Recaps

Lu Weiwei visited Lady Li at Chen Family Cove, and Lady Li and Ding Youwei recognized her affection for Chen Caozhi despite the gap between their families. After Lu Weiwei admired Chen Caozhi’s paintings, she prepared to climb Nine Luminaries Mountain with him and the children.

• Zongzhi and Run'er finished their calligraphy practice before greeting Lu Weiwei, who had come to visit Lady Li.
• Lu Weiwei told Lady Li that Chen Caozhi had guided her in painting and flower cultivation, and Lady Li thanked her for traveling to see her.
• Chen Caozhi and Ding Chunqiu agreed to delay their departure until the heat eased, while Lady Li and Ding Youwei discussed Lu Weiwei’s apparent love for Chen Caozhi and the obstacles to their marriage.
• Zongzhi and Run'er showed Lu Weiwei Chen Caozhi’s sketches, where she recognized a drawing of her own hair and gold hairpin.
• Lu Weiwei asked to climb Nine Luminaries Mountain, and after she asked to bring Zongzhi and Run'er, Ding Youwei let the children accompany her.

Chen Caozhi and Lu Weiwei climbed Nine Luminaries Mountain, where they shared an affectionate moment and he played her a tune before she left with Ding Youwei. Chen Caozhi escorted them to Maple Forest Ferry, where Lu Weiwei asked him to finish her portrait before they parted.

• Chen Caozhi invited Ding Youwei and Lu Weiwei to climb Nine Luminaries Mountain with him and the children.
• On the mountain path, Lu Weiwei told Chen Caozhi she had come without her father's permission and expected him to visit for her birthday.
• At the summit, Chen Caozhi kissed Lu Weiwei's hand and played the Keting Flute for her and Ding Youwei.
• Ding Youwei invited Lu Weiwei to stay at the Ding Clan Villa, and the women said farewell to Lady Li before departing.
• Chen Caozhi walked with the party to Maple Forest Ferry, where Lu Weiwei asked him to complete her portrait before crossing the river.

Ding Chunqiu revealed that Lu Weiwei loved Chen Caozhi, ending his parents’ hopes of arranging her marriage to him. Lu Weiwei confided her fears to Ding Youwei, who explained Chen Caozhi’s efforts to gain gentry status, and Lu vowed to wait for him.

• Ding Yi and Wu considered seeking Lu Weiwei’s hand for Ding Chunqiu after she arrived at the Ding Clan Villa.
• Ding Chunqiu told his parents that Lu Weiwei wanted to marry Chen Caozhi and had visited Chen Caozhi’s mother, prompting Ding Yi to order them to keep quiet and watch events unfold.
• Lu Weiwei told Ding Youwei she feared being separated from Chen Caozhi and facing future marriage proposals.
• Ding Youwei explained that Chen Caozhi was working to enter the Gentry Register, which could make his marriage to Lu Weiwei more acceptable.
• Lu Weiwei promised Ding Youwei that she would wait two or three years for Chen Caozhi and marry no one else if she could not marry him.

After Lu Weiwei’s visit, Chen Caozhi’s mother rejected marriage proposals and accepted that he hoped to marry Lu Weiwei, while Chen Caozhi corresponded with Xie Daoyun. Chen Shang returned from Jiankang with news that Jia Bizhi and Xi Chao had devised a plan for the Qiantang Chen Clan and other fallen northern clans to regain gentry status, and the effort moved toward Jiankang.

• Lady Li rejected the matchmakers who sought Chen Caozhi’s hand and adopted Feng Lingbo as her daughter.
• Chen Caozhi received Xie Daoyun’s letter and painting, then sent her his writing and a go problem.
• Chen Shang told Chen Caozhi that Jia Bizhi planned to help several fallen northern clans jointly seek admission to the Gentry Register, with Xi Chao supporting the Qiantang Chen Clan.
• Chen Shang explained that he would invite Sun Tai to join the effort and that Chen Xian had ordered the clan to keep the plan secret until success was certain.
• Chen Shang met Sun Tai and Du Zigong, who agreed to accompany them to Jiankang the next day to pursue restoration of their clans’ gentry status.

