A Dream of Splendor Recap, Plot, Synopsis

> A Dream of Splendor

A Dream of Splendor Synopsis

Zhao Pan’er, who ran a tea house in Hangzhou. She received the happy news that her fiance Ouyang Xu got third place in the imperial examination. But she was abandoned.

She vowed to go to the capital to seek justice. On the way to the capital Bianjing, she had to rush to save her best friend Song Yinzhang. Because Song Yinzhang was cheated on marriage and abused.

She also saved Sun Sanniang, who committed suicide by falling into the water due to her unhappy married life.

When Ouyang Xu learned that Zhao Pan’er had come to the capital to find him, he tried to drive her out of Bianjing.

However, Zhao Pan’er, Song Yinzhang, and Sun Sanniang decided to stay in Bianjing and complete their dream with their own skills.

After all the hardships and trials, they finally turned the small teahouse into the largest restaurant in Bianjing.

After the hardships, Zhao Pan’er saw more scenery and dissipated her hatred for Ouyang Xu, and also opened the door of equal redemption for the women of humble status in ancient times.

A Dream of Splendor Recap

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Episode 1 Recap

It was during the Northern Song Dynasty, in the midst of continuous rain. In the Capital Security Office in Dongjing, a monstrous crime suddenly came to light. Constable Kong Wu was ordered to conduct severe torture and finally extracted a secret from a prisoner's mouth. It turned out that Wei Ying, the county magistrate of Renhe, had secretly plotted to frame the Empress for imitating Wu Zhou.

The matter concerned palace rebellion, and the important evidence was hidden within a painting. Almost simultaneously, a voice sounded from behind the curtain, coming from far to near like a tide. Accompanying the voice was Gu Qianfan, the Commander of the Capital Security Office, known to the outside world as the Living King Yama. Seeing Gu Qianfan's eyes flickering, the prisoner's body trembled, and he hurriedly blurted out the words "Qiantang".

In the eyes of the people today, Gu Qianfan is the court's lapdog, allowing that person to stir up trouble and frame loyal officials from the shadows, causing various factions to compete, and is also deeply trusted by Commissioner Lei Jing. The Empress's loss of chastity had been concealed for decades, and it should have been reported to the Emperor.

However, the Capital Security Office chose to keep it a secret, and Gu Qianfan was ordered to immediately set off for Qiantang to search for the painting. This was all due to the Empress's faction and the powerful clans behind her who held sway over the court. The Jiangnan region is lush and humid, with countless small bridges and flowing water, tall green walls, and numerous families living by the riverbank.

At the end of the street is also Zhao's Teahouse. The proprietress Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang have known each other for many years and have a deep friendship. Sun Sanniang often makes pastries and delivers them to the teahouse for sale, and through frequent interaction, they understand each other thoroughly.

When the ninth period of winter ended and peach blossoms were in full bloom, her fiancé Ouyang Xu went to the capital for the imperial examination and had not returned, causing Zhao Pan'er's thoughts to wander. She never expected that a sudden uninvited guest would arrive today. It was Gu Qianfan, who had followed Lao Jia here to taste tea and gather information. Due to his frivolous disdain for rural women, Zhao Pan'er developed a very bad impression of him.

Lao Jia, through Wei Ying's confession and a detailed investigation, discovered that Yang Zhiyuan, the Transport Commissioner of Liangzhe Circuit, had accidentally collected the Night Revels Painting, and he was still unaware of the strangeness within the painting.

Considering the seriousness of the matter and that it could not be publicized, moreover, Yang Zhiyuan was an upright and stubborn official, Lao Jia found it inconvenient to directly ask for it at his residence and planned to find an opportunity to steal it from inside. It just so happened that at this time, a group of bandits, being pursued by government soldiers, rushed into the teahouse in desperation.

Lao Jia originally wanted to intervene, but Gu Qianfan's eyes signaled him not to act rashly. Seeing the fierce look on the intruders' faces, Zhao Pan'er feigned weakness and immediately shouted for Sun Sanniang. The two, with great tacit understanding, picked up porcelain jars and smashed them towards the bandits. The scene instantly became chaotic. Seeing Zhao Pan'er gradually being at a disadvantage, Gu Qianfan stepped in to subdue the bandits for her.

The leading government soldier became suspicious of Gu Qianfan's identity, only realizing he had almost caused a great disaster when Lao Gu took out his lion head pendant. Initially, Zhao Pan'er, to repay Gu Qianfan's great kindness for saving her life, personally prepared a cup of clear tea to thank him. But when the words "Capital Security Office" entered her ears, she subconsciously knocked over the tea cup, forcing herself to suppress the turmoil in her heart.

Gu Qianfan had sharp eyes and clearly saw that something was wrong with Zhao Pan'er. He insisted that she brew another pot of tea for him, and finally used his authority to force her to reveal her background. Sun Sanniang, fearing that Zhao Pan'er would be bullied, was walking towards them holding a kitchen knife. She heard Zhao Pan'er recount her life story as if listing her family treasures, though her expression was extremely calm, her eyes were already red-rimmed.

Before Zhao Pan'er could finish speaking, Gu Qianfan left with Lao Jia. Sun Sanniang stepped forward to comfort her, but Zhao Pan'er had already let go of it. As Zhao Pan'er said, she became a person of low status due to her father's crime. While registered, she never served people with her beauty. Even after regaining her free status, she made a living by selling tea and did not degrade herself.

On the other hand, Gu Qianfan deduced from Zhao Pan'er's attitude that she harbored a deep hatred for the Capital Security Office. He thought it must be because the Capital Security Office had arrested her father, causing her to become displaced and ultimately become a courtesan. This past event was equally unforgettable for Zhao Pan'er. Her childhood experience made her feel heavy.

It was said that generals, ministers, and famous scholars gathered at the banquet, but no one knew what kind of conspiracy and murderous intent were hidden within the cheerful laughter. Just as Zhao Pan'er was distracted, Fu Zifang threw a cuju ball from the other side of the river. Sun Sanniang knew at a glance that her son had skipped class and rushed over cursing. At this time, Song Yinzhang came to the teahouse with her lover Zhou She.

Zhao Pan'er saw that Zhou She was not a good person; he was a lecherous drunkard who frequented brothels and even had the terrible habit of gambling addiction, so she strongly opposed Song Yinzhang marrying him. Zhou She became enraged and turned to leave immediately, even losing his temper at Song Yinzhang.

It was regrettable that Song Yinzhang, as the foremost pipa player in Jiangnan, could command a thousand pieces of gold for a single tune, but she was ultimately blinded by love. Not only was she unwilling to turn back, but she even hoped that Zhao Pan'er would help her achieve her goal, as only then could she gain free status.

Rather than being a parrot with a jade ring in a golden cage, she would rather be a free wild bird in the wilderness. Zhao Pan'er could not persuade Song Yinzhang, so she simply threatened her that if she left, she must first leave behind the money earned from the previous shop. If Zhou She was truly willing to marry her properly, she would then return all the assets. Song Yinzhang chose to elope without a word.

After Zhao Pan'er found out, she rowed a boat to chase her, but ultimately she was one step too late. She could only visit Yang Zhiyuan with a heavy gift, hoping he could help Song Yinzhang remove her courtesan status. That night, Gu Qianfan led his subordinates to force their way into Yang's residence, demanding that Yang Zhiyuan hand over the Night Revels Painting.

Zhao Pan'er followed the sound and looked through the window, seeing Yang Zhiyuan personally presenting the painting. However, Mrs. Yang's family still had connections with the former Ministry of Rites Vice Minister Gu Shenyan, which allowed her to be fearless and publicly scold Gu Qianfan for willingly being a minion of the eunuch faction, disgracing his family name.

Episode 2 Recap

The Night Revels Painting suddenly turned into a fake. Yang Zhiyuan cried out that he had been wronged. Before he could prove his innocence, he faintly heard a whistle from outside the door. More than ten assassins in black burst into Yang's residence. A volley of crossbow arrows had already killed all the people from the Capital Security Office. What followed immediately was layers of poisonous miasma. Those who inhaled it would lose their internal energy in a short time.

Lao Jia risked his life to protect Gu Qianfan, but surrounded by the heavy encirclement, fortunately, at the crucial moment, he encountered Zhao Pan'er. He immediately shot a poisonous dart at her, threatening her to save him. To save her life, Zhao Pan'er had no choice but to hide with him nearby, watching as the men in black silenced everyone in Yang's residence, leaving no one alive.

As for why Zhao Pan'er did not inhale the poisonous smoke, it was Gu Qianfan's doubt that forced her to reveal the reason for her visit to the residence tonight. At the same time, she found a footprint on the bluestone slab by the pond and identified it as belonging to an official through the pattern.

Zhao Pan'er felt that if they wanted to deal with the Capital Security Office, why would they go to Yang's residence and make this unnecessary move? She suspected their real target was to kill Yang Zhiyuan and offered to help testify. It was precisely because Zhao Pan'er was so straightforward and upright that Gu Qianfan did not make things difficult for her. He even removed the poisonous dart for her before turning and leaving.

The next morning, De Shu came specifically to deliver good news to Zhao Pan'er, stating frankly that Young Master Ouyang Xu had become the third place Jinshi bestowed by the Emperor in the imperial examination, and that in a few days, he would marry the daughter of Deputy Commander Gao Gu. He had been ordered this time to retrieve the token of love, the Connected Heart Pendant.

Sun Sanniang, upon hearing De Shu's intention, cursed Ouyang Xu for being heartless and ungrateful. He and Zhao Pan'er had already been engaged, so how could he suddenly break off the engagement and marry someone else? Back then, when Ouyang Xu was stranded in Hangzhou, he was fortunate enough to have Zhao Pan'er help him purchase property, which allowed him to regain civilian status and re-enter the examinations in Liangzhe.

