Chapter Summaries

Huan Wen deposed Emperor Sima Yi and enthroned Sima Yu, then used his new authority to banish Sima Xi and his son. After returning to Gushu, Huan Wen completed the first step of Chen Caozhi’s plan, while a crisis continued to gather in Jiankang.

• Empress Dowager Chu approved Huan Wen’s memorial, and Sima Yu placed Sima Yi under house arrest while ordering Zhu Lingbao, Ji Hao, and Xiang Long executed.
• Sima Yu sent Xie An and Chen Caozhi to welcome Huan Wen, who entered Jiankang with armed troops and oversaw Sima Yi’s deposition and Sima Yu’s accession as emperor.
• Huan Wen felt unsettled by Sima Yu’s tears, but Sima Xi’s deliberate insult hardened his resolve to remove his opponents.
• Huan Wen persuaded Wang Biaozhi to support the removal of Sima Xi, and the court banished Sima Xi and his son to Xin'an Commandery.
• After receiving rich rewards and an order to assist in governing, Huan Wen returned to Gushu, completing the first step of Chen Caozhi’s plan.

After Lu Song’s rebellion was suppressed, Huan Wen reshaped the court and appointed Chen Caozhi Sima of Si Province to help rebuild the Beifu Army. Chen Caozhi and Xie Yan visited Xie Daoyun, whose preparations for Chen’s mission prompted Liu Dan to voice her worry about the pair’s romance.

• The court sentenced Lu Song and his disciples, punished Lu Shi and Lu Qin, and rewarded Mao Anzhi, Yin Kang, Su Qi, Chen Yu, and Chen Zisheng for their service.
• Huan Wen’s court reshuffle elevated Chen Caozhi to Sima of Si Province, appointed Huan Xi Inspector of Si Province, and placed Xie An in command of the Central Army while displacing Yu Xi from Xu and Yan provinces.
• Emperor Sima Yu summoned Huan Wen, Huan Xi, Chen Caozhi, and Xie Yan to discuss rebuilding the Beifu Army and gave Huan Xi the Credential of Imperial Authority.
• Xie Yan asked Chen Caozhi to visit the Xie residence, where Chen explained that Sima Yu’s words “I am here” had subtly rebuked Huan Wen.
• Xie An and Liu Dan found Xie Daoyun gathering records and gazetteers for Chen Caozhi, and Liu Dan confronted her about her romance with him before revealing she was worried.

Liu Dan and Xie An tried to arrange a marriage between Xie Daoyun and Chen Caozhi, who admitted that he loved and respected her despite his existing bond with Lu Weiwei. Chen Caozhi learned that Xie Daoyun had gathered valuable information for him, and the chapter ended with him fearing he could only wrong her.

• Liu Dan pressed Xie Daoyun to admit that she loved Chen Caozhi, and Xie Daoyun confessed that she did.
• Xie An promised to sound out Chen Caozhi and arrange a marriage if he returned Xie Daoyun's feelings, while hinting that he had a way to resolve the complication with Lu Weiwei.
• Chen Caozhi arrived with Xie Yan and discussed their audience with the emperor and Xie Xuan's return and engagement.
• Xie An showed Chen Caozhi the research Xie Daoyun had compiled for him about the generals of Yu Province and the refugees who had migrated south.
• Liu Dan and Xie An asked Chen Caozhi whether he loved Xie Daoyun, and he admitted that he both respected and loved her but feared he could only wrong her because of Wei Rui.

Xie An proposed a way for Chen Caozhi to marry both Lu Weiwei and Xie Daoyun, and Chen Caozhi admitted that he wanted both but asked to hear the plan before agreeing. Xie An took him away to explain it, while Xie Daoyun remained behind, hoping Chen Caozhi would help cure her illness.

• Xie Daoyun overheard Chen Caozhi confessing his feelings and realized his affection for her was mutual.
• Xie An told Chen Caozhi that he had a way for him to marry both Lu Weiwei and Xie Daoyun.
• Chen Caozhi said he wished to marry both women but worried the plan might hurt them and damage his reputation.
• Xie Daoyun emerged and asked Xie An to stop pressuring Chen Caozhi, but Chen Caozhi asked her to wait while he heard the plan.
• Xie An led Chen Caozhi out of the study to explain his proposal, while Liu Dan teased Xie Daoyun and said Chen Caozhi would return to examine her.

