Chapter Summaries

After Eunuch Zhao’s death, Zhang Xing and Bai Yousi moved to secure the Temporary Palace and investigate the deaths and the female assassin’s connection to the True Fire Sect. Bai Yousi took charge with Zhou Xiaoming’s reluctant approval, while Zhang Xing sealed the palace and sent Zhou Xingfan to the armory.

• Bai Yousi asked Zhang Xing whether she had mishandled the situation, and he urged her to take control and investigate rather than retreat or act blindly.
• Zhang Xing laid out a plan to seize the Temporary Palace, demand authority and manpower from Zhou Xiaoming, pursue the female assassin, and examine the palace accounts.
• Bai Yousi told Zhang Xing she had tracked the assassin to Mount Mao and found a True Fire Sect base, then agreed to lead the pursuit while he stayed to inspect the accounts.
• Zhang Xing sent Zhou Xingfan to fetch Han and help open the armory, then ordered the Jinwu Guards, eunuchs, and maids checked and the palace gates sealed.
• Bai Yousi confronted Liao En and secured Zhou Xiaoming’s temporary approval to handle the matter; Zhou Xiaoming then left after learning Zhang Xing had sent his son to the armory.

Zhang Xing investigated the palace’s enormous missing grain stores while Bai Yousi raided True Fire Sect strongholds across the river. After the group settled on an explanation tying the thefts to Director Zhao and the rebels, Zhang Xing asked Bai Yousi to take him flying through the snowy night, and she agreed.

• Zhang Xing audited the palace accounts and discovered that most of its grain stores had vanished, though he could not make sense of why anyone would steal so much grain.
• Bai Yousi returned after fourteen days with seventy-seven captives from seven True Fire Sect strongholds and reported that she had killed fourteen people.
• Zhang Xing, Hu Yan, Qian Tang, and Li Qingchen discussed the grain thefts, Liu Jing’s death, and Director Zhao’s suicide, concluding that Zhao had supplied the rebels across Jiangdong.
• Bai Yousi waited until after the banquet, then answered Zhang Xing’s request to fly with him across the river and admire the snow by agreeing to stay with him through the night.

Zhang Xing explained to Bai Yousi that Jiangdong’s grain shortage and the palace granary scandal grew from officials diverting grain to cover impossible tax demands, rooted in the late emperor’s harsh rule and distorted land records. He left Bai Yousi facing the deeper cause of the unrest: the people had been terrorized by massacres until rebellion meant certain death.

• Zhang Xing took Bai Yousi to the gatehouse roof and described how Great Wei’s regional and social divisions left the south neglected.
• Zhang Xing questioned why the True Fire Temple cared for only twenty-seven abandoned babies and argued that Jiangdong’s grain-relief story did not fit the evidence.
• Zhang Xing explained that Director Zhao and officials from seven commanderies had likely used palace grain to make up their autumn tax deliveries because Jiangdong was short of grain.
• Zhang Xing brought Bai Yousi to Riverheart Islet and had her measure a field that covered less than three mu but was registered as ten mu under the late emperor.
• Zhang Xing linked inflated land and household records, crushing taxes, and past massacres to the people’s fear of rebellion, then asked Bai Yousi what she intended to do.

After Zhang Xing urged Bai Yousi to act on the suffering in Jiangdong without abandoning her principles, they confronted Deputy Regional Commander Zhou Xiaoming about the missing grain and proposed taking it from the Eight Great Families rather than taxing commoners. Zhou Xingfan later delivered a Golden Pi Command Arrow, giving them military authority to proceed.

• Zhang Xing laid out plans for rebellion or limited relief, and Bai Yousi asked him to focus on immediate duties without betraying their principles.
• Bai Yousi and Zhang Xing visited Zhou Xiaoming at dawn and explained that they knew where the Temporary Palace grain had gone and wanted to prevent the people from bearing the loss.
• Zhou Xiaoming said he could not replace the grain with army supplies or avoid imposing the additional burden on the Seven Commanderies.
• Zhang Xing proposed confiscating wealth from the Eight Great Families of Jiangdong instead of taking more from commoners, but Zhou Xiaoming objected.
• Bai Yousi asserted their authority as imperial commissioners and urged Zhou Xiaoming to help with the confiscations, then left after giving Zhou Xingfan until night to persuade his father.
• Zhou Xingfan delivered a Golden Pi Command Arrow that evening.

