Recaps

At Yuan Shao’s New Year’s Eve banquet, Liu Xie was ignored and then dismissed so Yuan Shao could speak privately with the officials. Liu Bei left with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and decided to visit Liu Xie, while still waiting to see whether Yuan Shao would lend him troops.

• Liu Xie announced the banquet, but the officials waited for Yuan Shao’s approval before responding, leaving the emperor isolated.
• Yuan Shao claimed Liu Xie had caught a chill and ordered guards to escort him back to his bedchamber.
• Guan Yu condemned Yuan Shao’s disrespect, and Liu Bei left the banquet with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
• Zhang Fei asked whether they should seek troops from Gongsun Zan, but Liu Bei chose to wait until after the new year before deciding.
• Liu Bei told Guan Yu and Zhang Fei they were going to see Liu Xie.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei visited Liu Xie after Yuan Shao humiliated him, and Liu Xie revealed how Yuan Shao controlled and mistreated him. Liu Bei vowed to rescue the emperor, but Liu Xie refused to issue an edict because he feared Yuan Shao would discover it.

• Liu Bei left the banquet with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and requested an audience with Liu Xie.
• Liu Bei asked whether Yuan Shao was coercing Liu Xie, and Liu Xie wept as he described his confinement, hunger, and forced appointment of Yuan Shao as Grand General.
• Liu Bei asked Liu Xie for an edict so he could rally the lords and rescue him, while Zhang Fei and Guan Yu urged him to agree.
• Liu Xie refused because Yuan Shao might discover the secret edict and punish or kill him.
• Liu Bei promised Liu Xie that he would find another way and rescue him.

Liu Xie told Yuan Shao that Liu Bei had sought an imperial edict, then secretly sent Zhang He to warn Liu Bei. Liu Bei returned to his residence with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, uncertain whether to seek help from Gongsun, and found someone lurking outside their gate.

• Liu Xie pretended to be loyal to Yuan Shao and reported Liu Bei's request to rally the lords against him.
• Yuan Shao praised Liu Xie for refusing Liu Bei and promised him three beauties as a reward.
• Liu Xie worried Yuan Shao might move against Liu Bei, so he secretly gave Zhang He a note to deliver to Liu Bei's residence.
• Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei discussed seeking help from Gongsun as they returned to their residence.
• Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei spotted a furtive figure outside their gate.

Liu Bei received a warning that Yuan Shao knew about his plan to seek an imperial edict, then decided to meet Yuan Shao at the Imperial Palace with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Yuan Shao’s advisers urged him to kill Liu Bei, but Yuan Shao still coveted Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and Tian Feng proposed ambushing the three brothers when they arrived unarmed.

• Zhang He secretly delivered Liu Xie's warning to Liu Bei: Yuan Shao knew.
• Liu Bei explained that Yuan Shao had arranged the private audience to expose their intentions, and Guan Yu and Zhang Fei considered escape or fighting their way into the palace.
• Liu Bei chose to go to the Imperial Palace and see Yuan Shao.
• Tian Feng and Shen Pei urged Yuan Shao to kill Liu Bei, while Yuan Shao hesitated because he wanted Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in his service.
• A guard reported that Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei had arrived unarmed, and Tian Feng proposed luring them inside to shoot them with arrows.

Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei entered Yuan Shao’s palace to negotiate for troops, despite the danger of an ambush. Liu Bei asked Yuan Shao for a definite answer, while Liu Xie learned that the meeting was underway and feared Liu Bei had walked into a trap.

• Yuan Shao ordered three hundred armored soldiers to lie in ambush and summoned Yan Liang and Wen Chou to the palace.
• Liu Bei explained that Yuan Shao had delayed because he wanted Guan Yu and Zhang Fei to join him, and the three brothers reaffirmed their oath to live and die together.
• A guard led Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei into the palace, where Yuan Shao and his advisers awaited them with Yan Liang and Wen Chou.
• Liu Xie heard Yuan Shao’s soldiers pass the Bedchamber, then learned from Zhang He that Liu Bei had requested an audience with Yuan Shao.
• Liu Bei told Yuan Shao he had come to ask for a definite answer about borrowing troops, and Yuan Shao laughed at his request.

