Recaps

Wei Nisheng received a discreet message from the Crown Prince and left to meet him, while Qiu Heng realized Wei’s powerful connections could support him. Newly confident, Qiu rebuked Sun Bonian for mocking the Selection Bureau and pointed out the Merit Assessment Bureau’s backlog.

• Wei Nisheng finished clearing much of the Selection Bureau’s backlog and prepared to leave for lunch.
• A young eunuch told Wei Nisheng to meet at the old place before the Twenty-Fifth Day, and Wei left with him.
• Qiu Heng overheard that the messenger had come from the east and concluded Wei Nisheng could become his powerful backer.
• Sun Bonian mocked Qiu Heng and criticized Wei Nisheng’s actions in office.
• Qiu Heng defended Wei’s work and challenged Sun Bonian to clear the Merit Assessment Bureau’s own backlog.
• Sun Bonian watched Qiu Heng depart and wondered how the usually accommodating director had learned to bite.

Wei Nisheng met Crown Prince Jiang Heng in the Eastern Palace, where Jiang Heng defended summoning him as both a political choice and a family connection. Wei Nisheng accepted the meal, and Jiang Heng hinted that he wanted to discuss more at the Grand Court Audience on the twenty-fifth.

• Wei Nisheng arrived at the Eastern Palace and warned Jiang Heng that summoning an outer-court official before beginning public duties violated ancestral institutions.
• Jiang Heng argued that Wei Nisheng could meet him as his future brother-in-law rather than as a minister, and that living people need not be bound by dead sages' books.
• Wei Nisheng realized Jiang Heng knew the emperor was watching and had summoned him to show that he could act beyond reciting books.
• Wei Nisheng sat down and accepted Jiang Heng's meal after Jiang Heng explained that he needed to show his father he had a mind of his own.
• Jiang Heng placed a Golden-Thread Quail Roll on Wei Nisheng's plate and said he wanted to discuss more at the Grand Court Audience on the twenty-fifth.

Jiang Heng confessed to Wei Nisheng that he felt uneasy about his coming appearance at court and the formation of his Eastern Palace staff. Wei Nisheng urged him to seek the substance of the classics through his own experience and judgment, leaving Jiang Heng to consider how to find his own path.

• Jiang Heng told Wei Nisheng that the Grand Court Audience would test both his readiness and the court's response before he established his official staff.
• Jiang Heng admitted that his years of studying the classics and observing governance had not eased his unease about taking on practical responsibilities.
• Wei Nisheng realized that Jiang Heng's future appointments could shape Great Zhou's government, while the dynasty's long prosperity might be nearing a decline.
• Wei Nisheng recalled Feng Yan's lesson that he needed a place on the board where others could not move him, and decided he could not wait to act.
• Wei Nisheng told Jiang Heng that the substance of the Six Classics lay in his own heart and that his path had to be measured by his own judgment.

Wei Nisheng explained to Jiang Heng how innate knowing and the classics work together: the heart could judge teachings, but study and experience were needed to clarify that judgment. Jiang Heng accepted that taking the heart as a ruler meant testing both books and himself, and the chapter ended with his doubts settling.

• Jiang Heng asked whether his own heart or the sages’ ritual propriety should prevail when they conflicted.
• Wei Nisheng argued that ritual propriety originated in the sages’ hearts and that selfish desire obscured, rather than constituted, innate knowing.
• Jiang Heng challenged the idea that everyone could use their heart as a measure, and Wei Nisheng explained that books, rites, and institutions were tools that required a discerning heart.
• Jiang Heng questioned whether innate knowing could judge broad matters of governance, and Wei Nisheng said study and the cultivation of the heart had to work together.
• Jiang Heng concluded that he should practice what accorded with his heart and examine both the book and himself when they disagreed, while Wei Nisheng silently acknowledged his understanding.

Wei Nisheng left his audience with Jiang Heng and spoke with Eunuch Bao De as Bao De escorted him through the palace. Wei Nisheng recognized Bao De’s careful handling of palace affairs and sensed his connection to Wang Cheng, while Bao De later admitted Wei Nisheng had seen through him.

