Chapter Summaries

Lin Yi reviewed the Imperial Examination’s top ten and learned how Huang Longsi and Zhang Zizai had come to serve Great Liang. He approved the rankings, ordered Zhang Zizai warned rather than punished, and prepared to employ several specially talented candidates outside the examination results.

• Lin Yi praised Huang Longsi’s broad talents despite his father’s service under Great Ning, and declared that Great Liang would employ capable people regardless of their origins.
• Wang Yue explained that Zhang Zizai had impersonated a Great Liang envoy to persuade a pirate chief to submit, then taken the title of lord of Langye Island.
• Lin Yi decided not to punish Zhang Zizai for the deception, but ordered that he receive a warning.
• Lin Yi checked more examination papers, circled candidates with special talents, and ordered Zhao Gao to send their names to the Ministry of Personnel and publish the list.

Lin Yi learned that Bill III had died and reviewed the growing turmoil in the west. He ordered Huo Qubing to attack the border between the Great West Empire and the Frostwest Empire, leaving Great Liang poised to pressure both countries.

• Wang Yue told Lin Yi that Bill III was dead, and Lin Yi accepted his father’s role in the death as part of a broader plan.
• Wang Yue reported that the retired emperor was mobilizing against Bill IV while Abaddon accused Bill IV of murdering his father and seizing power.
• Lin Yi assessed Great Liang’s western forces and decided that Xue Rengui alone could not keep Abaddon occupied.
• Lin Yi ordered Huo Qubing to attack the border between the Great West Empire and the Frostwest Empire so Abaddon could not build up his strength unopposed.
• Lin Yi noted that Great Liang’s western deployment included forces under his father, Ran Min, the two Chaos, Xue Rengui, Huo Qubing, Zhou Yu, and Gan Ning, with more armies expected to arrive.

Lin Yi proposed a grand assembly where representatives from every commandery and county could bring local concerns directly to the court, helping Great Liang improve its policies. Xun Yu and Chen Qun were tasked with refining the plan, and Lin Yi ended their doubts about his dignity by crushing an ink block in his hand.

• Lin Yi reflected on strengthening Great Liang and ensuring that policies reached the common people, then clarified to Wang Yue that he meant better communication, not finding women for the harem.
• Lin Yi devised a grand court assembly for representatives from every commandery and county and wrote down its proposed name and outline.
• Lin Yi summoned Xun Yu and Chen Qun and asked them to refine the assembly’s practical arrangements.
• Xun Yu praised the assembly as a channel for public concerns, while Chen Qun warned that it could weaken the emperor’s dignity and help expose local abuses.
• Lin Yi crushed a hard ink block in his hand, convincing Chen Qun that the assembly would enhance rather than diminish his authority.

Lin Yi told Princess Anne that her father, Bill III, had been killed in a coup led by Ashina Tiandu and Xiuli. Ma Ling'er urged Anne to ask Lin Yi to invade Frostwest, avenge her father, and take the throne, leaving Anne shaken and angry.

• Lin Yi instructed Xun Yu and Chen Qun to arrange a grand court assembly once or twice a year, then went to Anne's palace.
• Anne saw Lin Yi's sorrowful expression and asked whether something had happened to her father.
• Lin Yi gave Anne intelligence saying Ashina Tiandu and Xiuli had staged a coup and Bill III had been killed before the Net could rescue him.
• Anne grieved over her father's death and condemned Ashina Tiandu for murdering him and usurping the throne.
• Ma Ling'er suggested Ashina Tiandu killed Bill III to prevent him from supporting Anne, and urged Lin Yi to send troops to Frostwest so Anne could become empress.

Ma Ling'er pushed Princess Anne toward seeking revenge on Ashina Tiandu, while Lin Yi discovered that her new scheming manner came from reading Guo Jia's copy of Thick Black Theory. Princess Anne ultimately asked Lin Yi to conquer Frostwest, leaving her hopes of preserving her family’s position tied to winning Great Liang’s favor.

• Ma Ling'er convinced Princess Anne that Ashina Tiandu had killed her father out of fear she would inherit the throne, and Anne became consumed by thoughts of revenge.
• Lin Yi found Ma Ling'er reading Thick Black Theory and learned that Guo Jia had given her the book instead of teaching her characters.
• Lin Yi told Princess Anne that Great Liang would avenge her father, while privately intending to destroy and annex the Frostwest Empire.
• Princess Anne asked Lin Yi to save Frostwest from Ashina Tiandu, hoping her support would earn the imperial family favor and secure her own place in Great Liang's court.

