Recaps

The Han army surrounded Changsha, where Cao Cao held the Pretender Emperor and Xu You, and Zhuge Liang urged the commanders to avoid an assault that could endanger them. Chen Gong volunteered to enter the city and persuade Cao Cao to surrender, then explained their history; Cao Cao remained in the besieged city.

• The Han army forces led by Huang Zhong and Zhuge Liang joined outside Changsha, and Guo Jia discussed whether to besiege or storm the city.
• Lü Bu, Huang Zhong, and Zhang Liao competed to lead an assault, but Zhuge Liang said the army must avoid risking the Pretender Emperor and Xu You and should wait for Cao Cao to surrender.
• Sima Yi and Zhou Yu doubted Cao Cao would surrender, but Chen Gong offered to enter Changsha and try to persuade him.
• Chen Gong recalled capturing Cao Cao in Zhongmou County and leaving his post to join him after Cao Cao's failed attempt to assassinate Dong Zhuo.
• Chen Gong recounted how Cao Cao killed Lü Boshe's family and then Lü Boshe, leading Chen Gong to abandon him and regret having let him go.

Chen Gong went to persuade Cao Cao to surrender, while Cao Cao asked Xu You to help save his wife and young sons in exchange for his head and the living Pretender Emperor. Xu You hesitated over the dangerous bargain, and Cao Cao admitted he feared Xu You would break his promise.

• Guo Jia insisted Cao Cao had to die, while Huang Zhong and Zhao Yun condemned him and Chen Gong offered to negotiate his surrender.
• Zhuge Liang agreed to send Chen Gong into Changsha, and Lü Bu urged him to return safely.
• Cao Cao visited Xu You and explained that the Imperial Court's forces had reached them and that he wanted Xu You to fulfill their old agreement.
• Xu You said he would help with one request that did not harm the Imperial Court, and Cao Cao asked him to seek a pardon for his wife and young sons.
• Cao Cao offered his own head and the living Pretender Emperor as a gift to secure Xu You's plea, but Xu You asked for time to consider and questioned whether Cao Cao trusted him.

Cao Cao asked Xu You to consider saving his wife and children while the Imperial Court's army threatened Changsha. When Chen Gong urged Cao Cao to surrender, their old grievances erupted, but Cao Cao accepted Chen Gong's promise to plead for him and whispered a request before sending him out of the city.

• Cao Cao told Xu You that he had no choice but to trust him, gave him a day to decide whether to save his family, and threatened to kill him if he refused.
• A soldier reported that Chen Gong had arrived as an emissary, and Cao Cao agreed to meet his old acquaintance.
• Chen Gong urged Cao Cao to surrender and hand over Xu You and the Pretender Emperor, but Cao Cao refused and defended his resistance in the name of the Great Han.
• Cao Cao and Chen Gong argued over their past and Cao Cao's deeds, until Cao Cao drew his sword and threatened to kill him.
• Chen Gong promised to plead with the Son of Heaven to spare Cao Cao, and Cao Cao accepted before whispering a request to him.
• Cao Cao ordered the guards to escort Chen Gong out of the city.

Cao Cao prepared to surrender to the Imperial Court and sacrifice himself to protect his family after revealing that the emperor he had enthroned was a pretender. He asked his sons what they would do after his death, but Cao Chong had not yet answered.

• Xu You agreed to help secure Cao Cao's wife and young sons in exchange for his own survival, and Cao Cao gave him the bound Pretender Emperor to present alongside Cao Cao's head when the city surrendered.
• Cao Cao visited Lady Ding, but she refused to see him, so he told Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, Cao Zhi, and Cao Chong that the emperor he had enthroned was fake and the true Son of Heaven was in Chang'an.
• Cao Cao explained that he would surrender to the Imperial Court and take his own life in hopes of protecting his sons and their mothers.
• Cao Pi vowed to build strength and avenge Cao Cao, while Cao Zhang promised to join him; Cao Zhi said he did not know what to do.
• Cao Cao asked Cao Chong what he would do after his death.

