Chapter Summaries

Luo Su used concerns over horse breeding and the western frontier to persuade the Ying Lineage to seek fiefs beyond the royal domain, presenting expansion as service to the Zhou State. As Shen You and Zhou Yun voiced their own desire for enfeoffment, the gathering turned toward a broader relocation of royal-domain nobles.

• Luo Su told the gathered ministers that the Dog Rong’s superior horses threatened the western campaign and that the Zhou State needed better horse administration.
• Fei Lai asked to lead the Ying Lineage’s clans west to the Qin River Valley, and Luo Su promised him a marquisate and Xu and Jiang countships with land and resources.
• Luo Su explained that only branches of the Ying Lineage would move, and argued that nobles could serve the Son of Heaven from outside the royal domain.
• Shen You asked what would happen to Luoyi’s pastures after the Ying Lineage’s departure, then described the Shen Clan’s lack of land and wished it had sought an external fief.
• Zhou Yun said he felt ashamed that he had not helped defend the king against Xiong Dun and asked Luo Su to grant him a fief and let him establish a state.

Luo Su persuaded twelve great clans to accept fiefs beyond the Royal Domain, then secured the Regency Council’s approval for a major enfeoffment between Haojing and Luoyi. After the twelve lords received their territories, Ji Zhao was startled by a system message announcing that historical corrective forces would strengthen.

• At a banquet, Shen You, Zhou Yun, the heads of the Zhang, Ji, and Xu Clans, and other nobles requested postings outside the Royal Domain, and Luo Su promised to raise their requests with the Regency Council.
• Luo Su’s words about opening Western Rong lands persuaded four more nobles to join the venture, bringing the number of willing clans to twelve.
• At the Regency Council, the regent queen dowager authorized Luo Su to use the council’s seal, and the council proclaimed the renewed enfeoffment throughout the Zhou State.
• The Regency Council invested twelve clans as marquises and earls and granted them fiefs in strategic locations between Haojing and Luoyi.
• Ji Zhao received a system message saying his clan had accelerated history and that historical corrective forces would strengthen.

Ji Zhao used Ancestors' Blessing to influence Luo Su, who sought his ancestor’s guidance on preserving the Luo Clan as the Zhou State declined. Back in the Royal Domain, Luo Su punished lords who had failed to defend against the Dog Rong and pushed reforms until widespread opposition forced him to halt his more radical plans.

• Ji Zhao strengthened his influence over Luo Su and the Luo Clan, then summoned Luo Su to the peach grove and discussed the Zhou State’s decline and the Luo Clan’s future.
• Luo Su learned that the Dog Rong unrest had been fueled by economic decline and the western lords’ opportunism, then sent Marquis Lü Bai of Qi a plan to punish negligent lords, reward defenders, and secure the western frontier.
• Marquis Lü Bai carried out Luo Su’s severe recommendations, stripping multiple lords of their titles and states and increasing Luo Su’s authority across the Royal Domain.
• Luo Su restored royal powers and proposed changes to hereditary offices and stipends, but the feudal states, Royal Domain nobles, and even key allies resisted his reforms.
• At a banquet arranged by the regent queen dowager, Luo Su faced a final ultimatum and announced that he would abandon his most radical reforms.

After serving Zhou State for decades, Luo Su fell gravely ill and died while traveling to be buried near the Sage King, leaving Ji Xi with counsel on preserving royal authority and the patriarchal system. Ji Zhao received Luo Su’s Heroic Spirit Card and a Sumeru Mustard Seed, while Luo Li became head of the Luo Clan and Luo Su was posthumously named Duke Wen of Luo.

• After Ji Xi assumed personal rule, Luo Su remained in the Royal Domain as head of the Heavenly Office and governed for more than a decade.
• When Luo Su fell ill, he warned Ji Xi against reckless wars and urged him to preserve the Six Armies, enfeoffment, ritual, and the patriarchal clan system.
• Luo Su traveled toward Haojing to be buried near the Sage King, saw the Hall of Heroes in his final moments, and died; Ji Zhao received a Sumeru Mustard Seed and Luo Su’s Heroic Spirit Card.
• Luo Li succeeded Luo Su as head of the Luo Clan and received a Blank Item from Ji Zhao, along with knowledge of the clan’s divine artifacts of destiny.
• Ji Xi sent the Marquis of Chen to offer condolences and bestowed on Luo Su the posthumous name Duke Wen of Luo.

