Chapter Summaries

Chen Caozhi and Dou Tao debated whether Su Family Fort should return to Di Qin or remain in Jin, while Su Hui listened from behind a curtain. Chen challenged Dou’s case for Qin and warned that its peace between Han and non-Han peoples might collapse after Wang Meng’s death, leaving Su Daozhi to weigh the danger of returning.

• Zou Shi brought Su Hui to listen as Chen Caozhi and Dou Tao argued in the front hall, and Su Hui was captivated by Chen’s measured voice.
• Dou Tao urged Su Daozhi to move the Su Clan to Shiping, promising farmland, tax exemptions, and an appointment while warning that Jin could not protect them.
• Chen Caozhi argued that the Su Clan had established itself in Pingyu and would suffer by abandoning its homes and livelihoods for Qin-controlled lands.
• Dou Tao praised Wang Meng’s rule and criticized Jiangzuo, claiming Qin was peaceful, prosperous, and welcoming to Han officials.
• Chen Caozhi questioned whether Qin’s non-Han clans truly accepted Wang Meng and warned that ethnic conflict could erupt after his death, alarming Su Daozhi.

Chen Caozhi persuaded Su Daozhi and Su Qi to keep their clan in Pingyu, then faced Dou Tao’s challenge to prove his abilities. Chen won a palindrome-poetry contest before Dou Tao could finish, while Su Hui watched from behind a curtain and declared him the victor.

• Dou Tao argued that Wang Meng’s reforms would make Qin prosper and urged the Su clan to move to Guanzhong, but Chen Caozhi warned that the Han would be mistreated if Jin fell.
• Chen Caozhi persuaded Su Daozhi and Su Qi that the Su clan could rise in Jin, and they decided to remain in Pingyu and asked Dou Tao to return to Guanzhong.
• Dou Tao insulted Chen Caozhi and challenged him to riding and archery; Chen Yu stepped forward to accept, and Chen Caozhi suggested letting Su Daozhi choose the contest.
• Su Daozhi proposed a palindrome-poetry contest based on Su Ruolan’s brocade, and Chen Caozhi wrote fifteen poems from its verses.
• Su Hui saw Chen Caozhi’s work and declared him the winner before Dou Tao had submitted his own poems.

After Chen Caozhi defeated Dou Tao in debate, he refused to let the envoy’s mission intimidate him and moved to alert Gao Rou about Di Qin’s efforts to win over displaced clans. At Su Family Fort, the Su family admired Chen Caozhi and considered a marriage alliance, while Su Hui became captivated by him and heard a faint, beautiful recorder melody.

• Dou Tao left Su Family Fort in humiliation, and Chen Caozhi rejected Ran Sheng’s suggestion to pursue and kill him.
• Chen Caozhi wrote to Gao Rou warning him that Di Qin was courting displaced people’s clan retinues in Huaibei.
• Su Daozhi invited Chen Caozhi to a banquet, but Chen said he would marry no one but the Lu Clan Lady; he recommended Su Daozhi for county commandant and planned to recruit Su Qi into the Beifu Army.
• Su Qi proposed that Su Hui become Chen Caozhi’s concubine, and Su Daozhi agreed to reconsider after Chen returned from his mission to Di Qin.
• Su Hui sat weaving with her maid Qinghu, distracted by thoughts of Chen Caozhi, and wondered whether a faint, lovely melody carried on the wind came from a recorder.

Chen Caozhi traveled from Su Family Fort toward Chang'an and reached Xiangcheng, where Administrator Gao Rou welcomed him and sought his counsel on Yingchuan’s fortified settlements. Gao Rou invited Chen Caozhi to stay and visit his ancestral home, leaving Chen Caozhi poised to help address the commandery’s uncertain loyalties.