Who knew that three years of deep affection could not compare to career and fame? He even wanted to dismiss Zhao Pan'er with eighty taels, which greatly disappointed her. So she asked De Shu to reply to Ouyang Xu on her behalf that if he could not produce five hundred taels, she would absolutely not return the Connected Heart Pendant. Gu Qianfan secretly infiltrated the temporary resting place for the dead to look for clues.

As a result, he found a broken arrow engraved with "Qiantang" on Lao Jia's body. He couldn't help but recall Lao Jia's dying words, which indicated that the men in black were prepared and were definitely ordered to silence the witnesses. At the same time, Zheng Qingtian guessed that the Capital Security Office was investigating the matter of the prophecy. However, after burning down Yang's residence last night, there were now no witnesses.

In the original plan, Zheng Qingtian was preparing to shift the blame to a person surnamed Chu from the Ninghai Army. This person had an old grudge with Yang Zhiyuan, and would definitely attract the attention of the Capital Security Office. However, the broken arrow had disappeared out of thin air. Also, because Gu Qianfan was involved, Zheng Qingtian ordered portraits to be posted, framing him as the pirate who robbed and killed the Yang family.

He also demanded that all checkpoints and sentries in the county strictly investigate, arrest all men with non-local accents, and examine them one by one. If they dared to resist, they were to be killed without mercy. After calming down, Zhao Pan'er decided to go to Dongjing alone to find her husband.

She firmly believed that Ouyang Xu's actions were not from his own will, and that he should at least have left a letter explaining the reason instead of sending someone with a verbal message. In fact, it was also difficult for her to accept that her judgment was truly terrible and that she had actually fallen in love with such a heartless and ungrateful person.

Before the whole truth came to light, Zhao Pan'er first left the teahouse in Sun Sanniang's care. Dressed in simple attire, she came to the pier and unexpectedly discovered a wanted poster with Gu Qianfan's portrait, and even encountered him inside the Matchmaker's Temple. Zhao Pan'er, with her eloquent tongue, managed to persuade Old Man Zheng, the boatman, to agree to let her travel with the merchant caravan. Gu Qianfan hid in the cargo hold to avoid being searched.

Historically, scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants were ranked in that order, with merchants being the most looked down upon. Sun Sanniang deeply understood this, which is why she wanted her son to study hard. However, her husband Fu Xingui, reeking of money, only wanted Fu Zifang to follow him and learn how to do business.

He even wanted to pass his own son to his sister-in-law to seize her family property, which enraged Sun Sanniang and caused her to make a scene at the family ancestral hall. After sitting in the cargo hold, Zhao Pan'er took off her outer garment behind the hanging curtain and applied medicine to her shoulder by herself, unable to resist complaining about Gu Qianfan a few times.

But considering that Gu Qianfan was seriously injured, she decided not to argue with him anymore and personally treated his wound. Unexpectedly, Gu Qianfan suddenly fainted. Zhao Pan'er discovered a report on Gu Qianfan and realized why he had come to Jiangnan. She quietly tucked it back into his embrace, pretending she had never seen it. When Gu Qianfan woke up, he found Zhao Pan'er sleeping tiredly beside him.

He originally wanted to drape his coat over her, but she immediately woke up. They talked for a few sentences. Because of Ouyang Xu, Zhao Pan'er simply burst into curses, venting everything she had kept in her heart. Afterward, she felt that Gu Qianfan was a good person, at least not a bad person at the moment. Gu Qianfan thought Zhao Pan'er didn't need to be sad for a heartless man, but Zhao Pan'er did not accept his words.

Just as they were about to argue, they suddenly heard the commotion outside. It turned out that the people in the merchant caravan had discovered a body floating in the river. Zhao Pan'er came out upon hearing the noise and recognized Sun Sanniang at first glance. In her desperation, she was about to jump into the sea. However, everyone held Zhao Pan'er back, thinking that Sun Sanniang was likely dead and she shouldn't take any more risks. But Gu Qianfan, in order to repay Zhao Pan'er for saving his life, decided to jump in and save Sun Sanniang in her place.

Episode 3 Recap

Sun Sanniang survived by clinging to a piece of driftwood, avoiding drowning. Gu Qianfan tied a rope around her waist, and others on the boat saw this and rushed to help, successfully pulling her up. However, this made Gu Qianfan suspicious to Old Man Zheng. He noticed that Gu Qianfan's physique and appearance closely resembled the man on the wanted poster.

Although he sailed the rivers and lakes relying on camaraderie, it would be improper to commit the crime of harboring a fugitive. Zhao Pan'er responded calmly and composedly. She frankly told him that if he wanted to report to the authorities, he probably wouldn't be able to continue sailing for the rest of his life.

Then she fabricated Gu Qianfan's identity, saying he was the eldest son of Prime Minister Xiao's mansion, deeply in love with her and having pledged to spend their lives together. However, the nephew of the Prince of Pengcheng wanted to take her as a concubine, so they chose to travel far away. To gain Old Man Zheng's trust, Zhao Pan'er deliberately exaggerated and even revealed that she was pregnant. Sure enough, Old Man Zheng believed it.

Gu Qianfan heard the conversation and couldn't help but tease Zhao Pan'er. He wanted to take her pulse to diagnose pregnancy, asking how she could be in such a hurry to go to Dongjing to find her husband if she wasn't carrying Ouyang Xu's child. After the joking was over, Sun Sanniang slowly woke up and honestly recounted the whole story. It turned out she had discovered the affair between Fu Xingui and the woman surnamed Tao.

The two colluded, partnering to slander Sun Sanniang, claiming she was jealous and unruly, disrespectful to her husband, and harmful to her sisters-in-law. They then wrote a divorce letter and expelled her. Originally, Sun Sanniang would rather die than agree. But who knew the clan elder had accepted benefits from the woman surnamed Tao? The elder ordered everyone to force her to press her handprint. Fu Zifang even sided with the woman surnamed Tao, making her completely heartbroken.

Now there was no one left in her maiden family, and even the old house had collapsed. Sun Sanniang knew she had nowhere to go and, in despair, jumped into the river to commit suicide. Just as Sun Sanniang spoke of her sorrow and her emotions became increasingly agitated, Gu Qianfan came over, knocked her unconscious, and placed her on the bed to rest properly.

Considering Sun Sanniang's weakness, Zhao Pan'er decided to dock near a county town to find a doctor for treatment. At the same time, Zheng Qingtian, in order to eliminate Gu Qianfan, did not hesitate to spend heavily to bribe the entire officialdom of Jiangnan. The next day, when Sun Sanniang woke up, it seemed she had suffered from soul loss due to the great joy and sorrow.

Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan took her to Jiaxing County, finding a medical clinic to see a doctor. Unexpectedly, the clinic attendant noticed Gu Qianfan and quietly went to inform the yamen. The doctor diagnosed Sun Sanniang's condition and instructed her that she must rest quietly and take expensive medicine for seven days. Who knew that as Zhao Pan'er and the others were preparing to leave the clinic, a group of soldiers suddenly appeared?

Gu Qianfan had no choice but to get off the carriage midway, instructing Zhao Pan'er to take Sun Sanniang first, while he would stay to deal with the soldiers. Seeing the carriage travel a distance, Zhao Pan'er felt uneasy, so she turned back to look for Gu Qianfan. Finally, she pulled him up from the cliff.

At this time, Sun Sanniang woke up in the carriage and saw Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan on the mountaintop at a glance, constantly waving at them. Considering that the soldiers were searching the entire city at the moment, Gu Qianfan simply checked into the post station using his real identity, successfully evading the yamen's pursuit.

After settling down, Gu Qianfan revealed to Zhao Pan'er that the doctor had deliberately exaggerated Sun Sanniang's condition, simply to swindle money out of her. Gu Qianfan used acupuncture to remove blood stasis and clear toxins for Sun Sanniang, but this process was quite brutal, so he first sent Zhao Pan'er downstairs. In less than a moment, Sun Sanniang regained consciousness.

She also saw the previous wanted portrait, which led her to misunderstand Gu Qianfan as a criminal, and she directly knocked him out with a vase. It wasn't until Zhao Pan'er explained the reason to Sun Sanniang that Sun Sanniang was completely reassured. In fact, Gu Qianfan hadn't really fainted; he was just pretending to be unconscious. When he heard Zhao Pan'er's sincere words, he walked out of the inn without saying a word.

Zhao Pan'er guessed that the person who truly wanted to harm Gu Qianfan was most likely Zheng Qingtian, because she had just seen that the pursuers were clearly subordinates of the Military Inspector of Xiu Prefecture. At the same time, she thought of the Qiantang county magistrate who issued the sea arrest warrant. For a county magistrate's hand to reach Xiu Prefecture, the power of the person behind it must not be underestimated.

After confirming that Zhao Pan'er was trustworthy, Gu Qianfan directly told her the plan truthfully, and they would see what happens next. That night, Zhou She came to Huating County to seek pleasure. Unexpectedly, Boss Xu came in from outside and demanded that Zhou She must gather the gambling debts within one day, otherwise his fingers would be in danger. Zhou She forced Song Yinzhang to pay.

However, Song Yinzhang was penniless and was even imprisoned by him, becoming neither human nor ghost. Zhao Pan'er followed Gu Qianfan onto the street. As the two were discussing strategy, they unexpectedly met Song Yinzhang's maid, Yinping. Through her, they learned about Song Yinzhang's plight. After Zhou She married Song Yinzhang, he was initially gentle and considerate. But upon arriving in Huating County, he began to demand money for various reasons.

Later, Song Yinzhang realized something was wrong, but unfortunately, it was too late. From then on, he would often beat and scold her. Yinping knelt and begged Zhao Pan'er to rescue Song Yinzhang, otherwise she would sooner or later lose her life at Zhou She's hands. Thinking of the deep sisterly affection, Zhao Pan'er discussed it with Gu Qianfan and hoped to borrow ten taels of gold from him. Originally, Gu Qianfan was unwilling to lend the money. Zhao Pan'er could only reveal that the original Night Revels Painting was in her possession and she was willing to exchange this item with him.

