Recaps

Feng Yan visited Wei Nisheng at his humble home and agreed to take him on as a disciple, recognizing the youth’s ambition and resolve. After Feng Yan left, Wei Nisheng told Wei An to prepare gifts for the Apprenticeship Ceremony.

• Xu Li recognized Feng Yan’s carriage and hid with Li Shi, regretting that they had not congratulated Wei Nisheng earlier.
• Feng Yan arrived at the Small Courtyard of the Wei Residence, where Wei Nisheng welcomed him beneath the jujube tree.
• Feng Yan asked Wei Nisheng about his obsession, and Wei Nisheng described gambling with his life, luck, and future.
• Feng Yan laughed at Wei Nisheng’s answer and agreed to take him on, then declared that the boy’s affairs were now his own.
• After Feng Yan departed, Wei Nisheng asked Wei An to prepare gifts for the Apprenticeship Ceremony.

Wei Nisheng traveled to Feng Yan’s residence to become his first disciple, while news of the appointment reached his birth family and left Wei Mingde devastated. Wei Nisheng arrived at the open gates of the Discipleship Banquet as Wei Mingde’s carriage approached behind him.

• Qu Niang dressed Wei Nisheng in a new student’s robe, and Wei An and Cui Fu prepared him for the journey to the Feng Residence.
• Cui Fu proudly announced Wei Nisheng’s impending discipleship throughout the Capital, spreading news that Feng Yan was taking the ten-year-old Fiery Child as his first disciple.
• Wei Mingde and Cui Shi learned that the reports were true and received an invitation to the banquet as Wei Nisheng’s birth family.
• Wei Mingde reluctantly agreed to attend, then collapsed from distress as he considered having to congratulate the son he had driven away.
• Wei Nisheng arrived at the Feng Residence, declared his ambition, and strode toward its open gates as Wei Mingde’s carriage approached.

At Feng Residence, Wei Nisheng formally took Lord Feng as his master and drew the attention of the gathered officials. His former family watched as he was praised and welcomed into a world of power they could not reach.

• Wei Nisheng arrived at Feng Residence and found Qin Yan there with Wei Shouzheng.
• Qin Yan rebuked Wei Shouzheng for addressing Wei Nisheng as his brother and made him congratulate his elder cousin according to the rites.
• Qin Yan introduced Wei Nisheng to the officials as Lord Feng’s beloved disciple and as the Fiery Child praised by His Majesty.
• Wei Nisheng calmly greeted the officials while Qin Yan introduced him to Hanlin scholars.
• Cui Shi, Wei Shouzheng, and Wei Mingde watched Wei Nisheng surrounded by influential officials.

Wei Nisheng completed a grand apprenticeship ceremony and became Feng Yan’s sole disciple. Feng Yan gave him a black jade pendant that had once symbolized his friendship with Wei Nisheng’s grandfather, and Wei Nisheng pledged to honor both the Wei Family and his teacher.

• Wei Mingde, Wei Shouzheng, and Cui Shi watched Wei Nisheng receive attention from the assembled officials, each reacting with resentment or thoughts of family benefit.
• Feng Yan entered the main hall in formal attire and took the seat of honor as Wei Nisheng prepared to apprentice himself to him.
• Wei Nisheng completed the ceremony’s rites, bowed to Confucius and Feng Yan, and presented the Six Gifts of Tuition and his formal letter.
• Feng Yan reminded Wei Nisheng of his family’s legacy and charged him to uphold its traditions and protect his teacher’s reputation.
• Feng Yan gave Wei Nisheng a black jade pendant bearing the characters for Wei and Feng, and Wei Nisheng vowed to remember his responsibilities as the officials congratulated him.

At Feng Yan’s apprenticeship feast, Shen Duan arrived to challenge his continued influence in court and question two Ministry of Personnel transfers. Feng Yan denied involvement, while Shen Duan hinted that his confrontation with the Wei family was only beginning.

