Chapter Summaries

Yuan Xi learned that Guo Jia had been helping Yuan Shang and sought Xu You’s support, but Xu You refused to assist him further. Meanwhile, Jia Xu arrived in Ye City to meet Liu Xie, and Yuan Shao criticized Yuan Xi for neglecting his duties.

• Xu You told Yuan Xi that Guo Jia had secretly helped Yuan Shang handle affairs and had spread the rumors that disrupted Yuan Xi’s marriage alliance.
• Yuan Xi decided to report Yuan Shang to Yuan Shao, but Xu You warned that he lacked evidence and that winning capable advisers’ help was itself a skill.
• Yuan Xi pleaded with Xu You for assistance, but Xu You refused and suggested he seek help from Tian Yuanhao or Ju Gongyu.
• Jia Xu arrived in Ye City and told Gao Lan that he had come to pay his respects to Liu Xie.
• Liu Xie recognized Jia Xu’s name, ordered Gao Lan to bring him to the Main Hall, and prepared to meet him.
• Yuan Xi stayed home from the family banquet, and Yuan Shao complained that he was sulking and neglecting his assigned duties.

Jia Xu entered Ye City intending to serve Yuan Shao or support Liu Xie, depending on the circumstances, but Liu Xie’s eager welcome caught him off guard. Jia Xu pledged to help restore the Han, while privately reassessing the emperor who had grown more capable.

• Yuan Shang pretended to worry about Yuan Xi, and Yuan Shao ended the discussion over dinner.
• Ju Shou told Yuan Shao that Jia Xu had entered the palace to meet the Son of Heaven, prompting Yuan Shao to head there.
• Jia Xu considered whether Liu Xie was genuine and weighed serving Yuan Shao or helping restore the Han.
• Liu Xie rushed into the empty hall, embraced Jia Xu, and praised him for opposing Cao Cao and plotting Cao Ang’s death.
• Jia Xu pledged to assist Liu Xie in restoring the Han, and Liu Xie warmly welcomed his promise.
• Jia Xu recognized Liu Xie and privately noted that the emperor had grown during their years apart.

Jia Xu arrived in Ye City and met Liu Xie, but Yuan Shao quickly took him away to host a welcoming banquet. At Yuan Shao’s residence, Jia Xu explained that he had left Zhang Xiu because Zhang Xiu planned to join Yuan Shu, leaving Yuan Shao and his strategists astonished.

• Liu Xie welcomed Jia Xu to the palace and invited him to dine, but Yuan Shao arrived and took Jia Xu to his residence instead.
• Liu Xie hid his nervousness around Jia Xu, then worried over why the strategist had come to Ye City and planned to consult Guo Jia.
• Yuan Shao honored Jia Xu at a banquet attended by his strategists and praised his role in Cao Cao’s defeat at Wan City.
• Shen Pei asked Jia Xu why he had come to Ye City without Zhang Xiu, who had gone to Yang Province.
• Jia Xu explained that Zhang Xiu intended to join Yuan Shu, so Jia Xu had left him; Yuan Shao privately condemned Zhang Xiu’s decision.

Jia Xu joined Yuan Shao after arriving in Ye City, while Guo Jia suspected he had come for self-preservation and warned Liu Xie that the new adviser could threaten their plans. Guo Jia decided to assess Jia Xu himself and consider winning him over, leaving Liu Xie to stay cautious.

• Jia Xu declared that he wished to serve the Han Dynasty, and Yuan Shao welcomed him into his service.
• Guo Jia watched Jia Xu at the banquet, and the two exchanged a knowing look.
• Guo Jia visited Liu Xie at night and explained why Jia Xu had left Zhang Xiu and joined Yuan Shao.
• Guo Jia told Liu Xie that Jia Xu might discover their plans to seize Yuan Shao's power, and Liu Xie urged him to prioritize safety.
• Guo Jia proposed that Jia Xu might be won over, but told Liu Xie not to approach him until Guo Jia had judged him.

