Chapter Summaries

At Huan Wen’s Mid-Autumn banquet, Chen Caozhi advised him on governing Hebei and managing the former Yan nobles, while Huan Wen settled on leaving Chen in charge of Ji Province. Later, Murong Qinchen met Chen beneath the moon to ask about her family’s future, and he told her she would remain in Ye City.

• Kezuhun Yi privately asked Chen Caozhi about his marriage to Murong Qinchen and whether Murong Wei would be sent to Jiankang, and Chen reassured him that the former ruler would be treated generously.
• At the banquet, Murong Wei feared Huan Wen would humiliate him, but he left without being harmed.
• Huan Wen asked Chen Caozhi how to handle Murong Wei, Murong Chui, and the Xianbei population, and Chen advised settling the former Yan nobles in Jiankang while keeping Xianbei households north of the Yangtze.
• Chen Caozhi outlined policies for governing Ji Province, and Huan Wen chose him as its inspector while discussing Tian Luo for the governorship of Youzhou.
• Xie Xuan teased Chen Caozhi about marrying Princess Qinghe, and Chen said he expected to return to Jiangdong within a few years.
• Murong Qinchen met Chen Caozhi beneath the moon and asked whether her mother and brother could return from Jiankang; he told her they could only live safely there, while she would stay in Ye City.

Chen Caozhi and Murong Qinchen grew closer in Ye City as the former Yan court prepared to leave for Jiankang, while Chen Caozhi searched for the lost Xuanguang Hall. After Huan Wen urged him to take Qinchen as his concubine, Chen Caozhi faced the task of settling Yan territory and the looming threat from Fu Jian’s Qin.

• Murong Qinchen returned to Chen Caozhi and asked him to cherish her, and he agreed while asking whether Ye Palace had a hall once called Xuanguang Hall.
• Murong Wei and more than a thousand former Yan imperial households prepared to move south, while Huan Wen awarded Chen Caozhi gold and palace maids.
• Murong De and Murong Chen surrendered, bringing Qingzhou and Yan Province under Jin control.
• Huan Chong, Huan Xi, and Xie Xuan escorted Murong Wei, Lady Kezuhun, and the former Yan nobles to Jiankang, leaving Murong Qinchen grieving in Ye City.
• Chen Caozhi sent letters to his family in Jiangdong and ordered Huang Xiaotong to carry them and return with replies.
• Chen Caozhi told Huan Wen that Wang Meng’s attack on Zhang Tianxi was meant to remove a threat to Qin’s rear, and Huan Wen urged him to take Murong Qinchen as his concubine.

Chen Caozhi comforted Murong Qinchen in Ye City and shared an intimate night with her before setting out to reinforce Huan Shiqian at Jinyang. After the siege stalled, Chen Caozhi’s troops secretly entered the city and opened its gates, securing Jinyang.

• Chen Caozhi visited Murong Qinchen at Eternal Longevity Hall, comforted her after her family left for the south, and promised he had not revealed her mother's secret.
• Murong Qinchen told Chen Caozhi she considered herself his wife in Ye City, and they spent the night together.
• Huan Wen ordered Chen Caozhi to lead ten thousand troops to reinforce Huan Shiqian at Jinyang, and Chen Caozhi brought Murong Qinchen to persuade Murong Zhuang to surrender.
• Chen Caozhi and his army reached Jinyang with winter clothing for Huan Shiqian's soldiers, then Murong Qinchen sent Murong Zhuang a letter urging him to surrender.
• Chen Caozhi ordered a tunnel dug beneath Jinyang's defenses, and Liu Laozhi led five hundred soldiers through it to open the gates for Huan Shiqian's troops.

Chen Caozhi defeated the Dugu Tribe’s Dai army at Shi Ridge while Jin forces completed the conquest of former Yan. In Dragon City, Ran Sheng honored his father Ran Min, and Murong Qinchen learned that her younger brother Murong Chong had escaped north as she and Chen Caozhi confronted the possibility of fighting him one day.