• Su Daozhi saw Chen Caozhi off from Su Family Fort, and Su Qi joined the westbound party with ten household troops.
• Chen Caozhi’s party traveled northwest through Shangcai, Yinyang, and Linying toward Xiangcheng.
• Gao Rou sent commandery officials to reassure clan commanders and fortified-settlement leaders across Yingchuan’s Seven Counties.
• Gao Rou welcomed Chen Caozhi at Xiangcheng and hosted a banquet, where he praised Chen Caozhi’s analysis of Qin and Yan.
• Gao Rou asked Chen Caozhi to stay until his officials returned and offered to accompany him to his ancestral home.

Chen Caozhi traveled to Luoyang after learning that Shen Jin was left to defend the city with only eight hundred men, and he brought an imperial appointment and the promise of grain. He found Luoyang desolate but its defenders resolute, while Murong Ke’s envoys were preparing the surrounding settlements to submit to Yan, leaving Chen Caozhi to seek a way to save the city.

• Chen Caozhi learned that Chen You had abandoned Luoyang, leaving Shen Jin and eight hundred soldiers to defend it, and Shen Chiqian urged him to request relief troops.
• Chen Caozhi sent an urgent letter to Huan Wen requesting a naval relief force and asked Gao Rou to gather grain for Luoyang.
• Gao Rou learned that Di Qin and Yan envoys were courting fortified settlements, so he and Chen Caozhi planned to reassure those near Di Qin and assassinate Yan’s envoys near Luoyang.
• Chen Caozhi left Yangdi for Luoyang, while Gao Rou promised to send twenty thousand hu of rice by the end of the month.
• Shen Jin welcomed Chen Caozhi and Shen Chiqian at Longmen, and Chen Caozhi presented Shen Jin with credentials appointing him General Who Displays Martial Prowess.
• Shen Jin refused to let Shen Chiqian remain in Luoyang, and Chen Caozhi learned that Murong Ke’s forces might threaten the city within three months.

Dou Tao reported that Chen Caozhi had thwarted Qin’s effort to win over Su Family Fort, and Wang Meng became interested in meeting the Jin envoy. Wang Meng planned to welcome Chen Caozhi as Qin weighed its strategy toward Luoyang and Yan, while Chen Caozhi arrived there and began gathering intelligence.

• Dou Tao told Wang Meng that Chen Caozhi’s visit to Su Family Fort had prevented Su Daozhi from submitting to Qin.
• Wang Meng dismissed Dou Tao’s insults and praised Chen Caozhi’s record, noting that Empress Dowager Gou had asked Fu Jian to retain him in Qin as a painter.
• Wang Meng told Yang An that Qin would exchange unbreedable warhorses for Jin weapons and explained that he wanted to prevent Yan from taking Luoyang before Qin was ready.
• Wang Meng said he would decide whether to seize Luoyang after meeting Chen Caozhi, then ordered Dou Lang to welcome the Jin envoy beyond Tong Pass.
• Chen Caozhi reached Luoyang, consulted Shen Jin, sent scouts to monitor Yan’s army, and dispatched Duan Zhao to Ye City with children’s rhymes meant to spread as omens.

Chen Caozhi traveled from Luoyang to Chang'an to negotiate peace and an alliance with Di Qin, where Fu Jian welcomed him and invited him to lecture at the Imperial Academy. Wang Meng later visited Chen Caozhi, and their congenial conversation ended with a disagreement about the value of scholarly arts and practical statecraft.

• After learning that Gao Rou's rice shipment was on its way, Shen Jin urged Chen Caozhi to travel to Chang'an and seek an alliance with Di Qin.
• Chen Caozhi, Ran Sheng, Su Qi, and more than three hundred soldiers left Luoyang, crossed into Di Qin territory, and reached Chang'an with Dou Lang and Palace Attendant Du Qian.
• Fu Jian received Chen Caozhi at the Qin Palace, hosted a banquet, and invited him to lecture on the classics at the Imperial Academy.
• Chen Caozhi accepted Fu Jian's invitation, and Fu Jian assigned Wang Meng to discuss the alliance after the lecture.
• Wang Meng visited Chen Caozhi at the guest quarters, spoke with him late into the night, and questioned the usefulness of Xuanxue and the arts during troubled times.
• Chen Caozhi defended cultivating the mind through calligraphy, painting, and music, and Wang Meng departed without further comment.