Chen Caozhi reassured Xie Daoyun about his decision to marry Lu Weiwei and checked on her health before returning to the Chen Residence. There, he received letters urging him to return home for his twentieth birthday, while Ran Sheng and Jing Nu discussed Ji Pi and Jing Nu’s offer to recruit former Qihuo Army soldiers.

• Chen Caozhi told Xie Daoyun that marrying Lu Weiwei was his own wish and said he would visit Wei Rui to tell her himself.
• Chen Caozhi checked Xie Daoyun’s pulse, advised her to rest, and left her alone at the writing desk.
• Jing Nu delivered letters from Chen Xian, Ding Youwei, Run'er, and Zongzhi, who was studying at the Xu Clan Thatched Cottage in Wu Commandery.
• Ran Sheng told Jing Nu that Ji Pi had refused to travel south and was too frail to survive the winter easily.
• Jing Nu offered to recruit former Qihuo Army soldiers for the Beifu Army, but Chen Caozhi told him to wait until they marched north.

Chen Caozhi arrived at Lu Na’s residence as the way cleared for him to marry Lu Weiwei, but Xie An and Lu Na both asked Emperor Sima Yu to arrange marriages between Chen Caozhi and their respective kin. Xie An proposed that Chen marry both Lu Weiwei and Xie Daoyun as Left and Right Wives, and Lu Na considered the compromise.

• Chen Caozhi arrived at Lu Na’s residence, where Banli told him that Lu Na’s wife and Wei Rui had stayed behind in Jiankang.
• Xie An asked Emperor Sima Yu to issue an edict marrying Xie Daoyun to Chen Caozhi, and the emperor worried about offending the Lu Clan.
• Lu Na arrived and also asked the emperor to marry Wei Rui to Chen Caozhi, then objected when he learned of Xie An’s request.
• Xie An proposed that Chen Caozhi take both women as wives, citing precedents for a Left Wife and a Right Wife.
• Lu Na considered the proposal as a way to satisfy both clans, while Emperor Sima Yu remained silent.

Emperor Sima Yu, Xie An, and Lu Na agreed to seek an imperial grant allowing Chen Caozhi to marry both Xie Daoyun and Lu Weiwei, leaving the question of which would be wife of the left to Empress Dowager Chongde. At the Lu residence, Zhang Wenwan wondered how Chen Caozhi would handle the choice, while Lu Weiwei calmly said she cared only about her relationship with him; Chen Caozhi then arrived.

• Xie An warned that Huan Chong had a marriageable daughter, prompting Emperor Sima Yu to urge Xie An and Lu Na to secure Chen Caozhi’s marriages before Huan Wen could intervene.
• Lu Na and Xie An petitioned Emperor Sima Yu to grant their daughters’ marriages to Chen Caozhi, and agreed to leave their precedence to Empress Dowager Chongde.
• Emperor Sima Yu decided to summon Chen Caozhi, Lu Weiwei, and Xie Daoyun the next day, while wondering how Huan Wen would react to news of the double marriage.
• At the Lu residence, Zhang Wenwan asked Lu Weiwei what she thought of Chen Caozhi and Xie Daoyun, and Lu Weiwei said she focused on her own relationship with Chen Caozhi.
• A maid announced that Chen Caozhi had arrived at the Lu residence.

Chen Caozhi told Lu Weiwei and Zhang Wenwan that Xie An proposed an imperial decree allowing Lu Weiwei and Xie Daoyun to marry him as Left and Right Wives. Lu Weiwei accepted the arrangement, and after Lu Na confirmed the emperor’s approval, Chen Caozhi sent word that Xie Daoyun should visit Lu Weiwei before the Empress Dowager summoned them the next day.

• Chen Caozhi explained Xie An’s proposal to Zhang Wenwan, who agreed not to oppose the double marriage if Lu Weiwei’s father and the emperor consented.
• Chen Caozhi told Lu Weiwei he still had feelings for Xie Daoyun, and Lu Weiwei accepted marrying him without competing with Xie Daoyun.
• Lu Na told Zhang Wenwan that the emperor had agreed to the marriage decree and that Empress Dowager Chongde would summon Lu Weiwei and Xie Daoyun the next day.
• Chen Caozhi saw Yinfeng waiting at the Chen Residence and told her to ask Xie Daoyun to visit Lu Weiwei at Hengtang immediately.

Empress Dowager Chu summoned Lu Weiwei and Xie Daoyun and bestowed them both in marriage to Chen Caozhi, using a passage from Admonitions for Women to decide which would be Left Wife and which Right Wife. The news delighted Jiankang, while Sima Daofu grieved over losing her hopes of marrying Chen Caozhi, and Sima Yu wondered why Huan Wen had instigated the plot that exposed Xie Daoyun’s disguise.

