Recaps

Xu Bingwen visited Wei Nisheng at night and used metaphors to warn him that others might exploit him and his influence in an approaching political scheme. He left Wei Nisheng contemplating his cryptic words and a looming danger tied to the fifteenth day of the seventh month.

• Xu Bingwen arrived at the Wei Residence late at night and requested an audience with Wei Nisheng.
• Xu Bingwen spoke of petty men and worthy men, then warned Wei Nisheng that someone might use his lamp and make him appear responsible for an explosion planned for the fifteenth day of the seventh month.
• Wei Nisheng asked whose hand would hold the fuse, but Xu Bingwen answered cryptically and declined to explain further.
• Xu Bingwen warned that people would increasingly exploit Lord Feng's deathbed decree and urged Wei Nisheng to secure control of his influence.
• After Xu Bingwen left, Wei Nisheng repeated Xu Bingwen's words, and Cui Fu recognized them as a line from the Zhuangzi.

Wei Nisheng used Xu Bingwen’s disclosure to plot Qi Zhao’s downfall while maneuvering favors for Kou Yuan and Zhang Zai. Qiu Heng understood the plan and agreed to check the wind’s direction before the fire began, which Wei Nisheng expected to happen on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.

• Wei Nisheng considered how Xu Bingwen’s disclosure could help him isolate Qi Zhao and advance Zhang Zai.
• Wei Nisheng used the story of Xu You and Cao Cao to signal his scheme to Qiu Heng.
• Qiu Heng recognized that Wei Nisheng needed someone to check the wind’s direction before acting.
• Wei Nisheng reviewed how Xu Bingwen’s favor, Kou Yuan’s favor, and Zhang Zai’s appointment could bring down Qi Zhao.
• Wei Nisheng resumed approving documents as he anticipated the wind coming from the west on the fifteenth day of the seventh month.

At the first Grand Court Audience since Lord Feng fell gravely ill, Wei Zi drew the Feng Faction’s officials behind him, forming the Wei Faction before the court. The emperor then approved Wei Shouzheng as envoy to the Tangut, and he accepted the Imperial Envoy’s Staff and vowed to uphold his mission.

• Shen Duan and Kou Yuan arrived at court, where the Censorate and other officials assembled in unusually orderly ranks.
• Wei Zi entered among the senior civil officials, and Wang Kan and many Ministry of Personnel officials gathered behind him, marking the rise of the Wei Faction.
• Shen Duan recognized that the Feng Faction had shifted its allegiance to Wei Zi, while Kou Yuan realized Wei Zi had become a banner in his own right.
• Qi Zhao held an impeachment memorial against Kou Yuan as Xu Bingwen watched him, unaware that another person had already made the first move.
• An official reported the Tangut invasion and named Wei Shouzheng as the proposed envoy; Wei Shouzheng accepted the Imperial Envoy’s Staff and pledged not to betray the mission.

Wei Shouzheng’s teacher and father pleaded to take his place on the dangerous mission to the Tangut camp, but the emperor confirmed Wei Shouzheng as envoy. Wei Nisheng watched his father’s devotion to Shouzheng and quietly confronted the pain of never receiving the same love.

• Qin Yan rebuked Wei Shouzheng for volunteering and asked the emperor to let him go instead.
• Wei Mingde forced his way into the hall, invoked his late father’s reputation, and begged to replace his son; officials from the Ministry of Revenue knelt to ask the emperor to forgive his breach of decorum.
• Wei Nisheng watched Wei Mingde plead for Wei Shouzheng and remembered the neglect he had suffered in the Side Courtyard.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou refused to send the seventy-two-year-old Qin Yan and reminded Wei Mingde that Wei Shouzheng represented the nation.
• Wei Shouzheng reaffirmed that he would go, and Emperor Jing of Zhou granted him the Imperial Envoy’s Staff, a State Letter, and one hundred Escort Cavalry.

At the Grand Court Audience, Emperor Jing of Zhou approved Zhou Quan’s appointment as Western Campaign General after the ministers fell silent. Just as court seemed ready to adjourn, Qi Zhao presented an impeachment memorial on Kou Yuan’s behalf, accusing Shen Duan of five crimes and urging the emperor to investigate.

