Recaps

During a court investigation into the Chancellor, Han Lin sought Luo Wuji’s counsel on behalf of the High-ranking Marquises, whose anger over the Southern Kingdom defeat had turned against the emperor. Luo Wuji rejected their push for renewed war and urged restraint, leaving Han Lin shaken as he returned to send word to Chang'an.

• The emperor ordered the Commandant of Justice to investigate the Chancellor after a young official presented evidence, then dismissed the Grand Court Audience.
• Han Lin visited Luo Wuji in Zhao City and condemned the Chancellor and emperor on behalf of the High-ranking Marquises’ Military Merit Nobility bloc.
• Han Lin recounted the deaths and losses suffered in the Southern Kingdom and denounced the emperor for ending the war and refusing their calls for revenge.
• Luo Wuji warned Han Lin that the defeat had multiple causes, renewed campaigns could exhaust the Great Han, and war against the Southwestern Yi was not worth destabilizing the realm.
• Luo Wuji told Han Lin that their cause was not wrong but untimely, and Han Lin left Zhao City shaken before sending a letter to Chang'an.

Luo Wuji sent Luo Sheng to Chang'an to support the emperor without suppressing the Meritorious Military Nobles, while the nobles sought to force the Chancellor into exile. After learning the Chancellor’s alleged crimes were largely baseless, Liu Jin fainted, throwing the palace into chaos.

• Luo Sheng warned that conflict between the Han Dynasty and the Meritorious Military Nobles could destroy either side, and Luo Wuji ordered him to take the Dare-to-Fight Warriors to Chang'an to support the emperor.
• Luo Wuji explained that the Meritorious Military Nobles should be strengthened rather than suppressed, and Luo Sheng agreed to help the emperor.
• The Great General and the High-ranking Marquises accepted that Duke Zhao opposed war and decided to demand the Chancellor’s exile instead.
• The Commandant of Justice reported that the Chancellor’s embezzlement and bribery had been committed by subordinates and that the private-grudge allegation was unfounded.
• Liu Jin realized that the investigation had been manipulated, grew furious, and fainted; palace attendants raised the alarm and the Commandant of Justice was detained.

After Liu Jin woke from his collapse, he faced the ministers as they prepared to choose a successor from among his younger brothers. The Great General ruled out the late emperor’s ninth son as too young, leaving the succession debate unresolved.

• The Great General told his colleagues to look ahead and led them into the palace as Liu Jin’s life seemed to be nearing its end.
• Liu Jin woke in Changle Palace, summoned the ministers, and listened as the Great General and the marquises swore loyalty to the Great Han.
• A court eunuch reported that the Chancellor had died, and Liu Jin ordered him given a lavish burial.
• Liu Jin declared that the next emperor must be one of his eight younger brothers and asked the ministers to recommend a successor.
• The Great General said the late emperor’s ninth son could not be enthroned because he had not yet come of age.

The Great General argued that the Great Han needed a mature, capable ruler and opposed enthroning the young ninth imperial son, while the Censor-in-Chief challenged his reasoning. Emperor Liu Jin then assessed his eight younger brothers before asking his ministers for advice, leaving the succession candidates sharply divided.

• The Great General argued that the state needed a mature ruler and said the ninth imperial son could not be enthroned.
• The Censor-in-Chief opposed the Great General, arguing that a young ruler could still possess exceptional talent.
• The Great General insisted that the next emperor needed enough maturity and prestige to stabilize the realm, then realized his words had offended many Lords King.
• Emperor Liu Jin listed the strengths and weaknesses of his younger brothers, ruling the King of Wusun out and expressing doubts about several others, including the ninth imperial son.
• Liu Jin told his ministers that he was troubled and asked them to propose a solution.

Liu Jin chose Liu Dan, the King of Northern Yan, to succeed him, believing that a decisive ruler could control the court and its military nobles. As Liu Dan traveled to Chang'an, he learned that Liu Jin had died and that the court had given him the posthumous title Ding, then was warned to secure a smooth succession.