Cao Cao killed Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Zhi to protect the Cao Clan’s bloodline, then died after making Cao Chong promise to flee with his mother and seek Xu You. Cao Chong discovered Lady Ding dead and began cutting off Cao Cao’s head before Xu You arrived and intervened.

• Cao Cao killed Cao Pi, Cao Zhang, and Cao Zhi because he feared their ambitions would bring the Cao Clan to ruin.
• Cao Cao told Cao Chong to take his head and find Xu You after his death, then died in Cao Chong’s arms.
• Cao Chong found Lady Ding dead in her chamber, with a hairpin in her neck.
• Xu You went to Lady Ding’s residence after Cao Cao failed to return and found the bodies of Cao Cao’s sons and Cao Cao.
• Cao Chong was cutting off Cao Cao’s head when Xu You rushed forward and took the dagger from him.

Xu You brought Cao Cao’s severed head, Cao Chong, and the disguised Emperor Xian of Han out of Changsha to surrender to the Han Army. After confirming Cao Cao’s death and taking the city’s surrender, Xu You claimed credit for persuading Cao Cao and explained that Cao Chong had beheaded his father, positioning himself to protect the traumatized boy.

• Xu You stopped Cao Chong from trying to cut off Cao Cao’s head and severed it himself, then took Cao Chong out of the courtyard.
• Changsha’s gates opened, and Xu You emerged with Cao Chong, Cao Cao’s head, and a sack-covered captive believed to be Emperor Xian of Han.
• Guo Jia greeted Xu You, who met Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, and the other Han commanders.
• Xu You revealed Cao Cao’s head and confirmed that the captive was Emperor Xian of Han, while Zhuge Liang sent troops to accept Changsha’s surrender.
• Xu You told Guo Jia that Cao Chong was Cao Cao’s youngest son and said Cao Cao had arranged his own death after Xu You persuaded him to surrender.

After Cao Cao’s defeat, the Han Army captured his stronghold and took his family and advisers prisoner, while Guo Jia reunited with Xun Yu without offering to intervene on his behalf. The victors escorted Emperor Xian and the prisoners toward Chang’an, where news of the emperor’s newborn son and an urgent rider approaching the city left the story poised for further developments.

• The Han Army entered Changsha, where Cao Cao’s soldiers surrendered and his family, the Xiahou Clan, and his advisers were arrested.
• Guo Jia greeted his old friend Xun Yu, then ordered the prisoners taken away; Xun Yu explained to Xun You that Guo Jia would not risk pleading for them.
• Huang Zhong remained to guard Changsha while Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang, Lü Bu, and the others escorted Cao Cao’s head, Emperor Xian, and the prisoners toward Chang’an.
• Lü Bu vowed to kill Emperor Xian if he tried to escape again, then learned from Chen Gong that Noble Lady Zhen had given birth to an imperial son named Jue, King of Bohai.
• A rider carrying the Flying Dragon Cavalry flag raced toward Chang’an, and the city guards let him pass.

Liu Xie received news that Cao Cao had died, Changsha had been retaken, and the Pretender Emperor had been captured, ushering in the Great Han’s reunification. At the Imperial Ancestral Temple, he finally accepted that his accomplishments made him worthy of his position and vowed to restore the Han to its former peak.

• A cavalryman brought Chang'an urgent news that Duke Wen had retaken Changsha, Cao Cao had taken his own life, and the Pretender Emperor had been captured.
• Gao Lan told Liu Xie about the victory, waking him and the Eldest Princess; Liu Xie immediately ordered celebrations and rewards across the realm.
• Liu Xie hurried to the Imperial Ancestral Temple and told the former emperors that the rebels had been destroyed and the Great Han had risen again.
• Liu Xie reflected that his victories over Yuan Shao, Sun Quan, and Cao Cao had earned him the right to stand as emperor despite having originally been a substitute.
• Liu Xie vowed that reunification was only the beginning and that he would restore the Great Han to its peak and make it stand at the pinnacle of the world.

After news arrived that Lü Bu had defeated Cao Cao and unified the realm, Liu Xie celebrated with his court and considered changing the era name. Jia Xu urged him to focus on rebuilding the Han’s strength, so Liu Xie decided to keep Jian'an for now.