Jia Xu settled into his new position in Ye City while assessing Yuan Shao’s court and the rivalries among his sons. After refusing Yuan Xi’s request for direct help, Jia Xu questioned whether Yuan Shao was a ruler worth serving and turned his thoughts toward the Son of Heaven.

• Yuan Shao rewarded Jia Xu with a grand residence, wealth, servants, and appointment as Minister of the Imperial Clan.
• Jia Xu received a succession of visitors from Yuan Shao’s factions and used their visits to map the court’s relationships.
• Jia Xu wondered why Guo Jia had not visited and learned more about the young adviser’s background.
• Yuan Xi visited Jia Xu, offered him gifts, and asked for guidance in his contest with Yuan Shang.
• Yuan Xi told Jia Xu that Guo Jia had helped Yuan Shang ruin his planned marriage alliance with the Zhen Clan.
• Jia Xu declined to promise Yuan Xi help and concluded that Yuan Shao lacked a ruler’s bearing, deciding to consider whether the Son of Heaven was worth serving.

Liu Xie resolved to avoid Yuan Shao’s beauties, then met Zhen Mi in the Imperial Garden and impressed her with his painting advice and a charcoal portrait. The chapter ended with Zhen Mi hiding the portrait from Liu Xie when he tried to take it back.

• Liu Xie left the Side Hall after spending the night with three beauties Yuan Shao had given him and resolved not to return for a week.
• Liu Xie thought about Guo Jia’s attempt to recruit Jia Xu as he walked through the Imperial Garden.
• Liu Xie found Zhen Mi painting flowers and offered advice on her brushwork.
• Liu Xie used charcoal to draw Zhen Mi’s portrait, astonishing her with how well it captured her appearance and expression.
• Zhen Mi hid the portrait behind her back when Liu Xie reached to take it.

Liu Xie flirted with Zhen Mi and gave her his portrait, then warned himself not to become emotionally attached to her. In Ye City, Yuan Shang sent Guo Jia to visit Jia Xu, where Guo Jia was welcomed and explained that he had come on Yuan Shang’s behalf with a gift.

• Liu Xie praised Zhen Mi’s beauty and gave her the painting, which she cherished after he left.
• Liu Xie cautioned himself against falling for Zhen Mi because of her ties to the Zhen Clan.
• Yuan Shang learned that Yuan Xi had visited Jia Xu with lavish gifts and worried that Jia Xu might favor his brother.
• Guo Jia advised Yuan Shang against openly courting Jia Xu and offered to visit him instead.
• A gatekeeper turned Guo Jia away, but Jia Xu arrived, rebuked the gatekeeper, and invited Guo Jia inside.
• Guo Jia told Jia Xu that he had come on Yuan Shang’s behalf and presented a gift list.

Guo Jia declined to press Yuan Shang’s invitation on Jia Xu, but used their conversation over lunch to probe Jia Xu’s loyalty to the Han Dynasty and hint at his own connection to the Son of Heaven. Jia Xu began to suspect Guo Jia was acting as a guest for someone else, while Yuan Shang remained hopeful after hearing Jia Xu had also rejected Yuan Xi.

• Jia Xu accepted Yuan Shang’s gifts but refused to join the brothers’ inheritance struggle, and Guo Jia agreed not to press him.
• Guo Jia and Jia Xu exchanged pointed questions about their motives, then discussed the Han Dynasty and the escaped Son of Heaven over lunch.
• Jia Xu praised Guo Jia as a loyal servant of Great Han, and the two spent the rest of the day talking as kindred spirits.
• After Guo Jia left, Jia Xu connected Guo Jia’s probing questions to Yuan Xi’s account of the ruined Zhen Clan marriage and wondered whether Guo Jia was acting as a guest for someone.
• Guo Jia revealed in his carriage that he had only pretended to be drunk and hoped Jia Xu would infer his connection to the Son of Heaven.
• Yuan Shang asked Guo Jia whether he had recruited Jia Xu, and Guo Jia reported that Jia Xu had refused to join either brother.

Lü Bu captured Zhongli County and prepared the allied armies to cross the Huai River and attack Yuan Shu. Yuan Shu arrived to block the crossing, and the chapter ended with both sides taunting each other across the river as Lü Bu remained eager for battle.