• Liu Jin rejected the younger princes and named the King of Northern Yan, Dan, as his Imperial Younger Brother and successor.
• Liu Dan rejoiced at the appointment and set out for Chang'an with his officials and troops despite a subordinate's warning about losing control of his fate.
• Liu Dan learned that Liu Jin had died at Changle Palace and received the posthumous title Ding.
• Liu Dan questioned the title and considered changing it, but his officials warned that altering a posthumous title was forbidden, so he dropped the idea.
• As Liu Dan neared Chang'an, he was told that the Great General, the Censor-in-Chief, and the city's officials had come to welcome him, and his Grand Preceptor urged him to ensure a smooth succession.

Liu Dan ascended the throne and, seeking to establish his authority and avenge his late elder brother, declared war on the Southwestern Yi and Di. The pro-war ministers celebrated his decision, and Liu Dan presented them with his military strategy.

• Liu Dan received the ministers’ congratulations and took the imperial throne at Changle Palace.
• The Grand Preceptor advised Liu Dan to win court and popular support by achieving something of merit.
• Liu Dan resolved to avenge his late elder brother by campaigning against the Southwestern Yi and Di.
• The Great General urged war after reporting that the Southwestern Yi had celebrated the late emperor’s death.
• Liu Dan issued a decree calling for war, and pro-war ministers praised his decision.
• Liu Dan reflected on his experience fighting in Liaodong, dismissed the Southwestern Yi as weak, and circulated his campaign strategy.

Liu Dan presented a cautious strategy for conquering the Southwestern Yi and demanded to know how the court would fund the campaign. Sang Hongyang proposed tightening state control over salt and iron and recovering unpaid commercial taxes, unsettling the ministers.

• Liu Dan urged the court to avoid the mountains, stock provisions along accessible routes, use trade to foment conflict among Yi tribes, and recruit and educate tribes that submitted.
• The Great General praised Liu Dan's strategy, but a minister pointed out that the State Treasury was empty and asked where the military funds would come from.
• Liu Dan questioned whether merchants were evading taxes, and Sang Hongyang explained that private operators took most of the profits from the Salt and Iron Monopolies.
• Liu Dan condemned merchants profiting from state resources, while privately recalling that he had once benefited from the private salt and iron trade.
• Sang Hongyang said reforms could greatly increase revenue within a year, then proposed investigating commercial taxes to recover unpaid sums, prompting alarm among the ministers.

Liu Dan threatened the Grand Director of Commerce with exile unless he uncovered widespread commercial tax evasion, while Luo Sheng considered the new emperor’s plans and prepared to leave Chang’an. Han Lin visited Luo Sheng to ask what he thought of the tax investigation, which he feared could cause major upheaval.

• Liu Dan ordered the Grand Director of Commerce to investigate commercial tax evasion and threatened to send him to Lelang Commandery if the inquiry failed.
• Luo Sheng returned to the Luo Clan residence, wrote to his father about Liu Dan’s southwest campaign and his concerns about endless warfare, and said he planned to visit his second brother in the Western Regions.
• Han Lin visited Luo Sheng and asked for his opinion on Liu Dan’s planned campaign against the Southwestern Yi.
• Luo Sheng said the Luo Clan’s opinion did not matter and that the campaign might be appropriate given the changed circumstances.
• Han Lin asked about the commercial tax investigation, and Luo Sheng said Duke Zhao’s State had paid its taxes while wealthy Han merchants should contribute to border defenses.
• Han Lin told Luo Sheng that the Anyang Han Clan had nothing to fear from the investigation but worried that it could create enormous turmoil.

Emperor Liu Dan ordered Sang Hongyang to investigate commercial taxes in Qi Land, despite the risk of confronting powerful nobles and the King of Jiaodong. Sang Hongyang uncovered extensive evasion in North Sea Commandery and summoned the King of Jiaodong, who set out with the queen to face him.