Episode 4 Recap

Zhao Pan'er knew Gu Qianfan wouldn't easily believe her, so she simply described the Night Revels Painting design one by one to prove her words were true. As for why the Night Revels Painting came into her possession, it was entirely because a customer owed gambling debts and sold it off. Zhao Pan'er's tea house mainly focused on elegance, so it naturally had several famous calligraphies and paintings. Yang Zhiyuan had even come to borrow and admire them repeatedly.

Since Zhao Pan'er couldn't afford to offend such a person, she had someone make a copy and gave it to Yang Zhiyuan, considering it doing a favor. She never thought this matter was of such great importance. Song Yinzhang's sister died for her back then, and now Song Yinzhang was in trouble, Zhao Pan'er really couldn't stand by.

Gu Qianfan was not a cold-blooded person, it was just that his waist token was an important proof of identity, so he simply gave Zhao Pan'er the fine Hetian jade left to him by his father, which could at least be exchanged for a hundred strings of cash. Gu Qianfan warned Zhao Pan'er not to let anyone know the Night Revels Painting was in her hands, otherwise it would invite fatal disaster. This kindness was truly rare for Zhao Pan'er.

She agreed with Gu Qianfan to meet in Dongjing. At that time, she would observe the flags at Wang's Blacksmith Shop. If a red flag appeared, she could buy ten silver needles from the shopkeeper; otherwise, it meant Gu Qianfan was in great danger. The two parted ways to act separately. Gu Qianfan alone drew away the soldiers and secretly investigated the truth. Thanks to his excellent skills, he evaded the pursuit of Zheng Qingtian's subordinates.

Because the city gates were heavily guarded, Gu Qianfan targeted a marine trade officer named Chen Lian, threatening him to take him out of the city and inquiring about recent events in the city. Chen Lian noticed the red coral hairpin on Gu Qianfan and blurted out that South Sea goods had frequently entered and exited in recent years, and the prices were cheaper than before.

Because of Chen Lian's words, Gu Qianfan thought of the previous imperial decree concerning banned trade and felt there must be something strange about it. So he inquired about the location of the Marine Trade Office and ordered Chen Lian to go to the seaside with him tomorrow. Chen Lian naturally didn't dare to act rashly, but when he saw Gu Qianfan's waist token, he felt suspicious. Zhao Pan'er raised money and came to Xiangyun Tower.

She spent some money to rent the second floor and entrusted Madam to buy some household items to deceive Zhou She and then devise a rescue plan. That night, Zhao Pan'er snuck into Zhou She's residence and saw Song Yinzhang. After learning the general situation, she told her to act according to her method and feign affection to deal with Zhou She. As expected, Zhou She immediately treated Song Yinzhang well.

He first carried her back to the room and ordered people to serve her properly, and then went to the bank. He met Zhao Pan'er on the way. Little did he know, Zhao Pan'er had been waiting there for a long time. She cursed him for failing her deep affection and kindness and ordered people to beat him severely. When Zhou She saw the expensive hairpin Zhao Pan'er had left behind, malicious intentions arose.

Moreover, Zhao Pan'er deliberately showed affection for him, so he rushed to Xiangyun Tower to apologize and tried various ways to make her happy, completely unaware that he had fallen into a trap. He thought he had stumbled upon romance and wealth and was very pleased with himself. Sun Sanniang acted according to the plan. While Zhou She was sitting submissively on the second floor, she immediately ran to inform the creditor Boss Xu.

The next morning, Chen Lian intentionally or unintentionally showed favor to Gu Qianfan and worked diligently by his side. In reality, he wanted to get a job in the Capital Security Office; even being a cleaner would be more promising than his current situation.

It happened that Gu Qianfan was inconvenient to show himself and needed someone to help him, so he had Chen Lian keep an eye on Zheng Qingtian's subordinates and figure out how to take them away without alerting anyone. Fortunately, Chen Lian was quite sharp and quickly completed the task. He was also ordered to force information about the origin of the red coral from Zheng Qingtian's subordinates.

Zheng Qingtian's subordinate was afraid of death and confessed honestly about Zheng Qingtian's private opening of banned trade and how he had even made a lot of money from marine trade taxes, earning at least two hundred thousand strings of cash every year. Chen Lian was greatly astonished, while Gu Qianfan remained extremely calm.

He continued to press for information regarding the Capital Security Office leak, thus learning that an inner court official in the capital had issued a kill order, and Zheng Qingtian was also involved in this matter and had sent a carrier pigeon to Dongjing immediately. Although Zheng Qingtian's subordinate did not know who the inner court official was, Gu Qianfan immediately recalled the conversation he had heard between Lei Jing and Yu Zhongquan before he departed.

Yu Zhongquan was already jealous of Gu Qianfan taking the position of Commander, and now he wanted to take the opportunity to eliminate him completely, removing this thorn in his side under the pretext of silencing him. Realizing the danger within the Capital Security Office was even greater, Gu Qianfan, escorted by Chen Lian, secretly contacted his sworn brother Wan Qi and then asked Chen Lian to leave to avoid getting involved. Wan Qi brought over wine and said he would arrange a place for Gu Qianfan, but unexpectedly, he had put a knockout drug in the wine.

Episode 5 Recap

The power of the Capital Security Office was immense, not under the jurisdiction of the Three Offices, not subordinate to the Censorate, obeying only the Emperor's orders. Below the Emperor, Commander Lei Jing held the highest status. Now, the Commander had issued a strict kill order, and even if Wan Qi had a close relationship with Gu Qianfan, he absolutely dared not shield him rashly, otherwise his entire family would face total destruction.

Despite his conscience suffering from betraying a dear friend, Wan Qi still decided to reveal his whereabouts to the Capital Security Office. He stood outside the door for a long time until the sound of clashing swords inside ceased, then he walked in. However, bodies were strewn everywhere, a horrific sight, yet only Gu Qianfan was unharmed. He was extremely disappointed with Wan Qi and finally struck him down and killed him.

Boss Xu rushed to Xiangyun Tower upon hearing the news to collect the debt, publicly humiliating him. Without a word, Zhao Pan'er took out over a dozen strings of cash from a box, resolving the current trouble. It was precisely because of Zhao Pan'er's generosity that Zhou She continued to curry favor and please her, even deciding to divorce Song Yinzhang and marry Zhao Pan'er into his home.

Sun Sanniang seized the opportunity to fan the flames, deliberately cooperating with Zhao Pan'er's act, openly mocking men as liars who are not worth entrusting one's true feelings to. Zhao Pan'er cried profusely, and in order to make Zhou She divorce his wife quickly, she opened three large boxes on the spot, filled with gold, silver, jewelry, silk, and satin, which made Zhou She's heart flutter. He immediately left Xiangyun Tower and rushed to his residence.

Seeing that the fish was on the hook, it was then Song Yinzhang's turn to appear. Sun Sanniang passed a secret signal to Yinping, asking her to relay the message, demanding that Song Yinzhang must cry, make a fuss, and feign suicide to attract the attention of the neighbors. This way, Zhou She was physically and mentally exhausted, falling right into Zhao Pan'er's trap. Tomorrow would be the grand show of closing the net.

Gu Qianfan was preparing to leave Jiaxing County. Before leaving, he made a special trip to Xiangyun Tower, seeing Zhao Pan'er flirting and laughing with Zhou She, and also seeing Zhao Pan'er's look of disgust after Zhou She left. In the past few decades, Zhao Pan'er had never been so flirtatious and frivolous as she was today.

She felt inexplicably disgusted and repeatedly washed her hands in a copper basin, unwilling to have even a trace of Zhou She's smell on her. This scene deeply touched Gu Qianfan. He personally washed Zhao Pan'er's hands for her, stating that in his eyes, he never found her base or vulgar. On the contrary, he found it precious that Zhao Pan'er, as a woman, was so upright, kind, and courageous.

Also, due to what happened tonight, he warned Zhao Pan'er to be vigilant about whether Song Yinzhang might betray her again in the future. However, in Zhao Pan'er's view, she always acted according to her heart and didn't care about the future outcome. Gu Qianfan was inspired by this, and his heart was instantly relieved.

After Zhao Pan'er finished treating Gu Qianfan's wound, the two drank and talked happily throughout the night, comforting each other, until Gu Qianfan was about to leave, when a casual remark made both their hearts flutter, and they pretended to be calm. Gu Qianfan left by boat with Chen Lian. He couldn't help but look up at the second floor and coincidentally met Zhao Pan'er's eyes, adding to their reluctance to part.

An unexpected visitor suddenly arrived at the Xiao residence in Suzhou. The servants seemed to be used to it and did not announce him at all, letting him walk through the corridors and enter the courtyard as if familiar with the way. Seeing Governor Xiao Qinyan come out of the main hall, he was first stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy.

The visitor was none other than Gu Qianfan, whom he hadn't seen for a long time. He had an important matter to request on this visit as well. Xiao Qinyan quickly invited him into the hall to discuss it in detail. After the commotion last night, the romantic affair between Zhou She and the courtesan had caused a sensation, and the neighbors and surrounding area were all talking about it with great relish.

Because Song Yinzhang was making a fuss about dying, Zhou She, to prevent her from taking her own life, only asked Zhao Pan'er for a little more time. Unexpectedly, Zhao Pan'er acted as if she was about to leave, which made Zhou She so anxious that he wrote the divorce papers in front of everyone.