• Chen Caozhi lured Dugu Bailang’s army toward Jinyang with false reports, then led ten thousand soldiers to ambush and defeat the Dugu Tribe at Shi Ridge, taking six thousand heads and three thousand prisoners.
• Murong Qinchen welcomed Chen Caozhi back to Jinyang with a kiss before his assembled soldiers, while Jin forces pursued and captured or killed the remaining former Yan princes.
• Ran Sheng visited the ruined shrine to his father Ran Min at E Xing Mountain, then asked Tian Luo to rebuild it using a letter from Chen Caozhi.
• Huan Wen received reports that former Yan’s territories and population had surrendered to Jin and prepared to return to Jiangdong with the household registers.
• Chen Caozhi told Murong Qinchen that Murong Chong had escaped north, and she asked him to spare her younger brother while promising to stand between them if Murong Chong tried to kill him.

After Huan Wen left Ye City, Chen Caozhi considered his responsibilities in Yan territory and searched Eternal Longevity Hall for rumored buried gold. Huang Xiaotong returned from Jiangdong with letters and news that Chen Caozhi had become a father to twins.

• Zhang Tianxi was defeated by Wang Meng, surrendered to Qin, and lost Liangzhou.
• Huan Huo stood down after learning Liangzhou had fallen, while Fu Jian received Wang Meng's report and news that Chen Caozhi had captured Jinyang.
• Huan Wen appointed Han officials to govern Yan territory, then left Ye City for Jiangdong with Jin troops and Xianbei and Xiongnu prisoners.
• Chen Caozhi entered Eternal Longevity Hall with Murong Qinchen, discussed his plans for Ji Province, and ordered his guards to search for gold rumored to lie beneath the hall.
• Huang Xiaotong returned from Qiantang with letters and paintings from Chen Caozhi's family and told him that Lu and Xiao Chan had each given birth to a child.

Chen Caozhi received family letters and paintings showing his newborn son Bozhen and daughter Fangyu, while Murong Qinchen confronted her place among his wives and concubines. After months of governing Ji Province and awaiting imperial confirmation, Chen Caozhi went to welcome the envoys sent from Jiangdong, where he recognized an unexpected visitor.

• Chen Caozhi learned from letters that Lu Weiwei and Xiao Chan had safely given birth, and that Xie Daoyun had named Xiao Chan's daughter Chen Fangyu.
• Murong Qinchen asked whether Chen Caozhi's wives had mentioned her; he told her they had not and warned her to observe propriety if she returned to Jiangdong with him.
• Chen Caozhi identified Run'er's and Xie Daoyun's paintings of the babies, recognized Chen Bozhen and Chen Fangyu, and learned that Gu Kaizhi's daughter Gu Weiqing was betrothed to Bozhen.
• Chen Caozhi secured more than sixty thousand jin of gold from Eternal Longevity Hall and continued reforms to administration, education, agriculture, and relations among the Han and non-Han peoples in Ji Province.
• Imperial envoys Gao Song and Xie Yan arrived to confer official appointments and seals on Chen Caozhi and others, and Chen Caozhi led officials out to welcome them.
• Chen Caozhi was surprised and delighted by someone accompanying Xie Yan.

Chen Caozhi received his imperial appointment as Inspector of Ji Province and learned how Huan Wen’s growing power threatened the Jin court. Xie Daoyun reunited with him in Ye City, and they left together beneath the moon, discussing their family and the work she could help him with.