• Jiang Heng asked Bao De to escort Wei Nisheng from the hall.
• Wei Nisheng praised Bao De’s name, and Bao De explained that he studied the classics while listening to the Confucian Tutor’s lectures.
• Bao De told Wei Nisheng that Qiu Heng had offered to put away his files at the Ministry of Personnel.
• Wei Nisheng asked what Wang Cheng was to Bao De, and Bao De answered that Wang Cheng was the Old Ancestor to all the servants.
• Wei Nisheng left through the palace gate, and Bao De sighed that Wei Nisheng had seen through him in only a few words.

Emperor Jing of Zhou examined the Crown Prince’s conversation with Wei Nisheng and questioned Wang Cheng about their intentions and the lesson Jiang Heng had taken from it. Wang Cheng argued that Wei’s visit helped the Crown Prince understand real affairs, and concluded that Jiang Heng had become more assured rather than dismissive of instruction.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou read the recorded exchange between Wei Nisheng and the Crown Prince and reflected on his hopes for Jiang Heng as a ruler.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou asked Wang Cheng whether Jiang Heng or Wei Nisheng had wanted their meeting, and Wang Cheng said Jiang Heng had sought to learn about matters outside the palace.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou questioned whether Wei Nisheng’s teachings represented reality, and Wang Cheng said they conveyed reasoning of the heart and had prompted Jiang Heng to understand.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou asked whether Wei Nisheng’s visit was good or bad, and Wang Cheng said it depended on Jiang Heng’s response the next day.
• Wang Cheng concluded that Jiang Heng’s words showed he felt more assured, not that he no longer needed instruction.

Foreign envoys arrived in the capital for the Grand Court Audience, where Crown Prince Jiang Heng appeared beside Emperor Jing of Zhou and was ordered to observe state affairs. The envoys entered the hall as the audience formally began, with their rival representatives preparing to stand together for mutual gain.

• Yelü Qi and Yeli Wangrong traded insults outside the reception hall, then agreed to set aside their differences and attend the audience.
• Foreign envoys and court officials assembled in the palace for the Grand Court Audience.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou took the throne, and Crown Prince Jiang Heng appeared before the officials for the first time as the Heir Apparent.
• Wang Cheng announced that Jiang Heng would observe state affairs by imperial command, and Shen Duan led the officials in congratulating him.
• Yelü Qi and Yeli Wangrong led the foreign envoys into the hall as the Grand Court Audience formally began.

At the Grand Court Audience, Emperor Jing of Zhou received tribute from foreign envoys and warned Khitan and Tangut to honor their obligations. After the envoys departed, Liu Min reported that he had rebuked Yeli Wangrong for insulting Khitan’s queen, and Shen Duan praised Liu’s actions as upholding Great Zhou’s ritual and law; the emperor ordered Liu’s merit recorded.

• Joseon, Annam, Ryukyu, Khitan, and Tangut presented tribute to Emperor Jing of Zhou at the Grand Court Audience.
• Emperor Jing praised the envoys’ ceremonial conduct and cautioned Khitan and Tangut to remain faithful to their obligations.
• The Ministry of Rites reported that Liu Min had resolved an incident at the Northern Guesthouse banquet.
• Liu Min explained that he had rebuked Yeli Wangrong for speaking frivolously about Khitan’s queen and her “Ten Fragrance Lyrics.”
• Shen Duan praised Liu Min’s defense of Khitan’s dignity as an example of Great Zhou’s ritual and law.
• Emperor Jing commended Liu Min and declared that his merit would be recorded.

At court, Qi Zhao impeached Song Yue and Wei Nisheng over Zhou Quan’s promotion, but Wang Kan defended the general’s record. Crown Prince Jiang Heng then backed rewarding merit, giving Wei Nisheng and the emerging Wei Faction the court’s advantage.

• Qi Zhao accused Song Yue and Wei Nisheng of using official authority to secure Zhou Quan’s promotion through improper channels and private connections.
• Wang Kan cited precedents for direct ministry correspondence and recounted Zhou Quan’s battlefield achievements, arguing that Qi Zhao’s impeachment would undermine frontier soldiers.
• Jiang Heng declared that Zhou Quan’s recorded merit should be rewarded even as any suspicions were investigated, silencing the hall’s debate.
• Shen Duan and Kou Yuan recognized that Jiang Heng’s intervention had anchored Wei Nisheng’s personnel policy and secured the Crown Prince’s support for the Wei Faction.

