Recaps

Wei Mingde was assigned to oversee construction expanding Wei Nisheng’s residence before the wedding that the Emperor would officiate. He accepted the task under pressure, but left wondering whose wrongdoing he had concealed over the years.

• Zhou Yan and Liu He summoned Wei Mingde and showed him plans to add two courtyards to Wei Nisheng’s residence before the wedding.
• Zhou Yan urged Wei Mingde to take charge, arguing that the assignment could repair their public father-son relationship and improve his career prospects.
• Wei Mingde hesitated, saying Wei Nisheng was unlike other children, but Liu He warned that refusing would invite criticism.
• Wei Mingde accepted the assignment and was told to begin construction the next day.
• After leaving, Wei Mingde quoted Confucius and wondered whose wrongdoing he had concealed.

Ministry of Rites officials and imperial eunuchs prepared Wei Nisheng’s residence and rehearsed him for his imperial wedding to Feng Niangzi. By dusk, the courtyard had become a busy wedding site, while Wei Nisheng was still enduring elaborate lessons in ceremony.

• Lu Yi'an and Yuan Jing arrived by imperial decree to inspect Wei Nisheng’s residence and prepare for his wedding to Feng Niangzi.
• Lu Yi'an ordered Wei Nisheng to remove the jujube tree, but changed his mind after Wei Nisheng warned him and praised the tree as auspicious instead.
• Lu Yi'an listed changes to the courtyard and drilled Wei Nisheng in the precise bows required for the wedding rites.
• Cui Fu brought junior eunuchs from the Imperial Household Department, who began decorating the courtyard with red silk.
• Lu Yi'an made Wei Nisheng practice the Gourd-Cup Ceremony, correcting how he held the empty gourd and telling him to maintain eye contact.

As her wedding drew near, Fu Niang shared a shy, joyful morning with Qingluo and received a treasured wedding heirloom from Feng Yan. She left his courtyard hearing him call out to her grandmother, Shu'er, as he reflected that Fu Niang had grown up.

• Fu Niang woke excitedly as her wedding gown lay beside her, and Qingluo helped her wash and dress.
• Fu Niang chose the Ruby Buyao her mother had sent and smiled when Qingluo said a magpie's call promised good fortune.
• Qingluo found Fu Niang's half-finished twin-lotus embroidery and teased her about waiting for someone to complete the other blossom; Fu Niang admitted she knew Qingluo was happy for her.
• Fu Niang visited Feng Yan, who gave her the old Jade Jue her grandmother had worn when she married him.
• As Fu Niang left, she heard Feng Yan sigh that Shu'er had grown up too, and realized he had called her grandmother by name.

At the Ministry of Personnel, Wei Nisheng endured his colleagues’ teasing about his exhausting day studying rites with Lu Yi'an. A message from Qin Yan summoned him to the Ministry of Rites, and Wei Nisheng went to meet him.

• Wei Nisheng dozed over the Book of Rites while Qiu Heng and the department secretaries teased him about Lu Yi'an’s visit.
• Qiu Heng shared chilled drinks with the Selection Bureau staff, then backed off when Wei Nisheng threatened to send him to the Ceremonial Office.
• A clerk from the Ministry of Rites delivered Qin Yan’s request for Wei Nisheng to come speak with him, adding that “the tea is getting cold.”
• Wei Nisheng accepted the summons and left for the Ministry of Rites, joking with Qiu Heng on his way out.

Wei Nisheng visited Qin Yan at the Ministry of Rites and learned that Qin had arranged Lu Yi'an and Yuan Jing to train him in wedding etiquette. To avoid Qin's offer of further instruction, Wei presented an essay, prompting Qin to explain why their dynasty's Neo-Confucian learning surpassed the literary achievements of Han, Jin, and Tang.

• Wei Nisheng arrived at the Ministry of Rites and saluted Qin Yan in the eastern reception hall.
• Qin Yan revealed that he had arranged for Lu Yi'an and Yuan Jing to teach Wei wedding etiquette, and offered to guide him personally.
• Wei Nisheng changed the subject by presenting Qin Yan with an unfinished essay comparing the prose, calligraphy, and poetry of earlier dynasties with their own.
• Qin Yan argued that their dynasty had chosen to pursue moral principle rather than literary ornament, and that its learning carried on the sages' Way.
• Wei Nisheng recognized that Qin Yan had grasped the essay's underlying meaning and reflected on his reputation as a great scholar.