Anne accepted that Frostwest would be absorbed into Great Liang and sought Lin Yi’s affection, while he promised to avenge her father by killing Ashina Tiandu. Lin Yi then set out incognito for the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion with Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, and Zhou Bao, claiming he wanted to learn about the people’s hardships.

• Anne decided that Frostwest’s people would be better off under Great Liang and hoped her son might one day inherit the empire.
• Lin Yi comforted Anne, promised to kill Ashina Tiandu, and left her to rest.
• Lin Yi learned that Guo Jia was drinking with Cao Cao at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion and decided to visit the establishment in disguise.
• Dun Ruo summoned Zhang Long, Zhao Hu, and Zhou Bao to accompany Lin Yi on his incognito visit.
• Zhang Long and Zhao Hu celebrated the prospect of visiting prostitutes with Lin Yi, and Zhou Bao corrected them by calling the outing a visit to understand the people’s circumstances.

Lin Yi praised Zhou Bao for his growth while Zhang Long and Zhao Hu regretted missing the chance to earn favor by saving him. Disguised as a young master, Lin Yi went to the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion and discovered how a vendor had invented paper pinwheels.

• Lin Yi praised Zhou Bao for understanding his efforts, while Zhang Long and Zhao Hu resented him for winning the emperor’s favor.
• Zhang Long and Zhao Hu imagined that saving Lin Yi from an assassin could raise their ranks, then Lin Yi told them to call him young master and hide his identity.
• Lin Yi and his attendants continued through the streets toward the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, and Lin Yi reflected on his life as emperor.
• Lin Yi spotted paper pinwheels for sale and asked the vendor how he had made them.
• The vendor explained that his son had ruined books and played with spinning paper, inspiring him to create pinwheels to sell to children.

Lin Yi explored the inventive goods sold by ordinary people and considered how to encourage innovation in Great Liang before visiting the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion. He discovered the brothel hid behind a scholarly exterior, and the madam offered him a private elegant quarter.

• Lin Yi bought a locally made paper pinwheel and reflected on how common people's inventions could benefit Great Liang, though he decided not to introduce chemistry and physics hastily.
• Lin Yi browsed more street vendors' handmade toys and pastries, then headed to the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion in Yong'an City.
• Lin Yi found the pavilion's elegant exterior hard to reconcile with a brothel, and Zhao Hu explained that its interior was entirely different.
• Lin Yi saw the pavilion's women coax bashful examination candidates inside and realized the respectable facade helped patrons enter discreetly.
• The madam welcomed Lin Yi, assumed he was wealthy, and offered him a private elegant quarter.

Lin Yi visited the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion to find Guo Jia and learned that he was hiding there under the name Little Lü Bu. The madam revealed herself as Qinglin, the Net’s Earth-Class Number One, and greeted Lin Yi as the emperor.

• Lin Yi paid the madam to leave him alone, then asked whether she had seen Guo Jia.
• The madam identified Guo Jia as Little Lü Bu of the Pleasure Quarters but refused to disclose his whereabouts.
• A Net agent told Lin Yi that Guo Jia was in Heaven-Class Building Number One with Aman and the others.
• Lin Yi entered the elegant lodge, and the madam followed him inside.
• Qinglin dismissed the others, knelt before Lin Yi, and greeted him as Your Majesty.

Lin Yi recognized Qinglin as a young Net agent in disguise and promised to honor the intelligence agents’ sacrifices. At Heaven No. 1 Building, Cao Cao told Guo Jia, Li Yu, and Xu Chu that aristocratic families had trapped him into sleeping with Lu Yafu’s concubine, and he asked Li Yu for support against the coming impeachment.

• Qinglin revealed her identity to Lin Yi and apologized for failing to recognize him sooner.
• Lin Yi thanked Qinglin for her service and vowed to improve benefits and rewards for the Net and its agents.
• Lin Yi entered Heaven No. 1 Building and found Cao Cao asking Guo Jia, Li Yu, and Xu Chu for help.
• Cao Cao confessed that aristocratic families had set him up with Lu Yafu’s concubine.
• Guo Jia tried to leave, while Cao Cao asked Li Yu to support him against the aristocratic families’ planned impeachment.

Cao Cao tried to persuade Xu Chu to take the blame for sleeping with Lu Yafu’s concubine, but Lin Yi learned that the great families had staged the incident with a fake concubine. Lin Yi then confronted Guo Jia for neglecting his duties to teach Consort Hui to read.

