Recaps

Yao Zhen publicly backed Wang Kan for Assistant Censor-in-Chief, and Emperor Jing of Zhou approved the appointment. Wang Kan’s promotion established Wei Zi’s influence within the Censorate and fractured Kou Yuan’s hold over the Upright Officials.

• Yao Zhen asked Emperor Jing of Zhou to appoint Wang Kan to a substantive office and declared him fit to be Assistant Censor-in-Chief.
• Emperor Jing asked Yao Zhen to judge Wang Kan’s ability, and Yao Zhen praised his courage, talent, and integrity.
• Kou Yuan realized that Yao Zhen’s support would make him no longer the sole voice of the Upright Officials.
• Emperor Jing approved Wang Kan’s appointment and issued an edict promoting him to Assistant Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate at Subordinate Fifth Rank.
• Wang Kan received the decree, while the ministers recognized that Wei Zi’s faction had gained a foothold in the Censorate.

Kou Yuan challenged Emperor Jing of Zhou to decide whether Suzhou’s 3.2 million taels would fund the state or enter the Imperial Treasury, invoking Emperor Taizong and Kou Laigong to frame the choice as a test of the emperor’s virtue. The Upright Officials joined his remonstrance, leaving the furious emperor silent as officials crowded forward to plead.

• Kou Yuan accepted Wei Nisheng’s and Wang Kan’s promotions but condemned the court for settling personnel matters before resolving the Suzhou silver case.
• Kou Yuan demanded that Emperor Jing of Zhou put the silver in the Ministry of Revenue’s public accounts rather than the Imperial Treasury, citing Emperor Taizong’s acceptance of Kou Laigong’s admonition.
• Kou Yuan invoked the Late Emperor, Emperor Taizong, and the tyrants Jie and Zhou to press Emperor Jing of Zhou to heed the ministers or risk being condemned as a tyrant.
• Qi Zhao, Xu Bingwen, and other Upright Officials backed Kou Yuan, arguing that the silver belonged to all under heaven and that Imperial Treasury control would undermine the court’s institutions.
• The Upright Officials crowded the steps to remonstrate, while Emperor Jing of Zhou remained furious and silent.

Emperor Jing of Zhou adjourned court for three quarters of an hour to give Wei Nisheng time to break the Upright Officials’ momentum in their dispute over 3.2 million taels. Shen Duan and Fang Qi warned Wei Nisheng that the Ministry of Revenue—and Kou Fu'an—would control the money if it did not remain with the emperor, leaving Wei Nisheng to decide what to say when court resumed.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou adjourned court for three quarters of an hour after the Upright Officials pressed him to heed their remonstrance.
• The officials split into groups during the recess, while Wei Nisheng stood alone and considered how to break the impasse.
• Shen Duan advised Wei Nisheng to avoid debating the Upright Officials on their mastery of the classics and warned that they could spend more than the disputed sum.
• Wei Nisheng asked Shen Duan whether they were each seeking to use the other, but Fang Qi argued that Kou Fu'an would control the silver if the Ministry of Revenue handled it.
• Shen Duan told Wei Nisheng that the recess was nearly over and urged him to speak if he had made up his mind, or forget the 3.2 million taels.

Emperor Jing of Zhou asked Wei Nisheng where the recovered Suzhou silver should go, and Wei challenged Kou Yuan’s claim that placing it in the Imperial Treasury meant competing with the people for profit. Wei defended a broader meaning of public interest and argued that new words could express the Way before they became part of the classics, leaving the court debate unresolved.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou gave Wei Nisheng the Heavenly Son’s Sword and asked him to advise where the Suzhou silver should go.
• Kou Yuan accused Wei Nisheng of encouraging the emperor’s selfish desires and argued that storing the silver in the Imperial Treasury would compete with the people for profit.
• Wang Kan confronted Kou Yuan with his court tablet, prompting Kou Yuan to stop pressing Wei.
• Wei Nisheng cited a wronged old woman from Suzhou and challenged Kou Yuan to define public and private interests.
• Wei Nisheng argued that the silver could serve the people if circulated and that the ruler could store it for later public needs.
• Zhao Chongzhi questioned Wei Nisheng’s unsourced words, and Wei argued that the Way existed before the classics and explained how he had adapted ancient ideas to compose them.

