Recaps

At court, Zou Mo defended his recommendation that Wei Nisheng command Northwest Military Affairs against accusations of personal and factional motives. He turned the Censorate’s objections back on its leaders, leaving their motives under scrutiny.

• Wang Kan accused Zou Mo of using the recommendation to undermine his rival Wei Nisheng, and Zou Mo replied that Wang was defending a friend in the Wei Faction.
• Yao Zhen argued that Wei Nisheng lacked battlefield experience, warning that literary skill did not prove military ability.
• Song Jing argued that Wei Nisheng’s youth and lack of authority would weaken command in the Northwest and could provoke the Tangut.
• Zou Mo acknowledged the censors’ arguments, then cited a Han-era political dispute to accuse Yao Zhen, Song Jing, and Wang Kan of defending their son-in-law, pupil, and factional friend.

Yao Zhen, Song Jing, and Wang Kan defended their open debate over the Imperial Envoy appointment after Zou Mo accused them of factional favoritism. Wang Kan openly acknowledged his friendship with four like-minded officials and challenged Zou Mo to punish them, leaving the Court stunned and Zou Mo retreating.

• Yao Zhen rebuked Zou Mo for branding his remonstrance as factional conduct and defended the Censorate’s duty to speak freely.
• Song Jing argued that the officials were debating openly and accused Zou Mo of rejecting arguments based on who spoke them.
• Wang Kan challenged Zou Mo’s accusation by pointing to Zou Mo’s coordinated support from Song Yue and Kou Yuan.
• Zou Mo countered that Wang Kan and four officials walked together daily, implying they formed a faction.
• Wang Kan admitted that he shared aspirations and principles with Wei Zi'an, Zhang Zihou, Xie Dao'an, and Shen Wenhao, then dared Zou Mo to punish all five.
• The Court fell silent, and Zou Mo involuntarily stepped back.

Wei Nisheng requested a commission to lead the Northwest campaign, offering to surrender his Ministry of Personnel seal and demanding authority to act independently and uninterrupted grain supplies. As the Crown Prince hesitated to decide, Shen Duan arrived in a wheelchair and declared that Great Zhou did not need a boy to save it.

• Wei Nisheng declared that he would not refuse Zou Mo’s recommendation and asked to go to the Northwest to carry out the Pacify the Rong Strategy.
• Wei Nisheng asked to return the Ministry of Personnel seal, receive independent authority at the border, and secure continuous grain supplies from Kou Yuan.
• Kou Yuan promised to keep grain flowing to the Northwest even if it cost him his life, and Wei Nisheng formally awaited the Crown Prince’s judgment.
• The Crown Prince hesitated to approve or refuse Wei Nisheng’s request as the officials watched in silence.
• Shen Yi wheeled the gravely ill Shen Duan into the hall, where Shen Duan rejected the idea of sending a twenty-year-old to save Great Zhou and asserted that he was not dead yet.

Shen Duan returned to Court despite his illness and confronted officials who had pursued their own interests while he was absent. He persuaded Jiang Heng to keep Wei Nisheng in the Capital, reminding the Court that his authority remained intact.

• Shen Duan entered the hall in his wheelchair, and the officials bowed before him.
• Shen Duan rebuked Song Yue for obstructing military reports and letting the Eastern Palace intervene in Ministry of War affairs.
• Shen Duan accused Kou Yuan of coveting the vacant Ministry of Works post for his family rather than serving the Court.
• Shen Duan challenged Zou Mo over the memorial to send Wei Nisheng to the Northwest and reminded him that Wei held a seal Shen Duan had entrusted to him.
• Shen Duan told Jiang Heng that Wei Nisheng belonged in the Temple Court and declared that he would remain in the Capital.

Zou Mo proposed that Wei Nisheng travel to the Northwest as an Imperial Envoy for a three-month inspection, arguing that Wei needed to see the frontier firsthand. Shen Duan could not refute the proposal and left the decision to Wei Nisheng, who had yet to answer.

• Zou Mo admitted his earlier request to make Wei Nisheng Commissioner-General had been ill-considered, then proposed that Wei retain his rank and inspect the Northwest as an Imperial Envoy.
• Zou Mo argued that Wei needed firsthand knowledge of the frontier and said the inspection would last three months without giving Wei command over troops.
• Zou Mo countered Shen Duan's concern about Wei's return by proposing a decree requiring him to come back after three months.
• Shen Duan praised Zou Mo's argument but said someone else in the hall had to answer whether Wei would go.
• Shen Duan turned to Wei Nisheng and asked whether he would inspect the Northwest.

