Chapter Summaries

After Zhi Mindu treated Lady Li, Chen Caozhi eased into managing the household and taught Xiao Chan, Run'er, and Zongzhi arithmetic with quill pens. The chapter left Chen Caozhi waiting for the renowned physician Yang Quan, whom Lu Na had arranged to summon, while Lady Li's condition remained stable.

• Chen Caozhi saw Zhi Mindu and Xie Xuan off after Zhi Mindu treated Lady Li, and learned that Xie Xuan's sister had persuaded the monk to come by winning a debate.
• Chen Caozhi asked Xiao Chan to manage the household and taught her to keep accounts with a quill pen and a simple arithmetic method.
• Chen Caozhi taught Xiao Chan, Run'er, and Zongzhi the four operations, and all three correctly solved a gold-to-coin conversion problem.
• Ran Sheng returned from Wu Commandery with Lu Na's reply, reporting that Lu Na had sent a steward with Lai De to invite physician Yang Quan from Yangzhou.
• Chen Caozhi declined Ran Sheng's offer to visit Lu Weiwei and waited for Yang Quan while Lady Li's condition remained stable.

Chen Caozhi welcomed Imperial Physician Yang and Liu Shangzhi, who brought his sixth-rank Exemption Certificate, and Yang advised him on caring for Lady Li. As Ding Chunqiu arrived with his third sister, Chen Caozhi felt a faint anticipation about the unexpected guest.

• Chen Caozhi welcomed Yang Quan and Liu Shangzhi to Chen Family Cove, where Liu told him he had collected his sixth-rank Exemption Certificate.
• Liu Shangzhi presented Chen Caozhi's certificate to Lady Li, who compared it with Chen Qingzhi's old certificate as the Chen clan celebrated.
• Yang Quan examined Lady Li, recommended following Zhi Mindu's prescription, and advised Chen Caozhi on her diet and care.
• Yang Quan told Chen Caozhi a story about Xie Wanshi's magnanimity, while Chen Caozhi privately worried about Xie Wan's military prospects.
• Ding Chunqiu arrived with his third sister, and Chen Caozhi hurried out to greet them.

Ding Youwei returned to Chen Family Cove to visit her ailing mother-in-law, Lady Li, and reunited with her children and the Chen family. The family shared a joyful evening together, ending with Chen Caozhi playing his flute as Lady Li rested.

• Ding Youwei pleaded with Ding Yi for permission to visit Lady Li and traveled to Chen Family Cove with Ding Chunqiu, A Xiu, and Rain Swallow.
• Ding Youwei reunited with Zongzhi and Run'er, then embraced Lady Li after Chen Caozhi prepared her for the emotional meeting.
• Lady Li welcomed Ding Youwei and met Ding Chunqiu, while Chen Caozhi helped keep her emotions from overwhelming her.
• Ding Youwei and Lady Li shared supper and reminisced, while Ding Chunqiu and Yang Quan played go in Chen Caozhi's study.
• Chen Caozhi played the Keting Flute for Lady Li as Ding Youwei, Zongzhi, Run'er, and the maids listened.

Ding Youwei revisited her old home at Chen Family Cove with Zongzhi and Run'er, while Chen Caozhi saw off Yang Quan and Liu Shangzhi after Yang treated his mother. On his way back, Chen Caozhi unexpectedly met Lu Weiwei and invited her household to Chen Family Cove, where he planned to show her the Feather-Clad Cypress Vine Flower.

• Ding Youwei chose to inspect her former bedroom and study, where the familiar furnishings recalled her lost life with Chen Qingzhi.
• Yang Quan declined Lady Li's gold, accepted gifts of cloth and produce, and advised Chen Caozhi to protect his mother's health.
• Chen Caozhi walked with Yang Quan and Liu Shangzhi, discussed Yu Xi and Lu Changsheng's illnesses, and received Gu Kaizhi's invitation to meet in Qiantang.
• Chen Caozhi encountered Lu Weiwei's party near the pine grove as they traveled to Mingsheng Lake to see the Feather-Clad Cypress Vine Flower.
• Chen Caozhi invited Lu Weiwei and her household to Chen Family Cove, and Lu Weiwei asked whether Lady Li was well before returning to her cart.

Lu Weiwei visited Chen Family Cove, where Chen Caozhi and his family welcomed her. She secretly treated Lady Li like a future mother-in-law, while Ding Chunqiu recognized her feelings for Chen Caozhi and worried about the consequences for his standing.

• Lu Weiwei traveled with her household to Chen Family Cove and spoke with Chen Caozhi about Nine Luminaries Mountain and his painting.
• Chen Caozhi told Lady Li and Ding Youwei that Lu Weiwei had arrived, and asked Ding Youwei to bring her upstairs discreetly.
• Ding Youwei welcomed Lu Weiwei and presented her to Lady Li as a visitor touring Mingsheng Lake.
• Ding Chunqiu recognized Lu Weiwei and suspected she had come to see Chen Caozhi, worrying that a marriage between them could damage Chen Caozhi's reputation.
• Lu Weiwei performed a Hand Prostration before Lady Li and told her she felt close to her; Lady Li began to realize Lu Weiwei's feelings for Chen Caozhi.

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.