• Lü Bu marveled at Zhongli County’s stores after taking the city through discord among Han Xian and Yang Feng, then defeating Zhang Xun and Qiao Rui’s relief forces.
• Liu Bei asked Lü Bu about the next move, and Lü Bu said the armies would cross the Huai River and fight Yuan Shu.
• Wen Chou claimed the Ji Province army lacked provisions, but Lü Bu offered supplies and pressured Yan Liang and Wen Chou into agreeing to the assault.
• Chen Gong reported that Yuan Shu had led an army to the opposite bank, and Lü Bu ordered all three armies to assemble along the river.
• Lü Bu’s soldiers shouted that they would cross the river and capture Yuan Shu, while Yuan Shu furiously ordered Ji Ling to shoot at them.
• Lü Bu and Yuan Shu traded insults across the Huai River, and Lü Bu returned to his camp in high spirits.

Lü Bu and Yuan Shu’s armies faced off across the Huai River, and Le Jiu’s insults drove Lü Bu to answer with his Iron-Gall Great Bow. Lü Bu’s arrow crossed the river and pinned Le Jiu and his horse to the ground.

• Lü Bu prepared nine pontoon bridges while Yuan Shu fortified the southern bank and gathered sixty thousand troops to oppose the allied army.
• Yuan Shu ordered Le Jiu to taunt Lü Bu’s forces, and Le Jiu insulted Lü Bu while defending Yuan Shu’s claim to the throne.
• Lü Bu and Le Jiu traded challenges until Yuan Shu’s soldiers shouted for Lü Bu to surrender.
• Lü Bu called for his Iron-Gall Great Bow, drew it, and shot an iron arrow across the Huai River.
• Lü Bu’s arrow struck Le Jiu and his horse, pinning them to the ground.

Lü Bu led the allied armies across the Huai River and pursued Yuan Shu through the rout, but an unknown spear stopped his halberd just as he was about to kill the Pretender Emperor. The chapter ended with Yuan Shu’s fate unresolved.

• Lü Bu shot Le Jiu dead across the Huai River, terrifying Yuan Shu and rallying the allied armies to cross.
• The allied forces crossed the river on pontoon bridges and overwhelmed Yuan Shu’s army, while Lü Bu charged through the enemy ranks.
• Lü Bu killed Zhang Xun and pursued Yuan Shu, but his injured arm gave Ji Ling, Qiao Rui, and Li Feng an opening to attack.
• Zhang Fei and Guan Yu arrived, engaging Ji Ling and the other generals so Lü Bu could continue after Yuan Shu.
• Yuan Shu abandoned his carriage and fled on horseback, but Lü Bu caught up and swung his halberd at him.
• A silver spear struck the ground between Lü Bu’s halberd and Yuan Shu’s neck, stopping the killing blow.

Lü Bu’s forces defeated Yuan Shu’s army at the Huai River, but Zhang Xiu rescued Yuan Shu before Lü Bu could kill him. As Lü Bu and his allies planned their next move toward Shouchun, Cao Cao arrived by river, intent on capturing the Pretender Emperor himself.

• Zhang Xiu arrived with eight thousand iron cavalry and rescued Yuan Shu, forcing Lü Bu to abandon his pursuit.
• Yuan Shu’s sixty-thousand-strong army was essentially destroyed, while Lü Bu’s coalition won the battle with far fewer casualties.
• Lü Bu, Chen Gong, and Liu Bei discussed Zhang Xiu’s actions and learned that Cao Cao was advancing toward Shouchun with fifty thousand troops; they agreed to rest and proceed cautiously.
• Lü Bu angrily vowed to capture the Pretender Emperor before Cao Cao could claim the credit.
• Cao Cao sailed down the Huai River with Xun You, confident he would take Shou County and capture the Pretender Emperor.

Cao Cao learned that Lü Bu had routed Yuan Shu across the Huai River and that Zhang Xiu had intervened, forcing him to revise his plans and advance toward Shou County cautiously. In Ye City, Liu Xie heard of Lü Bu’s feat and learned that Guo Jia had secretly found Jia Xu’s family, offering a possible path to winning Jia Xu over.

