Recaps

Grand Secretary Shen visited Feng Yan and reminisced about their years as examination candidates before questioning whether Feng Yan’s protégés accepted Wei Nisheng. Feng Yan recognized that Shen was really asking what would happen at Court after his death, and Shen admitted that without the Feng Faction, no one could oppose him or give His Majesty reason to retain him.

• Grand Secretary Shen arrived at the Feng Residence and met Feng Yan in the Main Hall.
• Shen Duan and Feng Yan recalled taking the Provincial Examination decades earlier and compared how they had passed.
• Shen Duan asked whether Feng Yan truly trusted his disciple Wei Nisheng and whether Feng Yan’s protégés accepted him.
• Feng Yan told Shen Duan that he had come to ask when Feng Yan would die.
• Shen Duan admitted that after Feng Yan’s death, the Feng Faction might scatter, leaving no one at Court to oppose him and giving His Majesty no reason to keep him.

Shen Duan visited Feng Yan to seek his support and learn the emperor’s intentions, but Feng Yan refused to join the court struggle and urged him to loosen his grip on power. Shen Duan left without an answer, while Feng Yan reflected on how few of their old companions remained.

• Feng Yan had servants unveil Shen Duan’s gift, a painting of a hundred birds, and criticized its mismatched flock.
• Shen Duan told Feng Yan that he simply did not want to understand the painting, and Feng Yan recognized it as a reflection of the changed Court.
• Feng Yan said he would neither cooperate with Shen Duan nor oppose the emperor, and warned him that clinging to power could leave him with no way back.
• Feng Yan praised Shen Yi as a boy who might preserve the Shen Family and advised Shen Duan to loosen his grip before the emperor demoted him.
• Shen Duan asked what the emperor intended after Wei Nisheng killed Prince Ning’s Heir Apparent, but Feng Yan told him he already knew the answer.
• After Shen Duan left, Feng Yan touched the painted birds and lamented that few people from the eighth year of Yonghe remained.

During the third session of the imperial examination, Wei Nisheng answered the emperor’s land-policy question by arguing that equalizing taxes and labor obligations was fundamental. He proposed five gradual measures, then rested in his examination cell as his neighbor recited the Mencius.

• Wei Nisheng received the emperor’s question about land consolidation, unequal taxes and labor obligations, and limits on landholdings.
• Wei Nisheng chose equalizing taxes and labor obligations as the root solution, explaining that abrupt limits on holdings and bans on consolidation could provoke resistance and fail.
• Wei Nisheng proposed five steps: survey fields, establish tax grades, equalize labor service, rectify official administration, and gradually limit landholdings.
• Wei Nisheng finished his policy essay, which placed equalizing taxes and labor obligations first, prohibiting consolidation next, and limits on holdings last.
• Wei Nisheng rested against the wall while the candidate in the neighboring cell recited the Mencius.

After leaving the examination, Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai compared their policy essays and discussed how land reform would depend on imperial support and political momentum. Wei Nisheng also encountered Shen Yi and his cousin Wei Shouzheng, then left reflecting that he and Wei Shouzheng were following different paths.

• Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai emerged from the Examination Hall, where Shen Yi hurried away after Wei Nisheng greeted him.
• Wei Nisheng explained his five-step plan for land reform, and Zhang Zai described his square-field equal-tax method.
• Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai agreed that land reform required imperial backing and discussed the need for allies at Court, in the provinces, and near the Emperor.
• Wei Nisheng encountered Wei Shouzheng, who bowed and addressed him as Cousin before leaving.
• Zhang Zai explained that Qin Yan had taken Wei Shouzheng as a student, and Wei Nisheng considered how their different paths might bring them together again.

After the Provincial Examination, Wei Nisheng rested in the Small Courtyard and enjoyed quiet days with Qu Niang, Fu Niang, and Zhang Zai while waiting for the results. He knew the respite would end when the results were posted and his next examinations or an official appointment began.

• Wei Nisheng slept until noon after returning from the Provincial Examination, then spent his days eating, resting, and basking in the sun.
• Feng Yan summoned Wei Nisheng to review his examination papers and praised them after critiquing his work.
• Fu Niang visited the Small Courtyard to learn embroidery from Qu Niang, and Wei Nisheng enjoyed watching her practice.
• Zhang Zai visited almost every day to share meals, tea, and quiet time with Wei Nisheng, then asked whether they would remain friends after becoming Presented Scholars.
• Wei Nisheng assured Zhang Zai they would still drink tea together, while recognizing that the coming results would soon change their peaceful routine.