Song Yinzhang forced Zhou She to return the dowry, but Zhou She really had no money, so after getting Zhao Pan'er's assurance, he reluctantly mortgaged the land deed. Zhao Pan'er agreed to hold the wedding banquet at Xiangyun Tower with Zhou She, but in reality, she took the opportunity when he wasn't prepared, and left the city by carriage with Sun Sanniang, Song Yinzhang, and others.

Zhou She realized that he had been tricked and immediately took people to intercept the carriage. He then beat the drum at the yamen to file a complaint, accusing Zhao Pan'er of marriage fraud in court. Unexpectedly, Zhao Pan'er had a clever tongue and was eloquent, leaving Zhou She speechless. She counter-sued him for abducting and marrying a musician woman and brutally beating her because she resisted.

The onlookers applauded Zhao Pan'er one after another and sympathized with Song Yinzhang's plight. Zhao Pan'er presented Song Yinzhang's registration to the official to prove her identity, and then took out the divorce papers written by Zhou She himself. Seeing this, Zhou She reached out to snatch the divorce papers, and despite others' attempts to stop him, he forcibly swallowed them, thinking that there would be no evidence.

Episode 6 Recap

Zhao Pan'er had already anticipated Zhou She's move, so she took advantage of his unpreparedness and pulled a trick of 'Stealing the Dragon and Switching the Phoenix'. Faced with irrefutable evidence, the county magistrate intentionally shielded Zhou She and deliberately gave a light sentence, causing dissatisfaction among those present. Zhao Pan'er argued with the county magistrate, listing the laws of the Great Song Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, the magistrate refuted Zhao Pan'er for presumptuously discussing court affairs and ordered her to be given twenty strokes with a cane. Just as the county magistrate was preparing to carry out the punishment, a long sword pierced through the token. Zhao Pan'er vaguely saw Gu Qianfan's figure, but to her disappointment, the person who came was actually Chen Lian, which left her feeling very confused.

Also accompanying him was the Prefect of Xiuzhou, Xu Yong, who signaled to the county magistrate that the sentence should be changed. Ultimately, the magistrate announced in court that Zhou She would receive thirty strokes with a cane on his back and be exiled three thousand li. As for Zhao Pan'er and Song Yinzhang, they could return home on their own, and their marriages would not be affected.

The houses under Zhou She's name would rightfully belong to Song Yinzhang according to the divorce papers. After the judgment took effect, the surrounding people applauded one after another. Zhao Pan'er looked around, and following Chen Lian's subtle hint with his eyes, she walked through the dense crowd towards the door, finally seeing the person she was thinking of. Just as the two were talking, Sun Sanniang came out with Song Yinzhang.

Unexpectedly, Song Yinzhang stared intently at Gu Qianfan, and suddenly developed feelings of admiration for him. Not only did Zhou She not repent, but he instead wanted to seize the opportunity for revenge. With a ferocious expression, he rushed over. Fortunately, Gu Qianfan was quick-witted and agile, protecting Zhao Pan'er in time, and also saving Song Yinzhang immediately, which made her even more grateful.

Not until the yamen runners forcibly escorted Zhou She away did this incident finally come to an end. Xu Yong followed Gu Qianfan's instructions and personally arranged a carriage for Zhao Pan'er, ensuring she would arrive in Tokyo before Guyu (Grain Rain). Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang both did not wish to return to Qiantang and decided to travel together with Zhao Pan'er.

When Xu Yong learned that Song Yinzhang's musician registration was still in Hangzhou, he promised to write a letter for her, which would ensure their smooth passage. After the others left one after another, Gu Qianfan saw Zhao Pan'er's hesitation and couldn't help but say a few more words, hoping she would retreat after realizing the difficulty. As the saying goes, it is not easy to live in Tokyo.

Zhao Pan'er was already struggling in Huating County, not to mention that in Tokyo she would have to face the current Top Scholar and even imperial relatives. If she encountered danger, she might find it hard to protect herself. But Zhao Pan'er had already made up her mind, and Gu Qianfan could not persuade her. He could only hope she would take care of herself, returning the handkerchief before turning around and leaving.

At nightfall, Xiao Qinyan personally visited the Zheng residence and ordered people to present three 'great gifts': white silk, a dagger, and poisoned wine. Zheng Qing Tian was instantly panic-stricken and hurriedly knelt down begging for mercy, truly not knowing how he had caused offense. Not until he saw the steward unroll Gu Qianfan's portrait did he realize that Gu Qianfan was actually Xiao Qinyan's biological son.

In ordinary times, Xiao Qinyan indulged Zheng Qing Tian in committing evil deeds and did not question him about eradicating the Yang family and privately lifting the maritime prohibition. Yet, it was Zheng Qing Tian's collusion with Lei Jing to murder Gu Qianfan that was truly a heinous crime. Since Zheng Qing Tian had committed a grave taboo, Xiao Qinyan naturally could not let him live.

He ordered him to end his own life as soon as possible, or for every extra hour, the entire Zheng clan would be exterminated. Zheng Qing Tian was completely disheartened. He could only write a confession before his death, and Gu Qianfan was thus cleared of suspicion. Xiao Qinyan naturally cherished Gu Qianfan immensely, but Gu Qianfan's emotional knot was difficult to untie, and he always maintained a sense of distance and indifference.

Back then, Gu Shuniang did not listen to her parents' advice and insisted on marrying the impoverished scholar Xiao Qinyan, and gave birth to Gu Qianfan. Originally, the Gu family looked down upon Xiao Qinyan's background, and because of the unclear relationship between Xiao Qinyan and a courtesan, Gu Shuniang died of depression. From then on, Gu Qianfan grew more and more distant from his father.

Despite so many years having passed, Xiao Qinyan still insisted that he was innocent and had never done anything to wrong Gu Shuniang. Because in Xiao Qinyan's view, officials must have social engagements when entering the civil service, otherwise how would Gu Qianfan have met Zhao Pan'er? Even if Zhao Pan'er were to be freed from her status and become a respectable woman, she would absolutely not be a good match for Gu Qianfan.

Furthermore, with his youthful accomplishments, only young ladies from esteemed families who have served for generations would be a suitable match. When Gu Qianfan heard these words, anger surged in his heart. He warned Xiao Qinyan not to dream of interfering with his marriage, and then turned around and strode away. Instead of getting angry, Xiao Qinyan actually beamed with joy.

In the past, his son had always been extremely cold towards him, but being able to lose his temper today was sufficient proof that their father-son relationship had improved. After a long journey, Zhao Pan'er and the other two arrived in Tokyo late at night. If it were any other place, a curfew might have already been in effect, but only within this city were the night scenes prosperous and extraordinarily lively.

The fatigue from the past few days had made it impossible for Zhao Pan'er to keep going. Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang immediately chose good rooms to rest. By the time Zhao Pan'er woke up, it was already noon the next day. In order to meet Ouyang Xu as soon as possible, Zhao Pan'er dressed up meticulously and came to the Gao residence.

Just as she was about to knock on the door, she unexpectedly heard a familiar voice from behind her. The current Ouyang Xu was dressed in luxurious clothes. He took Zhao Pan'er to a nearby teahouse, implying that he hoped they could marry at the end of the year, at least half a year after he married the daughter of the Gao family, before marrying Zhao Pan'er into his home.

Episode 7 Recap

Zhao Pan'er is not inferior to a young lady from a prestigious family in terms of talent and looks. However, her status and family background are the measure between her and Gao Hui. Every inch longer means more power, every fraction wider means more status. If Ouyang Xu wants to rise steadily in his career, he still needs to rely on his powerful father-in-law. Moreover, Ouyang Xu did not dare to offend the Gao family.

Although he could not formally marry Zhao Pan'er as his principal wife, he could promise her a lifetime of wealth and glory. When they had children in the future, they could also be adopted under the principal wife's name. He only hoped Zhao Pan'er would compromise on her status. No matter how grandiloquent the other party spoke, Zhao Pan'er's response was always that she would never be a concubine in this life.

Her words were impactful, just like the arrogance in her every move, which was already ingrained in her bones, making Ouyang Xu feel extremely awkward. On the way back, Zhao Pan'er held back her tears. Unexpectedly, she bumped into Chi Yanei, who was juggling a ball. This person, who controlled the twelve guilds of Tokyo, had countless followers around him. Usually unruly, he valued his reputation the most.

However, Zhao Pan'er's ball-juggling skills far surpassed his, causing him to lose face completely. At the same time, Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang stood on the second floor watching Persian dancers. Guests came and went in a constant stream, but only one person was lost in spirit amidst the prosperity. Because of Zhao Pan'er's appearance, the exquisite waterside pavilion seemed to have returned from heaven to the mortal world, faintly revealing a sense of melancholy.

Zhao Pan'er returned to her room alone. After a murmur, she directly fainted on the ground. After a doctor's diagnosis, it was confirmed that Zhao Pan'er was suffering from illness due to overwork and stress, which led to her body being extremely weak. Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang were very heartbroken, truly unable to understand why the world was so unfair to them.

That night, Zhao Pan'er frequently called out Ouyang Xu's name in her coma, but scenes flashed before her eyes, from promises to betrayal, all fleeting in an instant. As the saying goes, Tokyo's wealth is dazzling, and deep affection is hard to promise. Zhao Pan'er was completely disappointed. It was only when Gu Qianfan appeared in her dream that she gradually felt much more at ease, because he knew that people's hearts are unpredictable.

Xiao Qinyan instructed his steward to handle Zheng Qing Tian's property. A portion was left for the Zheng clan members, another portion was used to bury Gu Qianfan's comrades. As for the remaining 400,000 guan, 200,000 was sent to Tokyo, and the remaining 200,000 was put into a private account. Gu Qianfan stood silently in the corner, watching his father walk into the long corridor, his thoughts drifting back to his childhood.

At that time, Xiao Qinyan broke off relations with the Gu family and left without looking back. Lei Jing learned that Xiao Qinyan had stepped forward to protect Gu Qianfan and felt very uneasy, knowing that he was no match for the Xiao family. At this time, Xiao Qinyan sent someone to deliver generous gifts.