• At the feast, Shen Duan arrived uninvited and took a seat opposite Feng Yan.
• Shen Duan urged Feng Yan to withdraw from the Capital, and Feng Yan reminded him of his past exile to Fuzhou Prefecture.
• Shen Duan examined Wei Nisheng, then deliberately toasted the uneasy Wei Mingde.
• Shen Duan questioned whether Feng Yan had arranged Wei Mingde’s transfer and a Cui Family judicial officer’s transfer.
• Feng Yan said both transfers followed routine Ministry of Personnel procedures and invited Shen Duan to inspect the records.
• Shen Duan toasted Feng Yan’s new disciple and noted Wei Wenyue’s grandson, hinting that his show had only just begun.

At the Apprenticeship Banquet, Cui Shi persuaded Wei Mingde to approach Shen Duan and use his relationship with Wei Nisheng as a pretext to help Shen Duan challenge Feng Yan. Wei Mingde agreed, hoping to gain Shen Duan’s favor and improve the Wei Family’s prospects.

• Wei Nisheng noticed Shen Duan twice looking toward Wei Mingde and suspected Cui Shi wanted the Wei Family to change its allegiance.
• Cui Shi stopped Wei Mingde from drinking and reminded him that Wei Nisheng had joined the Feng Family after separating from their lineage.
• Cui Shi argued that Shen Duan could use Wei Mingde’s father-son relationship with Wei Nisheng as a pretext to embarrass Feng Yan.
• Cui Shi urged Wei Mingde to seek Shen Duan’s favor for his own advancement, Shouzheng’s future, and the Wei Family.
• Wei Mingde accepted Cui Shi’s advice, drained his wine, and stood to offer Shen Duan a toast.

At the Feng Residence banquet, Shen Duan drew Wei Mingde into declaring his ties to his son Wei Nisheng, then used Wei Mingde’s appeal to family duty to pressure Nisheng and challenge Feng Yan. The chapter ended with Wei Mingde asking Feng Yan to let Wei Shouzheng seek his guidance.

• Shen Duan recognized Wei Mingde’s fear and Cui Shi’s composure as signs that the two officials had different backing.
• Cui Shi sent Wei Mingde to flatter Shen Duan and instructed Wei Shouzheng to follow and pay his respects.
• Shen Duan questioned Wei Mingde about his stalled career and prompted him to affirm that Wei Nisheng remained his son.
• Wei Mingde publicly praised Nisheng’s adoption into the eldest branch and urged him to remember his family and repay its kindness.
• Shen Duan invoked filial piety and propriety to press Nisheng and indirectly criticize Feng Yan.
• Wei Mingde emphasized the bond between Nisheng and Wei Shouzheng, then asked Feng Yan to guide Shouzheng.

At Feng Yan’s discipleship ceremony, Wei Nisheng defended his adoption into the Elder Branch and his duties to his teacher against Shen Duan and Wei Mingde. Feng Yan approved his arguments, leaving Shen Duan publicly humiliated and unable to respond.

• Wei Nisheng served Feng Yan tea and let his teacher address Shen Duan’s hypocrisy before the assembled guests.
• Feng Yan mocked Shen Duan’s old habit of currying favor, and the guests laughed as Shen Duan turned red with embarrassment.
• Wei Nisheng argued that filial duty meant honoring his adoptive branch and teacher, and that private affection could not override lineage law, ritual, or service to the sovereign.
• Shen Duan accused Wei Nisheng of forgetting his roots, but Wei Nisheng challenged him to define those roots and defended his obligations to the Elder Branch, Feng Yan, and the sovereign.
• Wei Nisheng rejected Wei Mingde’s request to bring his cousin to Feng Yan for instruction, arguing that it would disrespect the cousin’s teacher and undermine the rites of adoption.
• Feng Yan praised Wei Nisheng for upholding ritual and law, then dismissed Shen Duan’s outburst as an old ailment flaring up.