• Liu Xie left the Imperial Ancestral Temple, vowing to honor his ancestors through his achievements.
• Empress Fu learned that Cao Cao had been defeated and that the Pretender Emperor had been captured and would be brought to Chang'an.
• Liu Xie welcomed the court officials, who congratulated him on unifying the realm.
• Cui Yan, Fa Zheng, Kong Rong, and other officials proposed new era names, but Jia Xu advised Liu Xie not to celebrate while the Han remained weak.
• Liu Xie agreed to retain Jian'an until he had restored the Han’s strength, then invited the officials to the banquet at Yongshou Hall.

Lü Bu, Guo Jia, and the victorious army returned to Chang'an, where Liu Xie welcomed the commanders and began rewarding them for defeating Cao Cao. The ceremony turned emotional as Liu Xie and Xu You reunited, while Emperor Xian of Han arrived in the city as a captive.

• Lü Bu's army reached Chang'an, and Zhuge Liang anticipated a place in Lingyun Pavilion's second tier while Sima Yi resolved to earn one through diligent service.
• Liu Bei arrived with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, and the three brothers recalled their loyalty and shared rise from humble beginnings.
• Emperor Xian of Han secretly watched Chang'an from his carriage and wept over his loss of power and the Great Han realm.
• Lü Bu, Guo Jia, Xu You, Zhuge Liang, Sima Yi, Liu Bei, and other commanders entered Chengming Hall, where Liu Xie praised them as pillars of the Great Han and announced rewards.
• Liu Xie addressed Xu You, who wept as he described enduring captivity under Cao Cao in hopes of seeing the realm reunified.

Liu Xie rewarded the officials and generals who helped defeat Cao Cao and restore the Han, elevating Xu You, Zhuge Liang, Lü Bu, Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and Sima Yi to powerful posts. He granted Liu Bei the restored title of King of Zhongshan with hereditary protection for three generations, leaving Liu Bei overcome with gratitude.

• Liu Xie named Xu You Marquis of Pacifying the State and Director of the Secretariat, and admitted him to the Third Tier of Lingyun Pavilion.
• Liu Xie made Zhuge Liang Marquis of Wuxiang and admitted him to the Second Tier of Lingyun Pavilion; he then reprimanded Lü Bu for letting Cao Cao escape before appointing him Grand General.
• Liu Xie appointed Guo Jia Minister over the Masses and Jia Xu Grand Marshal, while Sima Yi became Director of the Secretariat.
• Liu Xie rewarded Zhao Yun, Zhang Liao, and the other generals, appointing Zhao Yun General of Agile Cavalry and Zhang Liao Colonel Director of Retainers.
• Liu Xie restored Liu Bei's title of King of Zhongshan and granted his descendants three generations of succession without a reduction in fief, and Liu Bei wept as he thanked him.

After the court celebrated Liu Bei’s appointment as King of Zhongshan, Liu Xie met the bound Emperor Xian of Han in secret and revealed that he had come from another era. He defended his rule and the Han’s restoration, but Emperor Xian rejected him as an impostor, and Liu Xie’s response left the confrontation unresolved.

• Liu Xie held a banquet for the court officials after naming Liu Bei King of Zhongshan, then went to the Imperial Garden after nightfall.
• Gao Lan brought the bound Emperor Xian of Han to the Waterside Pavilion and guarded the garden while Liu Xie spoke with him.
• Emperor Xian panicked at seeing Liu Xie’s identical face and accused him of stealing his throne through sorcery.
• Liu Xie said he had arrived in that era by chance, explained that Emperor Xian would otherwise have fallen under Cao Cao’s control, and claimed he had restored the Han and spared the people further war.
• Emperor Xian insisted that he was the true Son of Heaven and that the realm belonged to the Liu Clan, while Liu Xie’s expression turned cold and he rose with imperial authority.

Liu Xie told Emperor Xian of Han that he would not spare him because his continued existence threatened Liu Xie and Great Han. Before Emperor Xian of Han drank the fatal wine beside Empress Fu, he asked whether Liu Xie would bring peace and prosperity to the realm, and Liu Xie promised he would.