• Xie An urged Xie Daoyun not to feel indebted to Lu Weiwei and to accept marrying Chen Caozhi alongside her.
• Empress Dowager Chu summoned Lu Weiwei and Xie Daoyun to the palace, recalled Xie Daoyun’s earlier disguise as Zhu Yingtai, and asked whether they were willing to marry Chen Caozhi; both agreed.
• Empress Dowager Chu used passages from Admonitions for Women to determine their positions, making Lu Weiwei the Left Wife and Xie Daoyun the Right Wife.
• News of the bestowed marriage spread through Jiankang, where gentry and commoners celebrated Chen Caozhi’s good fortune.
• Sima Daofu wept before Sima Yu and confessed that Li Jingshu had told her to expose Xie Daoyun’s disguise; Sima Yu suspected Huan Wen had directed the scheme and wondered at his motives.

Emperor Sima Yu told Chen Caozhi that Li Jingshu had used Sima Daofu to spread the news about Xie Daoyun, deepening Chen Caozhi’s suspicion of Huan Wen. At Huan Wen’s banquet, Chen met Huan Shixiu and learned that Fu Jian faced a rebellion by four members of the Fu clan, while Huan Wen decided Jin would wait and watch Qin and Yan.

• Emperor Sima Yu summoned Chen Caozhi, confirmed the marriage decree uniting him with the Lu and Xie daughters, and revealed that Li Jingshu had incited Sima Daofu to expose Xie Daoyun’s identity.
• Chen Caozhi concluded that Huan Wen had sent Li Jingshu to provoke Lu Weiwei and thought that their dealings were based on mutual deception.
• Chen Caozhi returned to the Chen Residence, where Xiao Chan, Su Qi, and Jing Nu celebrated his coming marriages, then accepted Huan Wen’s invitation to a banquet.
• Huan Wen introduced Huan Shixiu as Si Province’s Assistant Administrator, and Chen Caozhi recognized that Huan Wen intended to keep the Beifu Army under Huan control.
• Huan Wen told Chen Caozhi that Fu Jian had sought an alliance with Jin as four Fu leaders rebelled; Chen Caozhi advised accepting Fu Jian’s overture and watching the conflict with the Murong Clan.
• Huan Shixiu argued that Murong Ke would understand Huan Wen was occupied with affairs in Jiankang, and Huan Wen agreed to wait for further news while Huan Xi felt resentful of his cousin.

Huan Wen demoted Sima Yi and tightened his grip on the court while Xie Xuan returned to Jiankang fearing that Xie Daoyun was dying. He found her recovering under Chen Caozhi’s care and learned that Empress Dowager Chongde had betrothed them, leaving Xie Daoyun shyly adjusting to her future marriage.

• Huan Wen had Sima Yi demoted to Duke of Haixi County and sent to live under guard in Wu County.
• Xie Xuan escorted Sima Xun and his followers to Jiankang after learning that Xie Daoyun was gravely ill.
• Xie Xuan found Xie Daoyun recovering, and Yinfeng told him that Chen Caozhi had treated her lung illness.
• Yinfeng revealed that Empress Dowager Chongde had betrothed Xie Daoyun to Chen Caozhi as his Right Wife, with Lu Weiwei as his Left Wife.
• Xie Xuan welcomed Chen Caozhi and left him with Xie Daoyun, who discussed her recovery and his planned return to Qiantang.
• Chen Caozhi asked Xie Daoyun to call him husband, but she was too embarrassed to do so.

Xie Xuan returned to Jiankang, reported his victory over Sima Xun’s rebellion, and learned of the political changes surrounding Huan Wen and the Beifu Army. Chen Caozhi treated Tao Yi and met his three-year-old son Tao Qian, leaving the child’s future uncertain.

• Xie Xuan reported Sima Xun’s capture to Huan Wen, who described Fu Jian’s efforts to suppress the four Fus and the Xianbei advance toward Guanzhong.
• Huan Wen recommended that Tao Yi seek treatment from Chen Caozhi, and Xie Xuan later discussed the Beifu Army and Chen Caozhi’s political risks with Xie Daoyun.
• Xie Xuan visited Chen Caozhi’s residence, and the two men talked through the night about metaphysics after Chen Caozhi asked about Tao Qian.
• Xie Xuan accompanied Huan Wen to report the rebellion’s suppression to Emperor Sima Yu and received promotion to General of Jianwu and Supervisor of Military Affairs North of the Yangtze.
• Chen Caozhi examined Tao Yi, diagnosed gastric bleeding, and prescribed a stomach-nourishing remedy while telling him to stop drinking wine.
• Chen Caozhi met Tao Yi’s three-year-old son Tao Qian, noticed his runny nose, and told Xie Xuan that the boy’s prospects remained open.