Liu Bei secured five thousand troops from Yuan Shao by pledging to capture Pei County within ten days, while Yuan Shao’s advisers praised the decision as a clever scheme. Tian Feng warned that Liu Bei would bring down the Yuan clan, prompting Yuan Shao to challenge his loyalty.

• Yuan Shao refused to lend Liu Bei troops at first, and his advisers and generals threatened Liu Bei and his brothers when Zhang Fei confronted Feng Ji.
• Liu Bei promised to take Pei County within ten days with five thousand troops and offered to accept military punishment if he failed.
• Yuan Shao agreed to provide the troops and support Liu Bei after the New Year, and Liu Bei left with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
• Tian Feng condemned Yuan Shao for sparing Liu Bei, while Guo Tu and Xu You praised the decision as a plan to gain Pei County without risk.
• Tian Feng declared that Liu Bei would destroy the Yuan clan, and Yuan Shao angrily told him to seek another position if he did not want to die alongside him.

Liu Xie learned that his warning had helped Liu Bei survive Yuan Shao’s threat, and Guo Jia cautioned him to rely on better counsel. Half a month later, Yuan Shao assembled a fifty-thousand-man army and sent Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei to lead the vanguard against Pei County, with Liu Bei’s fate tied to the mission’s success.

• After Yuan Shao left the hall, Tian Feng warned Shen Pei and Ju Shou that Liu Bei would become a great enemy if he was spared, while Guo Jia silently judged Yuan Shao’s court.
• Liu Xie told Guo Jia he had arranged for Zhang He to warn Liu Bei, and Guo Jia confirmed that Liu Bei survived by promising to take Pei County with five thousand troops in ten days.
• Guo Jia warned Liu Xie that his actions could have exposed Zhang He and provoked Yuan Shao, and Liu Xie asked Guo Jia to advise him and secretly report developments.
• Yuan Shao prepared for war while Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei drilled five thousand troops, and Liu Xie traveled to offer sacrifices to Heaven and his ancestors.
• At the military review, Yuan Shao showed Liu Bei the fifty-thousand-man army he would lead to support the attack on Pei County.
• Yuan Shao appointed Liu Bei to lead the vanguard with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei as deputies, gave him a military tally to command the Mountain Battalion, and Liu Bei accepted the assignment.

Yuan Shu pressed ahead with his plan to declare himself emperor despite warnings from Yan Xiang and Sun Ce. The Altar of Heaven was completed, and Yuan Shu ascended the throne in Shou County.

• Yuan Shu ordered ten thousand laborers to finish the Altar of Heaven within seven days after Zhang Pi warned that the scheduled date was an exceptionally auspicious opportunity.
• Yan Xiang condemned Yuan Shu's plans and harsh demands, so Yuan Shu ordered him imprisoned despite pleas from the ministers.
• Yan Xiang left Yuan Shu a letter from Sun Ce warning that Sun Ce would sever ties if Yuan Shu declared himself emperor; Yuan Shu read it but ordered the construction to continue.
• Yuan Shu forcibly conscripted laborers, and many died from exhaustion or freezing as they built the Altar of Heaven.
• Yuan Shu completed the altar on the eve of the ceremony and declared himself emperor in Shou County the next day.

Zhou Yu persuaded Lu Su to leave Juchao and join Sun Ce in Jiangdong after Yuan Shu declared himself emperor. Sun Ce received news of Yuan Shu’s ascension and prepared to break with him, while his strategists questioned why their warning had failed.

• Zhou Yu told Lu Su that Yuan Shu’s declaration would make him an enemy of the regional lords and urged him to leave Juchao.
• Zhou Yu revealed his close bond with Sun Ce and invited Lu Su to join them in Jiangdong.
• Lu Su accepted Zhou Yu’s invitation to help Sun Ce pursue hegemony.
• Sun Ce received the report that Yuan Shu had declared himself emperor and called him a fool.
• Chen Duan asked Sun Ce whether Yuan Shu had ignored the letter warning him not to claim the throne.

Sun Ce broke with Yuan Shu after he proclaimed himself emperor, while Cao Cao learned of the usurpation and weighed whether to campaign against him. Cao Cao decided to wait and see how Yuan Shao would respond, leaving the question of war unresolved.