Lei Jing initially thought it was white silk and poisoned wine, but unexpectedly it was a letter from Xiao Qinyan stating that he had handled the affairs in Jiangnan and everything was completely unrelated to Lei Jing. The implication was self-evident. Now, Xiao Qinyan had resolved all of Gu Qianfan's troubles. He continued to hide his relationship with Gu Qianfan from the outside world and also arranged for several masters to protect his safety.

The rest of the servants in the manor truly did not understand why the Chancellor favored Gu Qianfan. They originally wanted to send a message to the Mistress in Tokyo but were reprimanded by the steward, who warned them to be careful with their words and actions. During this time, Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang took turns guarding the bedside, but Zhao Pan'er showed no sign of improvement.

Song Yinzhang looked at the scenery outside the window, feeling a wave of melancholy, so she picked up her pipa and began to play, attracting many people to watch. Du Changfeng came looking after hearing the music and praised it repeatedly. He also asked the shopkeeper about Zhao Pan'er's whereabouts and then personally came to visit. Because Du Changfeng was severely nearsighted, he almost mistook Sun Sanniang for Zhao Pan'er.

When he saw the real Lady Zhao from Qiantang, he immediately introduced himself, stating that he had come to stand up for his classmate Ouyang Xu. Du Changfeng believed that Ouyang Xu was clever and quick-witted and was also a successful candidate in the current imperial examination. In contrast, he felt Zhao Pan'er did not know her place, presumptuously saying she was unwilling to be a concubine despite knowing she came from a humble background. She was truly too arrogant.

Even Huo Xiaoyu, the daughter of a Prince, became a side chamber after being redeemed from her status, let alone someone whose origins were unclear. Precisely because Du Changfeng spoke more and more excessively, Zhao Pan'er suppressed her anger and ordered Sun Sanniang to kick him out. Sun Sanniang kicked away Du Changfeng's glasses, which he relied on to see, and then, in front of everyone, directly threw him into the river.

Since Du Changfeng could not swim, he could only cling to a piece of wood and drift towards the outside of the Shuangxi building. Coincidentally, Chi Yanei was with the courtesan Zhang Haohao. Upon hearing Du Changfeng repeatedly call for help, he came out to join the fun and mocked him. Originally, Chi Yanei intended to stand by and watch, but Du Changfeng angered him with a few words.

However, due to the fact that the other party was a successful candidate in the current imperial examination, it was inconvenient to physically discipline him, so he temporarily let him leave. Covered in dirt, Du Changfeng complained to Ouyang Xu. Unexpectedly, Gao Hui suddenly arrived, so he had to hide first. Ouyang Xu greeted her respectfully, while Gao Hui completely lacked the restraint of a young lady from a prestigious family. Relying on her family background, she had become spoiled and willful. The reason she came was to question Ouyang Xu about meeting Zhao Pan'er privately.

Episode 8 Recap

The relationship between Ouyang Xu and Zhao Pan'er was only known to Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang. Even neighbors around the teahouse rarely noticed, so Gao Hui had no idea about his so-called 'confidante'. In contrast, Gao Hui's intention was clear. She repeatedly emphasized that she would tolerate her husband taking concubines and was willing to treat the other party as a sister, living in harmony. Such generosity and propriety made Du Changfeng secretly admire her greatly.

Just as he was about to speak, Ouyang Xu immediately interrupted, stating that he would adhere to the Ouyang family's teachings and never take a second wife in this life. As expected, upon hearing this, Gao Hui stopped being aggressive. Reassured by Ouyang Xu's guarantee, she finally left with peace of mind. Originally, Du Changfeng wanted to go along with the flow, making it convenient for Zhao Pan'er to enter the family as a 'ping qi' (equal wife).

However, Ouyang Xu understood Gao Hui very well; on the surface, she seemed knowledgeable and proper, but in reality, she was jealous and malicious. Previously, Miss Su from the Su family had merely given Ouyang Xu plum blossoms, but three days later, she had an accident that resulted in her left eye being permanently blinded. Initially, Ouyang Xu didn't think much of it.

It wasn't until other women successively encountered accidents that he finally realized Gao Hui was definitely not a kind person. In fact, there might be some justification for Gao Hui's behavior. After all, her father was a high-ranking official in the court, and her aunt was the Emperor's favorite concubine. Naturally, she believed that everything in the world should be hers to give and take.

Zhao Pan'er's inherent pride and resilience destined her not to endure the insult of being demoted from wife to concubine. To protect her safety, Ouyang Xu had no choice but to intentionally provoke her upon their reunion. Du Changfeng understood Ouyang Xu's difficulties and couldn't help but sigh. As for Zhao Pan'er's illness, Ouyang Xu also had to restrain himself from visiting, lest all his previous efforts go to waste.

In the room upstairs, Zhao Pan'er personally burned the portrait Ouyang Xu had painted for her. From now on, their feelings for each other were gone. Song Yinzhang suffered from nightmares, unable to forget Zhou She's humiliation and beatings, and was even lost in confusion because she couldn't get her status redeemed. Zhao Pan'er felt for Song Yinzhang, so she personally wrote a contract, willing to exchange her dead love for freedom.

Gu Qianfan accompanied Xiao Qinyan to worship their ancestors. Even when facing the Xiao family's fallen ancestors, he still refused to acknowledge his lineage. Xiao Qinyan was truly helpless. His only hope was that he would visit the old Xiao family mansion. Gu Qianfan did not refuse, but on the way to the old mansion, he noticed he had lost his hairpin, so he immediately returned to look for it.

As a result, he saw many people splashing dirty water on the tombstone. Seeing the steward arrive with people, Gu Qianfan stepped forward to stop them, allowing the common people to disperse noisily. Through the steward's account, Gu Qianfan learned that people would come to cause trouble around the Ghost Festival and Qingming Festival every year.

Now that his father held a high position, the outside world said he was a corrupt minister disrupting the social order, and he himself was an agent of the eunuch faction. He clearly wanted to be a good person, but the center of power was destined to be dirty and corrupt. Just as Ouyang Xu was looking at an object and thinking of someone, he suddenly heard that Zhao Pan'er had arrived, which was both unexpected and joyful.

However, Zhao Pan'er's true purpose in coming was to make a deal with Ouyang Xu. As long as Ouyang Xu agreed to write a letter of annulment; redeem Song Yinzhang's status; and return the 'Night Revels' painting, they would go their separate ways from then on, never to meet again unless in the afterlife, rather die unjustly than be related.

But if Ouyang Xu could not fulfill these three points, Zhao Pan'er would make their engagement known to the whole world. By then, Ouyang Xu's path to success would be cut off, and she wouldn't care about her own reputation either. When Ouyang Xu heard these words, he subconsciously looked up. A pair of deep, pool-like eyes looked back at him, carrying a cool meaning. Without much thought, Ouyang Xu directly agreed to Zhao Pan'er's requests.

He turned and went to his study, searching through boxes and cabinets but failing to find the 'Night Revels' painting. Since Ouyang Xu did not yet hold an official position, he had to entrust Du Changfeng to help resolve the problem of Song Yinzhang's status. Zhao Pan'er gave him three days, hoping she wouldn't be disappointed again.

However, not long after Zhao Pan'er left, Uncle De returned, covered in dust, stating directly that Zhao Pan'er was deeply cunning and truthfully recounting what he had witnessed in Huating County. Initially, Ouyang Xu didn't believe him at all, but Uncle De described it in great detail, including Zhou She's identity, which made him doubt. To avoid affecting Ouyang Xu's reputation, Du Changfeng did not agree to redeem Song Yinzhang's status.

So, in this way, Uncle De also gave the 'Night Revels' painting to Ouyang Xu's mentor. He had failed to accomplish all three things and truly had no face to meet Zhao Pan'er. On the third day, Zhao Pan'er waited a long time but did not see Ouyang Xu, so she took Sun Sanniang to his house to get a clear answer. However, Ouyang Xu avoided her and ordered the servants to guard the door.

Uncle De also hired Chi Yanei's younger brothers with a few strings of cash. Zhao Pan'er had met them once before and suddenly came up with a plan. Following Gu Qianfan's method, she hinted to Sun Sanniang to acupressure the leader, He Si, lying that this point would prevent men from having children. He Si believed her. He was the only son in his family for generations and was so scared that he quickly begged Zhao Pan'er for mercy.

Finally, at Zhao Pan'er's instruction, He Si led everyone to bang gongs and drums outside Ouyang Xu's door, shouting, "If you don't repay your debts, heaven's justice will not be at peace," attracting many people to watch. They shouted until noon, but Zhao Pan'er still did not see Ouyang Xu open the door, so she simply went back with Sun Sanniang to eat something, instructing He Si to continue shouting.

Episode 9 Recap

Records involving Zheng Qingtian had long piled up like mountains. The Capital Security Office had always been responsible for investigating cases, and once all confessions and investigations were accurate, they would be directly handed over to the local authorities for handling, which meant their return to the capital was not far off. Gu Qianfan's intention was not to return to the capital, but he was concerned about the owner of the hairpin.

Unfortunately, he had not heard from Zhao Pan'er for many days, which left him bewildered. As the saying goes, officials have two mouths, speaking both human and ghost words, but it was Du Changfeng's previous remark "Thirteenth Master" that was equivalent to riding roughshod over Chi Yanei's head. Chi Yanei was feeling stifled; he was not qualified to join the army, nor was he qualified to become an official.

He even had to maintain propriety, unable to frequent brothels and pleasure quarters at will. Moreover, all he had, at most, was his generous spending and vast wealth; there seemed to be nothing else worthy of praise. After venting in his mansion, Chi Yanei accidentally learned that He Si had encountered Zhao Pan'er, so he immediately rushed over. As expected, he saw He Si leading everyone shouting slogans outside the door.

