Chapter Summaries

Liu Xie panicked over Cao Cao’s invitation to Kong Rong, fearing that Kong Rong would expose him as a false Son of Heaven. Guo Jia and Jia Xu reassured him that Yuan Shao’s military strength could protect his position even if Kong Rong sided with Cao Cao, though Liu Xie’s reputation would be ruined.

• Liu Xie summoned Guo Jia and Jia Xu to discuss Cao Cao inviting Kong Rong to Xu County.
• Jia Xu and Guo Jia warned that Cao Cao might coerce the empress and Liu Xie’s close ministers into giving false testimony.
• Liu Xie feigned outrage at the suggestion that his allies would betray him, while privately seeking to reinforce Guo Jia and Jia Xu’s belief in his legitimacy.
• Jia Xu and Guo Jia reassured Liu Xie that Kong Rong might resist Cao Cao and visit Ye City, where he could distinguish the true Son of Heaven from the false one.
• Guo Jia argued that Yuan Shao’s strength would deter other lords from opposing Liu Xie even if Kong Rong recognized Cao Cao’s claimant, though Liu Xie would be branded a Pretender Emperor.

Lü Bu returned to Xiapi and told Diao Chan that Liu Xie had promised to make Lü Lingqi empress and her future son Crown Prince. Diao Chan questioned whether the Son of Heaven in Ye City was genuine, but Lü Bu rejected her doubts and remained convinced of Liu Xie's favor.

• Lü Bu hurried home to tell Yan Shi and Lü Lingqi important news, but learned they were visiting a Daoist temple.
• Lü Bu privately told Diao Chan that Liu Xie had appointed him General of Agile Cavalry and County Duke, and promised Lü Lingqi would become empress.
• Diao Chan doubted Lü Bu's story and warned that Liu Xie might be deceiving him, especially since Empress Fu was alive.
• Diao Chan told Lü Bu that the Son of Heaven in Xu County had summoned Kong Rong to verify his identity.
• Lü Bu dismissed Kong Rong's judgment, insisted the Son of Heaven in Ye City was genuine, and vowed to capture Cao Cao and the rival emperor.
• Lü Bu speculated that Lü Lingqi should enter the palace soon so she could conceive Liu Xie's heir.

Sun Ce and Zhou Yu discussed the rival Sons of Heaven, while Sun Quan impressed them with his insight into the political risks of choosing between them. In Beihai, Kong Rong avoided both imperial emissaries by claiming illness and refusing to receive their edicts.

• Sun Ce defeated Sun Quan in a spear sparring match and advised him that warfare required deception and adaptability.
• Zhou Yu told Sun Ce that Yuan Shao had summoned Kong Rong to verify the Son of Heaven in Ye City, prompting Sun Quan to explain why Kong Rong's endorsement could not settle the dispute.
• Zhou Yu said he hoped the Son of Heaven in Xu County was genuine because Yuan Shao threatened Jiangdong once he pacified the north.
• Kong Rong claimed to have caught a cold and shut himself away as emissaries from Xu County and Ye City and prominent scholars gathered outside his residence.
• The Xu County emissary offered a physician and pleaded to deliver his edict in person, but Kong Rong's steward refused to let him enter.

Taishi Ci visited Kong Rong, who had been avoiding emissaries from Xu County and Ye City because he could not tell which court had the true Son of Heaven. Kong Rong agreed to visit both courts, beginning with Xu County, and accepted both imperial edicts.

• The Xu County and Ye City emissaries argued over which emperor was legitimate and nearly came to blows outside Kong Rong's residence.
• Taishi Ci was admitted to see Kong Rong because they were friends and Taishi Ci had once saved his life.
• Kong Rong explained that he feared being detained and exploited by whichever ruler he visited, and Taishi Ci offered to escort him and carry word out if needed.
• Moved by Taishi Ci's loyalty, Kong Rong agreed to meet both emperors and chose to visit Xu County first because it was closer.
• Kong Rong came outside and accepted both emissaries' edicts, telling them he would judge the emperors' legitimacy after meeting them both.