At an imperial banquet, the Ryukyu envoy pleaded for help against Eastern Japan, whose envoy disputed Ryukyu’s independence by invoking the Former Tang. Yeli Wangrong then demanded Great Zhou formally cede the Three Garrisons of Gansu and hinted at war, leaving Emperor Jing of Zhou to answer with a threat.

• The Joseon, Annam, and other envoys made modest requests about trade, then the Ryukyu envoy knelt and asked Great Zhou to protect his state from Eastern Japan’s attacks.
• The Eastern Japan envoy argued that Ryukyu belonged within its domain because the Former Tang had entrusted it to Eastern Japan.
• The Ryukyu envoy countered that Emperor Taizu had invested Ryukyu as an independent state and that Great Zhou should honor his edict.
• The Eastern Japan envoy maintained that Great Zhou inherited the Former Tang’s legitimate succession and left the dispute for Emperor Jing of Zhou to judge.
• Yeli Wangrong asked Emperor Jing of Zhou to grant the Three Garrisons of Gansu to the Tanguts, warning that refusing could bring war.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou said he had heard no word of western war, only that Yeli Wangrong wished to test a blade against the blood of his neck.

At Emperor Jing of Zhou’s banquet, Qin Yan confronted Tangut envoy Yeli Wangrong over the Three Garrisons of Gansu and the threat of war. Qin Yan won declarations of support from the eastern envoys, leaving Yeli isolated in the hall.

• Yeli Wangrong warned of flames of war on the western frontier, and Qin Yan rose to challenge him.
• Qin Yan argued that the Tanguts had seized the Three Garrisons of Gansu while Great Zhou was occupied defending its northern frontier.
• Yeli Wangrong defended the Tanguts by claiming they had brought food and security to the people of the Three Garrisons.
• Qin Yan accused Yeli of exploiting Great Zhou’s exhaustion and asked the envoys whether they would push away a blade aimed at a brother.
• The Joseon, Annam, Ryukyu, and Eastern Japan envoys each declared support for Great Zhou, leaving Yeli Wangrong isolated.

At an imperial banquet, Emperor Jing of Zhou used Tangut’s threat to unite the foreign envoys’ grievances against it, then asked his officials how to respond. The court debate ended with Wang Kan demanding honors for Zhou Quan, punishment for Tangut’s envoy, and full support for the border garrisons.

• Yelü Qi apologized for his breach of decorum and reframed Yeli Wangrong’s dispute as an inappropriate subject for the banquet; Yeli Wangrong then apologized, but Emperor Jing of Zhou accused him of using wine to threaten war.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou ended the banquet and ordered the foreign envoys to withdraw, making Tangut bear responsibility for disrupting the gathering and alienating the other states.
• Shen Duan urged Great Zhou to meet Tangut’s threat with force, while Wei Nisheng warned that a western war could invite Khitan to attack from Liaodong.
• Kou Yuan blamed weak border defenses on poor appointments and unclear rewards, and called for reform of official administration, challenging Wei Nisheng’s Selection Bureau.
• Wang Kan countered that the border troops lacked winter clothing and pay, blamed the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue for unclear rewards, and demanded honors for Zhou Quan, severe punishment for Tangut’s envoy, and full military funding.

Kou Yuan argued that Great Zhou lacked the resources to fight the Tangut and Khitan on two fronts, urging Emperor Jing to grant the Tangut an empty title and appease Khitan rather than execute the envoy. Wang Kan remained unconvinced but understood the calculations behind Kou Yuan’s caution, while Shen Duan recognized the force of the old minister’s argument.