Chen Caozhi cared for his ailing mother and missed his planned visit to Lu Weiwei, learning that her brother was gravely ill. Chen Shang then told him that the Qiantang Chen Clan’s bid for admission to the Gentry Register depended on Chen Caozhi traveling to Jiankang to be judged.

• Chen Caozhi gathered wild hawthorns and made pills for Lady Li, whose health continued to decline.
• After the Qiqiao Festival rain cleared, Xiao Chan and Qingzhi worshipped the Weaver Girl, while Chen Caozhi thought of Lu Weiwei.
• Lady Li caught a cold, and Chen Caozhi stayed home to care for her, sending Lai De and Ran Sheng to Huating with a letter and painting for Lu Weiwei.
• Lai De and Ran Sheng returned with Lu Weiwei’s letter, which revealed that her brother was gravely ill and her family was in turmoil.
• Chen Shang told Chen Caozhi that the six clans’ Gentry Register applications had stalled and that their young men would be examined in Jiankang.
• Chen Shang urged Chen Caozhi to go to Jiankang, saying his talent could help secure the Qiantang Chen Clan’s admission.

Chen Caozhi refused to travel to Jiankang while his mother was gravely ill, but sent Chen Shang with his three Xuanxue treatises and a letter for Commissioner Lu. As autumn passed, his mother’s health remained poor, and Gu Kaizhi, Xu Miao, Liu Shangzhi, and Ding Chunqiu arrived to visit him.

• Chen Caozhi told Chen Shang he would stay home to care for his mother, then prepared Three Treatises on Xuan at Mingsheng Lake for Chen Shang to deliver to Sima Yu.
• Chen Caozhi warned Chen Shang that Xie Wan’s northern expedition would fail and asked him to deliver a letter to the bedridden Young Master Lu.
• Chen Shang left for Jiankang carrying Chen Caozhi’s treatises and letter.
• Lady Li’s health continued to decline, and she envied the healthy baby born to Lai Zhen’s wife.
• Gu Kaizhi, Xu Miao, Liu Shangzhi, and Ding Chunqiu arrived at Chen Family Cove, greeted Lady Li, and joined Chen Caozhi for a meal.
• Gu Kaizhi said he would stay for a month and use Run’er as the model for a dragon maiden in his temple murals.

Chen Caozhi reunited with Liu Shangzhi, Gu Kaizhi, Xu Miao, and Ding Chunqiu and learned of Lu Changsheng’s death and Liu Shangzhi’s resignation. The visit ended with Gu Kaizhi preparing to paint Run’er and Liu Shangzhi telling Chen Caozhi that Lu Weiwei still held him in her heart, leaving Chen Caozhi silently grieving their separation.

• Liu Shangzhi told Chen Caozhi that Lu Changsheng had died, Commissioner Lu had resigned, and Chu Jian had made Liu’s work difficult, prompting him to resign.
• Gu Kaizhi invited Liu Shangzhi and Chen Caozhi to seek posts in Jingzhou, but Chen Caozhi said he had to stay to care for his mother.
• Gu Kaizhi praised Chen Caozhi’s paintings, showed him two of his own works, and explained the history depicted in Weeping Together at New Pavilion to Run’er.
• Run’er said she wanted to be herself, and Gu Kaizhi eagerly began preparing to paint her.
• Liu Shangzhi told Chen Caozhi that Lu Weiwei had said her heart could not be turned and asked him to take good care of his mother.
• Chen Caozhi stood gazing into the sky and silently recited a poem about an unchanging heart.

Xu Miao and Gu Kaizhi stayed at Chen Family Cove, where they admired Xie Daoyun’s painting and urged Chen Caozhi to invite the Zhu brothers. Their gathering was interrupted by news that Chen Liu had killed Clerk Lu and himself, followed by a menacing crowd arriving outside the fort.