After the Provincial Examination papers were graded, Emperor Jing of Zhou reviewed the ten highest-ranked essays and was impressed by their varied strengths. He singled out a spring-rain rhapsody and a practical land-system policy essay, then looked ahead to the Palace Examination with hope that new talent would refresh his court.

• Shi Jie and the examiners graded the Provincial Examination papers, finding unusually many first-class essays and several exceptional works.
• Ministry of Rites officials delivered sealed copies of the ten top papers to Emperor Jing of Zhou.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou read the papers and admired their distinct styles, pausing over the seventh paper’s ideas about benevolence in a spring-rain rhapsody.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou asked Wang Cheng to read the essay on Guan Zhong, and Wang Cheng praised its distinction between achievement and capacity.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou studied a detailed policy essay on surveying fields and reforming land taxes, finding its orderly plan particularly compelling.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou ordered the Ministry of Rites to ensure impartial grading and anticipated that the Palace Examination would bring new talent to his court.

On the day the Provincial Examination results were posted, Fu Niang joined Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai on their journey to see the list. As they waited to learn their fates, Fu Niang quietly comforted Wei Nisheng, and his nervous fingers finally stilled beneath her hand.

• Fu Niang hurried to the Wei Residence, where Wei Nisheng fixed her hair and praised her appearance.
• Zhang Zai arrived with tea and pastries, and Fu Niang complained privately to Qu Niang that he kept intruding on her time with Wei Nisheng.
• Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai toasted to both their names appearing on the list before Fu Niang urged them to leave.
• Fu Niang tried to keep Zhang Zai from joining her and Wei Nisheng in the carriage, but he climbed in and sat beside Wei Nisheng.
• During the ride, Fu Niang noticed Wei Nisheng nervously fidgeting and laid her hand over his until he stopped.

Wei Nisheng, Zhang Zai, and Fu Niang went to see the provincial examination results, with Zhang Zai anxiously waiting to learn his fate. Zhang Zai found his name in eighteenth place and celebrated his success with Wei Nisheng.

• Zhang Zai nervously covered Wei Nisheng's hand in the carriage, then was left behind when the carriage started off without him.
• Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai discussed their nerves as they headed to the examination results, and Cui Fu's helpers cleared a path through the crowd.
• Wei Nisheng scanned the results while Fu Niang urged him to say whether he had passed.
• Zhang Zai found his name in eighteenth place, tore off his crown, and shouted that he had passed through his own efforts.
• Wei Nisheng confirmed Zhang Zai's result, and Zhang Zai told him, "I won."

Wei Nisheng believed he had failed the Provincial Examination when he could not find his name among the first fifty, but a gust of spring wind dropped the red veil and revealed he had ranked first. A rites official proclaimed him the Provincial Top Scholar, while Wei Nisheng remembered Wei An and celebrated with Fu Niang.

• Wei Nisheng searched the results board repeatedly and found his name nowhere among the first fifty.
• Fu Niang searched alongside Wei Nisheng, then held his hand and comforted him as they believed he had failed.
• The spring wind blew the red silk veil from the board, revealing Wei Nisheng in first place, Xie Lin in second, and Wang Kan in third.
• Fu Niang cried and rejoiced with Wei Nisheng as he realized he had become the Provincial Top Scholar and thought of Wei An.
• A rites official announced Wei Nisheng as the Provincial Top Scholar, and runners carried a placard displaying the top three candidates through the street.

Wei Mingde celebrated when his eldest son, Wei Shouzheng, passed the Provincial Examination, then learned that Wei Nisheng—the son he had driven from the family—had placed first. The proclamation left Wei Mingde and Cui Shi stunned as Wei Nisheng’s achievement echoed through the Wei Residence.

• A servant told Wei Mingde that Wei Shouzheng had passed the Provincial Examination in forty-fifth place, and Wei Mingde hurried to honor the ancestors.
• Wei Mingde celebrated Shouzheng’s success in the Ancestral Hall, while Cui Shi urged Wei Shoucheng to study for the same honor.
• Runners proclaimed Wei Nisheng as Provincial Top Scholar and announced that he had won first place in two examinations running.
• Wei Mingde realized that the top scholar was the son he had driven out, while Cui Shi stared at Lu Shi’s spirit tablet.
• Wei Shoucheng asked whether Second Brother’s achievement made him more impressive than Eldest Brother, but neither parent answered.