Ji Zhao watched Zhou’s decline deepen as King Xuan’s failed campaigns brought defeat and death, while Luo Lin passed the Luo patriarchal office to Luo Cheng. Ji Zhao warned Luo Cheng that Zhou’s fate could not easily be reversed, and Luo Cheng set out for Haojing to take his father’s place.

• Ji Zhao spent three hundred thousand fortune on draws and reviewed the powerful items he had accumulated.
• Marquis Luo Lin tried to dissuade Ji Ci from campaigning against the Dog Rong, but Ci dismissed his remonstrance.
• King Xuan suffered defeats against the Rong and died, and his eldest legitimate son, Ji Nie, succeeded him.
• As he lay dying, Luo Lin gave Luo Cheng the patriarch’s ring and urged him to honor their ancestor, the Sage King.
• Ji Zhao told Luo Cheng that Zhou’s mandate still held a faint chance of revival, though he privately knew reversing its decline would require a heaven-tier item he would not use.
• Luo Cheng arranged Luo Lin’s funeral, settled Luo State’s affairs, and departed for Haojing to take his father’s place.

At a royal family banquet, Ji Nie insulted Luo Cheng’s ancestor by comparing Duke Wen of Luo to Guo Shifu, prompting Luo Cheng to rebuke the Son of Heaven and defend his ancestral duties. Ji Nie threatened him with a sword but backed down, and Luo Cheng left the palace with his wife after the banquet collapsed into discord.

• Queen Shen Jiang sought Luo Cheng’s support for her son, the Crown Prince, while Queen Mother Qi Jiang welcomed him as a close ally.
• Ji Nie offered Luo Cheng a post in the Grand Historians’ Office and praised Guo Shifu by comparing him to Duke Wen of Luo.
• Luo Cheng condemned the comparison and denounced Guo Shifu as a treacherous flatterer, openly challenging Ji Nie’s judgment.
• Ji Nie drew his sword and threatened to kill Luo Cheng, but Queen Mother Qi Jiang and Queen Shen Jiang urged him to stop.
• Luo Cheng reminded Ji Nie of past kings’ disastrous deeds, and Ji Nie lowered his sword and left the chamber.
• Luo Cheng bowed to the queens and departed the palace with Luo Jiang.

Luo Cheng studied the Royal Domain’s political and military crises and considered gradual reforms to keep the Zhou State from deteriorating further. Records of disasters and dried-up rivers revealed an even graver threat: the Fenghao region might no longer be able to support its people.

• Luo Cheng concluded that Ji Nie’s attacks on the Lineage System and his alienation of Queen Shen Jiang and Crown Prince Yi endangered the royal house.
• Luo Cheng planned to remove Guo Shifu and balance the Royal Domain’s nobles by drawing on support from Shen State, Qi State, and Jin State.
• Luo Cheng read records showing that repeated disasters had driven officials and high ministers to abandon land between Feng and Hao.
• Luo Cheng discovered that earthquakes had changed the courses of the Jing River, Wei River, and Luo River, threatening agriculture, population, and the Royal Domain’s defenses.
• Luo Cheng realized the geographical damage might be beyond his ability to repair and paced his study in alarm.

Bao Si manipulated Ji Nie into deposing Shen Jiang and Crown Prince Ji Yi and installing herself and Prince Fu in their places. Luo Cheng realized the decree had placed the Royal Domain at risk of war with the Shen State and the Dog Rong, so he sent for troops and prepared for the turmoil.

• Bao Si wept to Ji Nie and persuaded him to remove Shen Jiang and Ji Yi, arguing that Shen Jiang and her son threatened her and Prince Fu.
• Ji Nie issued a decree without consulting the lords and ministers, sending Shen Jiang to the cold palace and naming Bao Si queen and Prince Fu crown prince.
• Luo Jiang informed Luo Cheng of the decree, and he concluded that its valid issuance could not be reversed and sent her back to the Luo State for safety.
• Luo Cheng wrote to several lords, urging them to bring troops to defend the king against a possible attack by the Shen State and the Dog Rong.
• Luo Cheng recognized that Ji Nie’s decree had shattered the alliance keeping the Royal Domain’s northwestern frontier secure.

After Ji Nie deposed the queen, Marquis Shen allied with the Western Rong to invade Haojing, while Luo Cheng organized a defense and summoned the Ji lords for aid. The chapter leaves the Royal Domain preparing to face the invasion with only thirty thousand troops, under the command of the overconfident Guo Shifu.