• Chen Caozhi arranged for Xu Miao and Gu Kaizhi to stay on the third floor, and Liu Shangzhi returned home after promising to visit again.
• Gu Kaizhi examined Xie Daoyun’s Go Match Beneath the Pines and praised its brushwork and atmosphere.
• At Xu Miao and Gu Kaizhi’s urging, Chen Caozhi wrote to invite the Zhu brothers and sent Lai Zhen to deliver the letter to Master Xie Xuan.
• Gu Kaizhi painted Run’er while Chen Caozhi studied his portrait technique and Lady Li enjoyed the gathering of friends.
• A servant reported that Chen Liu had killed Clerk Lu and then taken his own life, so Chen Caozhi prepared to accompany Chen Man to the county town.
• Ran Sheng warned Chen Caozhi that a large, menacing crowd carrying clubs and fishing forks had gathered outside the fort.

Chen Caozhi’s household repelled the Lu Clan tenants and captured Lu Jun, then Chen Caozhi urged Wang De Yi to investigate the Lu Clan’s abuses before leaving office. The chapter ended with Wang De Yi agreeing to pursue the case despite the pressure surrounding the temporary appointment of Chu Wenqian.

• Chen Caozhi told Ran Sheng to repel the Lu Clan tenants without hurting them, and Ran Sheng routed the mob, beat Lu Jun, and captured him.
• Chen Caozhi kept Lu Jun bound at Chen Family Cove until Prefect Wang arrived, while he went upstairs to reassure his sick mother, Lady Li.
• Wang De Yi arrived with County Commandant Wu and Ding Yi, and Chen Caozhi explained the attack and asked how Lu Jun should be dealt with.
• When Chu Wenqian’s appointment as temporary magistrate came up, Chen Caozhi urged Wang De Yi to investigate the Lu Clan’s fraudulent gentry registration, land seizures, and tax evasion.
• Ding Yi backed Chen Caozhi’s demand for an investigation, and Wang De Yi decided to pursue the case.

Chen Caozhi settled Chen Liu’s funeral affairs as the Lu Clan’s crimes brought its downfall, then welcomed Dai Kui and Xie Xuan to Chen Family Cove. Xie Xuan told him that Xie Yuzhou had been defeated in Huainan and that he was leaving for Jiankang with his family, bringing their meeting to a farewell.

• Chen Man learned from Chen Liu’s final letter that his son regretted conspiring against Chen Caozhi, and Chen Caozhi agreed to let Chen Liu be buried in the Chen graveyard after Fourth Uncle returned.
• Wang Deyi’s investigation established the Lu Clan’s fraud and land seizures, leading to confiscations, forced labor, and the clan’s loss of its power; Chu Wenqian inherited a weakened position as county magistrate.
• Chen Caozhi stayed home with his elderly mother while Lai Zhen returned with Dai Kui and Xie Xuan, who revealed that he had been posing as Zhu Yingting.
• Gu Kaizhi admired Dai Kui’s paintings, including “Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove” and “Illustration of the Rhapsody on the Southern Capital,” and praised Dai’s skill.
• Xie Xuan told Chen Caozhi that Xie Yuzhou had been routed in Huainan and that Xie An was in Jiankang handling the aftermath.
• Xie Xuan said he was traveling to Jiankang with his sister and cousins to live in Wuyi Lane, and bid Chen Caozhi farewell.

Chen Caozhi declined to travel to Jiankang because his mother was ill, and spent time with Xie Xuan, Dai Kui, and Gu Kaizhi at Chen Family Cove. After Xie Daoyun arrived dressed as a man, Chen Caozhi greeted her as Brother Yingtai.