• Han Lin left the Luo residence uncertain after Luo Sheng dismissed his concerns about the tax investigation.
• Liu Dan sent Sang Hongyang and the Grand Director of Commerce to Qi Land with Imperial Guards and authority to investigate even kings and marquises.
• Sang Hongyang began his investigation in North Sea Commandery and discovered widespread tax evasion among merchants and local officials.
• Sang Hongyang ordered the Wang Clan’s assets seized after identifying it as a major offender, then learned its household head had killed himself.
• Sang Hongyang’s officials uncovered a merchant caravan serving the King of Jiaodong, so he summoned the king to North Sea Commandery for questioning.
• The King of Jiaodong panicked over the summons, but the queen urged him to go meet Sang Hongyang, and the royal party departed for North Sea Commandery.

Sang Hongyang’s tax investigation brought him into conflict with the King and Queen of Jiaodong, while Liu Dan approved new taxes on wealthy households and authorized action against the royal household. The King of Jiaodong hanged himself, and the court’s response left Sang Hongyang blamed for buying his rise with the king’s blood.

• Sang Hongyang confronted the King and Queen of Jiaodong with evidence of tax evasion, but the Queen challenged his authority and led her husband away.
• The Queen told the King that the emperor intended to act against them and said they might have to die to preserve the royal household.
• Liu Dan approved Sang Hongyang’s proposed asset tax and told him to act as he saw fit regarding the King of Jiaodong.
• Sang Hongyang ordered the arrest of merchants working for the Jiaodong Kingdom, and the Queen concluded that the emperor had made up his mind.
• The Queen advised the King of Jiaodong to hang himself, and he later died by suicide as public anger fell on Sang Hongyang.
• Liu Dan refused calls to execute Sang Hongyang, posthumously titled the king Dao, and took five counties from Jiaodong to establish Jiaobei Commandery.

After King Dao of Jiaodong died, Lü Ying warned her brother Lu Chan that the emperor’s unpredictable rule threatened the Lü Clan’s survival. She persuaded him to withdraw from commerce and outside affairs, protect their subjects, and wait for the court’s excesses to bring a reckoning.

• Lu Chan told Lü Ying that the Lü Clan could surrender its commercial tax revenues but needed merchants to preserve its power and security.
• Lü Ying argued that the emperor’s punishment of people who spread rumors showed he was unlike earlier rulers and could not be safely judged by normal standards.
• Lü Ying urged Lu Chan to expel tax-evading merchants, sever trade ties, remain within the fief, treat the people well, and offer gifts to preserve the clan’s wealth and rank.
• Lu Chan objected that the plan would cost the Lü Clan much of its property, but agreed to follow Lü Ying’s advice.
• The historical account said that after King Dao of Jiaodong died, Chan offered gold, expelled merchants, severed trade routes, and declared that public peace mattered more than wealth.

After her husband’s death, Lü Ying warned her brother, Marquis Lü Lu Chan, that the emperor’s suppression of dissent made the Lü Clan vulnerable and urged him to protect the family by withdrawing from commerce and politics. Lu Chan agreed to her costly plan, leaving the clan to preserve its people and reputation while waiting for the emperor’s future actions.

• Marquis Lü Lu Chan urged Lü Ying to rest at home, but she said she had returned because the court’s tax investigation threatened their family.
• Lu Chan argued that the Lü Clan should retain its commercial connections for protection, while Lü Ying warned that the current emperor’s killing of rumor-spreaders made him unlike earlier rulers.
• Lü Ying told Lu Chan that fear of remonstrating with the emperor had begun to spread, and he admitted he would not speak against him.
• Lü Ying urged the Lü Clan to expel tax-evading merchants, sever its trade and outside connections, treat its people well, and offer wealth to preserve its standing.
• Although Lu Chan objected to the losses, he accepted Lü Ying’s plan and agreed to follow her judgment.

Luo Wuji led Han and Luo Clan forces into the Western Regions, defeated Eastern Wusun, and established the Protectorate of the Western Regions. After repelling the Wusun Kingdom’s counterattack, he declared the Yi River Valley Han territory and ordered a Sage King sacrificial temple built.