Wei Nisheng countered Qi Zhao and Kou Yuan’s arguments over the Suzhou silver with a proposal to divide it between military reserves and an emergency treasury. After Qi Zhao and Xu Bingwen challenged the plan, Wei Nisheng revealed that he had set the officials against one another with a scheme he called “Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors.”

• Qi Zhao argued that putting all the Suzhou silver in the Imperial Treasury would leave the army unpaid, officials without salaries, and common people without food, but Wei Nisheng countered that the Son of Heaven ruled the realm as a father managed his household.
• Kou Yuan invoked the ideal that all under heaven belonged to everyone and argued that the Son of Heaven had no private wealth, then pressed Wei Nisheng to explain how the silver would be managed.
• Wei Nisheng proposed dividing the silver: half would become military reserve funds jointly managed by the Ministries of War and Revenue, and half would enter an emergency reserve treasury in the Imperial Treasury.
• Qi Zhao warned that the emergency treasury could let the Inner Court bypass government oversight, while Xu Bingwen cautioned that the people might resent the silver entering the imperial family’s treasury.
• Wei Nisheng stayed silent through their objections, then revealed his composed smile and named his scheme “Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors.”

Wei Nisheng defended his proposed Emergency Reserve Treasury against three Upright Officials, then forced Song Yue to choose whether the Ministry of War would accept earmarked silver for the border. Song Yue accepted the risk of future blame rather than let the Border Passes go unsupported.

• Xu Bingwen argued that Wei Nisheng’s plan endangered the people’s trust, completing the Upright Officials’ three challenges.
• Wei Nisheng answered that the Emperor and ministers should share decisions and responsibility, and that people cared about results rather than which treasury supplied relief.
• Qi Zhao accused Wei Nisheng of dividing the Court, but Wei Nisheng asked Song Yue whether the Ministry of War wanted the earmarked border silver.
• Kou Yuan warned Song Yue that he would bear blame if the money brought military failures or accounting deficits.
• Song Yue said he would accept punishment for a future defeat rather than refuse to fight out of fear and let the Border Passes fall into ruin.

Wei Nisheng’s silver-sharing proposal split the Upright Officials’ alliance, and Emperor Jing of Zhou approved dividing the funds between the Ministry of War and the Imperial Treasury. After Kou Yuan’s plea not to be humiliated prompted officials to ask for mercy, the emperor withdrew his threat but declared the silver matter settled.

• Song Yue and officials from the Ministry of War backed Wei Nisheng’s proposal to allocate silver to the border troops.
• Shen Duan supported the proposal, weakening Kou Yuan’s opposition and prompting Emperor Jing of Zhou to challenge the distinction between public and imperial funds.
• The officials acknowledged their wrongdoing, and Emperor Jing of Zhou ordered half the silver to go to the Ministry of War and half to the Imperial Treasury.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou proposed entrusting the funds to Kou Yuan and seeking his permission for personal needs, prompting Kou Yuan to kneel and plead not to be humiliated.
• Wang Kan, Wei Nisheng, Shen Duan, and other officials asked Emperor Jing of Zhou to spare Kou Yuan’s dignity.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou withdrew his humiliating remarks, upheld the silver allocation, and dismissed the Court.

After the court session, Kou Yuan challenged Wei Nisheng over his proposal to divide Suzhou’s silver, warning that it would concentrate power and damage the realm. Wei Nisheng rejected Kou Yuan’s judgment and declared that he would protect the Great Zhou through three flourishing reigns, leaving Kou Yuan to concede the encounter.

• Wei Nisheng and Wang Kan discussed celebrating their promotions over fish soup and cooked meat.
• Kou Yuan stopped Wei Nisheng outside the Meridian Gate and criticized his use of the Two Peaches Kill Three Warriors tactic to divide Suzhou’s silver.
• Kou Yuan warned that the decision would weaken the Ministry of Revenue and Grand Secretariat while empowering the Son of Heaven and Ministry of War.
• Wei Nisheng challenged Kou Yuan’s concern for history and declared that the annals would record his greatness.
• Wei Nisheng vowed to protect the realm through three flourishing reigns, and Kou Yuan stepped back, acknowledging his defeat.

Wei Nisheng took charge of the Selection Bureau and began reviewing its records, challenging how officials had been judged and appointed. He recalled Liu Mingde to the capital despite Qiu Heng’s objections and turned to an old dossier concerning Frontier Army officers and soldiers.

