Shae finds a new apartment and introduces herself to her college-aged neighbor, Caun.

Soon after, Lan visits and expresses his distrust of Doru—he is worried that Doru is colluding with Mountain Clan to skim jade to use for export. Lan asks Shae to go to the jade mines and check their records. He is reluctant to involve her in family business, but she is one of the only people he truly trusts.

Lan meets with Chancellor Son, the highest ranking politician in Kekon. Kekon’s government is purposefully comprised of people who cannot wield jade, ostensibly to create impartiality, but in reality making these officials highly corruptible and indebted to the much more powerful clans. Son is in No Peak’s pocket—he is a No Peak Lantern Man, or an ally who pays tribute to the clan to have his business protected. Being in the world of politics reminds Lan of something his father used to say: Jade and gold never go together.

Lan brings Woon, his prospective new Weather Man, to the meeting, hoping that he will prove able enough to replace