Kong Rong set out for Xu County, prompting Yuan Shao to stage Yuan Shu’s execution to bolster his reputation as a loyal minister before Kong Rong could judge the rival claimants to the throne. The chapter ended with Yuan Shu asking for honey water before his execution, and Liu Xie urging Yuan Shao to grant his last request.

• Kong Rong left Beihai Commandery for Xu County, while Yuan Shao learned of his decision and saw a chance to improve his standing by executing Yuan Shu.
• Yuan Shao brought Liu Xie and Yuan Shu to the execution ground, where a crowd praised Yuan Shao’s supposed loyalty and righteousness.
• Yuan Shao knelt before Liu Xie and asked to preside over Yuan Shu’s execution, and Liu Xie publicly granted permission.
• Yuan Shu refused to repent, declared himself the Son of Heaven, and insulted Yuan Shao before the executioner approached.
• Yuan Shu asked for a bowl of honey water, and Liu Xie urged Yuan Shao to grant the request.

Yuan Shao executed Yuan Shu and basked in the praise, while Kong Rong arrived in Xu County to determine whether its Son of Heaven was genuine. The chapter ended with Kong Rong before the emperor as they began discussing the rumors of two rival Sons of Heaven.

• Yuan Shao ordered Yuan Shu's execution, then told Shen Pei to bury him outside the city rather than in the Yuan Clan's ancestral graveyard.
• Liu Xie left the execution ground, while Yuan Shao believed killing Yuan Shu had strengthened his reputation enough to withstand Kong Rong.
• Kong Rong delayed entering Xu County's palace and instructed Taishi Ci to flee to Ye City with his seal and letter if Kong Rong did not return by sunset.
• Cao Cao escorted Kong Rong from the posthouse to the palace, where Taishi Ci watched anxiously and hoped the emperor was genuine.
• Kong Rong performed the grand court ceremony before the Son of Heaven, and Cao Cao urged them to discuss the matter at hand.
• The Son of Heaven asked Kong Rong about rumors of genuine and false emperors in Xu County and Ye City.

Kong Rong met the Son of Heaven in Xu County but refused to judge his identity until he could compare him with the Son of Heaven in Ye City. After returning safely to the guesthouse, Kong Rong told Taishi Ci that Cao Cao’s conduct made him suspect Cao was controlling the emperor for his own purposes.

• The Son of Heaven in Xu County pleaded with Kong Rong to expose the ruler in Ye City as an impostor, but Kong Rong said he could not decide without visiting Ye City.
• Cao Cao invited Kong Rong to stay at his residence, but Kong Rong declined and chose the guesthouse to avoid criticism; Cao Cao escorted him there.
• After Kong Rong left, Yang Biao and Fu Wan reassured the Son of Heaven that Kong Rong’s caution was proper and that a comparison would reveal the truth.
• Taishi Ci welcomed Kong Rong at the guesthouse and asked about his meeting with the Son of Heaven.
• Kong Rong told Taishi Ci that the Son of Heaven’s behavior had disappointed him and that Cao Cao’s disrespect toward him suggested Cao was no loyal minister.

Kong Rong left Xu County for Ye City after refusing to endorse the Son of Heaven there, prompting Liu Xie to prepare for their meeting. Guo Jia and Jia Xu advised Liu Xie to show imperial dignity rather than weep, and Liu Xie continued studying late into the night as Kong Rong traveled toward Ji Province.

• Kong Rong left Xu County with Taishi Ci despite Cao Cao and the Son of Heaven urging him to stay.
• Cao Cao flew into a rage over Kong Rong's departure but let him go rather than risk exposing the Son of Heaven in Xu County as a pretender.
• Guo Jia and Jia Xu told Liu Xie that Kong Rong had refused to endorse the Son of Heaven in Xu County and was heading to Ye City.
• Liu Xie feared Kong Rong would expose him, blamed the Son of Heaven's attendants and consorts for withholding the truth, and asked how to prove his identity.
• Jia Xu and Guo Jia warned Liu Xie not to wail before Kong Rong and urged him to display imperial bearing; Liu Xie agreed.
• Liu Xie kept reading late into the night, determined to build his strength and avoid sharing Yuan Shu's fate.