• Cao Cao asked Xu Chu to take responsibility for the scandal, but Xu Chu hesitated over the legal and reputational risks.
• Li Yu and Guo Jia urged Cao Cao to marry the woman, while Cao Cao insisted he had been wronged and appealed to Xu Chu again.
• Lin Yi asked Qinglin why the Net had not reported Cao Cao’s scandal, and Qinglin explained that the great families had used a brothel girl posing as Lu Yafu’s concubine to frighten him.
• Lin Yi concluded that his suppression of the great families had kept them from ruining Cao Cao’s reputation, then entered and startled Cao Cao, Xu Chu, Guo Jia, and Li Yu.
• Lin Yi accused Guo Jia of neglecting his duty to teach Consort Hui to read, and Guo Jia defended himself by saying his official work had been demanding.

Lin Yi warned Cao Cao after settling Lu Yafu’s complaint, then questioned Li Yu and Xu Chu about their visits to the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion. He arranged for Guo Jia to bring Xu Chu along to prevent further trouble with foreign envoys, then revealed that he had another important task for Guo Jia.

• Cao Cao panicked when Lin Yi claimed Lu Yafu wanted him castrated, but Lin Yi revealed he had already dealt with Lu Yafu and warned the great clans.
• Lin Yi questioned Li Yu about visiting the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion, and Li Yu said he went there to find amusement when he felt sad.
• Xu Chu admitted he visited because he was too fired up and had feared beating the foreign guards to death during their sparring.
• Lin Yi asked the system whether it could summon the men’s partners, and it explained that Bond Summoning required an upgrade and partners depended on the characters’ points in time.
• Lin Yi told Guo Jia to bring Xu Chu to the pavilion for the sake of peace between the two nations, and Guo Jia eagerly accepted.
• Lin Yi told Guo Jia he had another important task for him.

Lin Yi assigned Guo Jia and Li Yu to train the Imperial Examination candidates in local governance and his principles of ruling. They accepted the task, recognizing that reshaping the candidates’ political thinking was its most important purpose.

• Lin Yi told Guo Jia that the new examination candidates needed training before they could govern, and Guo Jia realized the emperor wanted him to teach them.
• Guo Jia tried to pass the task to Xun Yu, but Lin Yi said Xun Yu was too busy, while Cao Cao refused because of his poor relations with the great families.
• Guo Jia proposed that Li Yu help train the candidates, and Lin Yi agreed to appoint both men alongside Wen Tianxiang.
• Lin Yi ordered Guo Jia and Li Yu to establish a training class focused on governing local regions and understanding his principles of ruling.
• Guo Jia and Li Yu recognized that reshaping the candidates’ thinking was the real priority and agreed to serve.

Lin Yi discussed using preparatory official training to shape future officials and heard Cao Cao and Guo Jia assess the Imperial Examination’s leading candidates. After the rankings were posted in Yong'an City, Zhang Fengfan found himself in fourth place and admitted he had underestimated the other scholars.

• Lin Yi explained to Cao Cao that the training program would teach administration and instill his governing ideas, with Wen Tianxiang, Guo Jia, and Li Yu guiding the scholars.
• Lin Yi asked Cao Cao about the top ten examinees, and Cao Cao praised Huang Longsi while Guo Jia favored Zhang Zizai.
• Lin Yi said he would personally test the scholars and ordered Cao Cao to ensure the Ministry of Rites properly cared for them.
• The Imperial Examination rankings were posted in Yong'an City, prompting celebrations, disappointment, and discussion of leading candidates including Huang Longsi and Zhang Zizai.
• Zhang Fengfan saw that he had placed fourth and reflected that he had underestimated the scholars around him.

Zhang Shiyu and Zhang Fengfan discussed the abundance of talent in Great Liang and the challenges facing new officials under the reigning emperor. Zhang Fengfan remained determined to enter the court and change his family's fortunes.

• Zhang Shiyu joked that an age filled with talented people was more interesting, provoking hostile looks from disappointed candidates.
• Zhang Fengfan warned Zhang Shiyu to keep a lower profile, and Zhang Shiyu dismissed the danger of causing trouble in Great Liang's capital.
• Zhang Fengfan praised the emperor's rapid expansion of Great Liang and said he had taken the Imperial Examination to seize the opportunity of the age.
• Zhang Shiyu named several powerful officials and military figures, warning that Zhang Fengfan would face fierce competition in the court and that even veteran Northern Liang generals struggled to find posts.
• Zhang Fengfan insisted that he was no pushover and would not abandon his chance to change his family's destiny, and Zhang Shiyu encouraged him.