Seeing He Si like this, he immediately told his subordinates to investigate Zhao Pan'er's residence, deciding to teach her a lesson. At this time, Ouyang Xu in the room upstairs was anxious listening to the slogans outside, fearing that the matter would escalate, and prepared to go out to negotiate with the other party, but was stopped by Uncle De.

Originally, Ouyang Xu was quite dissatisfied with Uncle De, scolding him for repeatedly acting on his own, not at all like a loyal servant of the Ouyang family, but clearly the Ouyang family's ancestor. Uncle De was so scared that he quickly knelt on the ground, repeatedly slapping his face fiercely. Suddenly, he heard the noise outside stop, followed by voices echoing through the streets and alleys.

Ouyang Xu seemed to have made up his mind; he personally wrote a letter and handed it to Uncle De, instructing him to exit through the dog hole in the backyard and make sure to deliver it to the other party. He Si firmly believed that Zhao Pan'er was skilled in mysterious arts and refused to listen to Chi Yanei's orders, continuing to shout loudly at the door.

In a fit of anger, Chi Yanei ran to the Sanyuan Inn, followed the sound of the pipa to the second floor, and saw Song Yinzhang at first glance, which made him feel like ants were crawling in his heart. When he came back to his senses, he only felt that the person before him was radiating brilliance, this woman seemed like a celestial being descended to the mortal world.

Precisely because Chi Yanei's behavior was too frivolous, and he was pulling and tugging at Song Yinzhang, even reaching out to snatch her pipa, Song Yinzhang accidentally injured Chi Yanei with the pipa during the struggle, which allowed her to escape. Chi Yanei was furious and sent his subordinates to grab Song Yinzhang. Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang stepped forward to protect Song Yinzhang, recounting his past wrongdoings in detail.

But Chi Yanei simply acted shamelessly, insisting that Song Yinzhang play a tune as an apology, otherwise he would absolutely make it impossible for the three of them to stay in Tokyo. Even with Chi Yanei's various threats, Zhao Pan'er still did not give in, stating directly that Song Yinzhang was the best pipa player south of the Yangtze River.

While introducing her family background, she also demanded that Chi Yanei must pass the three challenges of literary and martial arts, and made a wager with the other party on the spot. Chi Yanei readily accepted the challenge. The first challenge was composing poetry, and although his lines were very unrefined and vulgar, he at least managed to get through it. The second challenge was comparing knife skills. The Sanyuan Inn's shopkeeper and guests curiously gathered around to watch.

Seeing Sun Sanniang publicly demonstrate cutting tofu, and the amazing scene of the tofu being as thin as hair, they were immediately amazed. After tying the two challenges, Chi Yanei requested that he would set the third question. Zhao Pan'er agreed to his request, but she didn't expect the so-called third challenge to be throwing dice. Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang exchanged a knowing smile, clearly very confident about this round.

However, Chi Yanei was also quite capable; at least all six dice were six points. But Zhao Pan'er had secretly cut one die beforehand with a diamond, so in the end, she had one more point than Chi Yanei, forcing him to endure the loss and admit defeat. According to the three-challenge wager, if Zhao Pan'er won against Chi Yanei, he would have to let his subordinates continue shouting slogans energetically.

Chi Yanei, being a local tough guy in Tokyo, was actually bullied by three women, so he immediately ran to the Earth God Temple and bawled loudly. In contrast, Zhao Pan'er and her sisters sat in the pavilion drinking and celebrating. She couldn't help but think of Gu Qianfan, so she went to Wang's Blacksmith Shop alone, but unfortunately, the red banner was not hung.

Song Yinzhang learned from Sun Sanniang about Zhao Pan'er redeeming her status, feeling guilty and sad, only thinking that she was truly useless and had implicated Zhao Pan'er, causing her to be humiliated by Ouyang Xu. But the reason Sun Sanniang told Song Yinzhang the truth was also because she hoped she could understand and no longer hold onto illusions about Ouyang Xu, because he had already changed his original intention.

Gu Qianfan, accompanied by Chen Lian, returned to Zhao's Teahouse in Qiantang. Although it was already dilapidated, every part of it made him feel nostalgic. Hearing Chen Lian speaking highly of the Xiao family behind him, Gu Qianfan, to avoid Chen Lian trying to associate with the Xiao family, stated that he and Xiao Qinyan were not on the same path and would only be chance acquaintances hereafter. The last time he sought help was out of necessity.

Chen Lian was extremely smart and immediately guessed that Gu Qianfan disliked the Xiao family, so he quickly expressed his loyalty to him and listed the Xiao family's wrongdoings. Moreover, Xiao Qinyan was already notorious, known throughout the court as a treacherous minister who stopped at nothing to eliminate opponents and even allied with the Empress Dowager's faction against old Minister Ke. Gu Qianfan listened with a heavy expression, sitting on the stairs lost in thought. Unknowingly, he fell asleep. Seeing this, Chen Lian decided not to disturb him further.

Episode 10 Recap

Sun Sanniang was older than Zhao Pan'er and Song Yinzhang, and deeply understood social etiquette. Although she was brave and chivalrous, she would also consider that Chi Yanei had some influence in Tokyo. It was better to have one more friend than one more enemy, so she borrowed the inn's kitchen to make flower pastries and planned to send them as an apology. Unexpectedly, this borrowing attracted the innkeeper's wife.

As soon as she stared at the plate of pastries, her eyes would sparkle, like a hungry wolf preying, wishing she could snatch them all up. When she learned that the flower pastries were made by Sun Sanniang, the innkeeper's wife almost treated her like her own mother and worshipped her, only calming down when Sun Sanniang agreed to make pastries just for her.

Seeing Sun Sanniang and Zhao Pan'er leave one after another, only Song Yinzhang had nothing to do, so she simply came to the street alone. She happened to encounter the courtesan Zhang Haohao on a magnificent parade. The people scrambled to line the streets to watch, just to catch a glimpse of her elegance, and the person leading her horse was none other than MasterLiu Jiu, the best lyricist in the world.

Although they were both government courtesans from the music bureau, Song Yinzhang's experience was vastly different from Zhang Haohao's. Especially upon hearing that Zhang Haohao could perform for the officials and was infinitely glorious, she couldn't help but feel envious. Zhang Haohao, having heard about Chi Yanei's incident at the Sanyuan Inn, immediately went to find them and happened to meet Song Yinzhang face-to-face.

Because they admired each other, they simply collaborated on a tune in the pavilion, which sounded like celestial music. Zhang Haohao had always been arrogant, believing her singing voice was unparalleled in the world. Until today, upon seeing Song Yinzhang, she had never imagined there was such a skilled pipa player. Her fondness for her grew even more, and their conversation was quite cheerful. As for Song Yinzhang's misunderstanding about Chi Yanei, Zhang Haohao truthfully explained the reason.

In fact, Chi Yanei had never looked down on women from entertainment districts; after all, his mother had left her status and married into a good family. On the contrary, for Zhang Haohao, being born into a music household did not make them inferior. They were not like ordinary courtesans who flaunted themselves; the effort they put in was no less than others.

If they were truly as lowly and despicable as the outside world claimed, then serving people with their looks would be despicable, but living honestly and with a clear conscience by earning a living with their skills was truly living with dignity. Because of Zhang Haohao's words, Song Yinzhang gradually regained her confidence, so she followed Sun Sanniang to find Zhao Pan'er.

At this time, Uncle De ran to the yamen to summon help, bringing the ward officials to falsely accuse Zhao Pan'er and others of extorting Ouyang Xu, and even intended to strip off their clothes on the street to humiliate them. Zhao Pan'er and the other two got into a conflict with the soldiers and were then brutally beaten until Ouyang Xu appeared and stopped it.

Ouyang Xu feigned indifference and looked at Zhao Pan'er, ordering her to leave Tokyo as soon as possible. But Zhao Pan'er felt inexplicably disgusted and disappointed by his attitude and did not accept the silver he offered. After receiving benefits, the ward officials paraded Zhao Pan'er, Song Yinzhang, and Sun Sanniang through the streets as a public spectacle, looking utterly miserable. Fortunately, they met Gu Qianfan outside the city suburbs.

However, to avoid implicating him, they refused to return to Tokyo. Gu Qianfan deliberately angered Zhao Pan'er. His words struck at the heart of their pain. Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang were unwilling to return to Qiantang like this and decided to stay and make a name for themselves. Finally, the people from the Capital Security Office escorted them to the medical clinic. Gu Qianfan personally applied medicine to Zhao Pan'er's wounds, gently and carefully.

Afterwards, he ordered his men to arrest the ward officials. He originally intended to detain them at the Capital Security Office, but was stopped by Zhao Pan'er. Zhao Pan'er considered that Gu Qianfan had only recently returned to Tokyo and didn't need to offend others for her sake, lest he incur the displeasure of the Gao family and get implicated.

In fact, Ouyang Xu was afraid that Zhao Pan'er would stay in Tokyo, and also that the Gao family would know he still had a marriage engagement. Therefore, Zhao Pan'er asked the ward officials to write a written statement about Ouyang Xu colluding with the yamen officials, planning to settle accounts with Ouyang Xu after the matter was resolved. However, the urgent priority was to find lodging.

Zhao Pan'er was preparing to return to the inn when Chen Lian happened to be a local of Tokyo. His family had an unused small courtyard nearby where Zhao Pan'er and the others could stay for the time being. Zhao Pan'er could not politely decline Chen Lian's kind offer, so she took Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang there. Unexpectedly, the so-called small courtyard was actually a large mansion with three courtyards in and three courtyards out.

The furnishings inside were complete, and rockeries, ponds, and pavilions could be seen everywhere. After Chen Lian left, Song Yinzhang couldn't help but think that Gu Qianfan held a high position and might be able to arrange for her to be removed from the music household register. However, Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang advised her not to trouble others again.