Zhang Xing surrounded the Yu Clan of Danyang’s estate and demanded grain, money, valuables, and livestock in exchange for sparing the household. Yu Henshui agreed to open the gates before noon, while Zhang revealed that the other great Jiangdong families were being targeted as well.

• Zhang Xing told the Yu Clan’s chief steward that his forces would attack unless an authorized family member came out to negotiate before noon.
• Yu Henshui came out and recognized Zhang Xing, then learned the court needed grain and had chosen to requisition it from Jiangdong’s powerful families.
• Zhang Xing demanded all the Yu Clan’s grain and edible goods, cash, half its gold and silver, heirloom artworks, jewelry, and a fine horse, threatening death for resistance or concealment.
• Yu Henshui asked how Zhang Xing would ensure the confiscation was fair, and Zhang promised to enter with fifty armored soldiers and oversee it publicly.
• Yu Henshui asked whether the other great families were being confiscated too; Zhang Xing confirmed the campaign and named the Huan, Chen, Gu, Wang, and Xie families.
• After Zhang Xing ordered the crossbows readied, the Yu Clan’s gates opened before noon.

Zhang Xing oversaw the Yu Clan’s surrender and confiscation, forcing Yu Jingren and Yu Henshui to hand over a set of paintings and other valuables. After recalling the clan’s founder Yu Xian, he restored order with a killing, mocked the family with a poem on its gate, and sent the Yu relatives to notify the Huan, Xie, and Wang clans of the terms awaiting them.

• Zhang Xing recognized the Yu Clan’s Mount Lu Painting as part of a set and demanded the Mount Fu and Mount Zhe paintings, along with more works.
• Yu Henshui reminded Zhang Xing that their agreement allowed a ten-for-one penalty for handing over the wrong items, and the Yu relatives fetched the requested works.
• Zhang Xing reflected on Yu Xian’s rise and defeat, then ordered Zhou Xingfan to ensure the silver and goods were distributed properly and to kill anyone who caused trouble.
• When a company commander disrupted the distribution, Zhang Xing beheaded him and restored order.
• Zhang Xing inscribed a poem mocking the Yu Clan on its gate and ordered Yu Henshui and Yu Jingren to carry confiscation terms to the Huan, Xie, and Wang clans.

After the Eight Great Families submitted, Zhang Xing finished preparing reports and discussed his plans with Zhou Xingfan, who decided to join him on the journey to the Eastern Capital. Before Zhang Xing could leave for the Spring Fiscal Report, Xie Minghe suddenly abducted him for a tour of Jiangdong.

• The Brocade-clad Patrol Cavalry seized the Eight Great Families’ core residences, secured their submission, and obtained grain and meat that eased Jiangdong’s shortage.
• Zhang Xing explained to Zhou Xingfan how powerful cultivators protected the families from being razed and discussed the roles of cultivation, background, temperament, and knowledge.
• Zhou Xingfan told Zhang Xing that he wanted to join the Brocade-clad Patrol Cavalry and travel with him and Inspector Bai to the Eastern Capital.
• Xie Minghe seized Zhang Xing and announced that he would take him to see Jiangdong’s famous sights without delaying the Spring Fiscal Report.
• Zhou Xingfan ordered the Brocade-clad Patrol Cavalry to fetch Inspector Bai at Jingkou.

Xie Minghe abducted Zhang Xing and took him to the Stone City ruins, where he questioned Zhang Xing’s essay about cultivators and worldly powers. Xie Minghe then demanded a poem about the ruins as punishment for Zhang Xing’s insulting verses about the Xie Family, leaving Zhang Xing waiting anxiously for his judgment.

• Xie Minghe abducted Zhang White Ribbon, prompting Bai Yousi, the Jiangdu Grand Camp, and officials to mobilize while his father offered to meet Duke Lai.
• Xie Minghe examined Zhang Xing’s essay on why powerful cultivators rarely oppose the world’s order, and Zhang Xing explained his reasoning.
• Xie Minghe returned the manuscript and ordered Zhang Xing to compose a poem about the nighttime view of the Stone City ruins.
• Xie Minghe threatened to rinse Zhang Xing in the Great River because his poems and the destruction of the swallows’ nests had insulted the Xie Family.
• Zhang Xing admitted that he had copied the earlier poems from Liu Yuxi, then recited a new poem about the abandoned capital and the Qinhuai moon.
• Xie Minghe stared at Zhang Xing without saying whether the poem was acceptable.