Wei Nisheng accepted a commission to go west, framing the journey as a duty to the Northwest, his late teacher, and a promise to the Emperor. The Crown Prince granted him an imperial tally, authority over military farmland, and a six-month term, sending him out as an empowered envoy rather than a minister being forced away.

• Wei Nisheng declared that he volunteered to go to the Northwest to fulfill his promise to the Emperor and continue his late teacher Feng Yan’s unfinished work.
• Wei Nisheng requested an imperial tally, authority to inspect and repair the Northwest’s military farmland, and a six-month term for his mission.
• Shen Duan approved Wei Nisheng’s commission and promised to watch over the Capital.
• The Crown Prince granted Wei Nisheng authority to patrol the frontier and oversee military farmland, ordering the Ministries of Revenue and War to assist him.
• Court Historian Liu Ruo later recorded that Wei Nisheng went west bearing the imperial tally in the fourth month of Jinghe Year Sixteen.

Wei Nisheng explained to Crown Prince Jiang Heng why he had accepted the assignment to the Northwest: he hoped to secure Great Zhou’s frontier and prove himself worthy of serving as chancellor. He promised to return to Court in six months, leaving Jiang Heng to face the capital without him.

• After court, Wang Kan, Zhang Zai, and Xie Lin questioned Wei Nisheng about accepting Zou Mo’s trap, but Bao De summoned him to meet Jiang Heng.
• Jiang Heng pleaded with Wei Nisheng not to leave, saying he relied on him as the only courtier who told him the truth.
• Wei Nisheng said he was going to turn his Pacify the Rong Strategy into frontier defenses and peace, while tempering himself to become a worthy minister.
• Wei Nisheng reminded Jiang Heng that the Court must keep functioning even in his absence and urged the Crown Prince to learn to govern without him.
• Jiang Heng admitted he feared Wei Nisheng would be killed in the Northwest, but Wei Nisheng promised to win merit and return in six months.

Wei Nisheng explained to Shen Duan that both the ailing chief minister and the emperor wanted him to leave on his mission, and Shen revealed he hoped Wei would become his successor. Wei departed, carrying the hopes of two rival chief ministers as he set out to serve Great Zhou.

• Shen Yi met Wei Nisheng outside the palace and brought him to Shen Duan’s residence for a private talk.
• Wei Nisheng explained that Shen Duan had given him the choice to leave and that the emperor had tacitly approved his departure.
• Shen Duan admitted that his failing health made him seek someone capable of succeeding him, and he entrusted that future responsibility to Wei Nisheng.
• Shen Duan praised Feng Yan for having a disciple to carry on his work and named Wei Nisheng as Great Zhou’s successor.
• Wei Nisheng reassured Shen Duan, then left the residence after telling Shen Yi that his grandfather’s pride lay in having someone to carry the family forward.

Wei Nisheng returned home after learning he would serve as an imperial envoy in the Northwest for six months. He left Wang Kan, Zhang Zai, and Xie Lin to safeguard his interests in the capital, then welcomed Shen and Liu to join their gathering.

• Wei Nisheng came home to find Fu Niang entertaining Yao Shi, Xu Shi, and Li Shi, then went to his study to meet his friends.
• Wei Nisheng told Wang Kan, Zhang Zai, and Xie Lin about his Northwest assignment and the duties Chancellor Shen had given him.
• Zhang Zai promised to secure grain for the frontier, while Wang Kan agreed to handle matters at court.
• Xie Lin promised to manage the capital during Wei Nisheng's six months away, and Wei Nisheng said he could rest easy with Xie Lin there.
• Cui Fu announced that Shen and Liu had arrived, and Wei Nisheng invited them in to join the night's gathering.

Emperor Jing of Zhou explained that he had sent Wei Nisheng to the Northwest so Jiang Heng could personally reward him and earn his gratitude as a future ruler. Jiang Heng accepted his father’s lesson, though he remained worried for Wei Nisheng’s safety.