Kong Rong arrived in Ye City to investigate Yuan Shao’s claim to the Son of Heaven and found that Liu Xie looked exactly like the emperor in Xu County. Pressed to decide which emperor was genuine, Kong Rong said he could not tell.

• Cao Cao’s men escorted Kong Rong to the border of Ji Province, where Yuan Shao’s men took over and Yuan Shao welcomed him near Ye City.
• Kong Rong went with Yuan Shao to the Imperial Palace for an audience, while Taishi Ci stayed behind at the Post Station with his luggage.
• Kong Rong observed Ye City’s palace and court ceremonies before seeing Liu Xie on the dragon throne and realizing he looked exactly like the Son of Heaven in Xu County.
• Liu Xie rebuked Kong Rong for failing to bow and demanded to know how he compared with the Son of Heaven in Xu County.
• Kong Rong explained that he had visited both courts to investigate the succession, and Yuan Shao urged him to answer carefully.
• Liu Xie asked Kong Rong which emperor was genuine, and Kong Rong replied that he could not tell.

Liu Xie and Yuan Shao tried to convince Kong Rong that Liu Xie was the true emperor, but Kong Rong insisted that the man in Xu County looked identical and asked to verify Liu Xie's identity through private questions. In the Xuan Room, Liu Xie changed his demeanor and told Kong Rong that he had been pretending to be an irritable, shallow ruler to survive Yuan Shao's ambitions.

• Liu Xie angrily rebuked Kong Rong for failing to recognize him, while Yuan Shao and Ju Shou knelt and urged the emperor to calm down.
• Kong Rong swore in the name of Confucius that the man in Xu County looked exactly like Liu Xie, and Yuan Shao and Ju Shou used the claim to bolster Liu Xie's identity.
• Liu Xie pardoned Kong Rong, but Guo Jia and Jia Xu challenged Kong Rong to compare the two emperors and press him to verify Liu Xie's identity.
• Kong Rong asked Liu Xie questions about private matters he had learned from the emperor's close ministers and consorts, so Liu Xie took him to the Xuan Room.
• Liu Xie told Kong Rong that his anger in the hall had been an act and that he pretended to be shallow and irritable so Yuan Shao would not see him as a threat.

Liu Xie told Kong Rong that Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were both traitors and spun a tale of escaping Xu County to Ye City, persuading Kong Rong that he had suffered greatly. Kong Rong could not determine whether Liu Xie or the Son of Heaven in Xu County was genuine, leaving Liu Xie relieved but still without Kong Rong’s recognition.

• Kong Rong challenged Liu Xie’s claim that Yuan Shao harbored disloyal ambitions, and Liu Xie insisted that Yuan Shao was a rebel like Cao Cao.
• Liu Xie recounted how Cao Cao had controlled him in Xu County and claimed he had escaped with help from eunuchs before fleeing to Ye City.
• Kong Rong questioned why Liu Xie had chosen Ji Province and how he had survived the journey, and Liu Xie gave vague explanations that Kong Rong accepted.
• Liu Xie accused Yuan Shao of cultivating a false reputation and explained his supposed plots involving the Zhen Clan woman, Yuan Shu, and the throne.
• Liu Xie appealed to Kong Rong’s loyalty and asked him to decide which Son of Heaven was genuine, but Kong Rong said he could not tell.

Liu Xie tried to persuade Kong Rong that he was the true Son of Heaven by describing his plans to break free of Yuan Shao and restore the Han Dynasty. He left Kong Rong facing the choice of recognizing him or risking the Great Han’s last hope.

• Kong Rong admitted he could not distinguish Liu Xie from the emperor in Xu County, and Liu Xie accused him of evading the decision.
• Liu Xie claimed Yuan Shao had made him a puppet and spoke of fighting to preserve the Han, moving Kong Rong with his lament for the fallen dynasty.
• Kong Rong asked how Liu Xie intended to escape Yuan Shao’s control and pacify the north, and Liu Xie said he had secretly built his own forces.
• Liu Xie declared that he had endured a lifetime of danger and no longer feared Yuan Shao or anyone else.
• Liu Xie claimed the palace guards, two of Yuan Shao’s strategists, Lü Bu, Liu Bei, and the Zhen Clan supported him, then demanded Kong Rong identify the true Son of Heaven.

