Chapter Summaries

Yuan Shao welcomed Lü Bu’s impending arrival with the Imperial Seal and Yuan Shu, planning to use the recognition to strengthen the authority of the Son of Heaven in Ye City. In Xudu, the Son of Heaven heard of Lü Bu’s victory and wanted to reward him, while Yang Biao and Fu Wan’s grave silence left the news hanging ominously.

• People in Ye City praised Lü Bu for capturing Yuan Shu and presenting the Imperial Seal, and their talk turned against Cao Cao and the Son of Heaven in Xu County.
• Yuan Shao celebrated the public recognition of the Son of Heaven in Ye City, then ordered Ju Shou to draft a memorial recommending Lü Bu for General of Agile Cavalry and a County Duke.
• Yuan Shao said Yuan Shu should be executed for usurping the imperial title, though he did not call for punishment of Yuan Shu’s household.
• In Xudu, the Son of Heaven learned that Lü Bu had captured Yuan Shu and eagerly asked Yang Biao and Fu Wan what rewards he should grant Lü Bu.
• Yang Biao and Fu Wan remained silent and grave as the Son of Heaven awaited their advice.

Lü Bu escorted Yuan Shu toward Ye City, believing he would soon meet the Son of Heaven and be rewarded for his victory. As the people welcomed him outside the city, a grand ceremonial procession approached, and Lü Bu halted his column to meet it.

• In Xu County, the Son of Heaven learned that Lü Bu was taking Yuan Shu to Ye City to pay respects to Yuan Shao’s supposed emperor, and he feared the impostor would eclipse him.
• Yang Biao promised to consider a plan, while the Son of Heaven pleaded with Lü Bu in private not to abandon him.
• On the road to Ye City, Lü Bu told Liu Bei he would lead by example if he became Grand General, then ordered the army to march faster.
• Yuan Shu demanded honey water from his prison wagon and mocked Lü Bu for believing the Son of Heaven in Ye City was genuine.
• Commoners gathered along the road to praise Lü Bu and jeer at Yuan Shu, and Liu Bei pointed out an approaching ceremonial procession.
• Lü Bu halted his column as the procession of several hundred people drew near, led by an impressive man on horseback.

Lü Bu rejected Yuan Shao’s extravagant welcome and escorted Yuan Shu into Ye City, where he met Emperor Xian again after five years. Their reunion stirred Lü Bu’s guilt over leaving the emperor behind in Chang’an, while Liu Xie tried to win his loyalty with warm words.

• Yuan Shao welcomed Lü Bu outside Ye City with a grand procession, but Lü Bu refused to linger and asked him to clear the way to the palace.
• Zhang Fei resented Yuan Shao for praising Lü Bu while overlooking Liu Bei’s contribution to capturing Yuan Shu, and Liu Bei worried Yuan Shao would win Lü Bu over.
• Lü Bu told Liu Bei that Yuan Shao was flattering him because he feared Lü Bu would seek the Grand General’s office.
• Liu Xie prepared to meet Lü Bu and, after Yuan Shao and Lü Bu entered the hall, greeted the general as an old acquaintance.
• Lü Bu recognized Emperor Xian, apologized for failing to escort him out of Chang’an, and Liu Xie forgave him while seeking his loyalty.

Liu Xie received the Imperial Seal and used Lü Bu’s victory over Yuan Shu to stage an emotional court audience and discuss rewards. Yuan Shao proposed making Lü Bu a duke and General of Agile Cavalry, but Tian Feng objected to granting a dukedom, leaving Lü Bu’s reward unsettled.

• Lü Bu presented Yuan Shu’s defeat as service to the Han and, with Liu Bei, returned the Imperial Seal to Liu Xie.
• Liu Xie examined the seal, then wept over having recovered the treasure lost by his ancestors.
• Lü Bu credited Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, and Liu Bei for their contributions against Yuan Shu.
• Liu Xie asked Yuan Shao how Lü Bu should be rewarded, prompting Lü Bu and Liu Bei’s men to suspect Yuan Shao controlled the emperor.
• Yuan Shao proposed elevating Lü Bu to county duke and appointing him General of Agile Cavalry, but Tian Feng objected that the Han had no precedent for granting a dukedom.