• Jiang Heng told Emperor Jing of Zhou about the court uproar and admitted he did not want Wei Nisheng to go to the Northwest.
• Emperor Jing revealed that he had arranged Wei Nisheng’s mission to create a debt of gratitude between Wei Nisheng and Jiang Heng.
• Emperor Jing instructed Jiang Heng to welcome Wei Nisheng home in half a year and personally grant him rewards and promotion.
• Emperor Jing compared his plan to Emperor Taizong’s treatment of Li Ji and explained that a ruler needed both affection and gratitude to secure a minister’s loyalty.
• Jiang Heng said he understood his father’s plan but confessed that he only wanted Wei Nisheng to be safe.
• Jiang Heng left Funing Hall before dawn, reflecting that he had to learn to make capable ministers his own.

On his day off, Wei Nisheng told Fu Niang that he would soon travel to the dangerous Northwest for a six-month inspection. Fu Niang worried about his safety and, after seeking Nanny An’s advice about having a child, asked him not to stay up late and to come to bed with her.

• Wei Nisheng woke to Fu Niang organizing the household, and they shared breakfast and tea together.
• Wei Nisheng told Fu Niang that the court had ordered him to inspect the military farmland in the Northwest for six months, and admitted the journey would be much more dangerous than Suzhou.
• Fu Niang promised to prepare warm clothes and boots for Wei Nisheng and urged him to return within six months.
• Fu Niang privately asked Nanny An why she and Wei Nisheng had not had a child, and Nanny An advised her to worry less and encourage Wei Nisheng to stop working late.
• Fu Niang waited for Wei Nisheng at dusk and told him she did not sleep well alone, so he agreed to go to bed early.

At the Grand Court Audience, Crown Prince Jiang Heng upheld Wei Nisheng’s appointment as Imperial Envoy with sweeping authority over the Northwest, despite ministers’ protests. After taking leave of Emperor Jing of Zhou, Wei Nisheng departed for the frontier, pledging not to return until he had pacified the Northwest.

• Jiang Heng issued Wei Nisheng a decree granting him command over the Ningxia, Yansui, and Guyuan garrisons and authority over the Northwest’s military farmland, tea-horse trade, and salt licenses.
• Song Yue and Kou Yuan protested the decree, but Jiang Heng rebuked them and declared it settled, citing Chancellor Shen Duan’s approval.
• Wei Nisheng met Emperor Jing of Zhou at Funing Hall, where the emperor urged him to reclaim military farmland, use Zhou Quan cautiously, and return safely.
• Wei Nisheng vowed to pacify the Northwest within half a year and wished the emperor continued health before leaving the palace for his assignment.

Prince Jin Jiang Xuan panicked over Wei Zi'an's Commander's Axe and his journey to the Northwest, but strategist Pei Zhi urged him to wait while Wei faced trouble there. The chapter left Pei Zhi resolved to pursue his own plans in Hedong as Wei entered the Northwest's dangerous political struggle.

• Jiang Xuan read the secret report about Wei Zi'an's Commander's Axe and worried that its authority extended over his Jin fief.
• Pei Zhi arrived calmly and confirmed that Wei Zi'an was traveling west along the Old Han-Tang Road with authority over the Three Garrisons.
• Pei Zhi reminded Jiang Xuan that he had released the Li Family's merchants, then explained that Wei's departure gave him a chance to win lasting power through service in the Northwest.
• Pei Zhi warned that Wei would face entrenched interests in the military farmland and the Liang Clan, while the Tanguts massed at Hengshan.
• Pei Zhi advised Jiang Xuan to wait for Wei to become entangled in the Northwest and said he would pursue his own game in Hedong.

Wei Nisheng arrived in Luoyang on his imperial mission and reunited with his examination fellow Wang Kuan, now an Assistant Prefect. After sharing stories and affirming their different paths in public service, Wei Nisheng continued west, while Wang Kuan promised to keep Luoyang’s grain transport route clear.

• Wang Kuan waited at Luoyang’s gate and joyfully welcomed Wei Nisheng, then led his horse to the postal station.
• Wang Kuan recounted his years handling cases and explained that he had never resented other examination fellows’ greater advancement.
• Wang Kuan described reconciling two brothers over their father’s burial place, and Wei Nisheng praised his devotion to serving Luoyang’s people.
• Wang Kuan and Wei Nisheng toasted Liu Zijin’s planned compilation of the Comprehensive Mirror to Aid in Government and agreed that none of their examination fellows had passed in vain.
• Wang Kuan escorted Wei Nisheng to the Ten-Li Pavilion, where Wei promised to return and Wang vowed to keep Luoyang’s grain transport route clear.