At Feng Yan’s banquet, Wei Nisheng stood up to Shen Duan’s attacks and used respectful, reasoned arguments to leave the Chief Minister unable to answer. Shen Duan accepted Wei Nisheng’s offered wine but left his praise of the boy’s future edged with resentment.

• Shen Duan angrily rebuked Wei Nisheng for speaking on matters of state and implied Feng Yan was backing him.
• Wei Nisheng defended his right to speak, asking Shen Duan to identify any error rather than dismiss him for being young.
• Wei Nisheng accused Shen Duan of insulting Feng Yan and probing his family ties during a welcoming banquet.
• Feng Yan reminded Shen Duan that he was a guest and warned that opposing Wei Nisheng’s reasoning meant opposing the sages’ teachings.
• Wei Nisheng offered Shen Duan wine and apologized, and Shen Duan drank it before remarking that the boy had a remarkable future.

At Feng Yan’s discipleship banquet, Shen Duan gave Wei Nisheng a calligraphic insult disguised as a greeting gift, prompting Qin Yan to publicly challenge him. Shen Duan resisted Qin Yan’s rebuke, and the confrontation remained unresolved.

• Feng Yan asked Shen Duan to give a greeting gift to his new disciple, Wei Nisheng, before leaving the banquet.
• Shen Duan wrote and presented Wei Nisheng the words “Bright in childhood, not necessarily accomplished in adulthood,” intending to mock the boy’s prospects.
• The guests condemned Shen Duan’s gift as an insult to a child, and Qin Yan rose to rebuke him for violating propriety and virtue.
• Shen Duan claimed the words were encouragement and questioned Qin Yan’s authority, but Qin Yan challenged him to imagine the same insult aimed at his own son.
• Shen Duan accused Qin Yan and Neo-Confucian scholars of seeking fame, while Qin Yan urged him to consider the court’s dignity.
• Shen Duan bristled at being challenged by a court official and faced a choice between backing down and escalating the dispute.

Shen Duan insulted Qin Yan and Wei Nisheng at a gathering, but Qin Yan answered with fists and fury while Wei Nisheng dismantled Shen Duan’s taunts with clever retorts and a calligraphy gift. Shen Duan left humiliated, and the chapter noted that despite his title, he lacked control of the court’s most powerful ministries.

• Shen Duan mocked Qin Yan and his disciples as fame-seekers, prompting Feng Yan to warn Wei Nisheng to get back.
• Qin Yan attacked Shen Duan, cursed him, and challenged him to a fight before those present restrained him.
• Wei Nisheng thanked Qin Yan, then used the allusion to Chen Wei and Kong Wenju to turn Shen Duan’s eight-character insult back on him.
• Wei Nisheng wrote “A Narrow Vessel Fills Easily, The Road Ends Here” for Shen Duan and explained that his narrow-mindedness would limit his advancement.
• Shen Duan left the hall in humiliation after Wei Nisheng’s final courteous parting words.
• The chapter explained that Shen Duan held the title of Chief Minister but lacked control of the powerful Ministries of Personnel and Revenue, which Feng Yan held.

At his banquet, Wei Nisheng watched Wei Mingde and Cui Shi leave, then wrote a bold lyric on a screen at Qin Yan’s urging. Qin Yan praised it as a truly fine work, leaving the guests to admire Wei Nisheng’s writing.

• Wei Nisheng told Wei Mingde that their families were no longer kin, and Wei Mingde and Cui Shi departed after taking leave of Feng Yan.
• Qin Yan returned to his seat after his confrontation with Shen Duan, and Feng Yan teased him about his unchanged temper.
• Qin Yan urged Wei Nisheng to write a lyric, and Feng Yan and the guests encouraged him to accept.
• Wei Nisheng had servants place a blank screen in the hall, then wrote “Partridge Sky: Written in the Western Capital” in Slender Gold Script.
• Qin Yan carefully recited Wei Nisheng’s lyric and praised it as a truly fine work.