Yuan Shao secured Lü Bu’s appointment as General of Agile Cavalry and Duke of Wen, while Lü Bu remained resentful that Yuan Shao outranked him. After Yuan Shu was brought before Liu Xie, he recognized the Son of Heaven as genuine, and Lü Bu demanded the extermination of Yuan Shu’s nine degrees of kin; Liu Xie instead limited the punishment to Yuan Shu’s family.

• Liu Xie appointed Lü Bu General of Agile Cavalry and Duke of Wen, with his fief and revenues remaining in Wen County.
• Liu Bei announced that Yuan Shu had been brought to the palace, and Zhang He escorted the bound prisoner into the hall.
• Lü Bu broke Yuan Shu’s legs when he refused to kneel, forcing him to face Liu Xie on the throne.
• Yuan Shu recognized Liu Xie as the real Son of Heaven and questioned Yuan Shao about how Liu Xie had reached Ye City.
• Lü Bu called for Yuan Shu’s nine degrees of kin to be exterminated, but Liu Xie ruled that only Yuan Shu’s family would be punished.
• Yuan Shao thanked Liu Xie for his mercy, while Lü Bu grew more convinced that Yuan Shao controlled the emperor.

After Yuan Shu was executed, Yuan Shao rewarded Lü Bu but appointed Liu Bei Governor of Jing Province, a post Liu Biao already held, humiliating him with an impossible assignment. Back at camp, Lü Bu and Liu Bei condemned Yuan Shao’s control over the emperor and discussed rescuing Liu Xie, but Liu Bei warned that killing Yuan Shao would not free the Son of Heaven.

• Liu Xie ordered Yuan Shu and his family executed, then asked Yuan Shao how Liu Bei should be rewarded.
• Yuan Shao made Liu Bei a Pavilion Marquis and appointed him Governor of Jing Province, declaring Liu Biao stripped of his offices; Liu Bei accepted without showing anger.
• Liu Xie granted the officers their rewards, including generalships for Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhang Liao, and Gao Shun.
• Lü Bu refused Yuan Shao’s banquet invitation and returned with Liu Bei and the others to their camp outside Ye City.
• Lü Bu and Zhang Fei denounced Yuan Shao, while Liu Bei lamented the Son of Heaven’s loss of authority and insisted they had to rescue him.
• Zhang Fei proposed sneaking into the palace and Lü Bu offered to kill Yuan Shao, but Liu Bei warned that neither plan would rescue Liu Xie and might worsen his situation.

Lü Bu rejected Yuan Shao’s goodwill, but resolved to visit the Son of Heaven in Ye City and reassure him that he would not abandon him again. Yuan Shao’s advisers debated how to win Lü Bu over, and Jia Xu suggested that the rank, wealth, and women Yuan Shao offered might not be what Lü Bu wanted.

• Liu Bei told Lü Bu that they lacked the strength to rescue the Son of Heaven and should first build their power in Xu and Yang Provinces.
• Lü Bu decided to enter Ye City and tell the Son of Heaven about his plans, while Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei worried about what might happen.
• Yuan Shao’s advisers argued over Lü Bu’s hostility; Ju Shou discouraged Chunyu Qiong from urging immediate retaliation, and Tian Feng blamed Liu Bei.
• Yuan Shao said he wanted to win Lü Bu’s alliance, and Jia Xu warned that Lü Bu might not be seeking the rank of General of Agile Cavalry.

Yuan Shao realized Lü Bu wanted the post of Grand General and abandoned his effort to recruit him, while Jia Xu began considering an alliance with the Son of Heaven. Liu Xie used Lü Bu’s loyalty to provoke his anger against Yuan Shao, leaving Lü Bu furious after hearing that Yuan Shao had threatened and humiliated him.

• Yuan Shao concluded that Lü Bu sought the position of Grand General and ended plans to recruit him, deciding to control him through the Son of Heaven’s edicts.
• Jia Xu resolved to speak with Guo Jia after judging Yuan Shao unworthy of service and becoming more inclined to support the Son of Heaven.
• Liu Xie examined the Imperial Seal before dressing himself in disarray to greet Lü Bu and make him feel valued.
• Lü Bu told Liu Xie that Liu Bei had explained Yuan Shao’s control over him, and Liu Xie pretended to weep as he described Yuan Shao’s threats and schemes.
• Lü Bu smashed a chair in fury after Liu Xie claimed Yuan Shao planned to depose him and had forced him into a marriage.