• Xie Xuan asked Chen Caozhi whether he and Xie Daoyun had made promises, and Chen Caozhi said they had only pledged lifelong friendship as brothers.
• Xie Xuan told Chen Caozhi that the Qiantang Chen Clan might enter the Gentry Register, but Chen Caozhi refused to travel to Jiankang while his mother was unwell.
• Dai Kui praised Chen Caozhi's painting and taught him principles of brushwork and composition.
• Chen Caozhi played the flute for Lady Li, then Dai Kui played the zither piece “Fisherman” for her at Chen Caozhi's request.
• Dai Kui departed for Shan River, while Xie Xuan stayed at Chen Family Cove awaiting the Xie Clan's boat.
• Xie Daoyun arrived at Chen Family Cove dressed as a man, and Chen Caozhi greeted her as Brother Yingtai.

Xie Daoyun visited Chen Family Cove before moving her household to Jiankang, and spent a final night with Chen Caozhi and their friends. Their night of conversation ended with Xie Daoyun and Xie Xuan defeating Chen Caozhi and Xu Miao in a debate about silence and knowledge.

• Xie Daoyun arrived at Chen Family Cove and told Xie Xuan that their household would leave for Jiankang the next day.
• Xie Daoyun learned that Chen Caozhi had chosen to remain with his aging mother rather than travel to Jiankang, and the group climbed Nine Luminaries Mountain together.
• Xie Daoyun, Chen Caozhi, and Gu Kaizhi agreed to paint landscape scrolls of Qiantang, while Xie Daoyun asked Chen Mother, Lady Li, to let her spend the night talking with Chen Caozhi.
• Gu Kaizhi and Xu Miao joined Chen Caozhi and Xie Daoyun for an all-night gathering of poetry, Go, and debate, with Xie Xuan also taking part in the debate.
• Xie Daoyun and Xie Xuan exposed a weakness in Xu Miao's argument about the Dao De Jing, and Chen Caozhi and Xu Miao lost the debate.

While Chen Caozhi played Go with Xie Daoyun and the others debated upstairs, Lady Li spoke privately with Xiao Chan about marriage and Xiao Chan’s feelings for Caozhi. After Xiao Chan admitted she wanted to stay by his side, Lady Li ordered her to share his room starting the next day.

• Chen Caozhi and Xie Daoyun played Go while Xu Miao and Xie Xuan continued their debate in the study.
• Xiao Chan went downstairs to keep Lady Li company and heard that Lai De’s family hoped to arrange a marriage with her or Qingzhi.
• Lady Li told Xiao Chan she would not force her to marry Lai De and asked her to care for Caozhi instead.
• Xiao Chan admitted that she liked Caozhi and wanted to remain by his side.
• Lady Li ordered Xiao Chan to begin sharing a room with Caozhi the next day.

Chen Caozhi and Xie Daoyun shared a tender farewell before she and Xie Xuan departed for Jiankang, leaving him with Cao'e Stele rubbings and memories of their night together. That night, Chen Mother made him promise to keep Xiao Chan by his side and let her care for him.

• Xie Daoyun and Chen Caozhi spoke privately about friendship, marriage, and their uncertain future before Chen Caozhi played her a flute tune called “Spring Always Remains.”
• Xie Daoyun gave Chen Caozhi two Cao'e Stele rubbings she had made for him and left for Jiankang with Xie Xuan.
• Liu Shangzhi arrived after the Xie siblings had departed, and Chen Caozhi redirected him to admire Wang Youjun's Cao'e Stele rubbing.
• Chen Caozhi found Chen Mother awake at midnight, and she insisted that Xiao Chan stay by his side to care for him.
• Chen Caozhi reluctantly promised Chen Mother that he would treat Xiao Chan well and keep her with him.

Chen Caozhi and his friends visited Chuyangtai Taoist Monastery, shared their ambitions, and learned that the Qiantang Chen Clan’s bid to enter the Gentry Register remained uncertain. During a farewell banquet for Gu Kaizhi and Xu Miao, Chen Caozhi’s mother suddenly fainted, and Chen Xian urged him to seek help from Daoist Master Du.