• Luo Wuji led five hundred Dare-to-Fight Warriors and two thousand troops through the Hexi Corridor, overcoming states that refused to supply provisions.
• Luo Wuji defeated Eastern Wusun’s cavalry, captured its capital, killed its king, and established the Protectorate of the Western Regions with Eastern City as its administrative seat.
• Luo Wuji set up military administration and trade ties while Liu Che sent supplies and Field Army Corps to support the new protectorate.
• Luo Wuji led his forces against the Wusun Kingdom’s attack, killed its king in battle, and routed its army.
• Luo Wuji declared the Yi River Valley land of All Xia and Great Han, then ordered a Sage King sacrificial temple built in the city.

Emperor Liu Dan funded and directed a campaign against the Southwestern Yi, whose decisive defeat restored Han control over the lost territory. The victory won Liu Dan acclaim, and Luo Sheng decided to leave for the Western Regions.

• Liu Dan warned his generals to avoid risks in the southwest and sent a vast army to campaign there.
• Luo Sheng told his steward that the Han Army could win if it avoided greed and stayed out of the mountains, then chose to remain in Chang'an until he could judge Liu Dan.
• The Han Army recovered the lost cities, defeated Southwestern Yi forces in open terrain, and drove survivors into the mountains.
• The Great General ordered the army to destroy enemy settlements and offered safety to those who surrendered.
• Liu Dan announced the victories to his ministers, who praised him, while Luo Sheng judged him capable and prepared to leave for the Western Regions.

While traveling west, Luo Sheng discovered that officials had sacrificed commoners’ land in Guanzhong to protect imperial nobles during a flood, leaving many families displaced. The discovery, together with military defeat and tax increases, made him question the Han court’s stability and Emperor Liu Dan’s growing focus on military affairs.

• Luo Sheng found long-displaced commoners in Guanzhong and learned that officials had opened the northern embankment during the Yuancheng flood to spare land owned by the Grand Elder Princess and other imperial nobles.
• Luo Sheng told his steward to report the matter to the emperor and relocate people who had resisted or stood up for the commoners, while leaving the others behind.
• Luo Sheng explained that the Luo Clan lacked the means to save everyone and said it would preserve the courage of those willing to resist injustice.
• The steward warned that Guanzhong’s unrest, the defeat in the southwest, and the emperor’s tax increase could combine into a larger crisis, prompting Luo Sheng to reconsider the Han court’s condition.
• Luo Sheng wondered whether Emperor Liu Dan’s military ambitions would help or harm the Han at a time when problems were emerging in its political base.

Luo Wuji handled the Luo Clan’s Western Regions trade and settled how its distant Marquisate of Unshuang would remain tied to Zhao City and the clan. He ordered action against Dayuan’s hostile nobles and established rules for the marquisate’s population and succession.

• A steward reported that Dayuan celestial horses provided most of the Luo Clan’s horse-trade income, but Dayuan’s king planned to double their price.
• Luo Wuji ordered Luo Shi to use the Western Regions Protectorate’s authority to eliminate Dayuan nobles hostile to the Han Dynasty and preserve the kingdom’s political alignment.
• Luo Wuji ruled that clan members sent to Unshuang would remain part of the Zhao City Luo Clan, with children and elders returning to Zhao City and the dead brought home for burial.
• Luo Wuji decided that the Marquisate of Unshuang would follow the Marquisate of Ying’s precedent, with the clan selecting a direct-line heir and sending three to five Luo Clan Scions to oversee it each generation.
• Luo Wuji said the Han emperor would approve the succession arrangement, and that the clan’s appointed Scions could control the marquisate even if a different heir inherited its title.

Luo Wuji considered how the Luo Clan’s internal unity and fair governance supported its strength, then ordered more troops sent to the Western Regions as Dayuan threatened the trade route. He weighed the risks of committing so much of the clan’s army and recalled a special Mandate of Heaven Divine Artifact that might solve the problem.

• The chapter described how the Luo Clan’s Scions and Women maintained fairness across the vast clan, strengthening its unity and ensuring its members returned to the clan.
• Luo Wuji learned that Young Master Sheng would visit Western Regions Unshuang City before returning to Zhao City, and asked how many Dare-to-Fight Warriors were stationed there.
• After hearing that Young Master Sheng had taken the Western Regions’ force to twelve hundred warriors, Luo Wuji ordered another six hundred transferred there to protect the clan’s commitment to the region.
• Luo Wuji explained that Dayuan threatened the trade route and that the Luo Clan needed to prepare for war, while a steward warned that moving so many warriors could leave the clan vulnerable elsewhere.
• Luo Wuji weighed the Western Regions’ importance against the risks of exhausting the clan’s forces and remembered a special Mandate of Heaven Divine Artifact in the clan’s reserves.

