Recaps

Jiang Heng began observing state affairs and faced a tense court debate over foreign threats, frontier defenses, and the factions seeking influence in his household. Wei Nisheng became Jiang Heng’s right-hand man as the Eastern Palace’s appointments took shape and his wedding approached.

• Wei Nisheng advised Jiang Heng to trust his considered judgment while using the classics and ritual as tools for governing.
• Jiang Heng appeared as Heir Apparent at the Grand Court Audience, where Liu Min was praised for defending Khitan’s dignity and Jiang Heng backed Zhou Quan’s recorded merit.
• Yeli Wangrong demanded the Three Garrisons of Gansu and threatened war, but Qin Yan challenged his claims and the other envoys declared support for Great Zhou.
• Kou Yuan warned that Great Zhou could not sustain war, and Jiang Heng proposed a three-year plan to strengthen the frontier while negotiating with Tangut and permitting limited Khitan trade.
• Envoys from Ryukyu, Joseon, and Annam beat Yeli Wangrong, while Emperor Jing of Zhou ordered the incident recorded and Wei Nisheng learned more about the weakness of the garrisons.
• Wei Nisheng and Shen Duan agreed that Shen Yi could serve in the Eastern Palace, and Wei later recommended Wang Kan, Zhang Zai, Xie Lin, and Shen Yi for Jiang Heng’s household.
• Jiang Heng named Wei Nisheng his right-hand man, and Wei formally declared himself the Crown Prince’s minister.
• Kou Yuan’s faction planned to challenge Shen Yi’s appointment and seek an Eastern Palace post for Wei Shouzheng, while Emperor Jing of Zhou prepared wedding gifts for Wei Nisheng and left the household’s disputed posts for the factions to contest.

Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu married, joined their families, and began married life together. The Emperor then appointed Wei Nisheng to advise the Crown Prince, leaving him to guide Jiang Heng through court and frontier concerns.

• Wei Nisheng prepared for his wedding as Lu Yi'an and Yuan Jing instructed him in the rites, while Feng Shu received her wedding clothes and her grandmother’s Jade Jue.
• Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu completed their wedding ceremonies, with Emperor Jing of Zhou and Empress Zhou witnessing their vows, then shared the bridal-chamber rites.
• Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu began married life, and Feng Shu took charge of the Wei household by earning Qu Niang’s trust.
• Wei Nisheng and Feng Shu paid respects to their parents and ancestors, and Feng Ci asked Wei Nisheng to pledge his support for the Feng Family.
• Wei Nisheng accepted Emperor Jing’s appointment as Guest Adviser to the Crown Prince and Deputy Director of Palace Affairs while retaining his Selection Bureau duties.
• Wei Nisheng met Jiang Heng at the Eastern Palace and advised him on the Military Farmland proposal, Tangut’s ambitions in Gansu, and the consequences of missteps.

Wei Nisheng pushed for military farmland reform and maneuvered Shen Duan and Kou Yuan into supporting Zhou Quan’s command of Ningxia. As the court prepared to negotiate with the Tanguts, Wei Shouzheng received the dangerous mission of carrying the imperial message to their army.

• Jiang Heng established the Director of Palace Affairs Office, while Wei Nisheng recommended Xie Lin for military service and advised Wei Shouzheng to consult the office’s archives.
• After Peng Ding’s defeat by Tangut cavalry, Wei Nisheng argued that outdated military farmland rules had weakened frontier defenses and won the emperor’s approval to test reforms in Ningxia.
• Wei Nisheng gained Shen Duan’s support for appointing Zhou Quan by invoking Feng Yan’s trust and showing how Zhou Quan, Xu Zhen, and Shen could secure the western defenses and audits.
• Shen Duan demanded Zhou Quan receive the Western Campaign General’s seal, and the Cabinet Council drafted Zhou Quan’s appointment and Peng Ding’s arrest.
• Kou Yuan and Qi Zhao plotted to impeach Shen Duan and Wei Nisheng, while Wei Nisheng accepted Shen Duan’s seal and Kou Yuan’s goodwill as he pursued his plans for Ningxia.
• Wei Nisheng recommended Zhang Zai to oversee Shaanxi’s frontier accounts, but Kou Yuan agreed only to review Zhang’s qualifications and suspected Wei wanted control of Ningxia’s provisions.
• Feng Yan dictated a hidden memorial defending Wei Nisheng and advising the Crown Prince and the Northwest, then lost his lucidity before Feng Ci could show it to him.
• Jiang Heng told Wei Nisheng that the court would feign peace talks to buy Zhou Quan time, and Wei endorsed Wei Shouzheng as envoy while asking for safeguards.
• Wei Shouzheng prepared to leave for the Tangut army with the imperial staff, state letter, and mounted escorts, while privately fearing he might not return.

Wei Nisheng maneuvered through court struggles as Feng Yan’s final days brought the emperor and his former allies together in grief. After Feng Yan’s death, Wei Nisheng began returning to public service, determined to carry on his teacher’s work while navigating a reshaped Ministry of Personnel.

• Xu Bingwen warned Wei Nisheng that a planned explosion could be used to implicate him, and urged him to secure his influence as officials exploited Feng Yan’s deathbed decree.
• Qi Zhao’s impeachment against Shen Duan and Wei Nisheng collapsed when Kou Yuan denied authorizing it, and Emperor Jing of Zhou dismissed Qi and ordered his investigation.
• Wei Nisheng used Qi Zhao’s son’s promotion to pressure Qi into implicating Kou Yuan, while Emperor Jing of Zhou questioned Kou Yuan’s account and gave him three days to produce a clear answer.
• Feng Yan briefly comforted the grieving Wei Nisheng before dying in the Rear Garden pavilion, and Emperor Jing of Zhou and Shen Duan mourned the loss of their teacher and pillar.
• Emperor Jing of Zhou honored Feng Yan with the posthumous name Wenzheng, and Wei Nisheng joined the funeral procession before declaring that Feng Yan lived on through his teachings.
• Zhou Quan took command in Ningxia and promised to audit military farmland gradually, while Zhang Zai left Suzhou to help with Ningxia’s affairs and the grain route.
• Fu Niang comforted Wei Nisheng as he began writing the preface to Feng Yan’s collected works, and Wang Kan later urged him to return to the Ministry of Personnel.
• Wei Nisheng returned to the Selection Bureau, where he told Qiu Heng to preserve the old records and let the new staff remain long enough for their actions to leave traces.