• Marquis Shen condemned Ji Nie’s deposition of Crown Prince Yi and sent an envoy to the Dog Rong seeking troops to attack Haojing.
• The lord of the Dog Rong accepted Marquis Shen’s offer and summoned the Rong tribes to join Shen State’s campaign.
• The Marquis of Jin used the Rites of Zhou to confirm Luo Cheng’s authority as Grand Clan Head to summon Ji lords, then ordered Jin State’s army to march to the king’s aid.
• Marquis Shen and the Rong king advanced toward Haojing, promising one another cooperation while harboring their own aims.
• After warning smoke revealed the invasion, Ji Nie berated Marquis Shen, and Luo Cheng urged the court to focus on defending the Royal Domain.
• Guo Shifu revealed that the Six Armies had only thirty thousand troops, then accepted Ji Nie’s order to command them against Shen and the Rong.

Luo Cheng used the June Snow divine artifact to produce a stone stele warning Marquis Shen that Heaven would punish his rebellion, but Marquis Shen refused to withdraw and prepared to attack Haojing. The chapter ended with the historical record stating that Marquis Shen died at Fenghao.

• Luo Cheng considered using his divine artifacts to stop Marquis Shen, then chose June Snow to frighten him into withdrawing.
• The Shen-Rong allied army reached Haojing before the armies coming to aid the king could arrive, and Ji Nie asked Luo Cheng whether the city could withstand the attack.
• Marquis Shen agreed to meet Luo Cheng, who invoked the Mandate of Heaven and offered to enthrone Crown Prince Yi if Shen withdrew.
• A stone stele appeared outside Marquis Shen's tent, warning that frost would fall in June to reveal Heaven's might.
• Marquis Shen ordered the stele destroyed and refused to abandon his alliance with the Rong People, then advanced toward Haojing.
• The Chronicle recorded that Marquis Shen ignored Heaven's warning and died at Fenghao.

Luo Cheng performed a Heaven-Worship Ceremony that brought June snow and strengthened the Zhou People’s belief in the Mandate of Heaven, while Marquis Shen and the Rong King launched their assault on Haojing. Guo Shifu died in battle, and the Shen-Rong forces eventually broke through the western gate.

• Luo Cheng withdrew his Ancestors' Blessing and performed a Heaven-Worship Ceremony, summoning snow that the Zhou People saw as the Sage King's manifestation.
• Marquis Shen rallied the Shen-Rong alliance with promises of rewards and ordered the assault on Haojing.
• Guo Shifu led a chariot charge that devastated the slave soldiers, then died when hidden archers shot him as he returned toward the city.
• The Shen-Rong forces pressed their siege with slave soldiers, ladders, archers, and a battering ram while the Zhou defenders suffered mounting losses.
• A herald told Ji Nie that the western gate had fallen and Shen's forces had entered Haojing, leaving Luo Cheng to recognize that they had failed to hold the city through the first day.

Luo Cheng arranged for Ji Nie and Bao Si to flee east while he took Crown Prince Fu out through the southern gate. Marquis Shen pursued Ji Nie and had his archers kill him; Bao Si took her own life, leaving Marquis Shen to feign grief and prepare to enthrone Ji Yi.

• Luo Cheng persuaded Ji Nie and Bao Si to flee toward Mount Li while he secretly arranged to rescue Crown Prince Fu separately.
• Luo Cheng escorted Crown Prince Fu through Haojing's southern gate as Marquis Shen's Shen-Rong army seized the city.
• Marquis Shen learned Ji Nie had fled east, left troops to guard the Royal Palace, and led his forces in pursuit.
• Marquis Shen ordered his archers to kill Ji Nie's pursuers while avoiding the Son of Heaven's carriage, but his trusted men targeted Ji Nie.
• Bao Si killed herself, and Ji Nie died in the carriage beneath a volley of arrows.
• Marquis Shen pretended to mourn Ji Nie, blamed the dead Court Eunuch, and planned to return to Haojing to enthrone Ji Yi.

Luo Cheng united the Ji lords behind Crown Prince Ji Fu by presenting him as Ji Nie’s rightful successor and securing their support with promises of land and rank. With Ji Yi enthroned in Haojing, the allied armies marched there, and three forces faced off across the Three Rivers Plain.

