Chapter Summaries

After falling gravely ill, Emperor Liu Che arranged for the Crown Prince’s succession and entrusted the Western Regions to Luo Wuji and Liaodong to Huo Qubing. Following Liu Che’s death, the ministers named him Emperor Xiaowu, High Ancestor of Great Han.

• Emperor Liu Che collapsed after a banquet, awoke gravely ill, and asked Wei Zifu to summon his ministers so he could issue final instructions.
• Liu Che appointed Luo Wuji Protector General of the Western Regions and ordered him to establish a new kingdom in the Yi River Valley when he inherited Duke Zhao’s position.
• Liu Che appointed Huo Qubing Protector General of Liaodong, giving him authority over its commanderies, kingdoms, and tribes.
• Liu Che appointed Wei Qing chief minister assisting the Crown Prince and selected other ministers to help the new sovereign govern.
• After Liu Che died, the ministers agreed on the posthumous title Wu and chose the temple name Gaozong, naming him Emperor Xiaowu, High Ancestor of Great Han.

Ji Zhao showed the dying Liu Che a television drama depicting another Emperor Wu of Han in a world without Ji Zhao or the Luo Clan. Liu Che reacted to that life’s victories and failures, then asked whether its events were real; Ji Zhao promised him immortality and a chance to find out.

• Liu Che asked Ji Zhao whether he could attain immortality after death, and Ji Zhao recalled that Qin Zheng had asked the same question.
• Ji Zhao showed Liu Che a drama about another Liu Che, whose world lacked Ji Zhao and the Luo Clan, and Liu Che marveled at the differences between the two Great Hans.
• Liu Che cheered the other world’s campaigns under Huo Qubing and Wei Qing, then grieved over Huo Qubing’s death and criticized the failures that followed.
• Ji Zhao explained how the other Liu Che’s reliance on maternal relatives, the loss of capable generals, and the witchcraft disaster contributed to that Great Han’s decline.
• Liu Che asked whether the other Liu Che’s story had really happened, and Ji Zhao said it might be real or false before promising to grant Liu Che immortality.

Emperor Liu Jin struggled with nightmares and guilt after a disastrous campaign against the Southwestern Yi, while Great Han mourned its losses. Bedridden Duke Zhao Luo Wuji sent Liu Jin advice to restore his prestige without starting another costly war, leaving the emperor in tears.

• Liu Jin woke from a nightmare of dead soldiers accusing him and wept in the empress’s arms.
• Chang'an and Guanzhong mourned the more than two hundred thousand Han soldiers and many nobles killed in the southwestern defeat.
• Liu Jin trembled when he learned Duke Zhao could not come to Chang'an and feared that Heaven no longer favored Great Han.
• Luo Wuji, bedridden in Zhao City, sent Liu Jin a letter urging him to govern according to his strengths and avoid another war.
• Luo Wuji advised Liu Jin to show the realm that he dared to fight while making clear he would not burden the people with further taxes.
• Liu Jin finished reading Luo Wuji’s letter and wept.

After the defeat in the Southern Kingdom, Liu Jin rejected calls to launch another campaign and announced a decade of recovery and military preparation. He ordered a realm-wide self-criticism edict that marked a change from expansion to restoring the country.

• The Great General and the High-ranking Marquises urged Liu Jin to send another army against the Southwestern Yi and Di.
• Sang Hongyang proposed raising military funds through expanded monopolies and a poll tax, but Liu Jin refused to burden the people.
• The Great General accused Liu Jin of betraying the Sage King Sovereign’s principles by accepting the defeat without revenge.
• Liu Jin took responsibility for the army’s defeat and declared that the court would spend ten years rebuilding strength, training troops, and gathering intelligence before another campaign.
• Liu Jin ordered the Chancellor to issue his self-criticism edict throughout the realm and directed the court to restore agriculture, end mass conscription, and maintain only a standing army.
• The ministers accepted Liu Jin’s decree and withdrew, leaving him alone in the Great Hall.

After Emperor Liu Jin issued his edict of self-reproach, Luo Wuji worried that Liu Jin might not recover from his military defeat, while Liu Jin privately struggled with shame and despair. At the first Grand Court Audience afterward, a young official accused the Chancellor of causing the Southern Kingdom campaign's defeat, and the Chancellor denied the charge.

• Luo Wuji told Luo Sheng to have the family watch Chang'an because he feared Liu Jin could not put his setback behind him.
• Liu Jin woke from a nightmare, attacked the air with his sword while vowing revenge on the Southwestern Yi, then tried to reassure himself that he could still redeem his reign.
• At the Grand Court Audience, a young official interrupted Liu Jin and accused the Chancellor of embezzling military supplies and withholding medicine during the Southern Kingdom campaign.
• The Chancellor suspected the Military Merit Nobility had engineered the accusation because he supported Liu Jin's policy of letting the realm recover instead of continuing the war.
• Liu Jin summoned the Chancellor, who denied the charge and demanded justice against the official who had slandered him.

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.