Liu Xie pressed Kong Rong to recognize him as the true Son of Heaven and restore the Han, but Kong Rong fainted before answering. Yuan Shao feared Kong Rong’s death would ruin him, while a physician later confirmed that Kong Rong only needed rest.

• Liu Xie laid out his plan to restore the Han and asked Kong Rong to identify the true Son of Heaven, but Kong Rong collapsed before replying.
• Liu Xie called Gao Lan for help, and Yuan Shao rushed in with officials and ordered Kong Rong taken to his residence for treatment.
• Yuan Shao threatened Liu Xie if Kong Rong died, and Liu Xie concealed his anger after Yuan Shao left.
• Guo Jia and Jia Xu returned to the Xuan Room and questioned Liu Xie, who insisted he had not struck Kong Rong.
• A physician examined Kong Rong at the Yuan Residence and told Yuan Shao that fatigue and shock had caused the fainting and that rest would suffice.

Kong Rong woke at Yuan Shao’s residence and rushed back to the Post Station, fearing Taishi Ci would leave after he missed their agreed time. He found Taishi Ci still there and promised to enter the palace the next day, while Yuan Shao and his advisers speculated that Taishi Ci had been prepared to flee if Kong Rong did not return.

• Kong Rong woke at Yuan Shao’s residence, learned he had fainted while speaking with Liu Xie, and raced back to the Post Station as evening fell.
• Kong Rong feared Taishi Ci had fled, then collapsed in despair until Taishi Ci emerged from the stables with his horse.
• Taishi Ci suspected Yuan Shao had mistreated Kong Rong, but Kong Rong calmed him and drank honey water.
• Yuan Shao arrived, found Kong Rong safe, and heard him say he would enter the palace the next day to beg Liu Xie’s forgiveness.
• After leaving, Yuan Shao and his advisers concluded Kong Rong had pretended to faint, and Tian Feng suggested Taishi Ci had been prepared to flee if Kong Rong failed to return.

Yuan Shao ordered Kong Rong watched after realizing the attendant might carry Kong Rong’s seal and expose his death. At the post station, Kong Rong struggled to decide between the two identical Sons of Heaven and chose to delay judgment until he could observe Liu Xie in the palace again; the chapter ended with Liu Xie anxiously asking Yuan Shao about Kong Rong’s condition.

• Tian Feng deduced that Kong Rong’s attendant carried his official seal, and Yuan Shao ordered secret surveillance and physicians to protect Kong Rong until he left Ji Province.
• Kong Rong told Taishi Ci that the Sons of Heaven in Ye City and Xu County looked identical, though the one in Ye City seemed more imperial to him.
• Taishi Ci warned Kong Rong that Yuan Shao and Cao Cao sought to use the Son of Heaven for their own ambitions and urged him not to decide hastily.
• Kong Rong accepted Taishi Ci’s advice to let the dispute continue and planned to observe the Son of Heaven in Ye City again before reaching a decision.
• Liu Xie waited anxiously in the palace, and Yuan Shao arrived after dark; Liu Xie asked him how Kong Rong was.

Liu Xie convinced Yuan Shao of his loyalty while secretly rejecting the promise of future safety and hoping Kong Rong would keep the identities of the two claimants unresolved. The next morning, Kong Rong came to meet Liu Xie privately, but had not yet revealed why he had come.

• Yuan Shao praised Liu Xie's performance, accepted his show of loyalty, and promised him the title Prince of Anle and a reward of the Two Qiaos of Jiangbei.
• After Yuan Shao left, Liu Xie privately dismissed his promises and reflected on the danger of his life as a pretender and on his plan to benefit from the unresolved succession dispute.
• Liu Xie hoped Kong Rong would avoid deciding which claimant was genuine, since either verdict could threaten Liu Xie or strengthen Yuan Shao.
• The next morning, Kong Rong requested a private audience, and Liu Xie hurried to the Xuan Room after learning he had arrived.
• Liu Xie greeted Kong Rong warmly, joked about his deliberate fainting, and asked why he had come if he still could not identify the true Son of Heaven.

