The best character to invite to the palace in The Rise of the New Han Prince 2 depends entirely on your strategic goals: invite General Bao for military dominance, Lady Fenhua for covert power, and Grand Scholar Wei for long-term stability and technological superiority. Each nightly summons is a pivotal decision that shapes your reign, your stats, and your ultimate ending. Neglecting this mechanic is the fastest way to an early grave.
This guide breaks down every potential guest, the hidden rewards of their counsel, and the precise invitation strategies required to achieve every major ending, including the coveted "Mandate of Heaven" true ending.
Understanding the Nightly Summons Mechanic
Every time you end a day and return to the Weiyang Palace, the game prompts you with the Nightly Summons. You can choose one character from an available pool to join you for a private audience. This choice is the primary way you will steer your empire's development outside of major story events.
Each invitation consumes the entire night's action and typically grants a bonus to one of your three core attributes:
- Authority: Represents your military might and your direct command over the court. High Authority is needed to win wars, intimidate vassals, and pass forceful edicts.
- Intrigue: Your capacity for espionage, counter-intelligence, and subterfuge. High Intrigue allows you to uncover plots, assassinate rivals, and manipulate events from the shadows.
- Scholarship: Your empire's progress in technology, culture, and diplomacy. High Scholarship unlocks powerful new buildings, units, and administrative reforms.
Beyond the base stat points, repeatedly inviting the same character builds Favor. As Favor increases, you'll unlock unique dialogue, special event chains, and powerful passive bonuses tied to that advisor. Juggling who to favor and when is the key to a successful reign.
The Core Advisors: Who to Invite and When
Your three primary advisors are always available for a summons. Each one is the master of a specific playstyle. Focusing on one will make you powerful in their domain but vulnerable elsewhere, while balancing them is a safe, albeit slower, path to victory.
General Bao, The Iron Fist
Inviting the grizzled old general is the most straightforward path to power. Every meeting with General Bao is a war council, a discussion of troop readiness, or a strategic overview of your neighbors. This is the choice for an aggressive, expansionist playstyle.
- Standard Reward: +5 Authority
- Favor Unlocks: Increased army recruitment speed, access to elite "Imperial Guard" units, and the powerful "Forced March" army stance.
- Strategic Focus: Invite Bao consistently in the early game (Years 1-5) to secure your borders against the Xiongnu raiders and crush the initial pretenders to your throne. His advice is critical for surviving the early-game military challenges. Continuing to favor him leads directly to the Conqueror Ending.
Lady Fenhua, The Shadow's Veil
Lady Fenhua, your enigmatic spymaster, speaks in whispers and riddles. An audience with her is never about armies or laws, but about secrets: who is plotting against you, which rival minister has a hidden weakness, and where a rival emperor's supply lines are most vulnerable. Choosing her is choosing to rule through fear, information, and the assassin's blade.
- Standard Reward: +5 Intrigue
- Favor Unlocks: The "Shadow Network" mechanic, allowing you to dispatch spies on missions. Unlocks unique actions like "Sow Dissent" and "Assassinate Rival." Also provides warnings about impending plots against you.
- Strategic Focus: Start investing in Fenhua during the mid-game (Years 6-12), when the court becomes a viper's nest of rival factions. Her abilities are essential for navigating the "War of the Chancellors" storyline without being deposed. Over-reliance on her can lock you into the morally grey Shadow Throne Ending.
Grand Scholar Wei, The Mind of the Empire
This elderly academic cares little for war or whispers, focusing instead on history, technology, and governance. An evening with Scholar Wei involves debating Confucian classics, reviewing architectural blueprints, or planning new economic reforms. He is the key to building a prosperous and stable empire that can stand the test of time.
- Standard Reward: +5 Scholarship
- Favor Unlocks: A flat percentage bonus to research speed, access to the "Imperial Academy" which generates passive Scholarship, and the ability to enact powerful late-game policies like the "Grand Canal" and "Standardized Coinage."
- Strategic Focus: Invite Scholar Wei consistently throughout your entire reign. While his benefits are less immediately impactful than Bao's armies or Fenhua's schemes, the long-term compounding advantage of superior technology and economy is immense. A balanced playthrough with a focus on Wei is a prerequisite for the Golden Age Ending.
The Rise of the New Han Prince 2 in-game screenshot
The Wildcards: High-Risk, High-Reward Invitations
Not all guests are reliable advisors. Two special characters can be invited under specific circumstances, offering unique and volatile outcomes that can either secure your victory or send your empire into a death spiral.
Chancellor Jia, The Gilded Serpent
Chancellor Jia is the wealthiest and most corrupt man in the capital. He is not a default option and only becomes available for summons after you've accumulated 10,000 gold for the first time. Inviting him is a devil's bargain. He offers immense short-term rewards but always at a cost, often hidden.