• Sun Ce rebuked Qin Song for suggesting the Imperial Seal should have belonged to him and ordered a public break with Yuan Shu, while postponing military action until Cao Cao and Yuan Shao moved.
• Cao Cao heard that Yuan Shao had sent fifty thousand troops, including Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei, toward Xu Province to help Liu Bei recover Pei County from Lü Bu.
• Xun Yu and Xun You told Cao Cao that Yuan Shu had proclaimed himself emperor, founded Cheng, and made Shou County his capital.
• Xun Yu urged Cao Cao to campaign against Yuan Shu, but Cao Cao cited Yuan Shu’s strength and Sun Ce’s military ability as reasons for caution.
• Xun You reported that Sun Ce had already broken with Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao chose to wait and see whether Yuan Shao would oppose or protect his half-brother.

Cao Cao accepted Xun You’s plan to order Zhang Xiu to attack Yuan Shu, while Yuan Shao learned that Yuan Shu had proclaimed himself emperor and collapsed in fury. Liu Xie discussed the usurpation with Guo Jia, praising Yuan Shu’s audacity as other regional lords concealed similar ambitions.

• Xun You persuaded Cao Cao to use an imperial edict to send another lord against Yuan Shu, and Cao Cao chose Zhang Xiu.
• Yuan Shao received a secret report that Yuan Shu had proclaimed himself emperor in Shouchun and killed the scout who delivered it.
• Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Shen Pei, and the other advisers found Yuan Shao raging in his study, and Yuan Shao fainted after lamenting that Yuan Shu had ruined him.
• Guo Jia told Liu Xie that Yuan Shao had collapsed from anger and explained the consequences of Yuan Shu’s usurpation.
• Liu Xie told Guo Jia that he admired Yuan Shu’s audacity and suggested that other lords secretly wanted the imperial title too.

Liu Xie and Guo Jia discussed how Yuan Shu’s imperial proclamation could damage Yuan Shao’s reputation, then Guo Jia praised Liu Xie and assessed the realm’s warlords. Guo Jia offered three strategies for weakening Yuan Shao and freeing Liu Xie, leaving Liu Xie bracing for the familiar choice of an upper, middle, or lower plan.

• Guo Jia explained that Yuan Shu’s proclamation could make Yuan Shao’s soldiers doubt his loyalty to the Han, even if Yuan Shao’s strength and followers remained intact.
• As Liu Xie drank wine with Guo Jia in the rain, Guo Jia mistook his homesickness for discouragement and encouraged him to restore the Han Dynasty.
• Guo Jia dismissed most warlords as unworthy of concern but named Liu Bei and Cao Cao as the only heroes Liu Xie needed to watch.
• Liu Xie redirected the discussion toward using Yuan Shu’s actions to weaken Yuan Shao and escape his control.
• Guo Jia said he had devised upper, middle, and lower strategies, and Liu Xie anticipated that the middle plan would be the one he wanted to choose.

Liu Xie heard Guo Jia’s strategies for escaping Yuan Shao’s control and chose the plan to exploit Yuan Shao’s death and the resulting conflict in Ji Province. After Yuan Shao woke from his collapse, he severed ties with Yuan Shu and ordered a request for an imperial edict against him.

• Guo Jia advised Liu Xie to seek refuge with Liu Biao, kill Yuan Shao to take advantage of a succession struggle, or undermine Yuan Shao over several years.
• Liu Xie chose Guo Jia’s plan to profit from turmoil after Yuan Shao’s death and told him to proceed.
• Yuan Shao awoke after being unconscious all night and recalled that Yuan Shu had proclaimed himself emperor.
• Yuan Shao ordered his followers to disown Yuan Shu and petition the Son of Heaven for an edict to punish him.
• Ju Shou reported that Sun Ce had severed ties with Yuan Shu, Cao Cao had requested permission to send troops, and Zhang Xiu, Liu Biao, Liu Zhang, and Gongsun Zan had not moved.
• Yuan Shao criticized Cao Cao for using Zhang Xiu’s troops to gain a reputation without risking his own soldiers.