Although Zhao Pan'er had extended a helping hand when Gu Qianfan was in trouble, Gu Qianfan had also helped them repeatedly, which was enough to show that he understood propriety, and they should know when to advance and when to retreat. Therefore, Zhao Pan'er believed that the valuable thing for a person was self-reliance and should not place hope on anyone. Furthermore, Gu Qianfan often dealt with extremely vicious people, which could very likely implicate Song Yinzhang.

Sure enough, Song Yinzhang immediately dismissed the idea. Unexpectedly, Gu Qianfan, who heard Zhao Pan'er's words from the room, couldn't help but tease her a couple of times, saying he wanted to see the condition of her shoulder wound. After touring the courtyard, Sun Sanniang hurried over to call Zhao Pan'er and happened to walk in on her and Gu Qianfan's intimate interactions, which startled her greatly. Chen Lian also brought his colleagues over to help, and the atmosphere became particularly strange.

Episode 11 Recap

Chen Lian and his colleagues returned by a different route, specifically bringing the best Jiangnan cuisine from Tokyo city. However, when Zhao Pan'er and the two others tasted them carefully, they found that every dish tasted very ordinary, and certainly wasn't authentic. In contrast, Sun Sanniang was skilled in cooking, and Zhao Pan'er was excellent at making tea. Therefore, Song Yinzhang suggested opening a restaurant in Tokyo, which might be a way for them to settle down.

Sun Sanniang agreed in response, but only Zhao Pan'er felt that this place was unfamiliar and needed careful consideration. Moreover, the urgent task was to get back the Night Revels Painting, so she had to go to the Ouyang family again. That night, Ouyang Xu accompanied Gao Gu to a banquet to learn so-called social etiquette. However, he was not good at conversation and was ridiculed.

Now Gao Gu had set the wedding date for the sixteenth of next month, just waiting for Ouyang Xu to finish his audience with the Emperor and receive his official post. At that time, his daughter could ask the Empress in the palace to request an imperial decree granting the marriage.

Considering that his daughter Gao Hui had been pampered since childhood and was not suitable to be too far from the capital, Gao Gu decided to let Ouyang Xu go to Gongzhou for a post, and wait for three years to return to the capital and be transferred to a central government position, so that the whole family could be reunited. Ouyang Xu did not dare to express his thoughts and could only passively accept it.

The woman unilaterally setting the engagement date was also a form of disrespect towards him, making his heart feel heavy and complicated. At this time, Zhao Pan'er arrived with Chen Lian. Chen Lian directly dragged Uncle De nearby and severely beat him, leaving her to talk with Ouyang Xu alone. Zhao Pan'er directly stated her purpose, saying that she already knew about his scheme.

Since he could not meet the three demands, he must hand over the Night Revels Painting within three days, otherwise the matter would escalate, and his third-place official position would certainly not be guaranteed. After Ouyang Xu returned, the doctor examined Uncle De's injuries, shocked by the severity of his internal injuries. Although his bones were not broken, large areas of his tendons and bones were fractured, requiring at least one or two years of recuperation.

A eunuch came bearing an imperial decree, ordering Ouyang Xu to enter the palace tomorrow. Ouyang Xu thought of Zhao Pan'er's warning and knew that the Night Revels Painting was related to a massive case in Jiangnan. So he inquired about the situation from the eunuch and the Emperor's preferences. The eunuch accepted the gift and revealed that the Emperor recently favored the health preservation methods of Yuqing Palace.

After he gained some understanding, when he went to bed to rest at midnight, he found a bloodied knife hidden under the bed. Connecting this to Zhao Pan'er's appearance that night, he realized that the person behind her could not be easily offended. The next day, when he entered the palace, Ouyang Xu was still troubled by this matter.

He happened to observe the layout of the main hall and confirmed that the Emperor, just as the eunuch had said, recently paid close attention to health preservation and favored the Daoist ways. When facing the Emperor's questions, Ouyang Xu's answer was different from other jinshi (successful candidates in the imperial examination). He deliberately catered to the Emperor's preferences, expounding on many matters related to Daoism, which indeed piqued the Emperor's interest.

It was precisely because of this that the Emperor immediately conferred upon Ouyang Xu the titles of Zuo Lang (Assistant Secretary) in the Bureau of Writings and Deputy Envoy for the Ritual Offering at Ziji Palace, commissioning him to go to the Western Capital to invite Master Baoyi to emerge from retirement. Ouyang Xu received the conferment, finally feeling a great weight lifted from his heart.

Outsiders thought he was ruining his future by being willing to be a palace official. In reality, it was to temporarily avoid the spotlight, just waiting for Zhao Pan'er to leave Tokyo. As Ouyang Xu walked out of the main hall, he brushed past Gu Qianfan and couldn't help but glance at him again.

Because Gu Qianfan had repeatedly achieved remarkable successes, not only resolving the matter of the prophecy but even solving the Jiangnan private shipping corruption case, the Emperor greatly praised him. Coupled with Lei Jing's repeated recommendations, he was finally appointed as a fifth-rank Deputy Envoy, equivalent to the second-in-command of the Capital Security Office.

At the same time, Gao Gu learned the result of Ouyang Xu's audience with the Emperor and, in a fit of anger, canceled his marriage to Gao Hui. His fellow student Du Changfeng was very confused. After all, the pure officials in the court hated those who catered to the Emperor and those who engaged in Daoist practices and imperial rituals. Yet, Ouyang Xu was a legitimate First Class Jinshi, and this action was equivalent to destroying his promising career.

Ouyang Xu said that he had no choice, all because Zhao Pan'er was aggressive. So he entrusted Du Changfeng to look after his meager property and small house, and his old servant who was confined to bed. Although Zhao Pan'er was extremely vicious in Du Changfeng's eyes, she didn't care at all, and she had already guessed Ouyang Xu's true intention.

Since he was trying to avoid them by doing this, she simply decided to stay, absolutely not letting him get his wish. In order to have a foothold in Tokyo, Zhao Pan'er discussed opening a tea house with everyone, which would be returning to their old livelihood. Originally, Chen Lian was not overly supportive, until he tasted the tea and pastries made by Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang. He immediately offered to find a storefront for them.

In the following days, Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang, and Song Yinzhang acted separately, preparing various items and finalizing the lease agreement with the store owner. Sun Sanniang went straight to the dock to purchase the items needed for fruit tea, and Song Yinzhang also helped buy some suitable tea sets. Everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction. In contrast, Ouyang Xu was still planning his retreat.

He deliberately pretended to be a lovesick gentleman, entering the Gao residence at night to meet Gao Hui and return the love token jade pendant. As expected, seeing the object stirred Gao Hui's emotions, and she was extremely reluctant to let Ouyang Xu go, showing an attitude of not wanting to marry anyone else. Her wet nurse saw this and came forward to take Gao Hui away. After they left, Ouyang Xu immediately returned to normal, his expression showing cunning and coldness.

Episode 12 Recap

Due to his heavy workload recently, Gu Qianfan didn't have time to visit Zhao Pan'er, so he asked Chen Lian to take a portion of his salary and rewards for the house rent and the trio's daily expenses. Just then, Military Advisor Hu Yuan of Kaifeng Prefecture requested an audience, but Gu Qianfan was too busy to spare the time, so he instructed Chen Lian to make sure he monitored Ouyang Xu's movements.

Before leaving the capital, Ouyang Xu specifically instructed Uncle De that after he left, he should go to the entrance of the Gao residence more often to attract Gao Hui's attention as much as possible, in preparation for his return to Tokyo. The next day, Ouyang Xu left the city by carriage, brushing past Gu Qianfan again. He secretly swore in his heart that he would be as successful as him someday.

Considering the significant investment required for the teahouse, Zhao Pan'er entrusted Chen Lian to help her liquidate her savings. This way, she could repay Gu Qianfan and have sufficient capital. As for Song Yinzhang's savings, Zhao Pan'er didn't touch a single cent, but Song Yinzhang decided to liquidate all of hers, meaning the three women's fortunes and lives were tied to Tokyo.

Zhao Pan'er was happy to learn that Gu Qianfan had been promoted to Deputy Envoy of the Capital Security Office, feeling that having established his career, it was time for him to marry. Chen Lian originally wanted to hint to Zhao Pan'er to cherish the person right in front of her, but he couldn't find an opportunity to speak.

On the contrary, Zhao Pan'er was completely disheartened with Ouyang Xu and wished for his career to be difficult and full of setbacks until he was willing to return what he owed. His uncle Qi Mu heard that Gu Qianfan had returned to the capital and came to the Southern Bureau at night to meet him and examine the evidence of Lei Jing's collusion with officials in Jiangnan.

Now that Gu Qianfan was rising through the ranks, it was not in vain that he had been undercover near the eunuch faction for many years. Unfortunately, now was not the best time. After all, Lei Jing had served the Emperor for over thirty years and still had imperial favor and rapport.

The Emperor had already dealt with many people in the Zheng Qingtian case and would likely not expand it further, so they had to continue to wait and see. After a period of preparation, the Zhao Family Teahouse finally opened smoothly, but no customers were willing to enter and sample. Fortunately, He Si brought people to patronize and drum up business for them.

In the blink of an eye, the seats were full, and after tasting the tea drinks and pastries, everyone was full of praise. Gu Qianfan saw Ouyang Xu's appointment letter and realized that he had been relocated to the Western Capital, feeling puzzled and thinking the matter was related to Zhao Pan'er. Chen Lian didn't know how to respond.

Just as he was about to leave, his colleagues were talking about the Zhao Family Teahouse again, which forced him to tell Gu Qianfan the truth. Taking advantage of the quiet at the Southern Bureau, Gu Qianfan went to the teahouse to investigate. His intention was to warn Zhao Pan'er to avoid attracting the Gao family's attention and getting into trouble. However, Zhao Pan'er felt that to survive in Tokyo, they needed a source of income.