His proposals are a gamble. He might offer a massive influx of cash in exchange for letting him install a crony in a key position, which could trigger a "Corruption Scandal" event months later, tanking your Authority. Only invite Chancellor Jia when you are desperate for cash or a specific political favor, and be prepared for the consequences.
| Chancellor Jia's Offer | Potential Positive Outcome | Potential Negative Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| "A Minor Tax Adjustment" | +5000 Gold immediately | -10 Authority, triggers "Peasant Unrest" event chain |
| "Appoint My Nephew" | Gain "Political Capital" resource | +15% chance of triggering "Corruption Scandal" |
| "A Business Opportunity" | Gain a unique trade resource | Rival faction gains a permanent grievance against you |
Master Yue, The Voice of Heaven
This wandering Taoist mystic is the most elusive and important guest in the game. Master Yue cannot be summoned at will. He will only appear in your court after you complete major spiritual story beats, such as rebuilding the Temple of Heaven or successfully navigating the "River Dragon's Prophecy" event. His appearances are rare, and you should drop everything to invite him when he is available.
Master Yue offers no conventional rewards. He doesn't grant stats or gold. Instead, each meeting with him increases your hidden Mandate score. This stat is the sole determining factor for achieving the game's true ending. An audience with him involves cryptic philosophical discussions and seemingly nonsensical advice that often foreshadows future events. You need a minimum of five successful invitations with Master Yue to unlock the Mandate of Heaven Ending.
The Rise of the New Han Prince 2 in-game screenshot
How Invitation Choices Affect Your Ending
The final outcome of your 30-year reign is heavily influenced by the cumulative pattern of your nightly invitations. While story choices and battlefield performance matter, your choice of counsel is what truly defines your legacy as emperor.
Your most frequent guest by the end of the game will generally determine your ending. If your invitations are balanced, the game will look at your second-most frequent guest. The exception is the Mandate of Heaven ending, which has a hard requirement.
- Conqueror Ending: Achieved by having General Bao as your most-invited guest. Your empire becomes a vast, militaristic state, respected and feared, but culturally stagnant.
- Shadow Throne Ending: Achieved by having Lady Fenhua as your most-invited guest. You rule from the shadows, your control absolute but your legitimacy questioned. The empire is stable but built on a foundation of fear.
- Golden Age Ending: Achieved through a balanced invitation strategy, with Grand Scholar Wei being the most or second-most frequent guest. Your empire becomes a beacon of culture, technology, and prosperity, but may be militarily vulnerable.
- Usurper's Demise (Bad Ending): Frequently inviting Chancellor Jia and accepting his corrupt bargains will eventually trigger a massive civil war you cannot win, leading to your execution.
- Mandate of Heaven (True Ending): Requires at least 5 invitations to Master Yue and a balanced approach to the other three core advisors (none should have more than double the invitations of another). This leads to a truly legendary reign, ushering in a century of peace and prosperity.
The Rise of the New Han Prince 2 in-game screenshot
Unlocking a Secret Guest: The Emissary from the West
Beyond the main cast, there is one final, secret guest you can unlock: the Emissary from the West. This character provides a massive late-game economic advantage but requires a dedicated Scholarship build to access.
To make the Emissary appear, you must meet two conditions:
- Achieve a Scholarship score of at least 150.
- Build the "Grand Observatory" special building in your capital. This building is itself unlocked through the Scholarship tech tree.
Once both conditions are met, a new event, "Strange Ships on the Horizon," will trigger. A few turns later, the Emissary will arrive in your court and become available for a Nightly Summons. You can only invite him three times in total. Each visit grants you a choice of a powerful, unique trade good from either Rome or Persia, providing a permanent and massive boost to your treasury for the rest of the game.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Can you invite more than one person per night? No. The core mechanic is strictly one choice per night. This makes every decision meaningful and forces you to prioritize.
What happens if you don't invite anyone? You can choose to "Rest for the Evening," which skips the invitation. This provides no bonuses and is a wasted opportunity. You should always invite someone, even if you're just picking your least-needed advisor for a minor boost.
Who is the best character to invite early in the game? General Bao is almost always the strongest early-game choice. The initial threats to your reign are purely military, and his Authority bonuses and war council events are critical for survival in the first five years.
How many times do I need to invite Master Yue for the true ending? You need a minimum of five successful invitations with Master Yue to achieve the "Mandate of Heaven" ending. As he appears infrequently, you must seize every opportunity to meet with him.
Is it ever worth inviting Chancellor Jia? Rarely. The risk of a backfire is high. The only time it's truly advisable is if you are on the brink of bankruptcy and the immediate cash infusion from his "Tax Adjustment" offer is the only thing that can save you from a game-over.
Final Take
There is no single "correct" person to invite to the palace in The Rise of the New Han Prince 2. Your choice should always be a deliberate one, tied to your immediate needs and long-term strategy. For a first playthrough, a balanced approach focusing on Grand Scholar Wei provides the most robust foundation. But for true mastery, you must learn to pivot between the General, the Spymaster, and the Scholar as circumstances change—and always, always make time for the mystic when heaven comes to call.