• Marquis Shen returned to Haojing with Ji Nie’s and Bao Si’s bodies, falsely declared Ji Fu dead, and forced the nobles to acknowledge Ji Yi as Son of Heaven.
• Luo Cheng reached Lantian with Ji Fu, persuaded the Marquis of Western Zhou and the Count of Zheng to support the crown prince, and encouraged Ji Fu to promise them rewards.
• Luo Cheng advised the relief armies to wait for the northeastern lords, and more than twenty lords later swore an alliance at Tongyi with Ji Fu as their candidate for the throne.
• Scouts reported that Ji Nie and Bao Si were dead and Ji Yi had been installed as king, so the allied lords resolved to march on Haojing.
• The Ji lords’ army reached Haojing while the forces of the Ying Lineage and Si Clan arrived north of Mount Zhongnan, leaving three armies encamped on the Three Rivers Plain.

Marquis Shen's forces fought the King-Protecting Army outside Haojing until Zao Fei killed the Rong King, turning the battle against Shen. As the King-Protecting Army closed in, Haojing's people killed Ji Yi, and Marquis Shen took his own life; Ji Fu stood poised to claim the throne.

• Ji Yi arrested and imprisoned more than a hundred people for criticizing him, while Marquis Shen kept the wavering nobles from leading troops into battle.
• Marquis Shen and the Count of Zheng exchanged accusations before their armies clashed with the King-Protecting Army and Rong forces across the Three Rivers Plain.
• The Count of Zheng and Marquis Shen led elite troops in a fierce struggle, while Ji Fu and Luo Cheng watched the battle become deadlocked.
• Zao Fei seized an opening, shot the Rong King with three arrows, and announced his death; the Rong forces fled as the King-Protecting Army advanced on Marquis Shen.
• Ji Zhao saw purple light gather around Zao Fei and briefly revealed the Heavenly Avatar and Celestial Observatory Platform before withdrawing them.
• The people and nobles of Haojing killed Ji Yi and shut the city gates; trapped between enemies, Marquis Shen's army collapsed, and Marquis Shen slit his throat after the Count of Zheng confronted him.

Ji Fu was crowned king in Haojing, then accepted the feudal lords’ judgments and rewards before deciding to move the Zhou court east to Luoyi. Ji Zhao gained a powerful new item as the kingdom’s history shifted, while Luo Cheng remained in Haojing to oversee the royal domain and prepare people and property for relocation.

• Luo Cheng crowned Ji Fu in a ceremony that stirred the Zhou people and earned Ji Zhao Fortune Points and the Mystic Tier item Loyalty of Pure Blood.
• Ji Fu and the feudal lords assigned condemnatory posthumous names to Ji Nie, Ji Yi, and Marquis Shen, punished Shen’s ruling house, and redistributed territories and titles among the victors.
• The lords and ministers split over whether Ji Fu should remain in Haojing or move to Luoyi, as local nobles feared losing their lands and influence.
• Luo Cheng backed the move east by warning that an army of one hundred thousand could escort Ji Fu safely, and the king’s supporters prevailed.
• Ji Fu appointed Luo Cheng Bearer of the King’s Mandate and chief administrator of Haojing, tasking him with managing the city and preparing royal property and Zhou people for later migration.
• Ji Zhao recognized that the altered events had strengthened Ji Fu’s position compared with the historical account, while the chapter’s closing commentary argued that the move east had resulted from the Zhou royal house’s decline rather than caused it.

Luo Cheng appointed the Count of Qin as Bearer of the King's Mandate and charged him with defending the west and building the Twelve Linked Cities. After returning to Luoyi, Luo Cheng advised Ji Fu and the Dukes of Jin and Zheng on strengthening key states against threats from the Yi, Di, Chu, and Huai Yi.

• Luo Cheng granted the Count of Qin the position of Bearer of the King's Mandate and ordered him to coordinate the western lords in building the Twelve Linked Cities within twenty years.
• Luo Cheng left Haojing and returned to Luoyi, where Ji Fu and the Dukes of Jin and Zheng briefed him on threats from Chu State and the Huai Yi.
• The Duke of Jin reported Chu State's growing influence and the failure of a campaign by the Han-Yang states, while the Duke of Zheng warned of Huai Yi troop movements and possible unrest in Xu State.
• Luo Cheng argued that the Zhou State should strengthen its defenses and support Jin State, while continuing to rely on the Ying Lineage lords against the Western Rong.
• Luo Cheng advised Ji Fu to keep Jin, Zheng, Qi, and Luo States strong, and Ji Fu accepted his counsel.