At Feng Yan’s discipleship banquet, Wei Nisheng’s lyric moved the guests and prompted Feng Yan and Qin Yan to trade old stories over the screen. The banquet ended in celebration, with Qin Yan singing and Wei Nisheng promising to write him another copy.

• Wei Nisheng’s lyric captivated Qin Yan and Feng Yan, who praised its spirit and its fit with the events of the banquet.
• Feng Yan refused to give Qin Yan the screen, and the two scholars bickered while revealing embarrassing stories from their years together.
• Feng Yan offered to have Wei Nisheng write Qin Yan another copy, and Qin Yan advised the boy to temper the sharpness of his Slender Gold Script.
• Wei Nisheng promised to write Qin Yan a long scroll, and the guests’ laughter gave way to renewed celebration.
• Qin Yan sang to the melody of “Partridge Sky,” bringing the banquet to its peak.

After Wei Nisheng bested Chief Minister Shen Duan in an argument at the banquet, Feng Yan praised him but warned that his age had protected him from the consequences. He taught Wei Nisheng to beware of opponents who remain unshaken and guide others into traps, leaving Wei Nisheng with one further question.

• Feng Yan praised Wei Nisheng for defending his dignity at the banquet, then asked what he thought of Shen Duan.
• Wei Nisheng called Shen Duan ill-tempered and lacking in method, but Feng Yan warned that Wei had shown his sharpness too openly and that his age had been his greatest advantage.
• Feng Yan cautioned Wei Nisheng that Court opponents could appear reasonable and considerate while quietly closing off every option.
• Feng Yan recounted how Zhuge Liang’s stillness at Mumen Pass fooled Zhang He into believing there was no ambush, and how ten thousand crossbows killed him.
• Wei Nisheng solemnly accepted Feng Yan’s lesson, promised to remember it, and asked him about something he still did not understand.

Feng Yan explained that Shen Duan’s apparent lack of restraint was a calculated performance to earn the emperor’s trust, and warned that Shen Duan would submit a memorial accusing Feng Yan and his associates. Feng Yan had Wei Nisheng prepare a counter-memorial asking to acknowledge the emperor as his sovereign and father, then promised to present Wei Nisheng’s poem to the emperor.

• Wei Nisheng asked Feng Yan whether Shen Duan was incompetent or merely pretending, and Feng Yan explained that Shen used his behavior to flatter the sovereign.
• Feng Yan warned Wei Nisheng that Shen Duan was preparing a memorial to accuse Feng Yan, Qin Yan, Qin Ziye, and Wei Nisheng.
• Feng Yan told Wei Nisheng to write a memorial asking to acknowledge the emperor as his sovereign and father.
• Wei Nisheng agreed to write the memorial, and Feng Yan offered to present his lyric poem to the emperor.

Wei Nisheng struggled to write a memorial for Feng Yan until Qu Niang reminded him to speak sincerely rather than weigh every word. He began a new draft in a clear, uninterrupted flow, leaving the memorial’s final contents unstated.

• Wei Nisheng spent the morning drafting and discarding versions of the memorial Feng Yan had sent for the emperor.
• Wei An watched Qu Niang cautiously while she attended to Wei Nisheng, and Cui Fu tended the carriage horse after he and his mother were driven from the Cui Family.
• Qu Niang advised Wei Nisheng to put his heart into his words and reminded him of Li Mi’s Memorial of Petition.
• Wei Nisheng realized the memorial should speak plainly from his perspective as a ten-year-old child, not sound like an official’s polished report.
• Wei Nisheng thanked Qu Niang, set aside his discarded drafts, and began writing a fresh memorial without hesitation while Qu Niang ground his ink.

Wei Nisheng visited Feng Yan’s residence and reunited with Fu Niang, who had returned home from the palace. After learning that Wei Nisheng was Feng Yan’s new disciple, Fu Niang shyly declared she had no objection to him as the learned, handsome young gentleman her grandfather had promised to find for her.