Liu Xie secured Lü Bu’s loyalty by promising him rank and marriage between the emperor and Lü Bu’s daughter, while Lü Bu vowed to rescue him from Ye City. In Ye City’s prison, Yuan Shao visited the condemned Yuan Shu, who demanded to know whether the Son of Heaven in the hall was real or false.

• Liu Xie stopped Lü Bu from attacking Yuan Shao and persuaded him to join forces with Liu Bei to build strength and eventually rescue the emperor.
• Liu Xie promised to marry Lü Bu’s daughter, make her empress after unifying the realm, and name their son crown prince, binding Lü Bu firmly to his cause.
• Lü Bu left the palace promising to lead an army against Ye City and rescue Liu Xie, while Liu Xie planned to win over Jia Xu and Zhen Mi.
• Yuan Shao visited the imprisoned Yuan Shu, who rejected his pity and asked for a dignified death.
• Yuan Shu demanded to know whether the Son of Heaven who appeared in the hall was real or false.

Yuan Shao confirmed to Yuan Shu that the Son of Heaven in the palace was a puppet whose legitimacy depended on him, then considered claiming the throne himself. Liu Xie consulted Guo Jia about winning support from Lü Bu and the Zhen Clan, and Guo Jia left to meet Jia Xu, hoping to secure his allegiance.

• Yuan Shao implied that the Son of Heaven in the palace was a fake, and Yuan Shu recognized that Yuan Shao could make the puppet seem legitimate.
• Yuan Shu urged Yuan Shao to restore the Yuan Clan’s fortunes, and Yuan Shao left while wondering whether he could claim the throne after unifying the realm.
• Liu Xie told Guo Jia that he had promised Lü Bu’s daughter the empress’s position and her child the position of Crown Prince, and Guo Jia explained that Lü Bu lacked aristocratic support to rival Yuan Shao.
• Guo Jia approved Liu Xie’s plan to offer the Zhen Clan the empress and Crown Prince positions in exchange for support and funding for Lü Bu, while warning him to keep the overlapping promises secret.
• Guo Jia told Liu Xie that Jia Xu had invited him to visit and might be ready to join them, then promised to do everything he could to win Jia Xu over.

Liu Xie comforted Zhen Mi after her second brother died and used his own powerlessness under Yuan Shao to win her sympathy and support. Zhen Mi promised that she was sincere toward him, and she reflected that life in the palace had proved better than she expected.

• Liu Xie learned that Zhen Mi's second brother, Zhen Yan, had died and found her grieving in her chambers.
• Liu Xie comforted Zhen Mi, promised to honor her brother, and explained that he needed Yuan Shao's approval to grant the title.
• Liu Xie told Zhen Mi that Lü Bu could help free him from Yuan Shao's control once he had sufficient troops and supplies.
• Zhen Mi compared Yuan Shao to Dong Zhuo, then told Liu Xie that she was sincere toward him.
• Zhen Mi reflected that palace life was more comfortable and fulfilling than she had expected.

Liu Xie persuaded Zhen Mi that Yuan Shao threatened the Han throne and that Lü Bu needed the Zhen Clan’s money and grain, prompting her to promise support. Meanwhile, Guo Jia met Jia Xu to discuss his secret visits to the palace and began revealing which palace guards served the emperor.

• Liu Xie told Zhen Mi that Yuan Shao might seize the throne and that Lü Bu lacked the resources to oppose him.
• Zhen Mi offered the Zhen Clan’s wealth to support Lü Bu, and Liu Xie initially refused out of concern for her family’s safety.
• Liu Xie promised to make Zhen Mi empress and their son Crown Prince if he regained power, and Zhen Mi agreed to seek her family’s backing.
• Guo Jia visited Jia Xu, who hosted him with wine and asked why he frequently entered the Imperial Palace.
• Guo Jia disclosed that Zhang He of the palace guard was loyal to Liu Xie, and Jia Xu inferred that the Imperial Guard’s command must also support the emperor.

Guo Jia persuaded Jia Xu to pledge loyalty to Liu Xie by arguing that the emperor held ten advantages over Yuan Shao, while threatening Jia Xu’s family if he refused. Jia Xu accepted and then outlined further weaknesses in Yuan Shao’s position, leaving the two strategists allied and drinking together.

