Chapter Summaries

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 A scout reported the city’s defenders had withdrawn, and Yan Liang freed the brothers rather than damage Yuan Shao’s reputation; Liu Bei concluded that Lü Bu had returned Pei County out of loyalty to the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.