• Wei Nisheng left a memorial in Feng Yan’s garden pavilion and unexpectedly encountered Fu Niang.
• Fu Niang and Wei Nisheng recognized each other and chatted as she admired his looks.
• Feng Yan saw them together and worried that his handsome new disciple would win Fu Niang’s affection.
• Feng Yan introduced Wei Nisheng to Fu Niang, who shyly greeted him and then pulled her grandfather aside.
• Fu Niang told Feng Yan she had no objection to Wei Nisheng as her future young gentleman and asked whether he would think she was fat.
• Feng Yan assured Fu Niang that Wei Nisheng would not dare criticize her appearance.

Feng Yan praised Wei Nisheng’s memorial and warned him that obedience to the emperor would be his only protection in court. In the capital, Shen Duan complained to Emperor Jing of Zhou about Feng Yan and his allies, and the emperor asked how Shen wanted him to deal with Feng Yan.

• Feng Yan made Wei Nisheng study with a cord around his neck and praised his memorial as flawless.
• Feng Yan warned Wei Nisheng that once he entered court, the emperor’s wishes would be his only protective talisman.
• Shen Duan accused Feng Yan of forming a faction, criticized Qin Yan’s conduct at the banquet, and complained that Wei Nisheng had contradicted him.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou asked Shen Duan whether the court sessions could be quieter after four days of repeated accusations.
• Shen Duan insisted Feng Yan had gone too far, and Emperor Jing of Zhou asked how Shen wanted to deal with him.

Shen Duan urged Emperor Jing of Zhou to reprimand Wei Nisheng, hoping to ruin the child and weaken Feng Yan’s faction. Wei Nisheng’s memorial moved the emperor to defend the boy and condemn Shen Duan, leaving the Chief Minister kneeling in fear.

• Shen Duan presented measures to investigate Ministry of Revenue officials, demote Qin Yan, and issue an imperial reprimand against Wei Nisheng.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou objected to punishing a ten-year-old, but Shen Duan accused Wei Nisheng of being unfilial and having no upbringing.
• A eunuch delivered Wei Nisheng’s memorial, which described his lonely childhood, praised Feng Yan’s guidance, and called the emperor his sovereign father.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou struck down Shen Duan’s accusations, recalling that he had personally praised Wei Nisheng as a Fiery Child.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou threw the memorial at Shen Duan and rebuked him for failing to tolerate a child, while Shen Duan knelt and begged forgiveness.

Emperor Jing of Zhou reprimanded Shen Duan, ended the dispute by recalling Feng Yan to oversee state affairs and docking Qin Yan’s salary, then learned Qin Yan was waiting outside the Meridian Gate with more than a hundred Imperial College Disciples. Alone afterward, the emperor lamented the lack of capable younger officials and asked Wang Cheng whether a young man’s memorial was true.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou accused Shen Duan of neglecting the realm’s crises and trying to dominate the court, then ordered Feng Yan to return and oversee affairs of state while punishing Qin Yan with a six-month salary deduction.
• Liu Min warned Shen Duan that Qin Yan and more than a hundred Imperial College Disciples were waiting outside the Meridian Gate to confront him.
• Shen Duan hurried toward a side gate and urged Liu Min to exchange robes with him so he could avoid Qin Yan’s group.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou reflected that the court had no younger officials fit to serve and reread a young man’s grievance-filled memorial.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou asked Wang Cheng whether the young man’s claims were true.

Emperor Jing of Zhou learned that Wei Nisheng had written his memorial, lyric, and distinctive calligraphy himself, and praised him as a child prodigy. He sent Wei Nisheng a personal reply promising to wait for him to grow up, then decided to give him an additional reward.

• Wang Cheng reported that Wei Nisheng's account of his upbringing and adoption was true and that he had written the memorial himself.
• Wang Cheng revealed that Wei Nisheng had also composed the lyric on Feng Yan's screen and created the Slender Gold script.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou admired Wei Nisheng's work and called him a child prodigy.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou wrote Wei Nisheng a personal reply praising his memorial and lyric and urging him to study hard as the emperor waited for him to grow up.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou told Wang Cheng to convey an oral decree and arrange a reward for Wei Nisheng.