• Emperor Xian of Han begged Liu Xie to spare his life, but Liu Xie said neither he nor the throne mattered as much as his absence.
• Liu Xie explained that Emperor Xian of Han remained a danger to him and Great Han, though he had wanted to speak with the only person who could hear his thoughts.
• Liu Xie brought Empress Fu to see Emperor Xian of Han, and the couple reunited and mourned their impending separation.
• Empress Fu poured the wine for Emperor Xian of Han, who drank it and asked Liu Xie whether he would bring peace and prosperity to the realm.
• Liu Xie promised he would, and Emperor Xian of Han accepted his answer.

Liu Xie watched Emperor Xian of Han and Empress Fu die, then burned the Waterside Pavilion to conceal the truth and emerged as the sole Son of Heaven. The next morning, he mourned Empress Fu publicly while spending time with Lü Lingqi and their daughter, and awaited Zhen Mi’s arrival in Chang’an.

• Emperor Xian of Han died from poison after telling Empress Fu he wished to live as a physician and marry her again in another life.
• Empress Fu drank the poison Liu Xie gave her, cursed him to a lonely reign, and died holding Emperor Xian of Han as she hummed a song.
• Liu Xie set the Waterside Pavilion on fire, declared himself the one and only Son of Heaven, and ordered Gao Lan to keep watch before putting out the blaze.
• The court and people largely ignored Empress Fu’s death, while Liu Xie publicly wept and suspended court for three days.
• Liu Xie taught Liu Ying to walk and joked with Lü Lingqi before saying that Zhen Mi should arrive in Chang’an by the end of the month.

Liu Xie asked Lü Lingqi whether she wanted to become empress, but she recommended Zhen Mi instead. At the Xuan Room, Xu You sought a pardon for Cao Cao’s youngest son, but Jia Xu rejected the plea before Liu Xie arrived and asked why Xu You was leaving.

• Liu Xie asked Lü Lingqi if she wished to take the vacant Empress’s Position, and she said Zhen Mi was a better choice.
• A eunuch summoned Liu Xie to meet the Director of the Secretariat, and Lü Lingqi encouraged him to go while she watched Liu Ying.
• Xu You arrived at the Xuan Room and learned that ministers including Jia Xu and Zhuge Liang were reviewing state affairs while Liu Xie rested.
• Xu You asked Jia Xu to help spare Cao Chong from the execution of the Cao Clan and Xiahou Clan, but Jia Xu refused and told him to leave.
• Liu Xie entered the Xuan Room as Xu You was departing and asked why he had not stayed to present his matter.

Liu Xie spared Cao Chong from execution and made him a government slave, prompting Jia Xu to worry that the young emperor was becoming too lenient. A secret edict revealed Liu Xie still intended Cao Chong’s death, leaving Jia Xu reassured that the emperor had not changed.

• Xu You explained that he had promised Cao Cao to ask Liu Xie to spare Cao Chong, Cao Cao’s only surviving son.
• Liu Xie heard how Cao Cao had forced the young Cao Chong to behead him and ruled that Cao Chong would live as a government slave.
• Xu You apologized to Jia Xu for agreeing to Cao Cao’s terms, while Jia Xu warned Guo Jia that Liu Xie’s mercy might signal dangerous arrogance.
• Guo Jia decided to urge Liu Xie to reconsider, but Jia Xu told him to wait for a better opportunity.
• Gao Lan delivered Liu Xie’s secret edict to Jia Xu, who read its command to “Cut the weeds and remove the roots” and realized Liu Xie meant for Cao Chong to be killed covertly.

Zhen Mi arrived in Chang'an with her infant son, Liu Jue, and reunited with Liu Xie, who met his child for the first time. After Liu Lingqi taught Liu Xie how to hold the baby, Liu Jue peed on him, and Liu Xie noticed that Zhen Mi seemed to have changed since they last met.