After Yuan Shao recovered from his collapse, Yuan Xi proposed rallying the Han lords to punish Yuan Shu for proclaiming himself emperor, turning the crisis into a chance to weaken rivals and expand Yuan Shao’s influence. Yuan Shao put Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang in charge of the city’s affairs, leaving his advisers to navigate the brothers’ growing rivalry.

• Yuan Shao learned that Liu Bei had failed to take Pei County so far and planned to wait for the ten-day deadline before sending Yan Liang and Wen Chou.
• Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi arrived to visit their weakened father, and Yuan Shao explained that anger over Yuan Shu’s proclamation had caused him to faint.
• Yuan Xi urged Yuan Shao to summon the Han lords for a joint campaign against Yuan Shu, and Ju Shou and Xu You supported the plan as a way to weaken Cao Cao and Lü Bu and gain territory.
• Yuan Shao praised Yuan Xi and assigned him and Yuan Shang to share responsibility for the city’s affairs, instructing Yuan Xi to guide his younger brother.
• Yuan Shang left the courtyard in displeasure while Yuan Xi asked Guo Tu and Xu You to help him learn the city’s affairs; Ju Shou worried about the challenge of serving both brothers.

Liu Bei struggled to escape Yuan Shao’s demand that he take Pei County, until Zhang Fei’s words inspired him to seek Lü Bu’s help instead. The story then shifted to Xiapi, where Lü Bu celebrated his birthday with his generals.

• Liu Bei rejected Zhang Fei and Guan Yu’s proposals to attack or flee, explaining that Yan Liang and Wen Chou guarded them and the army’s supplies.
• Zhang Fei remarked that Lü Bu would not simply return Pei County, prompting Liu Bei to realize he could ask Lü Bu for help.
• Liu Bei decided to tell Lü Bu about the Son of Heaven’s circumstances and his own predicament, and asked Guan Yu to send a letter to Xiapi.
• Lü Bu held a birthday banquet at his residence in Xiapi and drank with his generals.

Lü Bu learned that Yuan Shu sought a marriage alliance to draw him into an alliance, and Chen Gong warned him that accepting would brand him a rebel. After Chen Gong criticized his indulgence and threatened to leave, Lü Bu vowed to quit drinking and begged him to stay.

• At Lü Bu’s birthday banquet, Chen Gong arrived with news that Yuan Shu had sent a betrothal proposal for Yuan Yao to marry Lü Bu’s daughter.
• Chen Gong explained that Yuan Shu wanted to secure Lü Bu’s support after proclaiming himself emperor and warned that the marriage would make Lü Bu a target of the other lords.
• Lü Bu rejected the proposal, condemned Yuan Shu, and thanked Chen Gong for exposing the danger.
• Chen Gong rebuked Lü Bu for neglecting military affairs and warned that he might leave his service.
• Lü Bu smashed his wine cup, vowed to quit drinking, and pleaded with Chen Gong not to abandon him.

Chen Gong advised Lü Bu to return Pei County to Liu Bei, reject Yuan Shu’s marriage proposal, and prepare for war after learning that Yuan Shao held the Son of Heaven in Ye City. At Pei County, Liu Bei’s deadline passed without a reply, and Yan Liang and Wen Chou surrounded his tent as he and his brothers prepared to flee.

• Liu Bei’s letter told Lü Bu that Yuan Shao had confined the Son of Heaven in Ye City and that Liu Bei needed Pei County to avoid punishment and help rescue the emperor.
• Chen Gong warned Lü Bu that Liu Bei’s story might be false but recommended yielding Pei County to avoid a costly fight and gain Liu Bei’s favor.
• After hearing Chen Gong’s assessment, Lü Bu condemned Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, then went to reject Yuan Shu’s marriage proposal while Chen Gong headed to the camp to withdraw the troops from Pei County.
• On the fifth day of Liu Bei’s deadline, Zhang Fei returned without news, so Guan Yu and Zhang Fei urged Liu Bei to escape with them.
• As Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei armed themselves, Yan Liang and Wen Chou’s soldiers surrounded their tent, and Yan Liang challenged Liu Bei about where he was going.