Qin Yan accepted Wei Nisheng’s unfinished manuscript and said he would complete it, then warned him that Kou Yuan had recommended Qin Yan’s disciple Wei Shouzheng for a position among the Eastern Palace Attendants. He explained that Wei Nisheng’s role at the Selection Bureau had made him a political figure, leaving the decision about Shouzheng’s appointment to him.

• Qin Yan took Wei Nisheng’s half-finished manuscript and promised to complete it in keeping with its opening.
• Qin Yan told Wei Nisheng that Kou Yuan had recommended his disciple Wei Shouzheng for a place among the Eastern Palace Attendants.
• Wei Nisheng recognized that the Upright Officials were using Shouzheng to secure a position, rather than recommending him for his own sake.
• Qin Yan warned Wei Nisheng that his use of the Crown Prince as a political card had made others see him as a figure of consequence and a rival for territory.
• Wei Nisheng reconsidered how Court figures viewed and measured him.
• Qin Yan left Wei Nisheng to decide whether and how to accept Shouzheng’s appointment, saying he had only fulfilled his duties as teacher and elder.

On the Double Fifth, Wei Nisheng remembered the festival amid his busy work in the Ministry of Personnel and reflected on the sorrow it commemorated. After exchanging blessings with junior clerks and colleagues, he returned to his official documents, aware that the peaceful age he remembered was beyond his reach.

• Wei Nisheng saw two junior clerks hanging sweet flag and mugwort and realized it was the Dragon Boat Festival.
• Wei Nisheng returned the clerks’ greetings with blessings for their families and their health.
• Wei Nisheng entered the Ministry of Personnel’s Duty Room, where Qiu Heng and the other Department Secretaries wished him peace and good health.
• Wei Nisheng reflected on the festival’s customs, Qu Yuan’s sorrow, and why the Dragon Boat Festival was not a day off in Great Zhou.
• Wei Nisheng drank lukewarm tea and resumed working, thinking that the only age of peace and good health was one he could never return to.

In Guilin, Xie Lin wrestled with his demotion and his uncertain future as Xu Shi reassured him of her loyalty. He resolved to survive and prove his worth through meaningful work, leaving the story with the couple returning home together.

• Xie Lin reflected on his demotion while watching Elephant Trunk Hill, and Xu Shi brought him lunch and comforted him.
• Xie Lin compared his exile to Han Tuizhi’s banishment and asked whether Xu Shi regretted marrying him; she said she had never measured their marriage by his success or failure.
• Xie Lin played the first movement of the “Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute” and declared that Han Yu’s deeds in Chaozhou, not his poems, had helped him return to the Capital.
• Xie Lin wrote a poem about Guilin, his resolve, and the hope of news from the Capital, and Xu Shi folded it away.
• Xie Lin told Xu Shi he would not die in Guilin, and she replied that she did not intend to become a widow before they went home together.

Jiang Shi and Feng Ci arrived at the Feng Residence to reunite with Fu Niang and prepare for her marriage. Feng Ci promised the ailing Feng Yan that Fu Niang would have a splendid wedding and the protection of her family.

• Fu Niang waited anxiously for Jiang Shi and Feng Ci, then embraced her mother and greeted her elder brother as they arrived.
• Jiang Shi greeted Feng Yan and spoke with him about his health and age while the family gathered at the residence.
• Feng Ci told Feng Yan he would oversee Fu Niang's wedding preparations and ensure every courtesy was observed.
• Feng Ci found Feng Yan drafting wedding invitations to his old associates and knelt to promise that Fu Niang would not suffer any grievance or be bullied.

Emperor Jing of Zhou prepared for the bridal gifts for Fu Niang and Zi'an, reflecting on how closely he had overseen their marriage. Jiang Heng brought him a pair of heirloom jade hairpins and reassured him that his care was fitting for a Ruler-Father.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou discussed the bridal gifts with Wang Cheng and learned that the Empress and Princess Luyang had finished preparing their contributions.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou summoned Jiang Heng to ask what else he should prepare for the bridal gifts.
• Jiang Heng gave Emperor Jing of Zhou a brocade box containing a pair of Mutton-Fat Jade Hairpins carved with Twin Lotus blossoms.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou asked whether his involvement showed favoritism, and Jiang Heng said that preparing the marriage was a Ruler-Father's proper duty.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou praised Jiang Heng's reasoning and laughed.

Wei Nisheng brought bridal preparation gifts to the Feng Residence, where Feng Shu received them while preparing for the wedding. Later, her family furnished Wei Nisheng’s bridal chamber, leaving him to reflect that he was about to marry.