• Kou Yuan challenged Song Yue and Wei Nisheng to account for the troops, supplies, and money needed to stabilize Liaodong and fight in Gansu.
• Kou Yuan warned Emperor Jing that executing the Tangut envoy could provoke a two-front war and pleaded for acceptance and appeasement instead.
• Kou Yuan prostrated himself and urged the emperor not to start a war that Great Zhou could not sustain.
• Wang Kan reflected on how the young focused on what ought to be done while the old calculated what was possible, and admitted he could not see things from Kou Yuan’s position.
• Shen Duan praised Kou Yuan’s speech for using accounts, troop strength, provisions, and transport to expose the dangers of war.

Kou Yuan urged Emperor Jing of Zhou to endure the Foreign States’ insults and use the time to build Great Zhou’s strength. Jiang Heng then proposed four coordinated measures, leaving the court with a plan to strengthen the realm over three years without immediately choosing war or peace.

• Kou Yuan cited Gou Jian, Emperor Gaozu of Han, and Emperor Taizong Wen of Tang as rulers who endured humiliation to gain time and eventual victory.
• Jiang Heng agreed with Kou Yuan’s principle but argued that rulers should reflect and judge the realm’s strength before acting.
• Jiang Heng proposed strengthening the Ningxia and Liaodong garrisons by replacing weak, elderly soldiers with capable men without increasing military billets or pay.
• Jiang Heng proposed allowing limited Khitan border trade while keeping iron, salt, and tea under government control.
• Jiang Heng proposed granting the Tangut nominal authority over the Three Garrisons of Gansu in exchange for an enduring submission covenant, annual tribute, and inspections every three years.
• Jiang Heng proposed carrying out the reforms over three years, giving Great Zhou time to strengthen its defenses and decide later whether to fight or make peace.

Jiang Heng answered Kou Yuan’s concerns about frontier defense by proposing a Hidden Strategy funded with interest from the Emergency Reserve Treasury. The ministers endorsed his plans and praised him before Emperor Jing of Zhou, who encouraged Wei Nisheng to continue.

• Kou Yuan asked how the frontier garrisons would resist attacks during the three years of reform, and Jiang Heng proposed secretly stockpiling three months of provisions and fodder so commanders could act without waiting for supplies.
• Jiang Heng proposed using interest from the Emergency Reserve Treasury, funded by the Suzhou silver allocation, to pay for the hidden stockpiles without drawing on regular accounts or taxing the people.
• Song Yue endorsed the four proposals and Hidden Strategy, saying they could improve the Frontier Army’s fighting strength without additional costs.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou prompted the ministers to praise Jiang Heng, and Kou Yuan, Song Yue, and Shen Duan commended his plans and judgment.
• Wei Nisheng praised Jiang Heng’s ability to observe, decide, act, and transform, then began to kneel before Jiang Heng stopped him.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou asked Wei Nisheng to say more, while Jiang Heng blushed and playfully tried to make him stop.

At the side-hall banquet, the foreign envoys condemned Yeli Wangrong for threatening Great Zhou, and the Ryukyu envoy finally attacked him, sparking a brawl. Wei Shouzheng called for help as palace staff watched and shouted for the imperial guards.

• The Joseon, Annam, Ryukyu, and Khitan envoys denounced Yeli Wangrong for threatening Great Zhou and insulting their states.
• Yeli Wangrong insulted the envoys in return, accusing them of weakness and hypocrisy.
• Fearing that failure would doom Ryukyu, the Ryukyu envoy slapped hot noodles into Yeli Wangrong's face and struck him.
• The Joseon and Annam envoys joined the Ryukyu envoy in pinning and beating Yeli Wangrong while the Khitan and Eastern Japan envoys stood aside.
• Wei Shouzheng tried to restore order, while palace maids and eunuchs watched and called for the imperial guards.

Emperor Jing of Zhou dismissed court and went to watch the foreign envoys brawl, while Wei Nisheng and Wang Kan discussed the Crown Prince’s proposal to reform military farmland. Wei Nisheng realized he still knew little about the border forces he would need to strengthen to fulfill his pledge against the Tangut.