• Song Yue and Shen Duan asked Emperor Jing of Zhou to issue a decree appointing Zhou Quan commander of the Ningxia Garrison, citing his military record and Lord Feng’s injunction.
• Kou Yuan declared that the Ministry of Revenue had no objection to Zhou Quan’s appointment, and the other officials remained silent.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou pointed out that the ministers had opposed Zhou Quan’s command two days earlier, then ordered the decree drafted and approved a joint system for administering Ningxia’s military farmland.
• As court prepared to adjourn, Qi Zhao presented an impeachment memorial on behalf of Grand Secretary Kou against Shen Duan and Wei Nisheng.
• At Emperor Jing of Zhou’s request, Qi Zhao read the charges against Shen Duan, accusing him of monopolizing cabinet authority, misusing Lord Feng’s supposed deathbed decree, enabling Peng Ding’s defeat, silencing Wu Daoqing, and placing Shen Yi in the Crown Prince’s household.

Qi Zhao’s impeachment memorial accused Shen Duan and Wei Nisheng of abusing their power, then Kou Yuan publicly denied authoring it and exposed Qi Zhao’s forged draft. Qi Zhao tried to implicate Kou Yuan in the accusations, leaving the Upright Officials’ division exposed before the court.

• Qi Zhao presented a second impeachment memorial accusing Wei Nisheng of building a faction and abusing his authority over appointments, officials, and military farmland.
• Shen Duan confronted Kou Yuan, suspecting that Kou had used Qi Zhao to attack him.
• Kou Yuan denied submitting the memorial and accused Qi Zhao of falsely using his name, producing a draft in Qi Zhao’s handwriting and citing the receipt register.
• Qi Zhao admitted the memorial’s substance reflected his beliefs, then claimed he had acted for Kou Yuan and challenged him not to fear the powerful.
• Qi Zhao’s words put Kou Yuan in a bind, and the ministers watched the Upright Officials turn against one another in open court.

At court, Qi Zhao accused Kou Yuan of ordering him to draft the forged impeachment memorial, but Xu Bingwen testified that Qi had devised the scheme himself. Emperor Jing of Zhou punished Qi and warned Kou Yuan, Shen Duan, and Wei Nisheng before dismissing court, leaving Kou and Shen facing one another in tense silence.

• Kou Yuan denounced Qi Zhao, and officials including Xu Bingwen and Wang Kan condemned Qi for using Kou’s name on the memorial.
• Qi Zhao refused to confess alone and accused Kou Yuan of ordering him to draft the impeachment memorial.
• Xu Bingwen testified that Qi had planned to use Kou’s name to prevent him from abandoning the scheme, and Qi accused Xu of betraying him.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou dismissed Qi from office, sent him for investigation, and demoted him to assistant prefect in Guizhou; palace guards dragged Qi from the hall.
• Emperor Jing warned Kou Yuan about managing his subordinates, cautioned Shen Duan over selecting Eastern Palace Attendants, and told Wei Nisheng to exercise restraint.
• After court was dismissed, Shen Duan stopped and remarked to Kou Yuan that his household was truly spotless.

Wei Nisheng stayed silent during the court struggle between Qi Zhao, Kou Yuan, and Shen Duan, while quietly steering events from behind the scenes. The Crown Prince realized Wei Nisheng had anticipated Qi Zhao’s move, and Wei Nisheng left the palace having concealed his role in reshaping the court’s alliances.

• Kou Yuan confronted Wei Nisheng over his silence in court, and Wei Nisheng defended himself by saying that speaking would have worsened suspicion and harmed Kou Yuan’s reputation.
• Kou Yuan hurried away to deal with the damage caused by Qi Zhao’s attack, while Wei Nisheng watched him go and reflected that upheaval revealed who could command the board.
• Jiang Heng asked Bao De about Qi Zhao and learned that Wei Nisheng had approved Qi Zhao’s son Qi Lang for the Eastern Palace Attendants the day before the court audience.
• Jiang Heng realized Wei Nisheng had anticipated Qi Zhao’s impeachment and praised his trusted pillar’s far-reaching judgment.
• At the Great Ming Gate, Wei Nisheng considered how Qi Zhao’s attack had struck Shen Duan and Kou Yuan while leaving Wei Nisheng’s own hand unseen.