Kong Rong told Liu Xie he could not determine which of the two claimants was the genuine Son of Heaven and refused to pledge allegiance, choosing to accept the ruin of his reputation. Liu Xie spared him and sent him to govern Beihai, declaring that he would prove his mandate by restoring the Han; Kong Rong left determined to serve his people and watch Liu Xie’s campaign.

• Kong Rong told Liu Xie he could not distinguish him from the Son of Heaven in Xu County and would publicly admit his uncertainty.
• Kong Rong explained that he would sacrifice his reputation rather than risk handing the Great Han Orthodoxy to the wrong claimant.
• Liu Xie asked Kong Rong how to take Qing Province and whether he would support him, but Kong Rong asked to be granted death instead of pledging allegiance.
• Liu Xie spared Kong Rong and ordered him to return to Beihai, saying he should live to witness Liu Xie defeat Cao and the Pretender Emperor and restore the Han.
• Kong Rong promised to govern Beihai for its people, warned Liu Xie to protect himself, and left the Xuan Room.

After Kong Rong met Liu Xie in Ye City, he returned to Beihai and announced that he could not distinguish the true Son of Heaven from the false, sparking controversy across the realm. In Xu County, Xun Yu proposed that Yuan Shao’s emperor might be an exceptionally convincing lookalike of the emperor under Cao Cao’s control.

• Kong Rong left Ye City for Beihai, telling Taishi Ci he would publicly declare that he could not distinguish the true Son of Heaven from the false.
• Yuan Shao learned Kong Rong had departed and ordered Chunyu Qiong to escort him safely out of Ji Province after his advisers warned against intercepting him.
• Liu Xie told Yuan Shao that Kong Rong had asked to die in the palace and had decided to make his public declaration; Yuan Shao approved the decision and hurried off to use the news against Cao Cao.
• The declaration spread through the Nine Provinces, and many people denounced Kong Rong while others waited for him to speak for himself.
• Cao Cao raged at the news, and Xun Yu suggested that the emperor in Ye City might look and behave exactly like the emperor in Xu County.

Zhen Mi urged Lady Zhang to pledge the Zhen Clan’s support to Liu Xie, while Lady Zhang weighed the danger of defying Yuan Shao. In You Province, Gongsun Zan prepared for Yuan Shao’s attack and asked Zhao Yun to assess his strategy.

• Zhen Mi argued that the Zhen Clan should back Liu Xie and warned Lady Zhang that Yuan Shao would exploit them regardless; Lady Zhang agreed to consider the proposal and keep it secret.
• Gongsun Zan learned Yuan Shao was marching against You Province after his offer of reconciliation failed, and he mocked the deception.
• Gongsun Fan and Gongsun Xu called for driving Yuan Shao back and leading the vanguard, while Gongsun Zan doubted their judgment.
• Gongsun Zan asked Zhao Yun for advice, and Zhao Yun said Yuan Shao had attacked to secure You Province before confronting Cao Cao.

Gongsun Zan prepared You Province for Yuan Shao’s invasion while Lü Bu’s forces positioned themselves to meet Xiahou Dun’s army near Runan. Cao Chun urged Xiahou Dun to fight on the open plain, setting up a clash between Gao Shun’s Dare-to-Die Battalion and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry.

• Gongsun Zan ordered Gongsun Xu to collect supplies from the tribes beyond the pass and told Gongsun Fan to monitor Yuan Shao and Bing Province.
• Gongsun Zan read a report about Liu Bei and lamented that he served Yuan Shao instead of joining him.
• Chen Gong laid out a battle plan for Lü Bu, assigning Zhang Liao to command the center, Gao Shun to attack the enemy’s elite, and Lü Bu to strike from the flank.
• Xiahou Dun arrived near Runan with ten thousand troops, and Cao Chun judged that Zhang Liao intended to annihilate them in one battle.
• Cao Chun persuaded Xiahou Dun to fight on the plain and planned to use his five hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry against Gao Shun’s Dare-to-Die Battalion.
• Zhang Liao redeployed his troops as Xiahou Dun’s army advanced.