Feng Yan waited anxiously for the Provincial Examination results while keeping his composure before his former students. When Wei Nisheng took first place, Feng Yan congratulated him publicly with restraint, then celebrated alone in his study.

• Feng Yan read Qin Yan’s letter and silently waited for news of the Provincial Examination results while discussing Court affairs with his former students.
• The steward announced that Wei Nisheng had taken first place and that his name was being proclaimed at all Four Gates.
• Feng Yan’s former students congratulated him and praised Wei Nisheng, but Feng Yan cautioned them not to overpraise him before the Palace Examination.
• Feng Yan learned that Wei Shouzheng had also passed, placing forty-fifth, and told the steward to report both results to Qin Yan.
• After his former students left, Feng Yan picked up the results slip and privately celebrated Wei Nisheng’s success.

After placing first in the Provincial Examination, Wei Nisheng visited his teacher Feng Yan, who counseled him to prepare carefully for the Palace Examination. Feng Yan finally admitted he was proud of him and said the Capital Wei would rise.

• Zhang Zai sent a letter home to Xi'an Prefecture announcing the examination results as the procession celebrated in the streets.
• Wei Nisheng told Cui Fu to take him and Fu Niang to the Feng Residence before going home.
• Wei Nisheng greeted Feng Yan as his student and told him he had taken first place in the Provincial Examination.
• Feng Yan warned Wei Nisheng that first place brought public scrutiny and urged him to prepare for the Palace Examination without overworking himself.
• Wei Nisheng asked whether Feng Yan was happy for him, and Feng Yan admitted he was proud of him and said the Capital Wei would rise.

During the Flower Festival, Wei Nisheng helped Fu Niang fix her hair and drew her eyebrows while she prepared for a Peony Flower Gathering. When she asked him to write a lyric poem, he composed one describing her and their moments together, leaving them in the study as he wrote.

• Fu Niang arrived dressed for the Peony Flower Gathering, and Wei Nisheng noticed a stray lock in her hair.
• Wei Nisheng combed Fu Niang's loose hair back into place, and Qu Niang teased that they looked like newlyweds.
• Wei Nisheng drew Distant Mountain Brows on paper while Fu Niang sketched a peony design beside him.
• Fu Niang asked Wei Nisheng how to write “mandarin ducks” and then asked him to compose a lyric poem for her gathering.
• Wei Nisheng wrote a lyric describing Fu Niang's appearance and the moments they had shared.

Fu Niang treasured the lyric Wei Nisheng wrote for her before leaving for the Flower Festival. Zhang Zai then persuaded Wei Nisheng to join the festivities, and the two set off on foot with peonies in their hair.

• Fu Niang asked Qingluo to preserve Wei Nisheng's lyric and left for the flower gathering.
• Wei Nisheng returned to his courtyard and rested beneath the jujube tree.
• Zhang Zai arrived dressed in pomegranate red and placed a peony in Wei Nisheng's hair.
• Zhang Zai urged Wei Nisheng to attend the Flower Festival and meet their fellow examinees.
• Wei Nisheng agreed, and he and Zhang Zai left on foot as Zhang Zai insisted he wear another flower.

Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai walked through the Capital’s Flower Market toward the East Flower Gate, where Zhang discussed his essays for Correcting the Obscure. They reached Spring-Viewing Tower and were welcomed by fellow examination candidates who recognized Wei as the Provincial Top Scholar.

• Zhang Zai described the ideas in his essays for Correcting the Obscure, and Wei Nisheng agreed to read the work when it was finished.
• Wei Nisheng reflected that Zhang Zai was still too young to write the Four Sayings of Hengqu and would need more life experience first.
• Zhang Zai bought apricot blossoms for himself and Wei Nisheng as they walked toward the East Flower Gate.
• Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai arrived at Spring-Viewing Tower, where examination candidates recognized Wei and invited them upstairs.
• Zhang Zai urged Wei to join the other candidates, explaining that they would soon share the same examination cohort.

Wei Nisheng attended the Flower Festival at the Spring-Viewing Tower, where fellow examination candidates praised his work and Xie Lin and Wang Kan challenged his achievements. Zhang Zai defended Wei Nisheng, but Wang Kan dismissed him as unworthy of debate, leaving Zhang Zai ready to fight.