• Jia Xu and Guo Jia bickered as they left the palace after Jia Xu threatened to report Guo Jia's behavior to Liu Xie.
• A month passed as the Han realm continued settling down, and Zhen Mi arrived in Chang'an with Liu Jue.
• Liu Xie embraced Zhen Mi at the palace gates, then eagerly asked to see their son.
• Liu Jue cried in Liu Xie's arms until Lü Lingqi demonstrated how to hold him, then Liu Xie accidentally got soaked when the baby peed.
• Zhen Mi helped Liu Xie change, and he remarked that her personality seemed different from before.

Liu Xie told Zhen Mi that he would make Lü Lingqi empress and appoint Zhen Mi’s son, Jue, crown prince, despite his earlier promise to Zhen Mi. Zhen Mi accepted his decision, and the chapter ended with her leading him into the bedchamber to claim the favor he had offered.

• Liu Xie sent Lü Lingqi and Liu Jue away so he could privately discuss his promise with Zhen Mi.
• Liu Xie told Zhen Mi he would make Lü Lingqi empress and appoint Jue crown prince because the Zhen Clan’s crimes made Zhen Mi’s appointment politically difficult.
• Zhen Mi revealed that she already knew Liu Xie had made the same promise to both her and Lü Bu, and said she understood his decision.
• Zhen Mi reassured Liu Xie that appointing Jue crown prince showed his love for her, and Liu Xie was moved to tears.
• Liu Xie promised to announce Jue’s appointment at court and offered to fulfill another request from Zhen Mi.
• Zhen Mi took Liu Xie by the hand and led him into the bedchamber.

After appointing Lü Lingqi as Empress and Liu Jue as Crown Prince, Liu Xie defended his unconventional succession decision to Guo Jia and Jia Xu. With the realm unified, he began discussing long-awaited reforms to strengthen the Great Han and curb the power of aristocratic clans.

• Liu Xie appointed Lü Lingqi as Empress and Liu Jue as Crown Prince, prompting ministers to urge him to reconsider.
• Guo Jia and Jia Xu warned Liu Xie that separating the Empress's and Crown Prince's positions could fuel a future succession struggle.
• Liu Xie said he had made the appointments to honor his promises and personally cultivate Liu Jue, whose ability would determine whether he could keep the throne.
• Liu Xie told Guo Jia and Jia Xu that he wanted to begin reform now that the realm was unified.
• Liu Xie argued that reform was essential to overcome the Great Han's entrenched abuses and the aristocratic clans' excessive power.

Liu Xie outlined reforms to replace the recommendation system, restructure official ranks, and reform taxes to curb aristocratic land seizures, then discussed the difficulty of breaking the gentry’s control over advancement. The chapter ended with Jia Xu comparing Liu Xie’s proposed imperial examinations to Emperor Ling’s Hongdu School.

• Liu Xie told Jia Xu and Guo Jia that he intended to reform talent selection, official governance, and taxation while proceeding gradually.
• Guo Jia supported the reforms and described how the recommendation system had blocked capable men from humble families, while Jia Xu warned that abolishing it would provoke fierce resistance.
• Liu Xie and his advisers discussed how the gentry had manipulated examinations through control of scriptural interpretation.
• Liu Xie reminded Jia Xu of his proposed imperial examination system, and Jia Xu compared it to Emperor Ling’s Hongdu School.

Liu Xie explained how inexpensive paper, movable-type printing, and a rapid literacy method would make education accessible to common people and support his plan to replace the recommendation system with imperial examinations. Guo Jia and Jia Xu were impressed by the reforms, and Liu Xie continued outlining his universal education plans.

• Liu Xie declared that imperial examinations would be open to common people, and Guo Jia warned that ordinary families could not afford education.
• Liu Xie showed Guo Jia and Jia Xu improved paper made cheaply by the Foundry Bureau and explained how movable-type printing could produce books in large quantities.
• Liu Xie said cheap books and public libraries would broaden access to learning and weaken the aristocratic clans’ monopoly on education, impressing Guo Jia and Jia Xu.
• Liu Xie introduced his Rapid Literacy Method, using phonetic symbols to teach people to recognize characters, and explained the pinyin system to Guo Jia and Jia Xu.
• Guo Jia praised Liu Xie’s ingenuity, and Liu Xie modestly credited the ideas to the wisdom of predecessors.