• Guo Jia argued that Liu Xie’s legitimacy, talents, generals, and potential gave him ten victories over Yuan Shao, with Jia Xu’s recruitment as the final advantage.
• Guo Jia placed a dagger on the table and implied that Jia Xu and his family would die if Jia Xu refused to serve Liu Xie.
• Jia Xu explained that he had considered serving Liu Xie if the emperor proved worthy, then pledged his assistance and asked Guo Jia to arrange a meeting with him.
• Guo Jia apologized for threatening Jia Xu, and the two men reconciled over wine.
• Jia Xu listed several further defeats for Yuan Shao, including his surrounded territories, weakened family prestige, ignorance of Liu Xie’s growing influence, and failure to recognize Liu Bei’s potential in Jing Province.

Yuan Shao inspected Liu Xie's performance as the Son of Heaven and rewarded his flattery by agreeing to summon the Two Qiaos to the palace. Liu Xie reported Lü Bu's proposal and insults to Yuan Shao, who ordered him to report any further private contact with Lü Bu or Liu Bei.

• Yuan Shao trained Liu Xie in imperial conduct, promised him wealth and honor, and decided Zhen Mi could return home to mourn her brother.
• Yuan Shao examined the Imperial Seal and left it in Liu Xie's care, warning him to protect it.
• Liu Xie declared his loyalty to Yuan Shao and asked for the Two Qiaos of Jiangbei, whom Yuan Shao agreed to summon to the palace.
• Liu Xie told Yuan Shao that Lü Bu wanted to make his daughter a consort and had called Yuan Shao treacherous and disloyal.
• Yuan Shao told Liu Xie to report any private meetings or letters from Lü Bu or Liu Bei.

Liu Xie welcomed Jia Xu into his secret effort to overthrow Yuan Shao, then outlined the people and resources loyal to him. The chapter ended as he identified the Zhen Clan as a potential ally after promising Zhen Mi the positions of empress and Crown Prince.

• Yuan Shao ordered Ju Shou to draft a posthumous title and generous rewards for Zhen Yan, and they plotted to seize the Zhen Clan's wealth.
• Yuan Shao dismissed Ju Shou's warning to keep Liu Xie under surveillance, trusting Liu Xie's submissive behavior and Zhang He's reports.
• Liu Xie reasoned that the Zhen Clan might support him because Zhen Mi's son could become Crown Prince, then received Guo Jia and Jia Xu in the palace.
• Guo Jia introduced Jia Xu as a loyal Han servant, and Liu Xie revealed his true bearing and welcomed Jia Xu into his plans against Yuan Shao.
• Jia Xu asked who supported Liu Xie, and Liu Xie named Zhang He, Gao Lan, Lü Bu, Liu Bei, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and the potentially allied Zhen Clan.

Liu Xie, Jia Xu, and Guo Jia planned to exploit Yuan Shao’s family rivalries by pushing Yuan Xi to murder his father. When Lü Bu and Liu Bei arrived, Liu Xie revealed that Jia Xu and Guo Jia were secretly loyal to the Han, but Lü Bu remained suspicious of Jia Xu.

• Jia Xu agreed that Liu Xie and Guo Jia should deepen Yuan Shao’s internal divisions and proposed having Yuan Xi murder Yuan Shao.
• Liu Xie accepted Jia Xu’s plan, and Jia Xu and Guo Jia began working out its details.
• Lü Bu and Liu Bei arrived to meet Liu Xie, who introduced Jia Xu and Guo Jia as trusted confidants.
• Liu Xie explained that Jia Xu and Guo Jia were pretending to serve Yuan Shao while secretly serving the Han.
• Lü Bu called Jia Xu a rebel and challenged his claim to be loyal to the Han.

Liu Xie stopped Lü Bu and Jia Xu’s quarrel by presenting himself as a magnanimous ruler and promising them prestigious positions, earning their submission. As Liu Bei and Lü Bu prepared to return to Yang Province to contest Cao Cao and Sun Ce, Liu Xie revealed that he was trying to win over the wealthy Zhen Clan, raising hopes that their support would solve the army’s supply problems.

