperor Jing of Zhou affirmed Wang Kan’s account.
• Wang Kan taunted Fang Qi over his record and cited classical texts to condemn his conduct, until Shen Duan ordered them to stop arguing and return to the deliberations.
• Fang Qi grabbed Wang Kan by the collar, and Wang Kan struck Fang Qi in the face with his Court Tablet, sending both men tumbling onto the Vermilion Steps.
• Yao Zhen and other Censors rushed to Wang Kan’s aid and dragged Fang Qi away, while members of the Shen Faction moved to protect Fang Qi.
• The Censorate and the Shen Faction clashed in the Golden Hall, turning the court into a sprawling fight with Court Tablets, fists, and elbows.

Emperor Jing of Zhou watched Fang Qi and Wang Kan’s brawl in the Golden Hall before reprimanding them and Chief Minister Shen Duan. He punished the officials and ruled on the temple investigation, sending the court away with orders to investigate temple assets and verify a gentry petition.

• Wang Cheng moved to summon the Imperial Dragon Guard, but Emperor Jing of Zhou signaled him not to intervene as the civil officials fought.
• Shen Duan asked the emperor to stop the brawl, and Emperor Jing of Zhou questioned Fang Qi and Wang Kan about how it began.
• Wang Kan claimed he had acted in self-defense, while Emperor Jing of Zhou accused him of provoking Fang Qi and criticized Shen Duan for watching before intervening.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou fined Fang Qi, Wang Kan, Shen Duan, and other officials, and ordered Fang Qi and Wang Kan to remain at home for seven days.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou approved an investigation of the temples, assigned eight hundred Hangzhou guards to protect Wei Nisheng, and ordered the Ministry of Revenue to examine temple lands and assets.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou sent He Yanming’s gentry petition to the Censorate for verification and ordered punishment for anyone who had fabricated claims.

After the court brawl, Shen Duan and Kou Yuan chastised their respective officials for losing their composure, while Song Jing inspected Wang Kan’s injuries and reprimanded him. The chapter ended with Wang Kan teasing Song Jing about having to apologize to Kou Yuan.

• Shen Duan told Fang Qi that his outburst had cost him his dignity and composure, benefiting His Majesty and possibly the Wei Faction.
• Kou Yuan rebuked the censors for fighting in court, demanded that those who struck him apologize, and praised Wang Kan’s arguments while condemning his punches.
• Kou Yuan told Song Jing that Wang Kan had opened his eyes, then departed without saying more.
• Song Jing checked Wang Kan for injuries and scolded him for turning a debate into a brawl.
• Wang Kan asked whether Song Jing would have to apologize at Kou Yuan’s residence, and Song Jing protested that he had never kicked Kou Yuan.

Wei Nisheng received news that the Court had approved eight hundred Hangzhou guards for Suzhou and learned Shen Duan was trying to bind Xiong Hui to his side. He planned to turn Shen Duan’s pressure against him by offering Xiong Hui a way to protect himself and his troops, then wait for Xiong Hui to respond.

• Cui Fu delivered Feng Guan’s letter to Wei Nisheng, reporting the troop transfer, Shen Duan’s secret approach to Xiong Hui, and Wang Kan and Fang Qi’s clash at Court.
• Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai discussed Shen Duan’s attempt to counterbalance Wei Nisheng through Xiong Hui.
• Wei Nisheng reasoned that Xiong Hui would resent being controlled by a civil official and would fear Shen Duan’s warning about his officers’ misconduct.
• Wei Nisheng decided to wait for Xiong Hui or his envoy and offer to investigate the temples without prosecuting Suzhou Guard officers who stayed away from them.
• Wei Nisheng explained that he wanted to preserve the Suzhou Guard rather than push its soldiers into Shen Duan’s camp over their acceptance of merchants’ tributes.

Xiong Hui received Chancellor Shen’s warning that the Hangzhou Guard would be sent to investigate Suzhou’s temples, bypassing his own troops. He ordered Zhou Hu to visit Imperial Envoy Wei at the postal station, leaving the nature of the encounter deliberately unclear while forbidding weapons or violence.

• A courier delivered Chancellor Shen’s letter warning Xiong Hui that the Hangzhou Guard would enter Suzhou and suggesting that loyal army ruffians could shoulder certain debts.
• Xiong Hui burned the letter and summoned his company commander, Zhou Hu.
• Xiong Hui told Zhou Hu that the court planned to send the Hangzhou Guard to investigate Suzhou’s temples instead of using the Suzhou Guard.
• Zhou Hu cursed the decision, and Xiong Hui instructed him to visit Imperial Envoy Wei at the postal station so Wei could see the Suzhou soldiers were no worse than the Hangzhou Guard.
• Xiong Hui told Zhou Hu to be courteous, bring no weapons, and lay no hands on anyone, then privately declared he would rather die fighting the Khitan than be crushed by his superiors.