Liu Xie laid out education and tax reforms after reunifying the Great Han, including public schools, an Imperial Academy, a farmland survey, and a national census. He assigned Guo Jia to recruit Imperial Academy talent and Jia Xu to lead the survey, leaving both men aware of the resistance their work would face.

• Liu Xie proposed training teachers from humble families at the Imperial Academy and establishing public schools, libraries, and book distribution through gradual local trials.
• Liu Xie explained that Yuan Xi was secretly collecting property and payments from clans that had supported the rebels to fund the reforms.
• Liu Xie announced a national farmland survey and census to expose concealed land and populations, insisting the work had to begin while his military power was strongest.
• Liu Xie ordered Jia Xu to direct the Embroidered-Clothes Envoys in the survey and assigned Guo Jia to select talent for the Imperial Academy.
• Guo Jia and Jia Xu discussed the difficulty of their respective assignments as they left the palace.

Guo Jia announced that Liu Xie would reopen the Hongdu School as the Imperial Academy, creating a court-controlled path for selecting and advancing officials. The decree alarmed Yang Biao and Yang Xiu, while Yang Xiu entered the Palace to seek more information.

• Guo Jia and Jia Xu discussed their service to Liu Xie and agreed that Cao Chong had to die quietly to protect the emperor’s reputation.
• Guo Jia announced Liu Xie’s decree reopening the Hongdu School as the Imperial Academy, with students receiving free supplies and studying subjects chosen by the Son of Heaven.
• People in Chang’an argued over whether the Imperial Academy betrayed Confucian learning, while Yang Biao recognized that it would let Liu Xie control advancement outside the aristocratic clans’ recommendation system.
• Yang Biao warned Yang Xiu that the Imperial Academy was likely the beginning of broader reforms that would threaten aristocratic interests.
• Yang Xiu went to the Xuan Room to ask colleagues about the decree and found Zhuge Liang, Lu Su, and the relentlessly hard-working Sima Yi handling government affairs.

Yang Xiu learned about the Imperial Academy’s practical curriculum and worried that it would challenge the established selection system, while Sima Yi left to seek a teaching post after Zhuge Liang revealed he had been invited to lecture. Meanwhile, Liu Xie inspected the military camp as Jia Xu’s proposal for military examinations offered soldiers a new route to promotion in peacetime.

• Lu Su told Zhuge Liang that Xu Shu and Pang Tong would be transferred from Yi Province to the Censorate, where Zhuge Liang would supervise them.
• Yang Xiu questioned whether the Son of Heaven’s appointments and the new Imperial Academy would undermine established rules and the existing selection system.
• Zhuge Liang explained the Academy’s subjects—criminal law, mathematics, engineering and metallurgy, and politics—and said Guo Jia had invited him to teach there.
• Sima Yi reacted with envy to Zhuge Liang’s invitation, left the Xuan Room, and Zhuge Liang guessed he was going to volunteer as a lecturer.
• Yang Xiu and Lu Su declined Zhuge Liang’s suggestion that they teach at the Imperial Academy.
• Liu Xie inspected the military camp while considering Jia Xu’s proposal for military examinations as a peacetime path to promotion for soldiers.

Liu Xie watched the military examination tournament and proposed a match between his generals. Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong began their duel, leaving the contest undecided as the chapter ended.

• Liu Xie approved Jia Xu's proposal for a military examination, and the tournament selected the army's best soldiers from more than ten thousand entrants.
• Zhang Liao identified Liao Hua and Wei Yan as top competitors as they fought an evenly matched bout.
• Lü Bu predicted Wei Yan would win and boasted of his own strength, while Zhang Liao teased him about facing Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong.
• Liu Xie invited the generals to compete but barred Lü Bu, then approved Zhao Yun's challenge to Huang Zhong.
• Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong took the platform, and Huang Zhong charged in while Zhao Yun retreated and swung his spear toward Huang Zhong's head.