• Chen Caozhi welcomed Gao Song and Xie Yan to Ye City and recognized Xie Daoyun disguised as an administrative clerk, keeping her identity secret.
• Gao Song read the imperial edict appointing Chen Caozhi Inspector of Ji Province and granting him command over military affairs in four provinces and the Imperial Staff.
• Chen Caozhi and Xie Yan discussed Huan Wen’s political ambitions, the appointments of Huan clan members, and the court’s reasons for granting Chen greater authority.
• Xie Daoyun reunited with Chen Caozhi after the official discussions, and they walked hand in hand toward Ice Well Terrace beneath the moon.
• Xie Daoyun told Chen Caozhi about their children and offered to help with Ji Province’s household registration inspection so he could return to Jiankang.
• Xie Daoyun mentioned that A'e had given birth to a son named Huan, and Chen Caozhi teased her about their children’s future marriage.

Murong Qinchen continued learning to read as Chen Caozhi reunited with Xie Daoyun, who accepted her and became her teacher. Xie Daoyun secretly remained in Ye City to help Chen Caozhi govern and build Ji Province’s army, while Murong Qinchen struggled with sharing him.

• Murong Qinchen resolved to learn to read and practiced the Analects each night while Chen Caozhi handled official work.
• Chen Caozhi returned to Ice Well Terrace with Xie Daoyun, and she reassured him that she would not mistreat Murong Qinchen.
• Murong Qinchen mistook Chen Caozhi kissing Xie Daoyun’s hand for a sign that he favored men, then learned Xie Daoyun was his wife and greeted her respectfully.
• Chen Caozhi asked Xie Daoyun to teach Murong Qinchen, and Murong Qinchen recognized that Xie Daoyun explained the Analects more clearly than he did.
• Xie Daoyun stayed in Ye City after the rest of Xie Yan’s party departed, assisting Chen Caozhi with government work as he recruited and trained Ji Province’s forces until they numbered fifteen thousand.

Murong Qinchen learned that her family had received titles and residences in Jiankang, while Xie Daoyun helped Chen Caozhi with official work in Ye City. Xie Daoyun discovered she was pregnant, and the chapter ended with news of Huan Wen’s political maneuvering over the Inspector of Yu Province appointment.

• Murong Qinchen learned that her mother, brother Murong Wei, and other Former Yan nobles had been settled in Jiankang with mostly nominal titles.
• Xie Daoyun and Chen Caozhi worked on Ji Province’s Grand Household Registration Inspection while clerks quietly regarded Xie Daoyun as Chen Caozhi’s favorite.
• Chen Caozhi received Ran Sheng’s letter saying that he had reached Youzhou as Administrator of Liaoxi and planned to visit Ye City in the eighth month.
• Chen Caozhi examined Xie Daoyun and confirmed that she was pregnant; she decided to remain in Ye City rather than travel back to Jiangdong.
• Murong Qinchen asked Chen Caozhi to help her conceive, and he agreed.
• Shen Chiqian informed Chen Caozhi that Huan Mi had become Inspector of Si Province and that Huan Wen had rejected a request for Yuan Jin to succeed Yuan Zhen as Inspector of Yu Province, which Huan Wen wanted for his son Huan Xi.

During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ran Sheng confessed to Chen Caozhi that he loved Run'er, and Chen Caozhi promised to give him a chance to ask her himself. After Chen Caozhi completed the Ji Province household inspection, reports from Jiangdong and Qin revealed Huan Wen’s growing political ambitions and a new peace agreement between Jin and Qin.

• Ran Sheng visited Chen Caozhi and Xie Daoyun in Ye City, brought gifts for the family, and agreed to return the following year to travel south with them.
• At the Mid-Autumn banquet, Ran Sheng confessed his love for Run'er and said he would give up his office to marry her; Chen Caozhi urged him to consider her wishes and arrange to ask her himself.
• Chen Caozhi told Xie Daoyun about Ran Sheng’s true identity, and they discussed the obstacles to his marrying Run'er and the possibility of letting the couple live overseas if she loved him too.
• Chen Caozhi completed the Ji Province household inspection, registering over forty thousand households and two hundred thousand people for taxation and labor service.
• News reached Chen Caozhi that Huan Wen had accepted the Nine Bestowments and was moving closer to usurping the Jin throne, while Huan Xi succeeded Yuan Zhen as governor of Yu Province.
• Fu Jian sent Fu Rong to negotiate peace with Jin, and Huan Wen supported the agreement rather than risk Chen Caozhi gaining distinction from a northern expedition.