• Lü Bu denounced Jia Xu as a treacherous villain, and Jia Xu challenged him to provide a plan to rescue Liu Xie from Ye City.
• Liu Xie silenced Lü Bu and Jia Xu, urged them to work together, and compared his willingness to trust them to Liu Bang’s trust in Xiang Xiang.
• Liu Xie offered Lü Bu the post of Grand General and Jia Xu the post of chancellor, leaving Jia Xu inspired and Lü Bu secretly pleased.
• Liu Bei told Liu Xie that he and Lü Bu would depart for Yang Province to prevent Cao Cao and Sun Ce from taking its territory.
• Liu Xie said he was trying to win over the Zhen Clan, and Lü Bu and Liu Bei reacted with excitement at the prospect of gaining funds and provisions.

Liu Xie secured Lü Bu’s support for the campaign in Yang Province by promising his daughter the empress’s position, while Jia Xu and Guo Jia advised him to prioritize Cao Cao over Sun Ce. Zhen Mi departed for Wuji County to mourn her brother and persuade her family, leaving Liu Xie waiting for her return.

• Liu Xie cautioned Lü Bu about Cao Cao and Sun Ce, and Jia Xu and Guo Jia advised him to drive Cao Cao from Yang Province while avoiding a major war with Sun Ce.
• Guo Jia urged Lü Bu to cultivate Yuan Tan’s goodwill, and Lü Bu agreed before promising to send his daughter to the palace.
• Liu Xie told Jia Xu that he had promised both the Zhen Clan and Lü Bu that their daughters would become empresses and their sons Crown Prince; Jia Xu suggested Lü Bu’s surname would make the ministers oppose his daughter.
• Jia Xu and Guo Jia left the palace, and Jia Xu remarked on Liu Xie’s growth and mastery of people; Gao Lan continued guarding the palace in secret.
• Lü Bu and Liu Bei began their journey home, and Zhen Mi prepared to leave for Wuji County with a Zhen Clan convoy.
• Zhen Mi left the palace to mourn her brother and persuade her family, while Liu Xie promised to await her return.

Cao Cao and his advisers sought a way to counter Yuan Shao’s claim that the Son of Heaven in Ye City was legitimate. They chose Kong Rong, a celebrated descendant of Confucius, to verify the emperor in Xu County, and sent an edict summoning him.

• After Lü Bu recognized the Son of Heaven in Ye City and presented the Imperial Seal, Cao Cao angrily discussed the threat with his advisers in Yingchuan.
• Xun Yu warned that people might believe Cao Cao had installed a false emperor, while testimony from court officials and the empress could be dismissed as coerced.
• Yang Xiu proposed having someone with a reputation greater than Yuan Shao’s judge the emperor’s identity.
• The advisers rejected Yang Biao and Fu Wan as candidates, then agreed that Kong Rong of Beihai was suitable.
• Cao Cao obtained an edict summoning Kong Rong to Xu County, and the edict was sent to Beihai as Cao Cao began publicizing the plan.

Cao Cao invited Kong Rong to Xu County to judge which of the rival Sons of Heaven was genuine, unsettling Yuan Shao, whose own Son of Heaven was the impostor. Yuan Shao sent Ju Shou to summon Kong Rong to Ye City first, while Liu Xie privately admitted that the prospect had terrified him.

• Cao Cao publicized Kong Rong's impending visit to Xu County, stirring debate across the realm and shaking the warlords who had used the rival emperors as an excuse to avoid choosing sides.
• Yuan Shao panicked over Kong Rong's visit, and Ju Shou helped him conceal the reason by claiming Cao Cao might coerce or deceive Kong Rong.
• Tian Feng urged Yuan Shao to summon Kong Rong to Ye City so he could compare the two emperors, but Yuan Shao ended the meeting without agreeing.
• Yuan Shao told Ju Shou he lacked the attendants and empress who could support his false Son of Heaven, then ordered Ju Shou to summon Kong Rong to Ye City as soon as possible.
• Ju Shou warned Liu Xie to avoid revealing any flaws to Kong Rong, and Liu Xie calmly said he had accepted the risk of death when he agreed to cooperate.
• After Gao Lan left, Liu Xie dropped his composure and revealed that the news of Kong Rong's visit had frightened him senseless.