Wei Nisheng received an imperial reply and gifts from the emperor, who praised his petition and granted him permission to wear a Silver Fish Pouch. The chapter ended with Wei Nisheng reflecting that the emperor was his greatest protection.

• Wei Nisheng returned to the Small Courtyard after failing to see Fu Niang, and Wei An rushed in to announce that an imperial envoy had arrived with a decree.
• Wei Nisheng welcomed Wang Cheng, who delivered the emperor’s handwritten reply praising his memorial and expressing hopes for his future.
• Wang Cheng proclaimed the emperor’s decree, which praised Wei Nisheng’s resolve and granted him permission to wear a plain Silver Fish Pouch.
• The emperor also bestowed a Literary Balance seal engraved with “National Auspice” and instructed Wei Nisheng to remain humble and study diligently.
• After Wang Cheng departed, Wei Nisheng examined the gifts and the emperor’s reply, then concluded that the emperor was his greatest protective talisman.

As the autumn examinations approached, Wei Nisheng struggled to refine his policy essay until Fu Niang’s visit softened his mood and changed his writing. After he left, Fu Niang read the finished piece and realized he had likened her to the girl who secretly admired Song Yu.

• Wei Nisheng labored over a policy essay for the approaching examinations, dissatisfied with his earlier drafts.
• Fu Niang brought mung bean soup and Osmanthus Cake to the study and startled herself when Wei Nisheng turned toward her.
• Wei Nisheng teased Fu Niang about her crooked silk flowers, then returned to his desk and wrote a gentler essay.
• Wei Nisheng took his drafts to Feng Yan’s study, leaving Fu Niang to slip back into the room.
• Fu Niang read Wei Nisheng’s poem and realized he had compared her to Song Yu’s eastern neighbor.

Feng Yan criticized Wei Nisheng’s policy essay for its timid approach to border defense and explained that his writing lacked practical insight. He promised to seek imperial permission for Wei Nisheng to observe government in the Hall of Literary Depths, while warning him to focus on his studies and stop pursuing Fu Niang.

• Feng Yan praised the opening of Wei Nisheng’s essay but faulted its soft stance toward the Rongdi and explained why it would seem cowardly to the emperor.
• Feng Yan said Wei Nisheng’s policy essays lacked real-world understanding and offered to ask the emperor to let him study governance in the Hall of Literary Depths.
• Wei Nisheng worried about gossip and censure, but Feng Yan told him not to retreat from political obstacles and urged him to learn by observing government firsthand.
• Wei Nisheng thanked Feng Yan and promised to work diligently in the Hall of Literary Depths.
• Feng Yan warned Wei Nisheng to set aside his pursuit of Fu Niang while she accompanied Princess Luyang, and Wei Nisheng promised to focus on passing the Presented Scholar examination.

Wei Nisheng confronted Jiang Yu, the heir to Prince Ning, after Jiang Yu insulted him in the Hall of Literary Depths. Wei revealed that the emperor had personally approved his visit, and learned Jiang Yu had come to gather records to defend his father against charges over the lost border prefectures.

• Wei Nisheng arrived at the Hall of Literary Depths under Li Dianji’s guidance to observe the workings of government.
• Jiang Yu challenged Wei’s presence and called him a stray cat or dog, while Li Dianji identified him as the heir to Prince Ning.
• Wei displayed the emperor’s handwritten order and challenged Jiang Yu over insulting the emperor’s judgment and Lord Feng’s recommendation.
• Jiang Yu left with a dossier after learning Wei was Lord Feng’s disciple.
• Li Dianji told Wei that Jiang Yu had collected border-defense records related to the fall of three prefectures, and Wei criticized Prince Ning for trying to defend himself.