• Wei Nisheng entered the Selection Bureau, added charcoal to the stove, and described appointments and dismissals as fuel that had to be measured carefully.
• Wei Nisheng asked Qiu Heng to bring every merit assessment and record of officials punished for their words since Jinghe Year Ten, despite Qiu Heng’s warning about the volume.
• Wei Nisheng examined Liu Mingde’s dossier and questioned Qiu Heng about the assessment that had led to Liu’s demotion and transfer.
• Wei Nisheng ordered Liu Mingde recalled from Henan Prefecture to fill a Censor post under Wang Kan, and Qiu Heng objected that the order broke the rules.
• Wei Nisheng declared that he now made the rules, and Qiu Heng bowed and obeyed.
• Wei Nisheng opened a dossier about Frontier Army officers and soldiers and wrote a note in its margin as the charcoal fire rose.

Song Yue tried to secure a provincial appointment for his nephew, Song Zhao, by appealing to Wei Nisheng on his first day in the Selection Bureau. Wei agreed to arrange the post only if Song Yue helped promote frontier veteran Zhou Quan, leaving their bargain unresolved as Song Yue weighed the request.

• Song Yue intercepted Wei Nisheng after work and invited him to dine at the Drunken Immortal Tower.
• Song Yue asked Wei Nisheng to help his nephew, Song Zhao, obtain the vacant Prefectural Judge post in Kaifeng.
• Wei Nisheng agreed to arrange Song Zhao’s appointment on the condition that Song Yue transfer Zhou Quan to become Ningxia Garrison Deputy Commander-in-Chief.
• Wei Nisheng defended Zhou Quan’s record and framed the exchange as public and private interests served together.
• Song Yue asked whether Lord Feng knew about Zhou Quan, and Wei Nisheng said his teacher’s knowledge was unimportant; Song Yue then silently refilled their cups and drank.

Wei Nisheng visited Feng Yan to discuss Song Yue’s request and learned that Song had been testing his ambitions and probing his ties to Feng Yan. Feng Yan warned him to investigate Song Zhao’s military records and reminded him that an heir built trust by plotting and accomplishing things alongside his former teacher; Wei Nisheng promised to keep their bond alive.

• Wei Nisheng told Feng Yan that Song Yue had sought a Kaifeng prefectural judge post for his nephew, and that he had proposed a trade involving a deputy general’s post in Ningxia for Zhou Quan.
• Feng Yan explained that Song Yue had been testing whether Wei Nisheng would rely on his teacher’s influence or act on his own, and that Wei’s proposed exchange revealed his ambitions in the northwest.
• Feng Yan warned that Song Zhao’s past work in the Ministry of War’s Armory Office might connect the Kaifeng post to military supply routes and urged Wei Nisheng to uncover what Song Yue was truly seeking.
• Wei Nisheng said he would investigate Song Zhao’s account books, and Feng Yan advised him that former followers would stay only if he helped them succeed.
• Wei Nisheng promised Feng Yan that he would keep the lamp in his study burning and said he would gladly remain a foolish child if their bond could endure.

Wei Nisheng used Song Yue’s request to secure his nephew’s appointment as Prefectural Judge of Kaifeng to demand Zhou Quan’s promotion to supreme command in Ningxia. Song Yue recognized the proposal as the start of an ongoing exchange of influence between their ministries, leaving him to weigh its consequences.

• Song Yue invited Wei Nisheng to his study to discuss a path forward now that Feng Yan no longer attended court.
• Wei Nisheng showed Song Yue that he had researched personnel and military records, prompting Song Yue to present Song Zhao’s qualifications for the vacant Kaifeng post.
• Wei Nisheng warned that Kaifeng was dangerous without capable military oversight and steered the discussion toward Ningxia’s command.
• Wei Nisheng demanded that Zhou Quan be appointed commander of Ningxia, arguing that the capable general would strengthen the garrison’s defenses.
• Song Yue accused Wei Nisheng of planting a blade in the Ministry of War, but Wei Nisheng framed the promotion and Song Zhao’s appointment as mutual support between their ministries.
• Song Yue realized that the proposal would begin a continuing exchange of influence between the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of War.