Wei Nisheng left Luoyang after recognizing that local officials were deliberately refusing to honor his authority as Imperial Envoy, and he pressed west toward Xi'an without delay. In Xi'an, Xu Zhen warned the region’s officials that Wei Nisheng’s imperial powers were real and ordered them to conceal their abuses before he arrived.

• Wei Nisheng explained to Cui Fu that Luoyang’s officials had intentionally avoided welcoming him because his investigation threatened their profits from military farmland.
• Wei Nisheng said he would travel swiftly so the officials ahead would have no time to hide their wrongdoing.
• In Xi'an, Ma Tianlu, Han Biao, He Yong, Dong Wenqian, and Chen Shao mocked Wei Nisheng and discussed obstructing his investigation.
• Xu Zhen rebuked the officials and explained that Wei Nisheng’s imperial staff, battle-axe, banners, and tablets gave him authority to punish them.
• Xu Zhen ordered the officials to hide anything incriminating and warned that they could test Wei Nisheng’s blade if they refused.
• After the officials left, Xu Zhen wondered whether Lord Feng had anticipated this turn and said the Northwest’s skies were about to change.

Wei Nisheng arrived in Xi'an as an imperial envoy with authority over Northwest military affairs and warned local officials that he would scrutinize military farmland, taxes, and frontier reports. Xu Zhen welcomed him but failed to learn his plans, and Wei Nisheng left the officials under threat of investigation.

• Cui Fu announced Wei Nisheng's imperial titles and authority to the officials gathered beside Ba Bridge.
• Xu Zhen led Xi'an's officials in welcoming Wei Nisheng and asked whether he would inspect the garrisons or military farmland first.
• Wei Nisheng refused to reveal his itinerary, reminding Xu Zhen that he acted by imperial decree.
• Wei Nisheng ordered Northwest officials to register and truthfully report military farmland, tax grain and silver, and frontier reports.
• Wei Nisheng warned that concealed information would face the Court's laws and said he would remain in the Northwest until its affairs were clear.

At a banquet in Xi'an, Xu Zhen and the local officials tried to persuade Imperial Envoy Wei Nisheng to delay his investigation of military farmland by invoking hardship and his teacher Lord Feng. Wei rejected their appeal, challenged the officials with discrepancies in their accounts, and left them unable to answer.

• Xu Zhen invoked Lord Feng’s past support and urged Wei Nisheng to proceed cautiously, promising to help him if he did.
• Ma Tianlu, Han Biao, Dong Wenqian, and Chen Shao listed military and financial hardships to argue against a forceful inquiry.
• Wei Nisheng reminded the officials that their positions had opened after Governor Li Yuanzhen’s removal and warned the Court could take those positions back.
• Xu Zhen argued that Lord Feng had put the Court and the army above personal debts, and Wei replied that officials who pocketed the Court’s silver were neither loyal nor righteous.
• Wei Nisheng questioned Ma Tianlu about conflicting reports of escaped military households, challenged Han Biao over paid military wages, and asked Dong Wenqian where increased tax revenue had gone.
• Ma Tianlu, Han Biao, Dong Wenqian, and the other officials lowered their heads and could not answer Wei Nisheng’s accusations.

After Wei Nisheng’s investigation angered Xi’an’s officials, Xu Zhen warned them that harming the envoy could bring Zhou Quan’s forces against the city and ordered them to endure. Dong Wenqian then urged Chen Shao to investigate a possible connection between Wei Nisheng’s attendant and Cui Cheng, leaving the officials to consider another way to counter the envoy.

• Ma Tianlu, Han Biao, He Yong, and Dong Wenqian protested Wei Nisheng’s scrutiny of the military households and discussed killing him.
• Xu Zhen warned that Zhou Quan could march on Xi’an if Wei Nisheng were harmed, and explained that the two men were allied through the Wei Faction.
• Xu Zhen ordered the officials to endure Wei Nisheng’s investigation unless he uncovered a major target, and they left the hall.
• Dong Wenqian asked Chen Shao about Cui Cheng after noticing that Wei Nisheng’s attendant resembled the Xi’an registrar.
• Dong Wenqian revealed that Cui Cheng’s sister had married into a Wei family in the Capital and urged Chen Shao to pursue every avenue against the envoy.