After wandering around all afternoon, Tian Yu finally returned home before dinner to have dinner with her children. The housekeeper had arranged for two personal maids, Green Willow and Autumn Chrysanthemum, to serve her, but Tian Yu refused. However, the housekeeper still arranged for them to wait in the outer courtyard. Zhao Moyan hadn't returned yet. Tian Yu figured it was normal for him to be busy, so she comforted Tangyuan for a few moments. Tangyuan then asked about Chen Chong, and Tian Yu, not wanting to upset Tangyuan, simply said that Chen Chong's father had returned and taken him away. After giving them a bath and changing their clothes, Tian Yu opened the wardrobe and discovered that Zhao Moyan had prepared many clothes and shoes for them, the fabric of which looked much better than what she had bought. She told them a story, and the two children finally fell asleep. Once they were asleep, Tian Yu got up and went to the next room to find paper and pen, and wrote down everything she had heard about the place that day.

After summarizing, Tian Yu realized this was an era of five powerful states vying for supremacy. The northernmost state was Meng, a grassland tribe, the largest but least economically developed, relying mainly on animal husbandry. Sparsely populated and not fully unified, it was divided into various tribes, with three dominant ones whose names were too long for Tian Yu to decipher. These tribes frequently clashed with Chen and Wu. The central plains were the most fertile and resource-rich, divided equally between Wu and Chen. The people of Wu revered martial prowess, resulting in a slightly less sophisticated culture. Tian Yu thought this explained why Zhao Moyan chose to abandon literature for martial arts; establishing merit in Wu was faster and more direct than taking the imperial examinations. However, due to certain events, Wu had recently begun to place more emphasis on scholars and intellectuals.

The State of Chen places greater emphasis on scholars, but in recent years, due to certain events, it has become more inclined towards military force. After reviewing some materials, Tian Yu discovered that these changes were gradually influenced by the current ruler. The most obvious reason for this was the internal strife in the State of Chen twenty years ago. The current ruler, Chen Rulie, the younger brother of the previous ruler, is a man who admires military strength, is fond of fighting, and has launched invasions and wars against other states to varying degrees.

Further south lies a mountainous region inhabited by two small kingdoms, Che and Qiu. Che is allied with Wu and borders it to the southwest. Qiu, on the other hand, borders Chen to the southeast. While they were previously on good terms, recent years have seen frequent conflicts due to various reasons, with Qiu mostly losing and surrendering its treasures. Even the crown prince, Qiu Yan, was forced to be sent to Chen as a hostage before the wars ended. Later, Chen went to war with Wu, which lasted three years before Wu emerged victorious. Chen then sued for peace, ending the war. Shancheng County, a strategically important border region of Wu, is backed by Che and surrounded by mountains. It is a crucial gateway to Chen and a vital area for Wu's foreign trade.

As Tian Yu read, she also took notes. Although she had learned the characters when Chen Chong and Zhao Moyan taught Tangyuan, there were still many words she didn't recognize. So she circled them with her pen and made notes on the ones she didn't understand, thinking she would ask someone later. She carefully collected the information she wanted while reading in the study.