• Wei Nisheng inspected the crown, dressing case, and jade hairpins before setting out with the gifts and a pair of geese.
• Feng Shu prepared for the ceremony as Jiang Shi combed her hair and sang a wedding song.
• Wei Nisheng presented the bridal preparation gifts at the Feng Residence, where Feng Yan and Feng Ci received him.
• Feng Shu heard the ceremony from her chamber and learned that the bridal gifts had arrived.
• Granny Zhou led Feng Shu’s furnishing procession to the Wei Residence and arranged the furniture, bedding, clothing, and private belongings in the bridal chamber.
• Wei Nisheng watched two magpies in the jujube tree and said that he was going to marry.

On the eve of his wedding, Wei Nisheng recorded the gifts sent to the Wei Residence and examined several offerings from prominent officials and old friends. Xie Lin's flute from Guilin moved him most, and he ended the chapter holding it and quietly laughing.

• Qu Niang, Cui Fu, and Wei Nisheng sorted, inspected, and recorded the wedding gifts in the Wei House Auspicious Gifts ledger.
• Wei Nisheng examined Chief Minister Shen's jade scale, Kou Yuan's annotated Records of the Grand Historian, and the Ministry of War's map of Great Zhou's Nine Frontiers.
• Wei Nisheng received Duke Yao's inkstone and Wang Zhanzheng's wedding couplets, which he ordered hung prominently in the main hall.
• Wei Nisheng read notes and gifts from Zhang Zai and Shen Yi, then opened Xie Lin's box from Guilin and found a purple-bamboo flute.
• Wei Nisheng read the flute's inscription, remembered his exchange with Xie Lin, and laughed softly as he held the gift.

On May twelfth, Wei Nisheng honored his ancestors and set out at dusk to fetch his bride, Feng Yan. His lavish wedding procession left the Wei Residence amid cheering crowds and headed toward the Feng Residence.

• Wei Nisheng performed the ancestral rites alone, offered himself the ceremonial wine, and announced his marriage to Feng Yan.
• Qu Niang helped Wei Nisheng prepare, and Cui Fu readied the decorated horse and carriage.
• Wei Nisheng greeted the neighbors, promised wine, and led the wedding procession out of the lane.
• Wang Kan and Wei Shouzheng rode beside Wei Nisheng as musicians, porters, and sedan bearers followed.
• The procession scattered sweets, coins, and wine along the route while Qingluo and Qu Niang walked behind the bridal sedan.

Wei Nisheng faced three wedding-day barriers at the Feng Residence and proved his devotion to Feng Shu with an oath and bridal-urging poems. The boudoir doors opened, and the wedding procession prepared to carry Feng Shu away.

• Wei Nisheng swore before the Feng Family's ancestors that he would never fail Feng Shu, and the Venerable Feng Patriarch opened the main gate.
• Wei Nisheng composed a poem about Hangzhou to satisfy Feng Ci, who then opened the Ceremonial Gate.
• Wei Nisheng answered Princess Luyang's three bridal-urging themes with poems, including a verse responding to the Crown Prince's question about his heart.
• Feng Shu lowered her fan and saw Wei Zi waiting beyond the open boudoir doors.
• The master of ceremonies announced the auspicious hour, and the wedding procession prepared to raise Feng Shu's sedan.

Feng Shu and Wei Nisheng completed the traditional wedding procession and entered the Wei Residence’s Central Hall, where they prepared to take their places for the wedding rites. Their ten-year wait ended as the great doors opened, with their families’ ancestral tablets and the Crown Prince’s marriage document set before them.

• Granny Zhou scattered grains and beans before the bridal sedan, and servants placed a horse saddle and Qin Yan screened the entrance to ward off evil.
• Feng Shu emerged from the sedan and stood outside the gate while Wei Nisheng waited inside, and the two gazed at each other.
• Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu each held an end of the red silk sash as he walked backward and she followed into the residence.
• Feng Shu stepped over the saddle and crossed the five brocade cushions before the closed doors of the Central Hall.
• Qin Yan chanted the final blessings, the great doors opened, and Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu entered the hall to take their places.

At Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu’s wedding, Emperor Jing of Zhou arrived and took the absent groom’s parents’ seat, declaring himself Wei Zi’an’s Ruler-Father. He witnessed the couple’s marriage vows, and the ceremony ended amid the guests’ cheers.

• Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu paid respects to the ancestral spirits, but the rite stalled because Wei Zi had no parents to receive the bride’s bows.
• The Imperial Processional Frame and Ceremonial Whip announced Emperor Jing of Zhou’s arrival at the Wei Residence with Empress Zhou and Crown Prince Jiang Heng.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou sat in the seat of honor and told Wei Zi, “Your Ruler-Father has come.”
• Feng Shu offered tea to Emperor Jing of Zhou, and he and Empress Zhou jointly witnessed the couple’s marriage pledge.
• Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu exchanged bows, and the guests celebrated as the wedding ceremony concluded.

Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu completed the wedding rites in their bridal chamber, joined their hair and matching halves of Black Jade, and drank from a shared gourd. They grew close beneath the curtains as their wedding night began.

• Wei Zi escorted Feng Shu into the bridal chamber, where Granny Zhou scattered auspicious fruits, coins, and colored scraps over the curtained bed.
• Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu each cut a lock of hair, bound the locks together, and placed them with their matching halves of Black Jade in the Brocade Pouch.
• Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu drank warmed Osmanthus Rice Wine from the linked halves of a bitter gourd, then joined the halves and hid the gourd beneath their pillow.
• Feng Shu caught Wei Nisheng's sleeve, and he kissed her ear as she leaned into his embrace.
• Wei Nisheng promised to knock down jujubes for Feng Shu, and the red candles went out as their wedding night continued.

On the morning after their wedding, Wei Nisheng woke to find Fu Niang sprawled across the bed and watched over her with affection. When she grew shy about dressing in front of him, he gave her privacy and went to wait in the courtyard, where she asked him to have breakfast with her.

• Wei Nisheng woke and found Fu Niang sleeping facedown across most of the bed, then covered her and gently brushed the hair from her face.
• Fu Niang woke, hid beneath the quilt, and exchanged playful denials with Wei Nisheng about him watching and smiling at her.
• Fu Niang told Wei Nisheng she had dreamed he stole her quilt, then laughed and asked him to leave while she dressed.
• Wei Nisheng understood Fu Niang needed time to grow accustomed to married life and said he would wait in the courtyard.
• Fu Niang asked Wei Nisheng not to wait long and invited him to have breakfast with her.

On her first day managing the Wei household, Fu Niang used a public show of trust to protect Qu Niang from suspicion and prevent conflict between old and new servants. Qu Niang pledged her loyalty to Fu Niang, while Wei Nisheng watched as his wife established her authority.

• Fu Niang and Wei Nisheng exchanged tea and joked through breakfast, serving each other food according to a playful interpretation of propriety.
• Fu Niang took charge of the household as Qu Niang handed over the account books, keys, and grain ledger.
• Fu Niang asked Qu Niang in front of the servants whether she had ever embezzled, then declared that she trusted her and would defend her against accusations.
• Qu Niang swore that she had never taken anything and pledged to serve Fu Niang, prompting the servants to abandon thoughts of displacing the old household staff.
• Wei Nisheng observed that Fu Niang had used her palace training to win Qu Niang's loyalty and establish herself as Madam Wei.

Wei Nisheng and Fu Niang completed their wedding rite before Emperor Jing of Zhou and Empress Zhou, who received them as parents in place of Wei Nisheng’s absent parents. As the newlyweds left, Emperor Jing hinted that he wanted a child, while he and Empress Zhou reflected on his special affection for Wei Nisheng and his hope for Four Generations of Zhou Prosperity.

• Wei Nisheng brought Fu Niang to the palace to perform the rite of paying respects to her parents-in-law before Emperor Jing of Zhou and Empress Zhou.
• Fu Niang offered dates and chestnuts to Emperor Jing and preserved meat to Empress Zhou, who comforted her and welcomed her as a daughter-in-law.
• Emperor Jing and Empress Zhou offered bridal wine to Fu Niang, and Empress Zhou gave her the gold hairpin she had received from the late Empress.
• Emperor Jing told the departing couple he would keep the dates and expected a fresh crop the following year, prompting Fu Niang to tell Wei Nisheng that the Ruler-Father wanted a baby.
• Empress Zhou observed that Wei Nisheng was second only to Heng'er in Emperor Jing's affections, and Emperor Jing said he believed Wei Nisheng could bring Four Generations of Zhou Prosperity.

Wei Nisheng visited the Feng Residence alone for the traditional post-wedding return visit, where Feng Ci demanded that he pledge his loyalty to the Feng Family in writing. Wei Nisheng wrote and blood-sealed a promise to uphold the Feng Family’s traditions and treat its cherished members as his own kin, then addressed Feng Yan as his teacher.