• Wei Nisheng entered the Spring-Viewing Tower with Zhang Zai and was warmly welcomed by the examination candidates gathered there.
• Wang Kuan, Liu Zijin, and Lu Wenzhao greeted Wei Nisheng and praised his standing and his rhapsody.
• Xie Lin compared his own rhapsody with Wei Nisheng's and made a pointed remark about Wei's modesty.
• Wang Kan praised the structure of Wei Nisheng's Policy Essay, then suggested Wei had won first place because Lord Feng arranged for him to observe governance at Wenyuan.
• Zhang Zai confronted Wang Kan in defense of Wei Nisheng, but Wang Kan dismissed him as too low-ranked to debate.
• Zhang Zai clenched his fists after Wang Kan's slight.

Wei Nisheng confronted Wang Kan and Xie Lin after they questioned whether his examination success came from access to government records. He argued that reading and learning informed every scholar’s work, then left the room stunned by comparing their criticism to a call to restore the hereditary office system of the Wei and Jin dynasties.

• Wei Nisheng stopped Zhang Zai from striking Wang Kan and challenged Wang to explain why a third-place candidate could dismiss an eighteenth-place candidate.
• Wei Nisheng argued that rankings did not determine the worth of a scholarly debate, and Wang Kan accused him of benefiting from access to the Hall of Literary Depths.
• Xie Lin agreed that Wei Nisheng’s policy essay had benefited from his access to government records, while praising his verse and rhapsodies as genuine ability.
• Wei Nisheng admitted that studying the records had helped him, but argued that all scholars drew on books and past writings, and challenged Wang Kan and Xie Lin to apply their criticism consistently.
• Wei Nisheng declared that if reading and studying records invalidated an examination essay, Great Zhou should abandon imperial examinations and petition to restore the hereditary office system of the Wei and Jin dynasties, shocking Wang Kan and Xie Lin.

Wei Nisheng defended his Provincial Top Scholar title after Wang Kan questioned whether his access to the Hall of Literary Depths gave him an unfair advantage. The argument ended in apologies, and Wei Nisheng learned that Wang Kan and Xie Lin had different Exam Mentors.

• Wang Kan angrily accused Wei Nisheng of using the hereditary official system charge to smear him after Wei challenged his criticism of Wei’s policy essay.
• Wei Nisheng argued that access to books and official records did not invalidate a scholar’s work, and Xie Lin agreed that Wei’s permitted governance observation did not make his title undeserved.
• Wei Nisheng apologized for invoking the hereditary official system, challenged Wang Kan to compete on merit in the Palace Examination, and left with Zhang Zai.
• Wang Kan admitted that Wei Nisheng’s arguments were reasonable and apologized for speaking presumptuously.
• Zhang Zai told Wei Nisheng that Xie Lin’s Exam Mentor was Shen Duan and Wang Kan’s was Song Jing, then remarked that anyone would fear being struck with such a heavy accusation.

At the Spring-Viewing Tower, Wang Kan realized Xie Lin had drawn him into a dispute between their teachers, Shen Duan and Feng Yan. Wang Kan denounced Xie Lin and left, while Xie Lin remained behind as the chapter ended with the words, “Feng declines, Shen commands esteem. Such is the tide of the times.”

• After Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai left, Wang Kan asked Xie Lin whether his criticism of Wei Nisheng reflected his own views or his teacher’s.
• Xie Lin explained that Wei Nisheng’s retort had silenced him and that speaking further would only have invited humiliation.
• Wang Kan realized that Xie Lin’s remarks had involved him in factional strife between Shen Duan and Feng Yan, despite his having no wish to take sides.
• Wang Kan accused Xie Lin of using him to voice criticism while hiding behind him, then called him a disgrace to the gentleman’s name and left.
• Xie Lin stayed alone, turned Wang Kan’s cup upside down, and murmured that Wang Kan should not have left.

After hearing Wei Nisheng’s account of the Spring-Viewing Tower, Feng Yan explained that Shen Duan was gathering power to protect himself after Feng Yan’s death. Wei Nisheng left worried about his teacher’s mortality but continued to focus on the approaching Palace Examination.

• Wei Nisheng returned to the Feng Residence and told Feng Yan what had happened at the Spring-Viewing Tower.
• Feng Yan explained that Shen Duan was trying to secure students, influence, and a voice before the emperor so he would remain useful after Feng Yan was gone.
• Feng Yan urged Wei Nisheng to prepare for the Palace Examination instead of dwelling on Court politics.
• Fu Niang waited for Wei Nisheng and gave him a lantern for the walk home.
• Wei Nisheng looked back at the illuminated Feng Residence, afraid that fate might take Feng Yan as it had taken Wei An.

Wei Nisheng entered the Palace Examination at the head of the candidates and led the procession up to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Wang Cheng watched him ascend and briefly saw a vision of him as a powerful minister in purple leading the hundred officials.

• Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai traveled to the East Flower Gate before dawn for the Palace Examination.
• While waiting in line, Wei Nisheng shared food with Xie Lin and Wang Kan, and Xie Lin reflected on writing without fixating on praise.
• The heralds called the candidates in Provincial Examination order, and Wei Nisheng passed inspection and entered the Palace first.
• Wei Nisheng led Xie Lin, Wang Kan, Zhang Zai, and more than a hundred candidates up the imperial terrace toward the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
• Wang Cheng saw a fleeting vision of Wei Nisheng in a Purple Robe and gold-and-purple fish pouch leading the hundred officials, then realized the procession contained only Probationary Presented Scholars.

Emperor Jing of Zhou finished reviewing his memorials on the day of the Palace Examination and decided to observe it in person, curious whether Wei Zi could earn back his Literary Balance seal. He had Wang Cheng place the seal on Wei Zi’s desk to test and motivate him.

• Emperor Jing of Zhou reviewed memorials while Wang Cheng reported that all the candidates had entered Chongzheng Hall.
• Wang Cheng praised Wei Zi’s looks, and Emperor Jing of Zhou decided to observe the Palace Examination in person.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou recalled that Wei Zi had promised to retrieve the Literary Balance seal and wondered whether he could prove himself in the examination.
• After finishing his memorials, Emperor Jing of Zhou picked up the Jade Seal and ordered Wang Cheng to place it on the desk in front of Wei Zi’s seat.

Wei Nisheng sat the Palace Examination and recognized the jade seal the emperor had returned to his desk. After the emperor issued a policy question on selecting worthy officials, governing the realm, and pacifying foreign peoples, Wei Nisheng began writing while Emperor Jing of Zhou watched from outside and said he would read the essay when it was finished.

• Wei Nisheng found the jade Literary Balance seal, marked “National Auspice,” on his desk, while the other candidates had stone seals.
• The candidates took their seats and waited as an official of rites read the emperor’s Palace Examination policy question.
• Wei Nisheng summarized the question as selecting the worthy, securing the realm, pacifying foreign peoples, and achieving good governance.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou watched Wei Nisheng writing through Chongzheng Hall’s side door without entering.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou told Wang Cheng he would read Wei Nisheng’s essay after he finished writing.

Wei Nisheng completed his Palace Examination policy essay, arguing that good governance depended on employing worthy officials and that the emperor’s self-cultivation was the foundation for choosing them. He urged the emperor to learn from antiquity while adapting its principles to present circumstances, and ended by calling for unwavering virtue from beginning to end.

• Wei Nisheng divided the policy question into selecting the worthy, securing the realm, soothing those beyond its borders, and achieving good governance.
• Wei Nisheng argued that a sovereign’s self-cultivation established the standard for selecting officials and explained how worthy ministers had supported the flourishing reigns of ancient sage kings.
• Wei Nisheng contrasted ancient good governance with later decline, which he attributed to sovereigns who failed to uphold a clear standard for choosing men.
• Wei Nisheng praised the dynasty’s achievements and proposed cultivating the emperor’s virtue, rewarding diligent officials, supporting the people, and treating neighboring peoples with kindness and strength.
• Wei Nisheng argued that rulers should follow ancient principles while adapting them to changing times, then urged the emperor to maintain constant sincerity and virtue.
• Wei Nisheng finished and signed his Palace Examination essay.

Wei Nisheng completed the Palace Examination and left with Fu Niang, while Zhang Zai stayed behind to keep his promise to Chen Yi. Xie Lin questioned why Wei Nisheng was considered a gentleman despite his ties to Lord Feng, and Wang Kan answered by condemning Xie Lin’s reliance on others and defending Wei Nisheng’s own deeds.

• Wei Nisheng finished his Palace Examination essay, submitted it, and left Chongzheng Hall with the other candidates.
• Wei Nisheng and Zhang Zai discussed their essays on people-centered governance and law-based governance outside the East Flower Gate.
• Fu Niang arrived to take Wei Nisheng home, while Zhang Zai stayed behind to treat his page, Chen Yi, to a post-examination feast.
• Xie Lin watched Wei Nisheng’s carriage leave and asked Wang Kan why Wei Nisheng was not considered a failure as a gentleman despite his ties to Lord Feng.
• Wang Kan argued that Wei Nisheng had earned his achievements himself and criticized Xie Lin for acting on his teacher’s instructions and using others as shields before leaving in his carriage.