Chen Caozhi left Jiankang for Qiantang and spent a moonlit evening with Lu Weiwei, sharing music and affection as they looked forward to marrying. Back at his lodgings, he opened Xie Daoyun’s birthday gifts and found her loving letter, handmade shoes, and valuable research for rebuilding the Beifu Army.

• Chen Caozhi departed Jiankang for Qiantang while the Lu household set out for their ancestral homes, and he stopped to visit Zhi Daolin at Dong'an Temple.
• At Meilong Lake, Chen Caozhi played the Keting Flute for Lu Weiwei, who recalled hearing the same music in earlier years.
• Chen Caozhi and Lu Weiwei embraced and kissed beneath a willow, then spoke of their love and his bond with Xie Daoyun as he escorted her back.
• Chen Caozhi opened Xie Daoyun’s brocade box and read her birthday letter, tried on the cloth shoes she had sewn, and examined her research on the Two Huai Regions and Yu Province’s former generals.

Chen Caozhi learned that Ding Youwei and Run'er had come to Wu Commandery to celebrate his twentieth birthday, and he hurried there with Lu Weiwei and the Lu family. He reunited with his sister-in-law and niece at Peach Grove Cottage, while Lu Weiwei recalled the moment she had fallen in love with him five years earlier.

• Lai Fu and Lai De told Chen Caozhi that Ding Youwei and Run'er were waiting for him in Wu Commandery for his birthday.
• The Gu Clan steward arranged boats across Taihu Lake, and Chen Caozhi and the Lu family reached Wu Commandery the following night.
• Chen Caozhi set out with Lu Weiwei to visit Ding Youwei, riding with Lu Weiwei before him on his horse.
• Chen Caozhi and Lu Weiwei reunited with Ding Youwei and Run'er at Peach Grove Cottage, where Run'er greeted Lu Weiwei as her aunt.
• Chen Mo, Chen Tan, Chen Zongzhi, and Master Xu arrived, and Lu Weiwei remembered falling in love with Chen Caozhi when she first saw him five years earlier.

Chen Caozhi returned to Wu Commandery with his family, reunited with Lu Weiwei, and arranged relief for drought victims before visiting Fan Wang. Fan Wang agreed to resume office and help Chen Caozhi recruit promising men to rebuild the Beifu Army.

• Lady Lu sent carriages to welcome Ding Youwei and her party, and Chen Caozhi reunited with Lu Weiwei at Zhenqing Daoist Abbey.
• Chen Caozhi and Lu Weiwei donated one hundred thousand and two hundred thousand coins respectively to provide porridge for drought victims.
• Crowds welcomed Chen Caozhi and his nephew Chen Zongzhi, and young girls tossed sachets to Zongzhi as Huang Xiaotong collected them.
• Lady Lu hosted Ding Youwei and her family at the Lu Residence, where Ding Youwei, Zongzhi, Run'er, and Lu Weiwei presented Chen Caozhi with birthday gifts.
• Chen Caozhi told Fan Wang of the court's summons, and Fan Wang agreed to return to office and help rebuild the Beifu Army.
• Fan Wang offered to introduce Chen Caozhi to Liu Laozhi, He Qian, and Sun Wuzhong as recruits for the army.

Chen Caozhi returned to Chen Family Cove after his northern mission, celebrated his marriage decree to Lu Weiwei and Xie Daoyun, and mourned his mother at her grave. As the clan prepared to travel to Jiankang for the marriage rites, Chen Caozhi strengthened ties with the Kuaiji gentry and led his family’s convoy toward the capital.

• Chen Caozhi and his party left Wu County, traveled through Huating, and reached Qiantang on the twelfth of the twelfth month, where Feng Lingbo, Feng Mengxiong, and Ding Yi welcomed them.
• Run'er named Huang Xiaotong’s white falcons Reaching the Sky and Whirling Upward, then tested Ran Sheng on history and warfare and praised his answers.
• Chen Caozhi visited Quan Li and Du Zigong in Qiantang, reassuring Du Zigong on behalf of Emperor Sima Yu and delivering the emperor’s gifts.
• Chen Caozhi crossed the Qiantang River to Chen Family Cove, reported his northern mission to Chen Xian, and paid respects at his mother Lady Li’s grave with his family and attendants.
• Chen Family Cove’s clanspeople prepared for the marriage rites and journey to Jiankang while Chen Caozhi visited the Kong, Wei, and Xie clan heads and Dai Shu in Shanyin.
• Chen Caozhi led a convoy of nearly a hundred people across the Qiantang River on the ninth of the first month and spent the night at the Ding Clan Villa.