• Wei Nisheng left the Wei Residence and rode alone to the Feng Residence with four ritual gifts for his in-laws.
• Wei Nisheng presented the gifts and paid his respects to Feng Yan and Jiang Shi, who advised him to be patient with Fu Niang and build a good life with her.
• Jiang Shi gave Wei Nisheng a box of Hui ink sent by Fu'er's father.
• Feng Ci asked Wei Nisheng to write a pledge committing himself to the Feng Family’s future and standing in its support at court.
• Wei Nisheng wrote two lines promising to uphold the Feng Family’s traditions and regard its loved ones as his own kin, then pressed his blood seal onto the pledge.
• Wei Nisheng raised the wine and declared that he had come to pay his respects to his teacher.

Feng Shu completed the temple-visitation rites and was formally entered into the Wei family lineage. Her declaration honored Wei An for saving and raising Wei Nisheng, leaving the household with a new family precept and the marriage formally concluded.

• Wei Nisheng read the ancestral declaration announcing his marriage to Feng Shu and asking the Wei ancestors to accept her.
• Feng Shu recited her declaration, recounting the Wei family’s history and praising Wei An for preserving and raising Wei Nisheng.
• Feng Shu pledged to honor the ancestors, support Wei Nisheng, and uphold the Wei family’s legacy.
• Feng Shu bowed three times, and Cui Fu proclaimed that she was now part of the Wei lineage and entered in the genealogy.

As the Crown Prince's attendants were about to be debated, Wei Nisheng advised Qiu Heng to wait for the Emperor's choices rather than rush the Selection Bureau's roster. Qiu Heng then revealed that a Tangut envoy had warned, “Golden City and Moat; armies shall come to negotiate,” and Wei Nisheng cautioned him against involving himself in the matter.

• The Crown Prince came of age, while Tangut and Khitan envoys left the Capital after their tribute letters remained under debate.
• Wei Nisheng shared a tender morning with Fu Niang before leaving for work at the Ministry of Personnel.
• Qiu Heng told Wei Nisheng that the Ministry of Rites would petition to settle the Crown Prince's retinue at court the next day.
• Wei Nisheng urged Qiu Heng to wait for the Emperor to choose the attendants before the Selection Bureau submitted its roster.
• Qiu Heng reported the Tangut envoy's warning about armies coming to negotiate, and Wei Nisheng told him the matter was beyond their remit.

Wei Nisheng received imperial appointments as Guest Adviser to the Crown Prince and Deputy Director of Palace Affairs, giving him authority over Eastern Palace lectures and affairs while he retained the Selection Bureau seal. After court, Wang Kan congratulated him and warned him against the dangers of imperial favor, and Wei Nisheng urged Wang Kan to accept the Yao family’s marriage proposal.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou appointed Wei Nisheng Guest Adviser to the Crown Prince and Deputy Director of Palace Affairs while retaining his Selection Bureau duties.
• Emperor Jing explained that Wei Nisheng would serve as the Crown Prince’s teacher, friend, and trusted counselor, and Wei Nisheng accepted the charge.
• Wang Kan congratulated Wei Nisheng outside the Meridian Gate and warned him that intense imperial favor could bring danger.
• Wei Nisheng accepted Wang Kan’s admonition and teased him about whether he would marry Miss Yao.
• Wang Kan protested Wei Nisheng’s matchmaking and stormed off.

Wei Nisheng met with Crown Prince Jiang Heng in the Eastern Palace and advised him on courtly conduct, military farmland, Tangut’s ambitions, and Grand Tutor Feng’s illness. Jiang Heng sent tea to Feng and ended by asking what would happen if he took a wrong step, receiving Wei Nisheng’s reassurance.

• Wei Nisheng arrived at the Eastern Palace and exchanged greetings with Qin Yan before meeting Crown Prince Jiang Heng.
• Jiang Heng asked Wei Nisheng to sit and speak with him as a guest, and Wei Nisheng accepted after the Crown Prince bowed.
• Wei Nisheng advised Jiang Heng that his growing awareness of difficulty showed he had matured, and discussed Wei the Collator as a potential official.
• Jiang Heng asked where the Military Farmland proposal could falter, and Wei Nisheng warned him to consider the people affected and look ahead to Gansu.
• Wei Nisheng explained that Tangut sought legitimacy for its control of Gansu, and Jiang Heng asked after Grand Tutor Feng before sending him tea.
• Jiang Heng asked what would happen if he took a wrong step, and Wei Nisheng assured him that he would not.