• A messenger reported that Yeli Wangrong was being beaten by envoys from Ryukyu, Joseon, Annam, and other states, and Emperor Jing of Zhou asked for details instead of immediately intervening.
• Kou Yuan warned that allowing Yeli Wangrong to die could cause diplomatic trouble, so Emperor Jing of Zhou ordered the envoys to stop fighting and dismissed court.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou headed to the side hall with Wang Cheng and Jiang Heng, instructing Wang Cheng to record who fought, who tried to intervene, and how they behaved.
• Wei Nisheng and Wang Kan left court together and discussed the Crown Prince’s proposal to weed out weak troops and reform the inheritance of military farmland.
• Wang Kan explained that old soldiers who refused to retire blocked recruits from filling the ranks, leaving garrisons with fewer battle-ready troops than their official quotas claimed.
• Wei Nisheng admitted he had only learned fragments about military affairs, despite his pledge to make the Tangut Chieftain perform the sheep-leading rite of surrender within five years.

Shen Duan and Fang Qi discussed Wei Zi’s growing influence with the Crown Prince and planned how to shape the selection of Eastern Palace attendants. Shen Duan proposed recommending officials with experience in external postings, while hinting that Wenhao and Fang Qi’s grandson might both advance through the arrangement.

• Shen Duan lamented Xie Lin’s absence and asked his steward to summon Fang Qi.
• Fang Qi reported that Wei Zi had spent a long time in the Eastern Palace, and Shen Duan suspected the Crown Prince had summoned him.
• Shen Duan concluded that Wei Zi was using the Crown Prince to negotiate with the court’s factions and planned to send a calling card to the Ministry of Personnel.
• Shen Duan instructed Fang Qi to advocate for Eastern Palace attendants with experience in external postings at the Grand Secretariat’s deliberations.
• Shen Duan suggested Wenhao’s advancement could also benefit Fang Qi’s grandson, but Fang Qi said the young people should decide their own affairs.

Wei Nisheng returned home early, where Fu Niang asked him to help with a poem for her bridal gift banquet. He wrote her a lyric about a peony, and she left carrying the flower and wishing they would stay dear to each other year after year.

• Wei Nisheng bought a Yao Yellow peony on his walk home from the Ministry of Personnel.
• Wei Nisheng found Fu Niang reading in his study, and she asked him to help with a lyric for a bridal gift banquet poetry contest.
• Wei Nisheng wrote and signed a lyric about a woman and a flower, ending with a wish to cherish each other year after year.
• Fu Niang took the poem and peony home, saying she would tell her friends that Wei Nisheng had written it for her.
• Fu Niang told Wei Nisheng, “May we stay dear to each other, year after year,” then ran off to show Qu Niang the peony.

Wei Nisheng persuaded Shen Duan that Shen Yi was a gifted official driven to serve beyond his family, not a minister meant to guard the Shen household. Shen Duan accepted the argument and arranged for Shen Yi to return from Suzhou for a post in the Eastern Palace.

• Shen Duan recalled that he had intended Shen Yi to become a secure minister and accused Wei Nisheng of drawing him away to Suzhou.
• Wei Nisheng compared Shen Yi to Gong Sui, arguing that gifted men with an unquiet heart could not be contained by routine office work.
• Wei Nisheng told Shen Duan that Shen Yi had chosen his own path and would not be a minister meant to guard his own house.
• Shen Duan proposed that Shen Yi enter the Eastern Palace's Director of Palace Affairs Office, and Wei Nisheng suggested he begin as a Registrar.
• After Wei Nisheng left, Shen Duan sent a trusted aide to Suzhou with a letter ordering Shen Yi to return when his term ended.

After the Crown Prince began forming the Eastern Palace household, Wei Nisheng advised Jiang Heng on officials to appoint and candidly acknowledged his own political aims. Jiang Heng recognized Wei Nisheng as his right-hand man, and Wei Nisheng formally pledged himself as the Crown Prince’s minister.

• The emperor ordered the Crown Prince to establish his household, while Qin Yan took charge of affairs concerning the Foreign States.
• Jiang Heng privately asked Wei Nisheng what kind of men the Eastern Palace needed, and Wei Nisheng presented a roster of candidates.
• Wei Nisheng recommended Wang Kan and Zhang Zai for their integrity and practical administration, Xie Lin for military strategy, and Shen Yi for balance.
• Wei Nisheng admitted that appointing Wang Kan and Zhang Zai would give him two more men able to speak before the emperor.
• Jiang Heng told Wei Nisheng that the Eastern Palace needed a young man like him and named him his right-hand man.
• Wei Nisheng bowed formally and declared himself Jiang Heng’s minister.