Chen Caozhi gathered military allies at Fan Wang’s manor and learned that Yu Xi might be plotting after stealing North Mansion Army supplies. He reached Wu Commandery, where he shared a tender moment with Lu Weiwei before their journey to the capital.

• Chen Caozhi met Fan Ning, Liu Laozhi, and Sun Wuzhong at Fan Wang’s manor, recruited them for the North Mansion Army, and discussed the Northern Expedition.
• He Qian arrived and reported that Yu Xi had allegedly stolen large quantities of military supplies, so Chen Caozhi urged an investigation.
• Chen Caozhi agreed that He Qian would investigate the theft in Jingkou, then left for the Lu Residence after learning his family had arrived in Wu Commandery.
• Chen Caozhi visited Lu Weiwei in the Cherished Garden and asked to paint her as his betrothal gift; she agreed.
• Lu Weiwei reminded Chen Caozhi that a rescued jade edition chrysanthemum had brought them together, and he said flowers had been their matchmaker.

Chen Caozhi returned to Jiankang and reunited with Xie Daoyun, then showed his family their newly completed Eastern Garden. His uncles began arranging his marriages, visiting the Lu Residence first and preparing to visit the Xie family.

• Chen Caozhi arrived in Jiankang and greeted Xie Daoyun and her brothers outside the Chen Residence.
• Chen Caozhi showed Run'er the Eastern Garden, where she and Ding Youwei would live.
• Chen Xian and Chen Man decided to visit the Lu Residence first and arranged for Xi Chao to serve as matchmaker for the Lu family.
• Chen Caozhi and Lu Na agreed that the matchmaker would visit on the first day of the second month and that the betrothal ceremonies would follow the next day.
• Chen Xian and Chen Man left the Lu Residence to visit the Xie Residence, while Ding Youwei and Run'er set out to pay their respects to Lady Xie, Liu Dan, and Xie Daoyun.

Chen Caozhi arranged to court Xie Daoyun and Lu Weiwei at the same time, shared a tender moment with Daoyun, and secured imperial support and two matchmakers. The marriage rites began simultaneously at the Lu and Xie residences, with the initial gifts presented to both families.

• Chen Caozhi agreed that the Lu and Xie marriage rites would proceed on the same day, though he could fetch only one bride before the other.
• Chen Caozhi visited Xie Daoyun, spoke with her about the music that had bound them, and kissed her before joining the banquet.
• Chen Caozhi asked Xi Chao and Zhang Ping to serve as matchmakers, and Xi Chao warned that Yu Xi might cause trouble over the North Mansion Army supplies.
• Emperor Sima Yu granted Chen Caozhi eight hundred bolts of silk as an engagement gift and made appointments for Fan Ning and He Qian.
• Xi Chao and Zhang Ping sought the Lu and Xie families' consent, then presented the initial marriage gifts at both residences.

Chen Caozhi and the Lu and Xie clans settled the arrangements for his double marriage, with Empress Dowager Chongde agreeing to receive both brides before he brought them home together. As he prepared to leave for military duties, Ding Youwei urged him to take Xiao Chan as a concubine, and Princess Sima Daofu confronted him with her unhappiness over his marriages.

• Chen Xian, Xie An, Lu Na, Xi Chao, Zhang Ping, and Chen Caozhi agreed that both brides would marry on the same day and be brought from Chongde Palace together.
• Chen Xian obtained an auspicious date of the eighth day of the eighth month, which the Xie household accepted and the Lu household welcomed as Lu Weiwei's birthday.
• Chen Caozhi took leave of Xie Xuan, then discussed the family's travel and household plans with Chen Xian, Chen Man, Chen Shang, Ding Youwei, and others.
• Ding Youwei urged Chen Caozhi to take Xiao Chan as a concubine after marrying Lu Weiwei and Xie Daoyun, and he murmured his assent.
• Chen Caozhi took leave of Emperor Sima Yu, then encountered Princess Sima Daofu, who told him she was unhappy that he would marry both Lu and Xie ladies.