Wei Nisheng explained how Qi Lang’s promotion had become leverage over Qi Zhao, and Qiu Heng delivered a carefully chosen message to the imprisoned official. Qi Zhao understood the offer, warned that Wei Zi’an might one day be outmaneuvered, and began writing a confession that blamed Kou Yuan.

• Wei Nisheng told Qiu Heng that Qi Lang’s sealed promotion gave him control over Qi Zhao’s future and ordered him to convey that Qi Lang bore no guilt for his father’s crimes.
• Qiu Heng went to the lodgings where Qi Zhao awaited investigation, bringing food but no appointment document.
• Qiu Heng repeated Wei Nisheng’s message, and Qi Zhao realized his son’s promotion was meant to secure his cooperation.
• Qi Zhao praised Wei Zi’an’s political skill, warned that even a brilliant courtier could someday be outmaneuvered, and began writing that Kou Yuan had instigated the impeachment scheme and later abandoned him.

Emperor Jing of Zhou weighed Qi Zhao’s confession implicating Kou Yuan against signs that Wei Zi had shaped the case. He chose to hear Kou Yuan alone and ordered Secret Bureau reports involving Wei Zi delivered directly to him, leaving the court’s political contest unresolved.

• After five days of examination, the Three Judicial Offices accepted Qi Zhao’s confession as fact and submitted their report to the throne.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou compared the confession with a Secret Bureau report and suspected that Qiu Heng’s visit had influenced Qi Zhao’s statement against Kou Yuan.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou reflected on how he had spent ten years nurturing Wei Zi to serve alongside the Crown Prince, but worried that Wei Zi was becoming like Feng Yan.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou ordered Wang Cheng to send him Secret Bureau reports involving Minister Wei without copying or archiving them.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou ordered Kou Yuan summoned to the Palace the next day for a private audience.

Emperor Jing of Zhou questioned Kou Yuan about Qi Zhao’s confession and rejected Kou Yuan’s evidence as insufficient to overturn the verdict. Kou Yuan then accused someone else of arranging the events and asked whether the emperor would believe him.

• Kou Yuan prepared evidence that Qi Zhao had written and submitted the Impeachment Memorial independently, then answered Emperor Jing of Zhou’s summons.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou showed Kou Yuan a copy of Qi Zhao’s confession, which claimed Kou Yuan had directed him to write the memorial.
• Kou Yuan denied directing Qi Zhao and argued that his evidence proved his innocence, but Emperor Jing of Zhou said it could be challenged and that Kou Yuan needed new evidence.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou argued that Qi Zhao’s betrayal exposed dangers within Kou Yuan’s own household and questioned why the confession targeted Kou Yuan but not Minister Shen or Minister Wei.
• Kou Yuan suggested that someone else had arranged the game through Qiu Heng’s visit to the lodge and Qi Lang’s prior promotion, then asked Emperor Jing of Zhou whether he would believe him.

Emperor Jing of Zhou gave Kou Yuan three days to determine whether he was innocent, insisting that time—not arguments—would decide his fate. Convinced Wei Zi'an had maneuvered him into recommending Zhang Zai, Kou Yuan wrote a memorial requesting a public confrontation with Qi Zhao and proposing Zhang Zai for a key post, leaving his reputation and seal at risk.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou warned Kou Yuan not to accuse Minister Wei without evidence and gave him three days to obtain a clear answer before the law would decide his fate.
• Kou Yuan left the Imperial Study shaken and recalled the poem “Greenhead Flies” as he considered how slander had come from his own faction.
• Kou Yuan spent the night examining Qi Zhao’s confession and concluded that Wei Zi'an had arranged events to make him recommend Zhang Zai.
• Kou Yuan drafted a memorial asking Emperor Jing of Zhou to let him confront Qi Zhao before the court and to appoint Zhang Zai Director of the Shaanxi Office of Clear Accounts.
• Kou Yuan realized that submitting the recommendation would cost him his unsullied reputation, but believed he had no choice as the blade pressed against his throat.