Chen Caozhi’s daughter Chen Feiyu was born, and he discovered that Murong Qinchen was pregnant before beginning his journey south to Jiankang. After attending Shen Chiqian’s wedding in Luoyang, Chen Caozhi’s party reached Jiankang, where he wondered how his friends and family had fared during his absence.

• Xie Daoyun gave birth to Chen Feiyu, and Chen Caozhi celebrated the arrival of another talented daughter.
• Chen Caozhi learned that Murong Qinchen was pregnant, and she persuaded him to let her travel south with him.
• Chen Caozhi left Ye City with Xie Daoyun, Murong Qinchen, their companions, officials, soldiers, and a tribute convoy, while Cui Cheng took charge of Ji Province.
• Ran Sheng joined Chen Caozhi’s party at Wen County, and they traveled to Luoyang, where Chen Caozhi attended Shen Chiqian’s wedding and toured the reconstructed city with Huan Mi.
• Chen Caozhi’s party traveled by boat from Yingchuan and arrived at White Egret Islet wharf in Jiankang on May 22, after which Chen Caozhi reflected on his long absence from Jiangnan.

Chen Caozhi returned to Jiankang after the Northern Expedition and was reunited with his family, including the young children who barely recognized him. The chapter ended with Ding Youwei warmly welcoming the pregnant Murong Qinchen into the household.

• Emperor Sima Yu celebrated the wealth Lu You brought from Ji Province and arranged for officials to welcome Chen Caozhi at the White Egret Islet wharf.
• Chen Caozhi arrived in Jiankang with Ran Sheng, Xie Daoyun, Murong Qinchen, and their retinue, where his family and officials greeted him.
• At the Chen residence, Chen Caozhi met his children Bozhen and Fangyu, who initially doubted he was their father because his hat looked wrong.
• Chen Caozhi changed into a taller cap, and Bozhen and Fangyu recognized him and called him Daddy.
• Chen Caozhi reunited with Lu Weiwei, Xiao Chan, Ding Youwei, and Run'er, while the household welcomed Xie Daoyun and baby Feiyu.
• Ding Youwei greeted the pregnant Murong Qinchen kindly and stopped her from kneeling.

After returning to Jiankang, Chen Caozhi received Xie An’s warning that Huan Wen would likely keep him from commanding troops in Hebei, then reunited with his family and friends. The chapter ended as Chen Caozhi and Chen Yu were summoned to meet Emperor Sima Yu.

• Chen Caozhi visited Xie An with Xie Shao and heard that Huan Wen would probably offer him a court post rather than let him return to command troops in Hebei.
• Chen Caozhi hosted old acquaintances, learned that Zhi Daolin and Fan Xuanping had died, and received a messenger from Murong Wei seeking news of Murong Qinchen.
• Chen Caozhi visited his family, saw Xiao Fangyu asleep, and promised Murong Qinchen that he would accompany her to visit her mother and elder brother.
• Chen Caozhi talked with Run'er about her marriage prospects and urged her to choose carefully, then spent the night with Lu Weiwei and found that Xiao Bozhen had slept peacefully without his mother.
• Chen Caozhi and Lu Weiwei took Xiao Bozhen to the Lu Residence, where he met Gu Weiqing, before Chen Caozhi entered Taicheng with Lu Na.
• The Director of the Palace conveyed Emperor Sima Yu’s command summoning Chen Caozhi and Chen Yu to an audience at Shiqian Palace.

Chen Caozhi asked Emperor Sima Yu to let him leave his post in Ji Province and return to court, but the emperor and Xie An recognized that his request was tied to the coming confrontation with Huan Wen. After visiting Qin Qin’s family and learning that Murong Chui would serve under Huan Wen’s son, Chen Caozhi warned Xi Chao that Murong Chui posed a grave danger and planned to raise the matter in Gushu.