Fu Jian gathered Di Qin’s scholars at the Imperial Academy to test Chen Caozhi’s Confucian learning, while Empress Dowager Gou hoped to keep the handsome, Buddhist-minded envoy in Chang’an. After listening to the academy’s students and Erudites, Chen challenged the assembled scholars to debate all Five Classics, leaving Fu Jian worried that he would be embarrassed.

• Fu Jian assembled Di Qin’s scholars and students at the Imperial Academy to display their learning to Chen Caozhi.
• Empress Dowager Gou and Empress Gou arrived to listen, and Fu Jian recalled that his mother wanted Chen Caozhi kept in Chang’an.
• The students questioned the Erudites of the Five Classics, and Chen Caozhi listened as both groups demonstrated their knowledge.
• Fu Jian asked Chen Caozhi to assess the students’ learning, and Chen called them diligent and willing to learn.
• Fu Jian invited Chen Caozhi to debate the Book of Songs, but Chen offered to debate all Five Classics instead.
• Di Qin’s students and scholars doubted Chen Caozhi’s claim, while Fu Jian worried that the envoy would fail to answer their questions.

Chen Caozhi challenged the scholars of Di Qin’s Imperial Academy and defeated the Erudites of the Book of Rites, the Book of Documents, and the Spring and Autumn Annals. Wang Shi then took up the debate over the Book of Songs and the Book of Changes, and Chen’s first question left their argument poised over whether Wang’s explanation echoed the forbidden teachings of Lao Dan and Zhuangzi.

• Wang Shi arranged for Wei Rang to debate Chen Caozhi on the Book of Rites, and Chen answered Wei’s questions before exposing his unfamiliarity with Elder Dai’s Book of Rites.
• Erudite Xue debated Chen on the Book of Documents, confused a passage from Yang Xiong’s Fayan with Confucius, and withdrew in shame.
• Erudite Liang failed to defeat Chen in a debate over the Zuo Tradition, leaving Wang Shi as the last scholar prepared to challenge him.
• Fu Jian ordered Wang Shi to debate Chen, and Wang took on both the Book of Songs and the Book of Changes.
• Chen asked Wang to explain the Changes’ phrase “One yin and one yang are called the Way,” then cited Ruan Sizong’s Treatise on Connecting with the Dao De Jing to link Wang’s answer to Lao Dan and Zhuangzi.

Chen Caozhi dazzled Fu Jian’s court with his learning and praise of Wang Meng, prompting Fu Jian to offer him a high post and consider keeping him in Chang’an. Chen Caozhi refused, while Fu Jian faced pressure from Empress Dowager Gou to keep the envoy in the capital and invite him to the palace.

• Chen Caozhi defended his discussion of Lao-Zhuang teachings, praised Great Qin’s rule and Wang Meng, and reassured Wang Shi that he had not intended to slander him.
• Fu Jian rewarded the scholars and invited Chen Caozhi to lecture at the Imperial Academy, where Chen’s clear explanations impressed the students and ministers.
• Fu Jian and Wang Meng discussed keeping Chen Caozhi in Chang’an, and Wang Meng proposed delaying peace and trade negotiations so the envoy could not leave.
• At a banquet, Fu Jian offered Chen Caozhi the post of minister of ceremonial, but Chen declined because of family obligations.
• Empress Dowager Gou instructed Fu Jian to keep Chen Caozhi in Chang’an and summon him to expound Buddhist scriptures, leaving Fu Jian troubled by her interest in the handsome envoy.