Zhang Xing and Xie Minghe traveled to Phoenix Terrace, where Zhang challenged Xie with a poem and condemned the Jiangdong clans for exploiting the people. Xie released Zhang after they swore brotherhood, and a poem Zhang later gave him moved Xie to tears.

• Xie Minghe took Zhang Xing to Phoenix Terrace after hearing Zhang’s poem about the bygone kingdom.
• Zhang recited a poem about Phoenix Tower and wagered his freedom, but Xie criticized its repeated wording and asked for another.
• Zhang accused Xie and the Eight Great Families of exploiting Jiangdong’s people through usury and by fencing off land.
• Xie acknowledged some of Zhang’s criticism and offered to release him and become his sworn brother if Zhang gave him another poem.
• Zhang and Xie returned to the Xie residence and completed an eight-bow sworn-brotherhood ceremony before the assembled officials and household.
• After Zhang left, Xie read the poem Zhang had written about his twenty-one years away from home and burst into tears.

Zhang Xing explained how he escaped his sworn brother and urged the group to open tidal flats and hills to commoners before leaving Jiangning. The Brocade-clad Patrol Cavalry began transporting grain toward Luokou Granary, but bandits cut off the Huan River, threatening their Spring Fiscal Report deadline.

• Zhang Xing told Li Qingchen and Bai Yousi that he and his sworn brother had talked their way out of their conflict after realizing neither could gain from fighting.
• Zhang Xing proposed tearing down fences and gates on tidal flats and hills and posting tablets to prevent private enclosures, and Bai Yousi agreed.
• The Brocade-clad Patrol Cavalry departed Jiangdu with grain and gifts, accompanied by a flotilla of military, government, and cargo vessels.
• The convoy traveled along the Han Canal and Huai River, then learned that bandits had cut off the Huan River.
• Zhang Xing advised the officials to report the obstruction, request action from their superiors and local authorities, and continue their journey as best they could.

Zhang Xing helped secure the Longwhale Gang’s cooperation and rewarded Zuo You for reporting the bandit threat upstream. As the grain fleet entered the Huanshui, the patrol divided up to guard it, and Zhang Xing questioned the fairness of the grain levy before someone approached their camp.

• The commandery officials pressured Zuo Caihou to provide towmen, and he agreed after meeting Bai Yousi aboard the fleet.
• Zuo You told Zhang Xing that bandits had seized parts of the upper river and that several strongholds in Qiao Commandery threatened the grain fleet.
• Zhang Xing rewarded Zuo You with a horse, a saber, and silver, and the fleet began turning into the Huanshui.
• The patrol assigned Bai Yousi, Hu Yan, and Li Qingchen to cover the fleet while Zhang Xing and Qian Tang guarded its banks.
• Zhang Xing explained to Qin Bao and Zhou Xingfan why he suspected Zuo You, then challenged Qin Bao to consider why people had become bandits and whether the grain levy was just.
• When someone stepped on a warning branch near the camp, Zhang Xing ordered the patrol riders to bring the intruder back and call Bai Yousi if needed.

Zhang Xing hosted Du Pozhen, a suspicious Longwhale Gang man, and let him leave after Qin Bao found no support for him. The chapter ended with Bai Yousi confronting Zhang Xing over a provocative line on a paper she had taken from his robes.

• Du Pozhen approached Zhang Xing’s camp, claimed to be protecting the Longwhale Gang’s ice-breaking crews, and accepted wine and roasted meat by the fire.
• Zhang Xing admitted he had sent Qin Bao to search for Du Pozhen’s support, then told Du Pozhen to leave after Qin Bao returned without finding any.
• Du Pozhen revealed his name and promised to repay Zhang Xing’s hospitality if he ever needed help.
• Qin Bao reported that no Longwhale Gang steward matched Du Pozhen’s description, but Zhang Xing dismissed the concern and let him go.
• Zhang Xing reflected on his disagreement with Qin Bao about rebellion and Great Wei’s prospects while the men sat more quietly around the fire.
• Bai Yousi woke Zhang Xing with a scabbard, showed him the paper she had taken from his robes, and asked whether he meant the line, “If Heaven’s Reliance remains sheathed, what hope have the common people?”; Zhang Xing said he was joking.