Wei Nisheng secured Song Yue’s support for Zhou Quan’s potential promotion by conceding that Song Yue’s nephew could be considered for the Kaifeng Prefectural Judge post. Leaving the Song residence, Wei Nisheng planned to win over Director Qiu so the appointment paperwork would proceed smoothly.

• Wei Nisheng presented Song Yue with a choice between supporting Zhou Quan’s promotion and risking his nephew’s chance at the Kaifeng post.
• Song Yue agreed that the Ministry of War would submit Zhou Quan’s promotion if the Ningxia Garrison report justified it, and Wei Nisheng promised the Kaifeng appointment would follow procedure.
• After Wei Nisheng left, Song Yue realized that Wei Nisheng was shaping the political struggle into a world of his own.
• Wei Nisheng considered how the Kaifeng appointment could force Song Yue to accept the bargain and identified Qiu Heng as a potential obstacle in the paperwork process.
• Wei Nisheng told Cui Fu to drive to Director Qiu’s residence, and Cui Fu offered to arrange dinner and prepare gifts.

Wei Nisheng visited Qiu Heng at night to secure his support in the Selection Bureau, offering him a future promotion in exchange for cooperation. Qiu Heng agreed to begin reviewing the Kaifeng Prefectural Judge appointment, while Wei Nisheng recognized that his path through the Ministry of Personnel remained long.

• Cui Fu presented Wei Nisheng’s visiting card at the Qiu Residence, and Qiu Heng received him in the front hall.
• Wei Nisheng raised the vacant Kaifeng Prefectural Judge post and asked Qiu Heng to advance a younger candidate whose record was suitable.
• Wei Nisheng offered Qiu Heng the prospect of becoming Vice Director and promised to keep him in his current post until then.
• Qiu Heng warned that ambition alone could not secure power in the Selection Bureau, and Wei Nisheng said he needed an experienced ally beside him.
• As Wei Nisheng left, Qiu Heng promised to begin the appointment’s preliminary review the next day.

Wei Nisheng welcomed Qin Yan back to the capital on Feng Yan’s behalf and reunited with Wei Shouzheng, his estranged younger brother. The carriage departed for Qin Yan’s visit to Feng Yan, leaving Wei Nisheng reflecting on how their lives had changed.

• Wei Nisheng waited at the city gate in his official robes to welcome Qin Yan, as Feng Yan had requested.
• Qin Yan arrived in a plain carriage, praised Wei Nisheng’s rise to scarlet robes, and joked about his work on the Suzhou affair.
• Wei Nisheng noticed Wei Shouzheng, who had traveled with Qin Yan, and the two exchanged courteous greetings after years apart.
• Qin Yan took Wei Shouzheng away in the carriage, while Wei Nisheng watched them go and reflected on fate and their changed positions.

Wei Shouzheng returned to the Wei Residence after years of studying and traveling with Qin Yan, while Wei Mingde and Cui Shi hoped Qin Yan’s restored position would help advance his career. The reunion ended with Cui Shi asking Wei Shouzheng to guide his indulged younger brother, Wei Shoucheng.

• Wei Mingde and Cui Shi waited anxiously for Wei Shouzheng to return, and Wei Mingde hoped Qin Yan would arrange a post for him.
• Wei Shouzheng arrived in a Blue Robe and greeted Wei Mingde, Cui Shi, and Wei Shoucheng.
• Wei Shouzheng told Wei Mingde that Qin Yan was well and had gone to the Ministry of Rites to receive the imperial decree.
• Wei Mingde asked whether Qin Yan had discussed Wei Shouzheng’s future, but Wei Shouzheng said his merit assessment and experience were not yet complete.
• Cui Shi praised Wei Shouzheng’s prospects and asked him to guide Wei Shoucheng, whose learning and behavior had disappointed his teacher.

Wei Shouzheng rejected his parents’ attempt to draw him toward Wei Nisheng and left the hall. He chose instead to bring his younger brother Wei Shoucheng close, beginning to teach him and offering him a place by his side.

• Cui Shi raised Wei Nisheng’s success and suggested Wei Shouzheng seek his help, while Wei Mingde angrily rejected the idea.
• Wei Shouzheng told his parents that he and Wei Nisheng were strangers after their lineages separated, then left the Central Hall.
• Wei Mingde sent Wei Shoucheng after Wei Shouzheng to ask whether he wanted a meal.
• In the rear corridor, Wei Shouzheng asked Wei Shoucheng to stay with him and offered to teach him to read.
• Wei Shouzheng guided Wei Shoucheng’s finger over a horizontal stroke, then took him to get rice.