Yan Liang and Wen Chou nearly executed Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei when Pei County remained untaken on the military pledge’s final day. A scout reported the city’s defenders had withdrawn, and Yan Liang freed the brothers rather than damage Yuan Shao’s reputation; Liu Bei concluded that Lü Bu had returned Pei County out of loyalty to the Emperor.

• Yan Liang and Wen Chou surrounded Liu Bei’s tent and threatened to execute him and his brothers if Pei County had not fallen by sunset.
• Liu Bei asked Yan Liang to wait until sunset, and Yan Liang ordered soldiers to keep the brothers confined in the tent.
• Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei prepared to die together when a scout reported that Pei County’s defenders had abandoned the city and left its gates open.
• Liu Bei argued that Lü Bu’s withdrawal fulfilled his pledge to take Pei County, but Wen Chou still demanded the execution.
• Yan Liang ordered the brothers untied to protect Yuan Shao’s reputation, and Liu Bei later praised Lü Bu’s loyalty to the Emperor.

Liu Xie learned that Liu Bei had secured Pei County after Lü Bu surrendered it, and Guo Jia reported progress in stirring conflict among Yuan Shao’s sons. Yuan Shao then dismissed the failed attempt to kill Liu Bei and heard that Lü Bu was preparing to attack Yuan Shu, before Madam Liu arrived with his medicine.

• Liu Xie praised Lü Bu as a loyal Han minister after Guo Jia explained that Liu Bei had likely invoked the emperor’s name to obtain Pei County.
• Guo Jia told Liu Xie he had gained Yuan Shang’s trust and planned to deepen the rivalry between Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi.
• Yuan Shao learned that Lü Bu had rejected Yuan Shu’s marriage proposal, executed the envoy, and announced a campaign against Yuan Shu.
• Ju Shou explained that Lü Bu’s adviser Chen Gong was likely guiding his actions, and Yuan Shao accepted the explanation.
• Madam Liu entered Yuan Shao’s room and brought him his medicine.

While recovering, Yuan Shao considered marriage alliances for his sons and chose Zhen Mi of the Zhongshan Zhen Family as a bride for Yuan Xi. Yuan Shang became infatuated with Zhen Mi and confronted his mother, then froze when Yuan Shao appeared.

• Lady Liu brought Yuan Shao medicine and discussed marriage prospects for Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang.
• Yuan Shao selected Zhen Mi of the Zhongshan Zhen Family as a suitable match and decided Yuan Xi would marry her.
• Yuan Shang saw Zhen Mi's portrait, declared that he wanted to marry her, and learned Yuan Shao had chosen Yuan Xi instead.
• Yuan Shang angrily tried to confront Yuan Shao, who appeared at the doorway and silenced him with an icy stare.

Yuan Shang learned that Yuan Shao planned to marry Yuan Xi to the powerful Zhen Family and feared his father had chosen his second brother as heir. After Guo Jia suggested there was still a way to change the situation, Yuan Shang secured his advisers’ support and they began discussing how to stop the marriage.

• Yuan Shao sent Yuan Shang away and told him to take Madam Liu home without disturbing his rest.
• Madam Liu urged Yuan Shang to accept the family’s marriage arrangements, and Yuan Shang left for his official residence.
• Yuan Shang told Shen Pei and Feng Ji that Yuan Shao planned to marry Yuan Xi to a daughter of the Zhongshan Zhen Family but had rejected the match for him.
• Guo Jia warned that the Zhen Family’s support could strengthen Yuan Xi’s claim to Ji Province and suggested Yuan Shao might intend to make him heir.
• Yuan Shang asked Guo Jia, Shen Pei, and Feng Ji for help, and the advisers began planning how to prevent Yuan Xi’s marriage to the Zhen girl.

Yuan Shang adopted Guo Jia’s scheme to derail Yuan Xi’s marriage to Zhen Mi by spreading a prophecy that she was destined to become empress, while proposing that she be presented to the Son of Heaven instead. The rumors swept Ye City and reached Liu Xie, who casually discussed them with Zhang He and Gao Lan.