• Chen Caozhi told Sima Yu he wanted to leave Ji Province, but the emperor urged him to remain and defend the unsettled northern frontier.
• Sima Yu consulted Wang Biaozhi and Xie An, and Xie An advised him to let Chen Caozhi handle his own dealings with Huan Wen.
• Chen Caozhi told Ran Sheng that his visit to Gushu was crucial, while Ran Sheng hesitated to confess his feelings to Run'er.
• Chen Caozhi visited Qin Qin’s family, learned she was four months pregnant, and declined Murong De and Murong Chen’s request to return to Hebei.
• Chen Caozhi learned Murong Chui would serve as Huan Bodaо’s assistant and warned Xi Chao that Murong Chui and his son must not be allowed to command troops.

Chen Caozhi visited Huan Wen in Gushu, offered him Yan’s state instruments, and secured permission to leave Ji Province and return to Jiangdong. The chapter ended with tensions between Chen Caozhi and Huan Wen’s sons sharpening as Chen warned Huan Wen against trusting Murong Chui.

• Chen Caozhi arrived at Gushu with Ran Sheng and met Gu Kaizhi and the young Wang Xun, who eagerly sought his calligraphy instruction.
• Chen Caozhi presented Huan Wen with Yan’s state instruments, easing Huan Wen’s displeasure over his donations to the court.
• Chen Caozhi warned Huan Wen about Murong Chui and asked to leave his post in Ji Province; Huan Wen agreed to let him return to Jiankang after visiting his ancestral graves.
• Chen Caozhi told Ran Sheng that news of Fu Jian’s move against Bingzhou and Ji Province might reach the Western Headquarters around the end of the eighth month.
• At Huan Wen’s banquet, Huan Xi and Huan Ji both showed resentment toward Chen Caozhi, while Huan Wen doted on his youngest son, Huan Xuan.

Chen Caozhi’s arrival in Gushu alarmed Murong Chui, who feared Chen would block his plan to restore Great Yan. Huan Wen rejected Murong Chui’s appointment as Sima of Yu Province, while Li Jingshu urged him to reconsider Huan Xi as heir apparent.

• Chen Caozhi warned Murong Chui and Murong Ling that military life was perilous, prompting Murong Chui to suspect that Chen had seen through his restoration plans.
• Murong Ling told Huan Xi that Chen Caozhi seemed opposed to Murong Chui’s appointment, and Huan Xi angrily defended his choice.
• Huan Wen told Huan Xi that Murong Chui could not serve as Sima of Yu Province and recommended Sun Zhen instead.
• Huan Xi objected that changing his promise would alienate surrendered officials, but Huan Wen cited warnings from Chen Zizhong and Xi Jiabin and upheld his decision.
• Li Jingshu suggested that Huan Wen replace Huan Xi with young Huan Xuan, while Huan Wen worried about his son’s temperament and the unresolved rift with Chen Caozhi.

Chen Caozhi deliberately humiliated Huan Xi and predicted that he would try to assassinate him, while Huan Xi and Huan Ji planned an ambush on the road to Jiankang. Huan Xi sought Murong Chui’s support but was refused, leaving his plot without the general’s help.

• Chen Caozhi told Ran Sheng that Huan Xi might complain to Huan Wen, ambush him, or murder his father, and predicted Huan Xi would choose an ambush.
• Huan Xi complained to Huan Ji about Chen Caozhi and decided to attack Chen Caozhi’s party near Tengzi Mountain and Hongmu Mountain as they traveled to Jiankang.
• Li Jingshu proposed a marriage between Huan Xuan and Chen Caozhi’s daughter, and Chen Caozhi agreed to discuss the match when the children were older.
• Huan Xi asked Murong Chui and his sons to help kill Chen Caozhi, but Murong Chui warned him against the plan and refused to take part.