• Chen Caozhi accompanied Xu Miao, Gu Kaizhi, Liu Shangzhi, and Ding Chunqiu to Chuyangtai Taoist Monastery, where they discussed their ambitions and viewed Ge Hong’s library.
• Chen Xian returned from Jiankang and told Chen Caozhi that the clan’s admission to the Gentry Register was uncertain, though Grand Minister Sima Yu had praised Chen Caozhi’s writings and invited him to visit.
• Ding Yi predicted that the Qiantang Chen Clan would fail to enter the gentry, while Ding Chunqiu repeated Chen Caozhi’s ambition to Ding Youwei without mentioning the clan’s prospects.
• Chen Xian hosted a farewell banquet for Gu Kaizhi and Xu Miao before their departure, but Xiao Chan interrupted to report that Lady Li had fainted.
• Chen Caozhi carried his weak mother back to her room, and Chen Xian urged him to invite Daoist Master Du to examine her the next day.

Chen Caozhi sought Du Zigong’s help for his gravely ill mother, Lady Li, but Du warned that her life was near its end. As Lady Li prepared her family for her death, Chen Caozhi played her favorite tunes beneath the warm winter sun, and she closed her eyes peacefully.

• Chen Caozhi stayed beside Lady Li while Gu Kaizhi went to fetch Du Zigong, who performed a ritual and told Chen Caozhi that his mother would not survive the gui day.
• Chen Caozhi’s friends remained at Chen Family Cove to support him as he kept vigil over Lady Li.
• Lady Li made Xiao Chan promise to help manage the household and told Chen Caozhi’s relatives to arrange a modest burial.
• Chen Caozhi carried Lady Li to the terrace, where she enjoyed the sunshine and asked him to play for her.
• Chen Caozhi played “Remembering an Old Friend” and “Green Lotus Melody” as Lady Li listened with a smile and slowly closed her eyes.

Ding Youwei defied Ding Yi and fled with Ding Chunqiu for Chen Family Cove, determined to stay and care for her gravely ill mother-in-law. As Ding Yi’s retainers caught up near the cove, she heard sounds of grief, cried out for her mother, and fainted before reaching the gates.

• Feng Mengxiong arrived at Maple Forest Ferry with Sun Shi and Feng Lingbo, where they encountered Ding Yi pursuing Ding Youwei toward Chen Family Cove.
• Ding Chunqiu told Ding Youwei that Chen Mother, Lady Li, was gravely ill, and helped her arrange to leave Ding Clan Villa despite Ding Yi’s refusal.
• Ding Youwei left with several trunks and traveled with Ding Chunqiu toward Chen Family Cove, intending not to return to the villa.
• Ding Yi caught up with the carts and sent four retainers to intercept Ding Youwei before she reached Chen Family Cove.
• Ding Youwei sent A Xiu ahead to summon Chen Caozhi, then collapsed and fainted after hearing cries of grief from the cove.

After Chen Mother, Lady Li, died, Ding Youwei defied Ding Yi and insisted on remaining at Chen Family Cove to mourn her. Chen Caozhi confronted Ding Yi and persuaded him to accept her choice, while declaring that the Qiantang Chen Clan would regain its gentry standing.

• Ding Youwei refused to return to the Ding Clan Villa and said she would stay to care for Agu, but she collapsed when mourners emerged from Chen Family Cove.
• Ding Youwei reunited with Zongzhi and Run'er, and Chen Caozhi led them out to face Ding Yi as Ran Sheng joined the confrontation.
• Ding Yi offered to let Ding Youwei attend the mourning rites but insisted she return to the Ding Clan afterward.
• Ding Youwei declared she would never leave Chen Family Cove, and Chen Caozhi warned Ding Yi that he would appeal to officials if the Ding Clan tried to take her away.
• Chen Caozhi declared that the Qiantang Chen Clan would regain its gentry standing, prompting Ding Yi to relent and arrange funeral offerings for Chen Mother, Lady Li.

After Lady Li’s death, Chen Caozhi and his family observed mourning while Qiantang’s clans watched the Chen Clan’s political fortunes. At Lady Li’s funeral, Duan Chu arrived in mourning on behalf of the Wu Commandery Lu Clan.