• Cao Cao received a messenger-pigeon report that Lü Bu had killed a senior Yuan Shu general across the Huai River and routed Yuan Shu’s army.
• Cao Cao learned Zhang Xiu had led troops to rescue Yuan Shu and ordered his army to advance to the outskirts of Shou County while he assessed the situation.
• Guo Jia recounted Lü Bu’s victory to Liu Xie in Ye City, and Liu Xie marveled at Lü Bu’s strength.
• Liu Xie asked about Jia Xu, and Guo Jia said Jia Xu was not firmly committed to Yuan Shao and that he had secretly discovered where Jia Xu’s family was hidden.
• Liu Xie warned Guo Jia not to force the matter and to put his own safety first.

Liu Xie discussed Zhen Mi with Guo Jia while worrying about Cao Cao and Yuan Shao gaining power, and Jia Xu judged Yuan Shao after seeing him dismiss Tian Feng’s counsel. Tian Feng returned with news that Lü Bu had routed Yuan Shu, leaving Yuan Shao concerned that he could no longer seize Yuan Shu’s territory.

• Liu Xie told Guo Jia that Zhen Mi was respectful and kept mostly to herself, easing Guo Jia’s concern about her.
• Liu Xie hoped Lü Bu would prevent Cao Cao and Yuan Shao from expanding their power at Yuan Shu’s expense.
• Jia Xu noticed Guo Jia’s absence from Yuan Shao’s mountain gathering and suspected he had gone to meet Liu Xie.
• Tian Feng urged Yuan Shao to return to the city, but Yuan Shao insisted on staying to enjoy himself, prompting Tian Feng to leave.
• Tian Feng returned with a report that Lü Bu had routed Yuan Shu at the Huai River, while Cao Cao and Sun Ce advanced on Shou County.
• Yuan Shao read the dispatch and feared he would be unable to take Yuan Shu’s territory from Lü Bu, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce.

Yuan Shao weighed whether to send reinforcements to Yang Province and decided against it after Jia Xu explained the risks. In Shouchun, Yuan Shu’s health continued to deteriorate as fear of Lü Bu haunted him, and he vowed to kill Lü Bu someday.

• Guo Tu and Feng Ji urged Yuan Shao to reinforce Yan Liang and Wen Chou in Yang Province, while Tian Feng warned that doing so could expose Ji Province to Gongsun Zan.
• Jia Xu advised Yuan Shao to weigh the benefits of taking Yang Province against the difficulty of holding it and offered to deal with Gongsun Zan.
• Yuan Shao abandoned the immediate plan to send reinforcements and ordered everyone back to Ye City, while still intending to seek gains in Yang Province.
• Yuan Shu, sick and coughing in Shouchun, had a maid executed for serving cold honey water.
• Yuan Shu blamed his illness on his fear of Lü Bu and vowed to kill him and scatter his ashes.

Yuan Shu learned that Lü Bu, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce were converging on Shouchun, leaving Zhang Xiu to defend the city against overwhelming odds. Outside Shouchun, Liu Bei proposed persuading Zhang Xiu to surrender and explained why Zhang Xiu had reason to fear Cao Cao.

• Yuan Shu panicked when he heard Lü Bu was approaching, then summoned Zhang Xiu to ask whether Shouchun could withstand a siege.
• Zhang Xiu reassured Yuan Shu that Shouchun could hold for a year, but warned that Cao Cao and Sun Ce were also advancing with tens of thousands of troops.
• Yuan Shu urged Zhang Xiu to defend the city, promising him great rewards if the enemy withdrew, and Zhang Xiu agreed to fight.
• At Lü Bu’s camp outside Shouchun, Lü Bu lamented that he could neither attack the city nor wait out its defenders without risking his position against rival armies.
• Liu Bei proposed persuading Zhang Xiu to surrender, arguing that a siege or assault would weaken Lü Bu’s forces and leave Shouchun vulnerable to Cao Cao and Sun Ce.
• Lü Bu doubted Zhang Xiu would change sides, but Liu Bei pointed out that Zhang Xiu had fled to Yuan Shu to escape Cao Cao, who would never forgive him for Cao Ang, Cao Anmin, and Dian Wei’s deaths.