Song Yue sent the Selection Bureau a Ministry of War dispatch signaling cooperation on military appointments, while Wei Nisheng used the opening to tighten his leverage over Zhou Quan’s promotion. As foreign envoys arrived in the Capital ahead of the Grand Court Audience, Wei prepared censored officials for the coming political drama.

• Song Yue sealed a Ministry of War dispatch and ordered a clerk to send it to the Selection Bureau through the official channel.
• Qiu Heng brought the dispatch to Wei Nisheng, who interpreted its use of an official dispatch as the Ministry of War’s offer to cooperate as an equal and ordered reciprocal sharing of military personnel records.
• Wei Nisheng planned to use news of Zhou Quan’s prospective promotion to pressure Song Yue through the Censorate and secure greater control over Ningxia Garrison’s military command tally.
• Wei Nisheng approved Zhang Mao’s promotion, Li Han’s restoration, and Liu Mingde’s transfer into the Censorate to prepare a group of officials for the coming tribute proceedings.
• Wei Nisheng heard that foreign envoys had begun arriving in the Capital and welcomed the coming commotion as an opportunity to advance Zhou Quan’s promotion.

Qin Yan returned to the Feng Residence and discussed the Khitan and Tangut threat with Feng Yan, who revealed that his legs had failed and he could no longer leave home. The chapter ended with Qin Yan struggling to hide his grief as Feng Yan sent him to handle foreign affairs.

• Qin Yan visited Feng Yan and recalled the promise that Feng Yan had saved tea for his return.
• Feng Yan asked Qin Yan to assess the Khitan and Tangut envoys, and Qin Yan warned that Great Zhou could not withstand a war on two fronts.
• Qin Yan began asking whether Feng Yan would let Zi'an proceed with his plans, but Feng Yan said Fu Niang and Zi'an would marry next month.
• Feng Yan told Qin Yan that he could no longer walk or leave the Feng Residence because of the effects of winter's cold and spring's chill.
• Qin Yan tried to hide his tears as Feng Yan urged him to handle foreign affairs and teased him about being on the verge of crying.

At the Censorate, Wang Kan and Wei Nisheng discussed Wang Kan’s marriage dilemma and the political tensions surrounding foreign envoys. Wei Nisheng also revealed a personnel maneuver involving veteran Zhou Quan, then promptly helped himself to Wang Kan’s guoduo.

• Wei Nisheng brought wine to Wang Kan’s duty room and teased him about working late while angling to share his guoduo.
• Wang Kan told Wei Nisheng that Duke Yao wanted him to marry his youngest daughter, but he feared his dangerous ambitions would pull her into trouble.
• Wang Kan and Wei Nisheng discussed the coming Khitan and Tangut delegations, Shen Duan’s political ambitions, and Kou Yuan’s likely response.
• Wei Nisheng explained that Song Yue’s Ministry of War had sent a document concerning officer reassignments at Ningxia Garrison, and that he planned to approve it through the Selection Bureau.
• Wei Nisheng said the arrangement involved Zhou Quan, a former Marquis of Dongning now serving as a garrison vice commander at Datong, and Wang Kan suspected Wei had a larger purpose.
• Wei Nisheng stuffed his mouth with guoduo while Wang Kan protested that he should mind his manners.

Khitan envoy Yelü Qi and Tangut envoy Yeli Wangrong discussed their competing claims to Liaodong and Gansu and whether their states would pressure Great Zhou together. They left without forming an alliance, but agreed not to interfere with each other’s negotiations and recognized that keeping Great Zhou in check served both their interests.

• Yelü Qi and Yeli Wangrong met at the Northern Guesthouse and compared their missions to claim Liaodong and the Three Garrisons of Gansu.
• Yelü Qi argued that Great Zhou would not grant both states their demands, while Yeli Wangrong said their armies could pressure Great Zhou from east and west.
• Yeli Wangrong asked whether Khitan would act if Great Zhou attacked Tangut-held Gansu, and Yelü Qi promised Khitan would make a show of marching south from Liaodong.
• Yelü Qi and Yeli Wangrong toasted to negotiating separately and not reaching into each other’s territory.
• After Yelü Qi left, he and Yeli Wangrong each privately insulted the other’s people while acknowledging that their states benefited from keeping Great Zhou in check.