Zhang Shiyu and Zhang Fengfan prepared to test their strength in the palace examination, while Zhang Wanhao’s guests discussed how the Imperial Examination affected the aristocratic clans. Wang Hui warned them that gathering and identifying as aristocratic clans could draw His Majesty’s suspicion, so they agreed to keep a low profile and seek advancement through the examinations.

• Zhang Shiyu declared that he wanted to test Huang Longsi and Zhang Zizai in the palace examination, and Zhang Fengfan agreed to compete as well.
• At Zhang Wanhao’s residence, Liu Kun worried that the Imperial Examination would end the aristocratic clans’ advantages and right to recommend candidates.
• Zhang Wanhao showed the gathered clan leaders the examination results and argued that aristocratic families had secured many places, giving them a chance to advance through the new system.
• Wang Hui warned the guests not to call themselves aristocratic clans or gather often, fearing that the Net would report their words to His Majesty.
• Zhang Wanhao and the other guests agreed to present themselves as ordinary families and rely on the Imperial Examination to preserve their prospects.

After learning that aristocratic clans had plotted against Cao Cao, the great clans prepared to contain the fallout and reconsidered how to survive as Southern Liang investment opportunities promised them immense profits. Wang Hui urged them to divide their families and tie their interests to His Majesty’s, leaving the clan leaders willing to sacrifice face for security.

• Zhang Wanhao condemned the smaller clans for plotting against Cao Cao and proposed admitting fault to His Majesty while punishing the clans involved.
• Zhang Wanhao agreed to deal with the offending clans, including his own relatives, as the other clan leaders accepted that bloodshed was necessary to contain the damage.
• Liu Kun revealed a ledger of Southern Liang investment projects, lifting the leaders’ spirits with the prospect of huge profits.
• Wang Hui warned that renewed clan wealth could bring them into conflict with imperial power, and Zhang Wanhao asked how they could avoid that danger.
• Wang Hui proposed splitting off most adult children into separate households and sharing part of the clans’ earnings with His Majesty; the leaders agreed to prioritize survival over face.

Wang Hui persuaded the great families to secure ties with the emperor through marriage alliances, prompting them to search their clans for eligible young women. Lin Yi learned of their plans and then faced Cai Yan, Shenle, and Princess Anne, who invited him to play mahjong after hearing he had visited a brothel.

• Wang Hui proposed marriage alliances as the great families' third way to bind their interests to the emperor.
• Zhang Wanhao and Liu Kun agreed to select their clans' finest maidens for the consort selection, and the great families began searching for eligible women.
• Lin Yi heard about the search and told Wang Yue to monitor the great families while leaving their plans against Cao Cao to the officials.
• Zhao Gao told Lin Yi that the empresses of the Eastern and Western Palaces, Princess Anne, and the holy maiden had arrived.
• Cai Yan invited Lin Yi to play mahjong, and Shenle and Princess Anne each hugged his arm, leaving him to suspect a three-against-one battle.

Lin Yi recovered from a night of mahjong and attended breakfast with Cai Yan, Princess Shenle, Princess Anne, and Ma Ling'er before preparing to preside over the palace examination. He arranged food for the candidates and officials, then explained the Imperial Examination to the women as the event approached.

• Lin Yi emerged from the harem feeling sore, and Zhao Gao told him that breakfast had been prepared in the imperial study.
• Lin Yi summoned the women to breakfast, where Cai Yan, Princess Shenle, and Princess Anne appeared exhausted while Ma Ling'er misunderstood their jokes about mahjong.
• Lin Yi asked Zhao Gao about the palace examination, and Zhao Gao reported that Cao Cao had made all the arrangements.
• Lin Yi ordered the imperial kitchens to prepare fragrant crab congee for the candidates and officials.
• Cai Yan and the others asked Lin Yi about the Imperial Examination, and he explained its details to them.

Lin Yi presided over Great Liang’s first palace examination and set the ten top scholars a question about how they would govern the country. The candidates recognized that their answers needed to reflect distinct ministerial roles and began writing, each hoping to impress the emperor.

• Lin Yi donned dragon robes, addressed the ministers, and ordered the ten leading candidates summoned to the hall.
• The candidates paid their respects and looked toward Lin Yi, prompting Lu Yafu to rebuke them until Lin Yi forgave their curiosity.
• Lin Yi praised the candidates and had Zhao Gao reveal the examination question: how they would govern Great Liang as future ministers.
• Huang Longsi observed that the candidates should answer from different ministerial perspectives, and Zhang Zizai chose his approach and began writing.
• The other candidates considered their approaches and poured their learning into their essays.