Wei Nisheng balanced mounting court concerns with tender moments at home, bringing Fu Niang fine paper and sharing a quiet evening with her. The chapter ended with him promising to paint her brows every morning for the rest of their lives.

• At court, the Directorate of Transmission announced Qi Zhao's banishment to Guizhou, while the emperor withheld approval of Kou Yuan's request for a confrontation.
• Wang Kan told Wei Nisheng that his wedding to the Yao Family Daughter was set for the end of the year, and Wei Nisheng joked that he would give him a discipline ruler.
• Wei Nisheng bought gold-sprinkled paper for Fu Niang's floral patterns and brought home iced cheese to share with her.
• Fu Niang noticed Wei Nisheng's weariness, urged him to eat before reviewing his documents, and laughed at his plan to give Wang Kan a discipline ruler.
• While they sat together in the study, Wei Nisheng taught Fu Niang to write the characters for mandarin ducks on her palm.
• Fu Niang asked Wei Nisheng to practice painting her brows, and he promised to do so every morning for a lifetime.

Shen Duan took control of the Ministry of Personnel and the Seal of the Heavenly Offices, but soon realized his new authority came with political costs. He traced Wei Zi'an’s carefully linked moves through the appointments in Shaanxi and Ningxia, while recognizing that the emperor had balanced his promotion by admitting Qin Yan to the Grand Secretariat.

• The emperor granted Feng Yan extraordinary honors, made Shen Duan Minister of Personnel, and appointed Qin Yan to the Grand Secretariat.
• Feng Ci accepted Feng Yan’s edict while Feng Yan remained unaware of the world around him.
• Shen Duan took his new seat and examined Kou Yuan’s recommendation of Zhang Zai for a post in Shaanxi.
• Shen Duan explained to Fang Qi that appointing Zhang Zai could put Ningxia’s supplies under Wei Zi’s influence and complete a chain of moves involving Zhou Quan, Qi Zhao, and Kou Yuan.
• Shen Duan concluded that the emperor had balanced his elevation to the Ministry of Personnel by bringing Qin Yan into the Grand Secretariat.

Shen Duan approved Zhang Zai’s appointment to the Shaanxi Office of Clear Accounts, believing he could use the appointment to bind Zhang Zai to Xu Zhen. Wei Nisheng visited Feng Yan and, overcome by fear and grief, leaned on his teacher as Feng Yan silently comforted him.

• Shen Duan approved Zhang Zai’s recommendation, intending to keep control of Shaanxi’s grain routes through his alliance with Xu Zhen.
• Wei Nisheng visited Feng Yan and reported Zhang Zai’s appointment and his strategy to counter Shen Duan.
• Wei Nisheng confessed that he feared making mistakes without Feng Yan’s guidance, then remembered how his teacher had raised and taught him.
• Feng Yan rested his hand on Wei Nisheng’s head, and Wei Nisheng broke down in tears against his knees.
• Feng Yan silently comforted Wei Nisheng, while Fu Niang watched from outside the moon gate and wept.

Zhou Quan rode to Xi'an and met Xu Zhen before continuing toward Ningxia to take command against the Tangut. Xu Zhen cautioned him to prepare carefully, gave him a detailed map, and burned a court letter ordering him to restrain Zhou Quan.

• An old soldier from Black Mountain Ridge recognized Zhou Quan in Taiyuan, and Zhou Quan gave him wine before riding toward Xi'an.
• Xu Zhen greeted Zhou Quan outside Xi'an, and the two generals assessed each other with mutual respect.
• Over wine, Xu Zhen warned Zhou Quan about the Tangut forces and Peng Ding's defeat, and Zhou Quan agreed to ready his troops and supplies before fighting.
• Xu Zhen gave Zhou Quan a sheepskin map of Tangut positions and told him to look after Wei Shouzheng, the court envoy negotiating with the Tangut.
• Zhou Quan rode north toward Ningxia after telling Xu Zhen that territory had to be won through battle, and Xu Zhen burned the court's letter ordering him to restrain Zhou Quan.