Fu Niang visited Feng Yan before attending a bridal gift banquet and shared a lyric Wei Nisheng had written for her. After she left, Feng Yan concealed his exhaustion and asked the old steward to wheel him back as cicadas began singing again.

• The servants found dead cicadas and shed shells beneath the old scholar tree and buried them.
• Fu Niang showed Feng Yan the lyric Wei Nisheng had written for her and read it aloud.
• Feng Yan praised the lyric, reminded Fu Niang to behave herself with the Wei Family, and watched her leave for the banquet.
• The old steward noticed Feng Yan had closed his eyes at noon and left his medicine untouched, but Feng Yan claimed he was tired.
• Feng Yan asked the old steward to wheel him back and remarked that the cicadas would soon be gone after singing.

Kou Yuan rallied the Upright Officials against Shen Duan and Wei Nisheng’s influence over appointments to the Crown Prince’s household. He arranged an impeachment campaign and planned to recommend Wei Shouzheng for an Eastern Palace post, while leaving room to secure another position for their faction.

• Kou Yuan met with Qi Zhao, Xu Bingwen, and other Upright Officials to discuss Shen Yi’s proposed appointment to the Crown Prince’s household.
• Kou Yuan argued that Shen Duan and Wei Nisheng were expanding their influence and that the Upright Officials needed to claim a place in the Eastern Palace.
• Kou Yuan ordered Xu Bingwen to draft an impeachment memorial accusing Shen Duan of monopolizing authority and the Ministry of Personnel of favoring allies.
• Qi Zhao suggested that the Upright Officials recommend one of their own for the Director of Palace Affairs Office.
• Kou Yuan proposed Wei Shouzheng, reasoning that his ties to Qin Yan could secure him an Eastern Palace role and yield a Reader-in-Waiting post for their faction.
• Kou Yuan ordered the impeachment memorial submitted in three days and Wei Shouzheng’s recommendation raised the day after.

Qi Zhao and Xu Bingwen discussed the political implications of Grand Secretary Kou’s choice of Wei Shouzheng for a post near the Crown Prince. At the Censorate, Song Jing urged Wang Kan to consider marrying Duke Yao’s daughter, leaving Wang caught between his teacher’s advice and concern over how the court might interpret it.

• Xu Bingwen suggested that Qi Zhao had frowned because his son could have been considered for the Reader-in-Waiting vacancy, but Qi denied that was why.
• Qi Zhao said the surname Wei was what troubled him about the Grand Secretary’s nomination, then left Xu Bingwen in the passage.
• Song Jing asked Wang Kan about Duke Yao’s advice to step forward when the time came and reminded him that Duke Yao had mentioned his daughter.
• Wang Kan said he was focused on the court assembly and worried that discussing marriage would look like currying favor with Duke Yao.
• Song Jing argued that Wang Kan should separate public and private matters, then teased him for nearing twenty-five without a wife.

Emperor Jing of Zhou reviewed the proposed Eastern Palace Attendants and explained that Heng'er needed to learn to balance rival factions rather than have the path cleared for him. He confirmed Wei Zi’s wedding date and ordered gifts, reflecting on how quickly his son and Wei Zi had grown as he prepared to leave Heng'er to face the court’s struggles.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou told Wang Cheng that Heng'er must learn to govern competing factions and decide how firmly to control them.
• Wang Cheng reported that Wei Zi’s wedding had been set for the twelfth day of the fifth month, a date approved by Her Majesty.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou recalled meeting Wei Zi seven years earlier and noted that Heng'er was about to begin his public duties while Wei Zi was starting a family.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou ordered Wang Cheng to prepare respectable but not ostentatious wedding gifts for Wei Zi.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou left the disputed subordinate posts on the Eastern Palace Attendants list for the factions to fight over, saying Heng'er would have grown up by then.