Liu Bei volunteered to enter Shouchun and persuade Zhang Xiu to surrender, telling Lü Bu he hoped to help him build strength and rescue the Son of Heaven. Liu Bei reached Zhang Xiu’s residence and offered to secure his future and life, but Hu Che'er drew his saber and threatened him.

• Liu Bei argued that Zhang Xiu might surrender because Cao Cao would treat him as an enemy, while the Son of Heaven’s court would reward him.
• Liu Bei volunteered to negotiate with Zhang Xiu in person, and Lü Bu warned him that the mission could cost him his life.
• Liu Bei entrusted Lü Bu with a letter for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, then left camp alone at night and rode to Shouchun.
• The guards admitted Liu Bei as an emissary and escorted him to Zhang Xiu’s residence, where Zhang Xiu welcomed him into the main hall.
• Liu Bei told Zhang Xiu he had come for his future and his life, and Hu Che'er drew his saber and threatened to strike him.

Liu Bei persuaded Zhang Xiu to surrender to Lü Bu, and Zhang Xiu secretly opened Shouchun’s gates. Lü Bu captured Yuan Shu and recovered the Imperial Seal, which he entrusted to Liu Bei for delivery to the Son of Heaven.

• Liu Bei explained that Zhang Xiu could safely surrender to Lü Bu, and Zhang Xiu agreed on the condition that they discuss terms.
• Zhang Xiu killed Cao Cao and Sun Ce’s emissaries, then learned Jia Xu had been appointed Minister of the Imperial Clan.
• Hu Che'er captured Yuan Shu from his bedchamber and brought him before Lü Bu, Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Yan Liang, and Wen Chou.
• Zhang Xiu entered with the Imperial Seal and revealed that he had opened Shouchun’s gates to Lü Bu’s army.
• Lü Bu handed the Imperial Seal to Liu Bei to safeguard for the Son of Heaven, while Yuan Shu cursed Zhang Xiu and Lü Bu stopped Zhang Xiu from killing him.

Liu Xie accepted Zhen Mi’s chilled plum soup and learned that she had come hoping he would teach her to paint. Her visit left him considering how he might win the Zhen Clan’s support and gain control of Ji Province.

• Lü Bu praised Zhang Xiu for surrendering Shouchun and credited Liu Bei with taking the city.
• Lü Bu’s army entered Shouchun, while Cao Cao ordered his forces to retreat and Sun Ce summoned his grand commander to discuss the news.
• Liu Xie endured the summer heat in the palace while reading classical works.
• Zhen Mi brought Liu Xie chilled plum soup made with ice from her family’s business, and he enjoyed it.
• Liu Xie teased Zhen Mi about wanting painting lessons, then agreed to teach her when she became upset.
• Liu Xie privately considered winning the Zhen Clan’s support as a step toward controlling Ji Province and becoming a true Son of Heaven.

Liu Xie tried to find a way to win the Zhen Clan’s support, then learned that Lü Bu had captured Yuan Shu and was bringing the Imperial Seal to Ye City. The news left Liu Xie eager to meet Lü Bu and reassess the men who might help restore his authority.

• Liu Xie considered promising the Zhen Clan the crown prince’s position to secure its backing and taught Zhen Mi the basics of sketching.
• Zhen Mi described the Zhen Clan’s extensive businesses and trade beyond the passes, prompting Liu Xie to consider producing glass for its merchants.
• Liu Xie reflected on Guo Jia’s efforts to inflame the rivalry between Yuan Xi and Yuan Shang and planned to discuss winning over the Zhen Clan with him.
• Zhang He told Liu Xie that Lü Bu had captured Yuan Shu alive after Liu Bei persuaded Zhang Xiu to surrender Shouchun, and that Lü Bu was bringing the Imperial Seal to Ye City.
• Liu Xie welcomed the news and reconsidered Liu Bei’s loyalty to the Han Dynasty, while looking forward to meeting Lü Bu.