• Guo Jia advised Yuan Shang to publicize Zhen Mi’s empress-destiny prophecy to make Yuan Shao stop Yuan Xi’s marriage, then suggest presenting her to the Son of Heaven to preserve the Yuan Clan’s ties with the Zhen Clan.
• Yuan Shang accepted Guo Jia’s plan despite Shen Pei’s unease, and Yuan Shang and Shen Pei spread rumors about Yuan Xi’s marriage and Zhen Mi’s prophecy in Ye City.
• Ye City residents discussed the marriage and speculated that Yuan Shao might seek the throne because Zhen Mi was said to have the destiny of a phoenix.
• Gao Lan told Liu Xie that people believed Yuan Shao might rebel, while Zhang He rebuked him for suggesting Zhen Mi could become Liu Xie’s empress.
• Liu Xie stopped Zhang He from hitting Gao Lan and shared melon seeds with both men as they continued chatting in the sunshine.

Liu Xie dismissed the idea of marrying the fourteen-year-old Zhen Mi, while rumors spread that Yuan Shao planned to seize the throne through the Zhen Clan marriage alliance. Yuan Shang proposed presenting Zhen Mi to the Son of Heaven to quash the rumors, leaving Yuan Xi’s betrothal in jeopardy as Yuan Shao kept him behind for a private discussion.

• Liu Xie told Gao Lan that he was not interested in Zhen Mi because she was too young, and Zhang He sent Gao Lan away to patrol.
• Yuan Shao summoned his family and advisers to address rumors tying his marriage alliance with the Zhen Clan to a plan to claim the throne.
• Yuan Shao ordered Yuan Shang to release the people he had arrested for discussing the rumors, then asked his advisers how to contain the damage without canceling the alliance.
• Tian Feng recommended canceling Yuan Xi’s betrothal, but Yuan Shao rejected the idea because he wanted to preserve the alliance with the Zhen Clan.
• Yuan Shang proposed presenting Zhen Mi to the Son of Heaven, and Yuan Xi reluctantly agreed despite realizing the plan would cost him his bride.
• Yuan Shao dismissed everyone except Gongyu after asking Yuan Xi whether he truly had no objection.

Yuan Shao decided to send Zhen Mi to Liu Xie’s harem, while Ju Shou warned Liu Xie to protect his false identity. At the Zhen residence, the family debated the imperial order and grew uneasy over whether the Son of Heaven in Ye City was genuine.

• Yuan Shao accepted Ju Shou’s argument that offering Zhen Mi to the Son of Heaven was their only practical choice and dismissed Yuan Shang’s rumor-spreading as a form of contention.
• Ju Shou told Liu Xie that Zhen Mi would enter his harem within a month and warned him not to reveal that he was an impostor.
• Liu Xie suspected Guo Jia had arranged the match and wondered whether the Zhongshan Zhen Family might become his ally.
• Yuan Shao sent an imperial edict ordering the Zhen Clan to bring Zhen Mi to Ye City within a month.
• Madam Zhang’s children argued over whether Zhen Mi should enter the palace, and Zhen Jiang raised the fear that the Son of Heaven in Ye City might be an impostor.
• Zhen Yan coughed, interrupting the family’s silence as they confronted their uncertainty about the edict.

Zhen Mi accepted the Zhen Clan’s decision to send her to Ye City, and her family prepared an extravagant procession for her journey. Liu Xie learned from Guo Jia that Zhen Mi’s entry into the palace was meant to win the Zhen Clan’s support and drive a wedge between Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang.

• Zhen Yan explained that Yuan Shao, not the Son of Heaven, wanted Zhen Mi brought into the palace, leaving the Zhen Clan little choice but to cooperate.
• Zhen Mi entered the family hall and insisted she would go to Ye City to protect the Zhen Clan from Yuan Shao’s anger.
• Zhen Yan accepted her decision, and the Zhen Clan spent three days preparing nearly a hundred and fifty carriages and more than a hundred attendants for her journey.
• Liu Xie welcomed Guo Jia to the palace and urged him to drink ginseng soup before asking about Zhen Mi.
• Guo Jia said he had arranged Zhen Mi’s entry partly to win the wealthy Zhen Clan’s support, but chiefly to drive a wedge between Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang; Liu Xie approved his actions.