Luo Shi used the Heavenly Soldiers artifact and planned to create a lasting Western Regions Temple Army from Han soldiers and local Sage King worshippers. He prepared to seek imperial approval as the first messengers reached Chang'an.

• Luo Shi received the Heavenly Soldiers artifact from Luo Wuji and vowed to lead the campaign against the Kingdom of Dayuan.
• Luo Sheng comforted Luo Shi and advised him that the artifact could turn even weak recruits into elite soldiers.
• Luo Shi activated the artifact, and a magnificent banner depicting the Western Regions appeared in his hands.
• Luo Shi explained that the banner could restore the Heavenly Soldiers if it survived and the legion was not destroyed outright.
• Luo Shi proposed forming a locally rooted legion to guard the Sage King Temple, and Luo Sheng identified it as a Western Regions Righteous Followers Army Legion.
• Luo Shi sent an urgent letter to the emperor seeking approval, while the first messengers arrived in Chang'an to request an audience.

Emperor Liu Dan approved the Protector General of the Western Regions' request to wage war against Dayuan and declared that the Great Han could fight on multiple fronts. He then backed Sang Hongyang's plan to raise funds by rewarding people who reported tax evasion, while forbidding reports against one's own lord.

• Liu Dan heard the Western Regions envoy's petition and approved a punitive campaign against Dayuan despite objections from the Meritorious Military Nobles.
• Liu Dan declared that the Protectorate of Liaodong would guard the northeast while the Protectorate of the Western Regions secured the northwest, with the Imperial Guards sweeping across All Under Heaven.
• Sang Hongyang promised to fund the wars by extending commercial and property tax collection throughout the realm and rewarding informants who exposed tax evasion.
• A court minister condemned Sang Hongyang for encouraging servants to betray their masters, invoking loyalty and filial piety.
• Liu Dan endorsed Sang Hongyang's policy but prohibited people from reporting their own lords, and Sang Hongyang praised the emperor's decision.

Luo Sheng and Luo Shi confronted the damage caused by Liu Dan’s tax edict as unrest spread through the Central Plains, while the Western Regions prepared for war. In Guanzhong, Wang San and his wife fought back against corrupt clerks and set out for Chang’an to seek redress or overthrow the court.

• Luo Shi lamented that Liu Dan’s edict had devastated merchants and feared what turmoil in the Central Plains would mean for the Western Regions.
• Luo Sheng urged Luo Shi to see the war through, then returned toward the Central Plains to investigate conditions in Guanzhong.
• Luo Sheng found the Hexi Corridor bustling with preparations for war and suspected Luo Shi had already gone to war with the Dayuan Kingdom.
• Government clerks accused Wang San of evading taxes, seized his livelihood, and threatened his wife and daughter with exile.
• Wang San and his wife resolved to seek an audience in Chang’an or join the rebellion, and Wang San killed the clerks who confronted him.
• Wang San and his wife packed their belongings and set out for Chang’an.

Luo Sheng confronted Lou Huai, the Governor of Nanyang, over his exploitation of merchants, but Lou Huai challenged the Luo Clan’s right to meddle in Great Han affairs. His accusations made Luo Sheng realize that the clan’s growing distance from the Han People had become a dangerous political problem, and Lou Huai ended by warning that many people resented the arrangement around Zhao City and the Son of Heaven.

• Luo Sheng led the Dare-to-Fight Warriors to Nanyang Commandery and met Governor Lou Huai in Wancheng County.
• Lou Huai questioned Luo Sheng’s standing to interfere in Great Han affairs and warned that armed intervention would make the Dare-to-Fight Warriors rebels.
• Lou Huai accused the Luo Clan of standing apart from the Great Han while still meddling in its affairs, and Luo Sheng recognized the danger of the clan’s estrangement from Han People.
• Luo Sheng recalled how the Marquis of Anyang and other officials had increasingly sought the Luo Clan’s help, and realized the political relationship was changing.
• Lou Huai told Luo Sheng that many people were unhappy because the Son of Heaven did not preside in Zhao City and the Luo Clan was not united with him.