• Feng Lingbo decided to wear unhemmed sackcloth and mourn Lady Li alongside Chen Caozhi and Ding Youwei.
• Chen Caozhi persuaded Zongzhi and Run'er to eat porridge after explaining that Lady Li’s spirit would want them to stay healthy, and told them she had become a star watching over them.
• Ding Yi and several prominent Qiantang clans sent condolences to Chen Family Cove, while Chu Wenqian plotted to suppress the Chen Clan.
• Chen Caozhi and hundreds of mourners escorted Lady Li’s coffin toward her burial site at Jade Emperor Mountain on the first day of the twelfth month.
• Chen Mo told Chen Caozhi that the Wu Commandery Lu Clan had sent someone to assist with the burial, and Chen Caozhi recognized the approaching mourner as Duan Chu.

After Lady Li’s funeral, Chen Caozhi began his two-year mourning vigil at her grave on Jade Emperor Mountain. Duan Chu revealed that Lu Weiwei had grieved for him and sent paintings to comfort her, while Chen’s friends and family departed, leaving Liu Shangzhi to keep him company.

• Chen Caozhi buried Lady Li beside his father and elder brother, then settled into the thatched huts to keep watch over her grave for two years.
• Duan Chu told Chen Caozhi that Lu Weiwei had mourned his mother’s death but could not attend because she was mourning her own elder brother.
• Chen Caozhi sent Lu Weiwei a portrait and the landscape scroll “Autumn at Mingsheng Lake” with Duan Chu.
• Xu Miao and Gu Kaizhi visited Chen Caozhi at the cemetery the next morning, listened as he played the flute for his mother, and said farewell before departing.
• Ding Youwei brought Zongzhi and Run’er to visit Chen Caozhi, and Liu Shangzhi stayed behind to accompany him and seek his advice.
• Chen Caozhi resolved to follow the full mourning rites and devote his time at the grave to study while grieving for his mother.

During his mourning, Chen Caozhi continued his studies and received news that his writings and Xie Xuan’s praise had given the Qiantang Chen Clan a chance at admission to the Gentry Register. The chapter ended with Chen Xian confronting him about rumors of a clandestine affair with Lu Na’s daughter.

• Chen Caozhi settled into mourning at his mother’s grave, keeping up his studies and planting trees around his family’s graves.
• Chen Caozhi borrowed books from Master Ge’s collection and taught Ran Sheng military treatises, while Liu Shangzhi, Ding Chunqiu, and Ding Youwei’s children visited him.
• Ding Youwei learned that Chen Caozhi had devised the household’s bookkeeping system and agreed with Xiao Chan to delay arranging matters with Qingzhi until his mourning ended.
• Chen Shang returned from Jiankang and told Chen Caozhi that Xie Xuan and Xie Anshi had praised him, making the Qiantang Chen Clan’s admission to the Gentry Register more hopeful, though no decision had been reached.
• Chen Shang gave Chen Caozhi a letter from Xie Daoyun, and Chen Xian then asked him about rumors that he was having a clandestine affair with Lu Na’s daughter.

Chen Caozhi told Chen Xian that he intended to marry Lu Weiwei and explained why he believed the Chen Clan could rise in status despite the obstacles. After Chen Xian agreed not to pressure him, Chen Caozhi read Xie Daoyun’s grief-filled letter and worried about both her future marriage and the rumors’ effect on Lu Weiwei.

• Chen Xian questioned Chen Caozhi about rumors of his relationship with a Lu Clan lady, and Chen Caozhi openly confirmed that he and Lu Weiwei loved each other and intended to marry.
• Chen Xian warned that the Lu Clan’s status made the marriage difficult, but Chen Caozhi argued that the Chen Clan could enter the gentry register and gain support from Grand Marshal Huan.
• Chen Caozhi told Chen Xian to let the rumors spread while directing suspicion toward the Chu Clan, and Chen Xian returned to Chen Family Cove reassured.
• Chen Caozhi opened Xie Daoyun’s letter, sealed with pine resin, and wept as he read her words of sympathy for his mother’s death.
• Chen Caozhi reflected on Xie Daoyun’s likely marriage to Wang Ningzhi and worried that the rumors would expose Lu Weiwei to pressure from her clan, though he believed she would remain steadfast.