Luo Cheng warned the Dukes of Jin and Zheng to restore Zhou rites, then advised Ji Fu as attacks erupted across the realm. When the Huai Yi broke through the Han-Yang Ji States and threatened the Royal Domain, Luo Cheng mobilized Zhou and Luo forces to defend Ying State and Xu State.

• Luo Cheng urged the Dukes of Jin and Zheng to secure their successions and uphold the Rites of Zhou before returning to their states to prepare their armies.
• Lai Yi invaded Qi, the Di attacked in the north, Xu proclaimed itself king and fought Song and Chen, and Chu launched an invasion of Shen and Sui.
• Luo Cheng advised Ji Fu to reinforce Song against Xu and explained the dangers posed by Chu and the Huai Yi.
• A bloody dispatch revealed that the Huai Yi had broken through the Han-Yang Ji States and were sailing up the Ying River toward Ying State and Xu State.
• Ji Fu entrusted the crisis to Luo Cheng, who issued a general conscription decree and sent Luo State's elite troops to defend Ying State and Xu State.

Luo Zhongshu rallied the Luo State’s Dare-to-Fight Warriors to retake Xu City, invoking their loyalty to the Sage King and the Zhou State after they balked at sacrificing their lives. The warriors captured the city at terrible cost, but Luo Zhongshu saw the main Huai Yi army advancing along the Ying River.

• Luo Ren questioned Luo Zhongshu about the danger of the Huai Yi war, and Luo Zhongshu realized the Luo Clan’s finest soldiers might be wiped out.
• After an initial failed assault on Xu City, Luo Zhongshu ordered the armies of the Xu State to attack again, but the Hanyang nobles demanded a retreat as casualties mounted.
• Cao Boyun and the Luo soldiers said they could not bear to die protecting the Son of Heaven instead of their lord, so Luo Zhongshu reminded them of their duty as descendants of the Sage King.
• The Luo soldiers renewed their resolve, and Ji Zhao witnessed their bond with the Zhou State strengthen as the ominous cloud above him began to dissipate.
• Luo Zhongshu led the three thousand Dare-to-Fight Warriors in a fierce assault that broke through Xu City’s defenses, allowing the lords’ armies to storm the gates and defeat the Huai Yi.
• Luo Zhongshu mourned the fallen Luo youths on Xu City’s wall and saw the main Huai Yi army advancing along the Ying River.

Luo Cheng sent Luo Yan to Chu to negotiate an alliance against the Huai Yi, and Luo Yan secured Chu’s support through promises of rank, gifts, and marriage. The King of Chu also persuaded Luo Yan to remain in Chu as his son-in-law, while Chu’s forces withdrew from Shen and Sui.

• After losing Ancestors' Blessing, Luo Cheng saw that an alliance with Chu could free Zhou’s allies to fight the Huai Yi, so he sent Luo Yan to Chu.
• The King of Chu welcomed Luo Yan with ceremony, and Luo Yan praised Chu and argued that Chu should not let the Huai Yi threaten the states of All Xia.
• Luo Yan offered Chu the rank of marquis, wealth, and a marriage alliance between the Royal House and Princess Yi Xuan; the King of Chu accepted the proposal.
• The King of Chu asked Luo Yan to marry Princess Yi Guang and stay in Chu, and Luo Yan agreed after saying his father must approve.
• Luo Cheng approved the match, the Royal House sent the wedding procession and Chu’s marquis investiture, and Chu withdrew its armies from Shen and Sui.

Luo Zhongshu held Xu City until reinforcements from Shen, Sui, and Tang arrived, then crushed the Huai Yi army with Chu’s forces attacking from behind. He joined the campaign against the King of Xu, who began retreating, only to discover Wu troops blocking his escape.

• Luo Zhongshu learned that his eldest concubine-born son had died in battle and received a letter saying Chu had allied with Zhou and reinforcements were on the way.
• Luo Zhongshu led the combined armies of the Han-Yang states against the Huai Yi, using fresh troops and chariots to break their formation and pursue them in a devastating rout.
• Luo Zhongshu marched to aid the armies fighting Xu, whose king decided to withdraw after learning of the Huai Yi defeat.
• The King of Xu tried to escape by ferry while leaving a rearguard behind, but Wu troops appeared and blocked his retreat.