Chen Caozhi learned that Wang Meng was delaying peace talks to keep him in Chang'an and planned to use rumors about Fu Jian’s birth to unsettle Di Qin after he left. He prepared a cryptic prophecy on Baqiao Paper, intending for it to appear at the Shrine of Ximen Bao and fuel suspicion at court.

• Chen Caozhi returned to the State Guest Quarters, where Huang Xiaotong reported that Di Qin students wanted to buy his folding fan.
• Eunuch Zhao Zheng invited Chen Caozhi to expound Buddhist sutras for Empress Dowager Gou and said Wang Meng had left Chang'an, postponing peace talks for ten days.
• Dou Lang said Wang Meng had gone to relieve locust-stricken Jingyang and Sanyuan, while Chen Caozhi recognized the delay as a tactic to keep him in Chang'an.
• Chen Caozhi asked Su Qi about Empress Dowager Gou and heard the rumor that Fu Jian had been conceived after she dreamed of coupling with a god at the Shrine of Ximen Bao.
• Chen Caozhi considered spreading doubts about Fu Jian’s parentage and wrote an obscure prophecy with cuttlefish ink, planning for it to appear at the Shrine of Ximen Bao near Ye City.

Chen Caozhi delivered Eastern Jin weapons to Di Qin and expounded Buddhist scriptures to Empress Dowager Gou, winning her respect while making visits to Chang’an’s powerful families. After Wang Meng returned and suggested a long journey to inspect horses, Chen Caozhi recognized another delay and remained concerned about securing an agreement and Luoyang’s safety.

• Chen Caozhi delivered two carts of newly forged weapons to Di Qin’s armaments office for its officers and soldiers to test.
• Crown Prince Fu Hong welcomed Chen Caozhi into Sweet Dew Palace, where Empress Dowager Gou asked him about marriage before he explained Buddhist scriptures to her and Empress Gou.
• Chen Caozhi’s teachings turned Empress Dowager Gou’s attraction into reverence, and she invited him to return on odd-numbered days to expound the Dharma.
• Chen Caozhi visited Di Qin’s nobles and officials, praised Wang Meng to Qiang Wang, and observed resentment toward Fu Jian and Wang Meng among powerful relatives.
• Wang Meng returned to Chang’an after reporting locust damage and told Dou Lang to offer Chen Caozhi a trip to inspect horses at Longyou, which Chen recognized as a delaying tactic.

As drought worsened across Yangzhou, Xie Daoyun returned to Jiankang before traveling to Kuaiji to oversee relief work. After learning the Lu Clan might send Lu Weiwei into the palace while Chen Caozhi was away, Xie Daoyun resolved to help her escape that pressure.

• Drought devastated Yangzhou, and Zhu Yingtai volunteered to supervise relief efforts in Kuaiji because she knew its irrigation works.
• Xie Daoyun returned to Jiankang and told Xie An and Xie Wan that Chen Caozhi had warned Huan Wen about Di Qin efforts to win over settlements north of the Huai.
• Xie An told Xie Daoyun that Lu Weiwei might be sent to the palace, and Xie Wan argued that her family did not need her consent.
• Xie Daoyun discussed A'e's possible marriage to Huan Huo's daughter, then wrote a letter to Xie Xuan for her uncles to send to him.
• After Liu Xu suggested Xie Daoyun's grievance was that Lu Weiwei had reached Chen Caozhi first, Xie Daoyun decided to tell Lu Weiwei how to escape her predicament.

Zhang Tongyun received Xie Daoyun’s plan to protect Lu Weiwei from rumors that she would be taken into the palace, and brought Lu Weiwei’s Memorial of Remonstrance back for Xie Daoyun to review. Xie Daoyun pledged to help secure its presentation to Empress Dowager Chu, then won support from Sima Yu and Xi Chao before leaving for Kuaiji.