As Lu Weiwei faced Zhang Wenwan’s questions about rumors linking her to Chen Caozhi, Chen Caozhi kept vigil at his mother’s grave through the winter and prepared to spend New Year’s Eve there. The chapter left him hurrying to meet Run’er and Zongzhi as they arrived in the falling snow.

• After a heavy snowfall, Lu Weiwei visited Lu Na, who offered to take her to see the plum blossoms, but Zhang Wenwan cautioned against the icy mountain path.
• Zhang Wenwan questioned Duan Chu about Lu Weiwei’s visits to Qiantang and warned her that servants could be punished if the Lu Clan’s reputation was damaged.
• Zhang Wenwan confronted Lu Weiwei about rumors of a secret affair with Chen Caozhi; Lu Weiwei denied romantic feelings and suggested the rumors were meant to harm the family.
• Six hundred li away, Chen Caozhi swept snow from his mother’s grave while Ran Sheng hunted a water deer.
• On New Year’s Eve, Chen Caozhi remained at the graveyard as Ran Sheng lamented their lonely holiday and the missing New Year cakes.
• Run’er and Zongzhi arrived through the snow, and Chen Caozhi told Ran Sheng to meet them carefully on the icy mountain path.

Chen Caozhi spent New Year's Eve in mourning with Ding Youwei and the children on Jade Emperor Mountain, then continued keeping vigil at his mother's grave. In spring, Xu Zao visited to propose a marriage between Xu Miao and Feng Mengxiong's daughter Lingbo, while Chen Shang returned from Jiankang with news of an unexplained event.

• Chen Caozhi helped Ding Youwei and the others climb the snowy mountain, where they spent New Year's Eve together and welcomed the fourth year of Shengping.
• Chen Caozhi attended the ancestral rites with Ding Youwei's family, then stayed on Jade Emperor Mountain to keep vigil at his mother's grave while Chen Shang went to Jiankang with Sun Tai.
• Liu Shangzhi visited Chen Caozhi on the twenty-fourth day of the second month, and Xu Zao arrived with Chen Xian and Feng Mengxiong to pay respects at Chen Caozhi's mother's grave.
• Xu Zao asked Feng Mengxiong for his daughter Lingbo's hand in marriage on Xu Miao's behalf, and Chen Caozhi congratulated them on the match.
• Liu Shangzhi asked Xu Zao about the leadership of Wu Commandery, and Xu Zao said Lu Weiwei had been summoned to serve as Minister of the Left while Chu Jian's position as acting governor remained uncertain.
• Chen Shang returned from Jiankang on the seventh day of the third month, less than two months after departing.

As Chu Jian and Chu Wenqian prepared to use the land registration review to suppress the Qiantang Chen Clan and other commoner families, Chen Caozhi advised the Liu Clan Chief on defending his hidden households. Chen Shang returned from Jiankang with news that the Chen Clan had entered the gentry register, leaving the clan celebrating and Chu Jian’s plans in danger.

• Chu Jian and Chu Wenbin secretly planned to use the Qiantang land registration review to crush the Chen Clan and block its entry into the gentry register.
• Chen Shang returned to Qiantang as Chen Caozhi, Chen Xian, Ding Yi, and the Liu Clan Chief discussed the review and the threat to their households.
• The Liu Clan Chief explained that his family had tried to register thirteen hidden households as tenants, and Chen Caozhi urged him to document that officials had refused the change.
• Ding Yi warned that Chu Jian and Chu Wenqian intended to target the Ding and Chen clans, while Chen Caozhi suspected they had another plot.
• Chen Shang prayed at Lady Li’s grave and announced that the Qiantang Chen Clan had entered the gentry register.
• Chen Caozhi and Chen Xian wept with relief, and Ding Yi concluded that Chen Caozhi was now like a tiger given wings.