Recaps

Liu Xie impersonated the emperor under Yuan Shao’s protection while quietly seeking loyal allies and a way to restore the Han. He won Zhang He and Guo Jia to his cause, but remained constrained by Yuan Shao as the New Year’s banquet began.

• Liu Xie agreed to impersonate Emperor Xian, and Ju Shou brought him to Yuan Shao, who accepted the deception and made plans to present him as the Son of Heaven.
• Yuan Shao and Cao Cao each claimed the emperor’s authority, leaving officials and rival lords uncertain about which claim was true.
• Liu Xie took up residence in Ye City, met Zhang He, and persuaded him to serve the Han and help restore it.
• Yuan Shu rejected Yuan Shao’s appointment of him as Grand Commandant, declared himself destined to become emperor, and dismissed warnings from his advisers.
• Guo Jia approached Liu Xie, heard his Rivers and Altars Discourse, and pledged to help restore the Han after Liu Xie promised to open official service through imperial examinations.
• Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei came to Ye City seeking Yuan Shao’s help against Lü Bu, while Liu Xie recognized Liu Bei as his Imperial Uncle but did not rely on him.
• Guo Jia advised Liu Xie to lie low, burned Xun Yu’s unopened letter, and joined Zhang He and Gao Lan as Yuan Shao hosted a New Year’s Eve banquet in Liu Xie’s name.

Liu Bei tried to secure Pei County and find a way to rescue Liu Xie while Yuan Shu’s imperial claim unsettled the lords. Guo Jia exploited rivalry between Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi to arrange Zhen Mi’s entry into Liu Xie’s palace, leaving the Zhen Clan preparing to send her to Ye City.

• Liu Bei asked Liu Xie for an edict to rally the lords, but Liu Xie refused and later secretly warned him that Yuan Shao knew of the request.
• Liu Bei secured five thousand troops from Yuan Shao by promising to take Pei County within ten days, while Yuan Shao appointed him vanguard commander.
• Yuan Shu declared himself emperor, prompting Sun Ce to break with him and Yuan Shao to seek an edict for a campaign against him.
• Guo Jia advised Liu Xie to exploit turmoil after Yuan Shao’s death, and Liu Xie told him to proceed with the plan.
• Lü Bu rejected Yuan Shu’s marriage proposal and withdrew his troops from Pei County, allowing Liu Bei to claim that he had fulfilled his pledge.
• Yuan Shang tried to prevent Yuan Xi’s marriage to Zhen Mi, and Guo Jia urged him to spread rumors that she had the destiny of an empress.
• Yuan Shao agreed to present Zhen Mi to Liu Xie, and the Zhen Clan prepared her journey to Ye City after Zhen Mi chose to go.
• Guo Jia told Liu Xie that Zhen Mi’s entry would help win the Zhen Clan’s support and deepen the rivalry between Yuan Shang and Yuan Xi.

Liu Xie and Guo Jia maneuvered around Yuan Shao’s court while Lü Bu’s coalition routed Yuan Shu’s forces and Cao Cao advanced on Shouchun. Yuan Shao reconsidered reinforcing Yang Province as Jia Xu joined his service, and the battered Yuan Shu remained determined to kill Lü Bu.

• Liu Xie received Zhen Mi into the palace, granted her the rank of Noble Lady, and began training the imperial guards after noticing their poor discipline.
• Jia Xu arrived in Ye City and pledged to serve the Han Dynasty, but Yuan Shao brought him into his own service before Liu Xie could keep him at the palace.
• Guo Jia met Jia Xu on Yuan Shang’s behalf, and the two discussed the Han Dynasty and Liu Xie while Jia Xu declined to join Yuan Xi or Yuan Shang’s rivalry.
• Lü Bu’s allied armies crossed the Huai River and routed Yuan Shu’s forces, but Zhang Xiu rescued Yuan Shu and stopped Lü Bu from capturing him.
• Cao Cao advanced toward Shou County as Guo Jia reported Lü Bu’s victory to Liu Xie and revealed that he had found where Jia Xu’s family was hidden.
• Yuan Shao learned that Lü Bu, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce were competing for Yuan Shu’s territory, then rejected an immediate reinforcement plan after Jia Xu offered to handle the threat from Gongsun Zan.
• Yuan Shu executed a maid who served him cold honey water and vowed to kill Lü Bu and scatter his ashes.

Lü Bu captured Shouchun and returned the Imperial Seal to Liu Xie in Ye City, where the emperor secretly built an alliance to escape Yuan Shao’s control. As Cao Cao summoned Kong Rong to judge the competing claims to the throne, Liu Xie and Yuan Shao both feared what Kong Rong would discover.

• Liu Bei persuaded Zhang Xiu to surrender Shouchun, and Lü Bu captured Yuan Shu and took the Imperial Seal to Ye City.
• Liu Xie welcomed Lü Bu, who returned the Imperial Seal, while Yuan Shao arranged titles and rewards that exposed his control over the emperor.
• Liu Xie persuaded Lü Bu to join his plans and promised his daughter the empress’s position, then secured Zhen Mi’s support by offering the same future to her and her son.
• Guo Jia recruited Jia Xu to Liu Xie’s secret cause, and Jia Xu proposed deepening Yuan Shao’s family divisions by having Yuan Xi kill his father.
• Liu Xie introduced Jia Xu to Lü Bu and Liu Bei, offered Jia Xu the chancellorship and Lü Bu the post of Grand General, and sent Lü Bu and Liu Bei toward Yang Province.
• Zhen Mi left for Wuji County to mourn her brother and seek her family’s support, while Lü Bu and Liu Bei departed for their own territories.
• Cao Cao summoned Kong Rong to Xu County to assess which emperor was genuine, prompting warlords across the realm to reconsider their positions.
• Yuan Shao ordered Ju Shou to summon Kong Rong to Ye City, and Liu Xie hid his fear as he prepared to face the judgment.