Luo Sheng heard Lou Huai explain why he believed the Luo Clan should either claim the throne or withdraw from Han affairs, and learned that ordinary people hoped the clan could create a stable world. He defended the Luo Clan’s role in restraining the emperor and left intending to bring Lou Huai’s perspective back for broader investigation.

• Luo Sheng recognized that the Luo Clan’s distance from Great Han had shaped the court’s distrust and the clan’s unusual position.
• Lou Huai argued that the Luo Clan deserved its privileges but questioned why it would not claim the throne or become an uncrowned emperor.
• Lou Huai said the Luo Clan should stay away from Han affairs, while Luo Sheng explained that the clan could neither claim the throne nor afford to withdraw from the Central Plains.
• Luo Sheng said the Luo and the emperor stood equally honored so the clan could restrain the emperor from abusing supreme power, startling Lou Huai.
• Lou Huai explained that he hoped the Luo Clan could create a stable world for future generations, and Luo Sheng resolved to investigate views across society and report his findings to the clan.

The Luo Clan reviewed a year-long report on how Great Han’s social groups viewed them, using it to assess the emperor’s importance and the attitudes of past rulers. They set aside Emperor Xiaowu’s favorable assessment and began examining Emperor Xiaoding Liu Jin’s record.

• Wang San welcomed Governor Lou Huai’s suicide and considered seeking revenge against the officials and rulers he blamed for ruining his family.
• Emperor Liu Dan punished Nanyang Commandery officials, gave Sang Hongyang a token confinement and fine, then ordered him to create new assessment procedures.
• Luo Clan members gathered in Zhao City to read a report on Great Han’s views of their clan, and Ji Zhao compared it with the Reputation System.
• Luo Sheng explained how the report classified social groups and why the emperor’s attitude mattered most to the clan’s survival.
• Luo Wuji described Emperor Xiaowu’s confidence in and trust toward the Luo Clan, then directed everyone to examine Emperor Xiaoding Liu Jin’s record.

The Luo Clan reviewed a yearlong report on how Great Han’s social groups viewed them, weighing the emperor’s influence and the attitudes of past rulers. The clan found the situation better than expected and began examining Emperor Xiaoding Liu Jin’s record.

• Wang San learned that Governor Lou Huai had killed himself, while the emperor punished some officials and briefly confined Sang Hongyang over the Nanyang Commandery affair.
• Luo Clan members gathered in Zhao City to read a report surveying Great Han’s social strata and their attitudes toward the clan.
• Luo Sheng explained how the investigation classified groups across the realm, and Luo Wuji emphasized that the emperor’s attitude was crucial to the clan’s survival.
• The clan reviewed Emperor Xiaowu Liu Che’s trust in them and set aside his records because they considered him an unusually wise ruler.
• The clan turned to Emperor Xiaoding Liu Jin’s records and worried that, though he had been a good man, he had not been outstanding.

The Luo Clan debated whether to oppose the rise of powerful gentry clans, despite their value as political allies, and unanimously chose to uphold their principles even at the cost of loneliness and clan deaths. Ji Zhao approved their decision and resolved to forge more useful divine artifacts to protect and guide them.

• A Luo Clan elder explained how scholarly clans were gaining authority and how the rise of the Supreme Academy had weakened the Luo Clan Academy's position.
• Luo Sheng argued that powerful gentry clans degenerated quickly and posed an unavoidable threat that the Luo Clan had to decide whether to confront.
• Luo Wuji asked the assembled clansmen whether they would refuse compromise even against future rulers and accept the deaths of ordinary clansmen; they answered that they would act without regret.
• Ji Zhao manifested in the minds of the direct-line members and told them to do as they wished.
• Ji Zhao considered how to protect his descendants and decided to extract Mandate of Heaven Purple Qi from the Heavenly Book to forge more useful divine artifacts.