Zhang Xing and Bai Yousi discussed rebellion, the meaning of putting people first, and whether Great Wei could still be saved; Zhang Xing agreed to keep serving the people while warning Bai Yousi to prepare if the realm proved doomed. As the fleet entered the shallow Huan River, its long, vulnerable formation left the escort and officials fearing the bandits could strand them.

• Zhang Xing described his joke plan to foment a rebellion and admitted he wanted to return to the Eastern Capital, rise in rank, and build his reputation.
• Zhang Xing questioned whether famine victims who became bandits stopped counting as people, and Bai Yousi argued that Great Wei might still be saved.
• Zhang Xing accepted Bai Yousi's reasoning but urged her to prepare if their efforts could not prevent Great Wei from collapsing.
• At dawn, Zhang Xing and Bai Yousi resumed their journey without mentioning their conversation, and the fleet entered the Huan River.
• The fleet stretched for more than ten li through the shallow river, prompting Bai Yousi to send another messenger to the Eastern Capital as the patrol and officials feared the bandits could dam the river and strand them.

As the fleet entered Pengcheng Commandery, Zhang Xing returned with news that the route would become dangerous beyond Linhuan and proposed seeking help from the three thousand troops stationed in Chengfu. Bai Yousi sent him to negotiate with the army and urged him to protect the grain while treating the trackers and icebreakers fairly.

• The fiscal-report clerks begged Bai Yousi for protection, but Zhang Xing arrived and reassured them that the fleet would be safe near Guyang, Qi, and Linhuan.
• Zhang Xing explained that the Whale Gang and tens of thousands of mountain bandits could attack the fleet after Linhuan by damming the Huan River near Mount Ji.
• Zhang Xing identified three thousand armored troops stationed in Chengfu as the force that might help protect the convoy.
• Bai Yousi told Zhang Xing to exchange flanks with Qian Tang and take Qin Erlang and Zhou Xingfan to negotiate with the Chengfu troops.
• Zhang Xing warned Bai Yousi not to trust the Whale Gang and asked her to feed and pay the trackers and icebreakers well, and spare them unless they joined the bandits.

Zhang Xing arrived at Longgang Stockade to meet Chen Ling and discuss opening a shop in Metasequoia Forest, but Chen Ling left him waiting and then demanded payment for a storefront. Zhang Xing revealed that the silver bundle belonged to Zhou Xingfan and had him present a calligraphy copybook while naming his powerful father, leaving Chen Ling speechless.

• Zhang Xing and his party reached Longgang Stockade and asked to meet its commander, Chen Ling.
• Chen Ling's clerk left Zhang Xing waiting until night, though the stockade's servants brought them dinner and wine.
• Chen Ling received Zhang Xing without standing and demanded a hundred taels for a large storefront in Metasequoia Forest.
• Zhang Xing had Zhou Xingfan bring the silver bundle and present a General Wang calligraphy copybook to Chen Ling.
• Zhou Xingfan identified himself as the son of Zhou Xiaoming, deputy Regional Commander of Jiangdu, and asked Chen Ling for the storefront, leaving the general unable to respond.

Zhang Xing failed to secure more than a hundred soldiers from Chen Ling, so he investigated the general’s interests and used force against his businesses at Metasequoia Forest to pressure him. He confronted Zuo You and asked for news from Mount Ji and Mount Dang.

• Zhang Xing asked Chen Ling to protect Bai Yousi’s grain convoy, but Chen Ling offered only a hundred soldiers and refused to deploy more without orders.
• Zhang Xing and the Patrol Cavalry discussed how to pressure Chen Ling, then spent three days gathering intelligence while awaiting a court reply.
• Qin Bao learned that Chen Ling controlled many businesses at Metasequoia Forest, including Clearwind Tower, gambling houses, and an unlicensed brothel.
• Zhang Xing staged a public complaint about cold wine and ordered Qin Bao and the others to smash Chen Ling’s businesses while he seized the brothel and distributed food and money to its women.
• Zhang Xing recognized Zuo You and asked him to share any fresh news from Mount Ji or Mount Dang.

Zhang Xing learned that the Mount Dang bandits were preparing to seize the grain convoy and persuaded Zuo You to abandon General Chen’s message to them. After Zhang Xing disrupted Chen Ling’s businesses, Chen invited him to a banquet and revealed his family’s Dragon-Bone Golden Awls, hinting at the lengths taken to preserve the Zhongli Chen Clan.