Murong Chui refused to join Huan Xi’s plot against Chen Caozhi, and Murong Ling warned Chen Caozhi of the planned ambush. After Huan Wen recalled and confined Huan Xi, Chen Caozhi returned to Jiankang and reported the affair to Emperor Sima Yu; the court awaited Huan Wen’s memorial while Chen Caozhi departed for Qiantang.

• Murong Chui rejected Murong Ling’s proposal to support Huan Xi, warning that Chen Caozhi had drawn Huan Xi into a trap and that the Murongs would be destroyed if they joined him.
• Two soldiers told Chen Caozhi that Huan Xi had taken five hundred bowmen and crossbowmen northeast, and Murong Ling then revealed the plot to Chen Caozhi and Huan Wen.
• Huan Wen ordered Huan Xi brought back in bonds, but Chen Caozhi pleaded for leniency; Huan Wen confined his son and arranged an escort for Chen Caozhi.
• Wang Xun asked Chen Caozhi for permission to court his niece, and Chen Caozhi invited him to visit after his return from Qiantang.
• Chen Caozhi reported the Gushu affair to Emperor Sima Yu, who discussed Huan Xi’s conduct with Wang Biaozhi and Xie An.
• Chen Caozhi left Jiankang for Qiantang with his family and fifty thousand jin of gold, while Huan Wen’s memorial recommending Huan Yi to replace Huan Xi as Inspector of Yu Province reached the court.

Chen Caozhi introduced woodblock printing to Zhi Fahan, then continued his family’s leisurely journey to Qiantang, where the Chen clan mourned the death of Chen Xian. Emperor Sima Yu’s edict overrode Chen Caozhi’s mourning obligation and ordered him back to Jiankang.

• Chen Caozhi gave Zhi Fahan one hundred jin of gold and urged him to print Buddhist scriptures from carved wooden blocks without crediting Chen Caozhi for the method.
• At Wanshan Inn, Chen Caozhi joined Lu Weiwei and their son Xiao Bozhen to watch the river, while Ran Sheng later shot an arrow toward the moon during the Qixi festivities on Taihu Lake.
• Chen Caozhi and Xie Daoyun discussed their children’s possible marriages and his plans to reclaim land, build waterways, and establish a seaport.
• Chen Caozhi’s party returned to Qiantang, and the Chen clan held an ancestral ceremony before Chen Xian died on the twenty-ninth day of the seventh month.
• After thousands attended Chen Xian’s funeral, Emperor Sima Yu issued an edict releasing Chen Caozhi from mourning and summoning him back to Jiankang.

Chen Caozhi returned to Jiankang under an imperial summons, secured support for a canal linking Jingkou and Qiantang, and then went north to resume command in Ji Province amid threats from Qin and Dai. The chapter ends with him reunited with Xu Miao in Ye City and reading family letters about his children, Run'er, and the undertakings at home.

• Chen Caozhi assigned Xie Daoyun to oversee southern land clearance, canal construction, and a harbor and shipbuilding project funded from outside the Chen Clan.
• Chen Caozhi said goodbye to Lu Weiwei, Xiao Chan, and their children at Jiaxing, promising to return the following year.
• Chen Caozhi won Governor Zhu and Diao Yi's agreement to discuss connecting waterways between Jingkou and Qiantang, then received Huan Wen's urgent summons to Gushu.
• Huan Wen ordered Chen Caozhi back to Hebei and asked his opinion about replacing Huan Xi as heir, but Chen Caozhi declined to interfere in the Huan family's affairs.
• Chen Caozhi traveled north with Gu Kaizhi and provincial troops, met Huan Mi and Shen Jin in Luoyang, and returned to Ye City as Ran Sheng departed for Liaoxi.
• Xu Miao arrived in Ye City the following spring, and Chen Caozhi read family letters reporting Run'er's suitor, Yinggu's death, progress on the canal, and Murong Qinchen's birth of Zhongyu.