• Zhang Tongyun read Xie Daoyun’s letter explaining that Lu Shi and Lu Qin were spreading rumors about Lu Weiwei entering the palace and outlining a plan to prevent it.
• Zhang Tongyun hurried to the Lu Residence, and Lu Weiwei sent back a heartfelt Memorial of Remonstrance asking Empress Dowager Chu to grant her marriage to Chen Caozhi.
• Xie Daoyun praised Lu Weiwei’s memorial and promised Zhang Tongyun she would help present it to Empress Dowager Chu after Empress Yu’s mourning period ended.
• Xie Daoyun told Zhang Tongyun to urge Lu Weiwei to wait for Chen Caozhi, then left Jiankang for Kuaiji the next day.
• Xie Daoyun appealed to Sima Yu, who promised to oppose the palace rumors if they proved true, and Xi Chao, who pledged his support for Lu Weiwei and Chen Caozhi.

Xie Daoyun traveled through drought-stricken Jiangdong, longing for Chen Caozhi and worrying over his mission, while Chen Caozhi waited in Chang'an for an audience with Fu Jian. After Fu Jian assigned Qiu Teng to negotiate in Wang Meng's place, Chen Caozhi suspected the Qin court was trying to delay him and resolved to seek Empress Dowager Gou's help.

• Xie Daoyun traveled from Jiankang toward Kuaiji with Xie Lang, remembering her journey with Chen Caozhi and coughing along the way.
• At the Feng Residence in Qiantang, Xie Daoyun told Run'er about Chen Caozhi's mission, and Ding Youwei expressed concern about Xie Daoyun's cough.
• Xie Daoyun saw the severe drought and stranded fish at the Qiantang River, rescued a little crucian carp, and wondered what Chen Caozhi was doing in Chang'an.
• Chen Caozhi met Fu Jian, complained that Wang Meng had delayed peace talks, and asked for another official to negotiate with him.
• Fu Jian appointed Qiu Teng to negotiate, and Chen Caozhi suspected the Qin court was stalling in hopes of keeping him in Chang'an.

Chen Caozhi refused Fu Jian’s rewards and used scripture to persuade Empress Dowager Gou to let him return to Jin. After reaching a peace and trade agreement with Fu Rong, he left Chang’an, but news of a Yan attack on Luoyang awaited him beyond Mianchi.

• Chen Caozhi returned Fu Jian’s gifts, then provoked Qiu Teng during their negotiations until Qiu Teng asked to be relieved of them.
• Fu Jian assigned Fu Rong to negotiate with Chen Caozhi, while Empress Dowager Gou urged Chen Caozhi to remain in Chang’an.
• Chen Caozhi expounded filial scriptures to Empress Dowager Gou and Fu Jian, then avoided Empress Gou’s invitation to preach at Houde Palace.
• Chen Caozhi and Fu Rong agreed that Qin and Jin would maintain their borders, trade weapons for horses, and exchange other goods; Fu Jian sent Xi Bao with Chen Caozhi to Jiangdong.
• Chen Caozhi, Ran Sheng, Su Qi, and their party left Chang’an with Xi Bao’s delegation and reached Mianchi on the fourteenth day of the sixth month.
• A Jin scout told Chen Caozhi that Murong Ke and Murong Chui had marched from Ye City to take Luoyang.

Chen Caozhi reached Luoyang as Yan’s army advanced and learned that Jin would not reinforce the isolated city. He resolved to hold Luoyang and planned to use nursery rhymes in Ye City to make Murong Wei recall Murong Ke from the campaign.

• Chen Caozhi warned Xi Bao that Murong Ke’s advance on Luoyang threatened Qin’s western defenses, and Xi Bao sent warnings to Chang'an and Deng Qiang.
• Chen Caozhi and Xi Bao entered Luoyang, where Shen Jin described the approaching Yan army and Chen Caozhi discussed the city’s defense with him.
• Shen Jin asked Chen Caozhi to take Shen Chiqian south, but Chen Caozhi insisted that Luoyang must be held after reading Xie Daoyun’s letter advising against fighting for it.
• Chen Caozhi told Shen Jin he would visit Murong Ke and Murong Chui, claiming he needed to deliver Golden Pǒluó drinking vessels entrusted to him by Xie Anshi.
• Chen Caozhi revealed that Duan Zhao had gone to Ye City to spread nursery rhymes implying that Murong Ke should succeed Murong Jun, hoping to provoke Murong Wei into summoning Murong Ke back.