Grand Preceptor Feng Yan lay near death, prompting Emperor Jing of Zhou to visit his former teacher without ceremony and tell him how much he owed him. Feng Yan briefly awakened and treated the emperor as his young pupil, leaving the emperor grieving and clinging to his hand.

• The Director of the Imperial Medical Academy told Feng Yan’s family that Feng Yan was near death and might awaken only briefly.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou learned that Crown Prince Jiang Heng had visited Feng Yan, then went to the Feng Residence without ceremonial attendants.
• Emperor Jing sat beside Feng Yan and recounted how Feng Yan had rescued Great Zhou and guided him as a ruler.
• As Emperor Jing prepared to leave, Feng Yan briefly awakened, called him “Your Highness,” and offered to teach him the Book of Documents.
• Emperor Jing broke down, clutched Feng Yan’s hand, and asked Wang Cheng to help him stand.

Wei Nisheng stayed by his dying teacher, Feng Yan, and listened as Feng Yan offered him final counsel in the Rear Garden. Feng Yan died in the pavilion, leaving Wei Nisheng and the Feng family grieving.

• Wei Nisheng moved into the Feng Residence to care for the ailing Feng Yan, who sometimes mistook him for Wenyue.
• Feng Yan woke and asked Wei Nisheng to wheel him to the Rear Garden pavilion, where he spoke about the orchids, Fu Niang, Feng Ci, and the emperor.
• Feng Yan reminded Wei Nisheng that he had found a life and urged him to live well and keep walking.
• Feng Yan closed his eyes and died in the wheelchair as Wei Nisheng tried to tuck a blanket around him.
• Fu Niang held the distraught Wei Nisheng while Jiang Shi wept beneath the covered walkway and Feng Ci knelt outside the pavilion.

Emperor Jing of Zhou and Shen Duan learned that Grand Preceptor Feng Yan had died, and both were overcome by grief. The emperor collapsed in the palace, while Shen Duan mourned his longtime rival and old friend beneath the moon.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou set aside his memorials and asked Wang Cheng to accompany him to see Feng Yan.
• An Imperial Attendant reported that Feng Yan had died at the Feng Residence.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou vomited blood, collapsed, and wept over the loss of his teacher.
• Shen Duan’s steward told him that Feng Yan had died, and Shen Duan ran barefoot into the courtyard.
• Shen Duan fell and cried that the realm had lost its pillar as the Shen Family knelt around him.

After Feng Yan’s death, the emperor honored him with unprecedented rites, while the Crown Prince, his family, and his disciples mourned him. After the burial, Wei Nisheng affirmed that Feng Yan’s teachings lived on through him.

• The emperor suspended court, bestowed the posthumous name Wenzheng on Feng Yan, and ordered him admitted to the Imperial Ancestral Temple’s offerings.
• The emperor visited the Feng Residence, offered libations, and wept over Feng Yan’s coffin, while the Crown Prince read the funeral address’s final lines.
• Feng Guan rushed from Hangzhou to mourn his father and went several days without food or water.
• The Crown Prince walked beside Feng Yan’s coffin to escort it beyond the city, as Wei Nisheng and crowds of mourners followed the funeral procession.
• After the burial, Wei Nisheng observed mourning in a hut and refused food until Wang Kan forced him to eat.
• When the emperor summoned him, Wei Nisheng said Feng Yan lived within him through the teachings he followed.

While governing as regent, Crown Prince Jiang Heng asked Shen Duan for an honest account of Feng Yan, his longtime rival. Shen Duan praised Feng Yan as a pillar of three reigns and regretted never telling him so, as Shen Duan’s own era began.