Shen Duan learned that the Khitan and Tangut envoys had secretly discussed mutual support and ordered Liu Min to investigate their plans and Song Yue’s proposed military transfer. He prepared to use the coming Grand Court Audience to establish himself as the court’s indispensable stabilizing figure.

• Liu Min reported that Yelü Qi and Yeli Wangrong had met privately at the Northern Guesthouse, and Shen Duan surmised the Khitans and Tanguts were seeking practical gains and mutual support.
• Shen Duan learned that Wei Nisheng had approved Song Yue’s proposal to transfer Zhou Quan to command the Ningxia Garrison, and suspected it was part of a wider scheme.
• Shen Duan ordered Liu Min to examine the envoys’ tribute lists, companions, purchases, and dealings with merchants, and told him to investigate the Ministry of Revenue’s allocations for the Ningxia Garrison.
• Shen Duan sent Liu Min to the Northern Guesthouse to inspect the lodgings and act as circumstances demanded.
• Shen Duan resolved to make the Grand Court Audience on the twenty-fifth the foundation for his growing influence, believing the contest ultimately depended on the Emperor.

Liu Min and Qi Zhao entered the Northern Guesthouse separately and faced questions from the Khitan and Tangut envoys about their court factions. When Yeli Wangrong began recounting scandalous rumors about the Khitan empress, Liu Min forcefully rebuked him and defended her dignity and Great Zhou’s authority.

• Liu Min and Qi Zhao were separately summoned to meet the Khitan and Tangut envoys in the Northern Guesthouse.
• Yelü Qi and Yeli Wangrong traded accusations about their peoples’ historical submissions and vassalage.
• Yeli Wangrong brought up the Khitan empress’s alleged affair and the Ten Fragrance Lyrics.
• Liu Min stopped Yeli Wangrong, condemned his gossip as improper, and defended the Khitan empress’s dignity.
• Yeli Wangrong protested that he had only been making idle conversation, but Liu Min warned him that his words were subject to Great Zhou’s laws.

At a banquet with Khitan and Tangut envoys, Liu Min publicly defended Khitan’s Empress Xiao and won Yelü Qi’s gratitude, while Qi Zhao saw that Liu’s display served Shen Duan’s political aims. The officials left with the envoys’ rivalry and Great Zhou’s leverage still unresolved.

• Liu Min rebuked Yeli Wangrong and invoked Great Zhou’s investiture of Empress Xiao, prompting Yelü Qi to offer him a solemn Khitan bow of thanks.
• Qi Zhao recognized that Liu Min’s carefully timed defense was a political performance meant to impress officials at the Grand Court Audience on the twenty-fifth.
• Yelü Qi offered Liu Min and Qi Zhao deer antler velvet and Northern Pearls, but Liu Min declined the gifts on grounds of ritual law and impartiality.
• Liu Min asked Qi Zhao to report what he had witnessed, and Qi Zhao said he would tell Grand Secretary Kou Yuan the truth without promising to support Liu.
• Liu Min and Qi Zhao departed, while the chapter left the balance between Great Zhou, Khitan, and the Tanguts—and who would control it—uncertain.

Wei Nisheng studied the frontier and court’s shifting powers after receiving Qin Yan’s warning about the Khitan and Tangut envoys. He concluded that his alliance with Shen Duan could not last if Shen gained more authority, and resolved to strike before Shen became too powerful to defeat.

• Wei Nisheng mapped the route from the Three Garrisons of Gansu through Ningxia and considered how to secure the region with Zhou Quan’s help.
• Cui Fu delivered Qin Yan’s letter, which revealed that the Khitan envoy carried a Northern Privy Council seal while the Tangut envoy was an in-law of the Li Shi Royal Family.
• Wei Nisheng judged that both envoys sought concessions, but that the Tangut royal connection made its mission harder to negotiate with.
• Wei Nisheng assessed the positions of Zhou Quan, Qin Yan, Shen Duan, and Yao Zhen, and anticipated that Shen Duan would consolidate power if Kou Yuan fell.
• Wei Nisheng decided to preserve the current balance with Shen Duan but to strike first if Shen expanded his reach, because he could no longer afford to let him grow stronger.