Chen Caozhi prepared to meet Murong Ke and travel to Ye City, hoping to avert the Yan threat to Luoyang, while Shen Jin arranged for his son and Ran Sheng to accompany him. As Murong Chui’s night attack alarm sent the Qin delegation fleeing south, Chen Caozhi left most of his soldiers behind to help Shen Jin defend Luoyang.

• Chen Caozhi explained to Shen Jin that he intended to use rumors about Yan succession disputes and meet Murong Ke and Murong Chui in Ye City.
• After scouts reported that Murong Chui’s force was approaching Luoyang, Shen Jin ordered Shen Chiqian to protect Chen Caozhi with his life.
• Chen Caozhi persuaded Shen Jin to help draw the Di Qin delegation into his plans, then convinced Ran Sheng to accompany him while disguising his identity by shaving his beard.
• Chen Caozhi told Xi Bao that he would leave Luoyang for Huaibei, leading Xi Bao to believe he would not stay to defend the city.
• At midnight, an alarm reported that Murong Chui had led three thousand cavalry on a night attack, and Shen Chiqian guided Xi Bao and Chen Caozhi out through the south gate.
• Chen Caozhi left most of his soldiers in Luoyang to assist Shen Jin and rode south with Xi Bao and the Qin delegation.

Chen Caozhi led Xi Bao and their party away from Luoyang as Yan forces closed in, then deliberately maneuvered them into a confrontation with Yan cavalry. Surrounded, he claimed they had come to see Murong Chui, leaving their fate dependent on whether the Yan general would bring them before him.

• After scouts reported that Yan troops blocked the Yi River crossings and were surrounding Luoyang, Chen Caozhi decided the party could not return and sent Shen Chiqian to find a crossing farther east.
• Chen Caozhi persuaded Xi Bao to have the Qin cavalry dismount and send their horses across separately, then led the party east along the river while secretly preserving the horses from capture.
• As dawn approached, Shen Chiqian veered north and led them toward Yanshi, where Yan cavalry discovered and surrounded them.
• Chen Caozhi and Xi Bao announced that they were credential-bearing envoys, and Chen said he had come to seek an audience with Murong Chui with a gift from an old friend.
• After the Yan general sent a report to Yanshi, Xi Bao accused Chen Caozhi of bringing disaster upon them, but Chen insisted they were envoys rather than captives and would speak with Murong Chui.

Chen Caozhi and Xi Bao were captured by Murong Chui’s forces near Yanshi, and Chen met the King of Wu to deliver a message from Xie An. The chapter ended as Murong Chui questioned whether Chen had truly come only to return an old gift, while armed men waited behind the tent curtain.

• Murong Chui postponed his advance on Luoyang after learning that Sun Gai had captured the Jin envoy Chen Caozhi, the Qin envoy Xi Bao, and their escorts.
• Murong Chui sent Murong Ling to bring the envoys to camp courteously, then arranged his troops to display Yan’s military strength and stand ready.
• Ran Sheng rode with Chen Caozhi and watched the Yan heavy cavalry, remembering his father Ran Min’s defeat and vowing to crush the Murong Clan’s prestige.
• Murong Chui welcomed Chen Caozhi and Xi Bao into his command tent, where armed men waited behind the curtain as Chen calmly remarked on the heat.
• Chen Caozhi told Murong Chui that Xie Anshi had sent him to return the gift Murong had given Xie thirty years earlier, and Murong questioned whether that was truly his sole purpose.