• Jiang Heng approved a memorial on frontier military pay without discussing it with Shen Duan.
• Jiang Heng asked Shen Duan what kind of man Feng Yan had been, seeking an account beyond the praise of Feng Yan’s friends and disciples.
• Shen Duan recounted Feng Yan’s service across three reigns and praised his skill, loyalty, and ability to appoint capable officials.
• Shen Duan admitted that he regretted never speaking sincere words to Feng Yan before Feng Yan retired.
• Jiang Heng reflected that Shen Duan and Feng Yan had sought harmony despite their long disagreements, and Shen Duan thanked him.
• As dusk fell, Shen Duan wondered how history would remember him and walked toward the palace gates, marking the arrival of his age.

Zhang Zai received an imperial order transferring him from Suzhou to the Ministry of Revenue in the Capital, where he intended to address frontier affairs and grain transport. After warning Shen Yi that the Shen family’s political power might be nearing its height, Zhang Zai left Suzhou amid the people’s gratitude.

• Zhang Zai accepted the transfer order and resolved to return to the Capital to help with affairs in Ningxia and the grain route.
• Zhang Zai warned Shen Yi that Shen Duan’s power had reached its peak and that the Ministry of Personnel appointment might serve as a tether, while Shen Yi promised to remember his counsel.
• Zhang Zai and Shen Yi agreed that the coming political upheaval would create opportunities beyond Suzhou, and Shen Yi wished him a favorable journey.
• Zhang Zai handed over his official seal and sailed north as Suzhou residents gathered at the wharf to see him off.
• The account recounted how Zhang Zai had reformed Suzhou’s granary and grain transport, lowered rice prices, administered justice, and aided women and struggling households.

Zhou Quan arrived in Ningxia to take command from the disgraced Peng Ding and learned that the old general’s defeat had come from underestimating how age had weakened his veteran soldiers. After Peng Ding departed for the Capital in a prison cart, Zhou Quan remained in Ningxia, resolved to ease the soldiers’ fears and face the Tangut threat first.

• Zhou Quan arrived in Ningxia and accepted Peng Ding’s seal, troop register, Grain Ledger, and defense map.
• Peng Ding warned Zhou Quan that auditing old soldiers’ land too quickly could provoke unrest and weaken the garrison against the Tangut.
• Peng Ding explained that he had pursued the Tangut because he trusted his veteran troops, but they had grown too old to withstand the ambush.
• Zhou Quan told Peng Ding that one defeat did not erase his service and promised to proceed slowly with the military farmland audit.
• Peng Ding handed over Ningxia and left for the Capital in a prison cart after Zhou Quan gave him a flask of wine.

Wei Nisheng mourned his late teacher in the Feng Residence study, then began writing a preface to his teacher’s collected works. Fu Niang comforted him and led him home, where they would continue their life together.

• Wei Nisheng remembered his teacher while sitting among his belongings, imagined hearing his greeting, and wept while holding his Court Robe.
• Wei Nisheng folded the robe, ground ink, and began writing the preface to his late teacher’s collected works.
• Fu Niang brought Wei Nisheng hot soup and an embroidered autumn robe, telling him his teacher would live on through his work and his path.
• Wei Nisheng accepted Fu Niang’s comfort, and she reminded him they had promised to pick jujubes before winter.
• Wei Nisheng agreed to return home with Fu Niang, and they left the study hand in hand.

After mourning Lord Feng, Wei Nisheng returned to the Ministry of Personnel, where Wang Kan urged him to live and carry on his teacher’s work. Wei Nisheng found Chancellor Shen had replaced much of the Selection Bureau’s staff, but he resolved to preserve its records and wait for the new appointees to reveal themselves.

• Wang Kan confronted Wei Nisheng at the Ministry of Personnel and rebuked him for letting grief consume him, urging him to return alive and continue Lord Feng’s aspirations.
• Wei Nisheng accepted Wang Kan’s concern and promised to carry on his teacher’s work and walk his own path; the two entered the ministry together and joked about Wang Kan’s coming marriage.
• Wang Kan escorted Wei Nisheng to the Selection Bureau, where Qiu Heng welcomed him back and explained that Chancellor Shen had replaced more than half the bureau’s staff during his absence.
• Wei Nisheng reviewed the changed roster and told Qiu Heng to preserve the old records while letting the new staff remain in place long enough for their actions to leave traces.