• Zuo You told Zhang Xing that thirteen leaders at Mount Dang had reunited to rob the grain convoy, and that Du Pozhen was among them.
• Zuo You admitted that Chen Ling had sent him to tell Mount Dang not to cross to the western bank of the Huan River, and Zhang Xing convinced him not to deliver the message.
• Zhang Xing gave Zuo You a farewell gift and continued punishing Chen Ling’s businesses, while Chen Ling’s nearby troops made no move against him.
• On the road back to Longgang Stockade, Zhang Xing reflected that few people were truly committed to protecting the convoy and preventing the conflict from worsening.
• Chen Ling invited Zhang Xing to a private banquet, praised his tactics, and revealed a golden Dragon-Bone Awl from his family’s collection of thirty-seven.
• Chen Ling said he valued the survival of the Zhongli Chen Clan above its possessions and asked Zhang Xing if he knew how the awls had been obtained.

Zhang Xing failed to persuade Chen Ling to send troops, then realized Chen had refused because he wanted to protect Jiang-Huai’s local forces and was preparing for renewed disorder. Zhang Xing proposed going to Mount Dang with Qin Er to draw the bandits together so Sima Zheng could compel Chen Ling to confront them, and Bai Yousi considered his request for the golden awl.

• Chen Ling told Zhang Xing the Chen Clan’s history and ancestral precepts, then refused to deploy troops without an authoritative order from the court.
• Zhang Xing left Longgang with three hundred armored troops, and his companions offered comfort when he returned to the fleet.
• Sima Zheng arrived with the Crouching Dragon Guard and warned that the bandits could cause a disaster, while questioning how quickly the Ministry of War’s dispatch had arrived.
• Zhang Xing questioned Zhou Xingfan and concluded that Chen Ling’s real foundation was Jiang-Huai’s local powers and that he was following the Chen Clan’s precept to prioritize military strength amid coming disorder.
• Zhang Xing told Bai Yousi that Chen Ling wanted to keep the Mount Dang forces intact, and proposed that he and Qin Er stir up the bandits so Chen Ling would have to march against them under Sima Zheng’s watch.

Zhang Xing and Qin Bao entered Mount Dang disguised as poor fighters and paid Cook Fan Laoliu for food and information about the mountain’s leaders. After learning the factions’ strengths and hearing that Zhao Pozhen was among the new bosses, Zhang Xing chose to meet Boss Zhang of Immortal Cave and share the remaining broth with hungry girls.

• Zhang Xing and Qin Bao rode into Mount Dang, found its impoverished market, and questioned Cook Fan Laoliu about food and how to join a stronghold.
• Zhang Xing and Qin Bao paid Fan Laoliu for a meal and detailed information about the mountain’s bosses and factions.
• Fan Laoliu described Boss Zhou’s dominance, Lou Huan’s strength, and the precarious position of weaker leaders, while warning the newcomers against provoking powerful bosses.
• Zhang Xing recognized Zhao Pozhen as one of the newly arrived leaders, and Fan Laoliu confirmed it and cautioned him against stirring up trouble.
• Zhang Xing asked Fan Laoliu to bring the hungry girls to share the broth before he and Qin Bao went to meet Boss Zhang of Immortal Cave.

Zhang Xing and Qin Bao entered Immortal Cave, where Zhang Xing used news of the convoy’s hidden treasure to challenge Boss Zhang and seize control of the bandit stronghold. The chapter ended with the cave’s men accepting Zhang Xing as their new chief, Qin Bao as second chief, and Fan the Cook as third.

• Fan the Cook led Zhang Xing and Qin Bao into Immortal Cave and pointed out Boss Zhang and his followers.
• Zhang Xing and Qin Bao introduced themselves to Boss Zhang’s gathering, and Zhang Xing claimed he had left the Jing'an Directorate to pursue a fortune.
• Zhang Xing revealed that a million strings’ worth of gold and silk were being moved secretly overland from the convoy and said he knew the route and approximate timing.
• Boss Zhang refused to take responsibility for Zhang Xing’s proposal and suggested sending him to Boss Zhou, prompting Zhang Xing and Qin Bao to confront him.
• Zhang Xing overpowered Boss Zhang in a contest of true qi and killed him, while Qin Bao and Fan the Cook kept the other men from intervening.
• Zhang Xing declared himself chief, named Qin Bao second chief and Fan the Cook third, and the men of Immortal Cave accepted the new leadership.