Even if Gu Qianfan was willing to support them, it was ultimately not a long-term solution. Furthermore, Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan were unrelated, and relying on him so much seemed overly ambiguous, almost like he was keeping an outside mistress. Gu Qianfan couldn't persuade Zhao Pan'er, so he simply made a bet: they would look at the teahouse's profit and loss after a month to decide whether to continue operating it.

Meanwhile, Song Yinzhang saw Gu Qianfan and was about to go greet him but was stopped by Chen Lian, who said the two were arguing. Zhao Pan'er personally poured tea for Gu Qianfan, thereby discussing the old debts from Qiantang. Song Yinzhang misunderstood that Gu Qianfan was pursuing Zhao Pan'er's past mistakes and quickly rushed out to apologize and take all the blame.

Gu Qianfan expressed concern for Zhao Pan'er through his response to Song Yinzhang, reminding Zhao Pan'er to take better care of herself so that next time she was bullied, she wouldn't just complain. Song Yinzhang felt that Gu Qianfan was hinting at her, suggesting that the Gao family would come looking for trouble sooner or later and that they needed to find another solution. Precisely because of this, Song Yinzhang thought of Zhang Haohao.

Perhaps she could rely on her pipa skills to gain the Emperor's appreciation as much as possible, and then she would have nothing to fear from anyone else. With a preliminary plan in place, Song Yinzhang claimed she was feeling unwell and didn't go to help at the teahouse. Instead, she took her pipa and a handwritten letter from Xu Yong and went to the Imperial Music Bureau to meet Venerable Envoy Yuan Changhe.

At first, everyone was busy with their own affairs and completely ignored Song Yinzhang, making her feel somewhat lost. She could only play her pipa in the courtyard. Her pipa music attracted everyone's attention. Yuan Changhe followed the sound, his eyes lighting up. He greatly cherished Song Yinzhang's talent. With Governor Xu Yong's recommendation, he immediately kept her on as a head instructor.

Director of the Bureau of Writings, Shen Ruzuo, was smitten with Song Yinzhang at first sight and offered to be her guide, showing her around the various departments of the Imperial Music Bureau.

Episode 13 Recap

Although Song Yinzhang was new, her every move was elegant and poised, especially when lecturing the musicians, she appeared calm and self-assured. Yet, when facing Shen Ruzuo alone, she reverted to a young girl's timid look, trying to avoid him. Shen Ruzuo was puzzled, but he didn't bother her excessively. Instead, he escorted Song Yinzhang for a section of the journey before parting ways.

Just as Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang were preparing to go out and look for Song Yinzhang, they saw her return from outside and learned about the Imperial Music Bureau matter. Zhao Pan'er was worried sick and couldn't help but complain that Song Yinzhang had acted on her own initiative. After all, the Imperial Music Bureau was a mixed bag, and how could she possibly handle it?

However, considering Song Yinzhang's sincerity and her desire to share the burden for everyone, Zhao Pan'er proactively apologized, and the good sisters made up as before. Sun Sanniang felt that Song Yinzhang joining the Imperial Music Bureau might not be a bad thing. Perhaps she could even bring dignitaries to patronize the teahouse, especially since business had been exceptionally slow in recent days. A Liao spy was held in the Capital Security Office.

After severe interrogation, the spy confessed that he had infiltrated the Great Song under the orders of Shi Quan, the Imperial Diary Officer, to gather military intelligence. However, although Shi Quan's official rank was not high, he was also the son-in-law of Qi Mu, the Censor-in-Chief. If this person defected, it would inevitably implicate the upright faction led by Qi Mu.

Therefore, Gu Qianfan saw at a glance that the spy was a Western Xia person, whose purpose was to set up a complex scheme to instigate conflict between the Great Song and the Liao people again. As expected, the spy's expression changed, and he refused to admit it even unto death. Gu Qianfan ordered his men to pierce his scapula with a steel whip, like a bloodthirsty and cruel Living King Yama.

The spy couldn't bear the humiliation and cursed Gu Qianfan viciously. Gu Qianfan was used to hearing this on a daily basis, but since his association with Zhao Pan'er, his state of mind had gradually changed. The Living King Yama in the eyes of outsiders had his own untold suffering. Precisely because of this, Gu Qianfan never let Chen Lian interrogate prisoners, simply because he didn't want him to be tainted by such a filthy place.

Yu Zhongquan suddenly came to the Southern Bureau. Because he was subjected to Chen Lian's sarcasm, he called Gu Qianfan by his full name in a fit of anger, only realizing later that he had been promoted to Deputy Envoy of the Capital Security Office and inevitably suffered punishment. In the following days, the teahouse had fewer and fewer customers, losing its initial liveliness. Some people even ordered a cup of plain tea, paid, and left in a hurry.

Zhao Pan'er came to the street to observe the shops nearby, wondering why there wasn't a single restaurant or eatery on an entire street in the vast city of Tokyo. Gu Qianfan explained the reason, saying that Tokyo's streets were divided by trade. Zhao Pan'er happened to open her shop on Mahang Street, where many horse farms and markets gathered.

Therefore, people in Tokyo knew from childhood that you buy raw medicine at Yaoxiang Bureau and clothes at the east end of Panlou. If you really wanted to drink tea, you had to go to Chatang Alley. Moreover, ordinary folks rarely drank refined tea, usually preferring plain tea, which was both cheap and simple. But now that the teahouse had opened and a lot of capital had been invested, Zhao Pan'er had no way out.

Gu Qianfan changed his usual spectator mentality and actively comforted Zhao Pan'er, also curious about her impression of him. After all, the reputation of the Living King Yama was widespread, and probably not many people were willing to approach him. In fact, in Zhao Pan'er's view, Gu Qianfan perfectly fit the description of being ruthless and cunning, and of course, decisive and distinguishing clearly between gratitude and grudges, which strangely had some similarities with her.

There are thousands upon thousands of people in the world, and each one is different. As for whether someone is good or evil, why care about others' opinions? Even if the Capital Security Office had a terrible reputation, Zhao Pan'er had not yet seen Gu Qianfan do anything bad.

As long as he wasn't fabricating charges and twisting facts without reason, even if he was ruthless, he was still a hawk and hound of the state, a claw and tooth of the people, and in her heart, a true hero. Because of Zhao Pan'er's words, Gu Qianfan's heart was gradually moved. At this moment, Song Yinzhang arrived at the teahouse.

Gu Qianfan explained to her that Shen Ruzuo was not a playboy but was skilled in music on weekdays, which is why he took the initiative to strike up a conversation. To his surprise, Song Yinzhang misunderstood that Gu Qianfan was secretly protecting her and couldn't help but feel a burst of secret joy. Sun Sanniang thought the teahouse's declining business was related to Gu Qianfan. Gu Qianfan didn't want to explain too much, so he simply took his leave.

That evening, Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang, and Song Yinzhang discussed countermeasures on how to turn the tide and manage the teahouse well again. Sun Sanniang suggested catering to the common people's preferences and focusing on selling plain tea. Song Yinzhang felt this didn't fit the refined style. As a result, the two had an argument, and ultimately Zhao Pan'er had to step in to resolve the conflict.

Following Zhao Pan'er's method, they decided to rename the teahouse "Ban Zhemian" (Half-Covered Face) and divide it into two areas for guests. Downstairs, they would sell plain tea to attract popularity, while upstairs they would continue to sell specialty tea, and the price would be even higher than before. The intention was to restore the teahouse's elegant style, mainly focusing on the fame of the number one pipa player in Jiangnan.

Therefore, Song Yinzhang would not play more than three songs a day and would use the name of the former Prince Qian's consort, which would make scholars and literati flock to the teahouse.

Episode 14 Recap

To avoid future disputes, Zhao Pan'er suggested that the three of them divide the responsibilities. She would be in charge of the teahouse operations, Sun Sanniang would handle the kitchen and purchasing, and Song Yinzhang would be responsible for the musical performances. In this way, even if there were different opinions, the minority would obey the majority to prevent harming their sisterly bond.

Song Yinzhang readily agreed, and through this period, she no longer cared about external opinions and could bravely face her background as a musician. As expected, when the teahouse reopened, it immediately attracted countless literati and scholars. Gentlemen came from far and wide, including Mr. Zhuoshi and Yuan Tuntian, just to witness the so-called charm. From the decor to the way guests were welcomed, everything was meticulously crafted by Zhao Pan'er, instantly dazzling everyone.

When Du Changfeng learned the identity of the teahouse proprietress, he had to take a detour. Song Yinzhang's pipa music was captivating, and with top-quality tea and snacks, even at prices of several hundred "wen", it still made them yearn for it. Zhao Pan'er understood the literati's mindset very well. Each time, she only arranged for ten guests to go upstairs to listen to the music.

The other gentlemen who were a step behind couldn't help but beat their chests and sigh mournfully, and they would continue to visit again later. Not only that, Zhao Pan'er created her own "Nine-Nine Returning to One Tea," which was highly characteristic of Jiangnan, and served it with nine-colored famous porcelain, truly a unique offering in Tokyo. Soon the news spread throughout the streets and alleys of Tokyo, causing heated discussions among the students.

They were initially deterred by the sky-high price of the tea, but with He Si's skillful endorsement and echoing, they began to feel it was worth the price. As the teahouse business became increasingly popular, Zhao Pan'er knew this momentum wouldn't last long and needed other forms of promotion. The prime candidate was the courtesan Zhang Haohao. In fact, even before this, Zhao Pan'er already knew the difficulties Zhang Haohao faced.

Although she had previously performed before the emperor and won the applause of the masses, her popularity had waned since then. There were more than a hundred singing girls belonging to the Bureau of Music. With various celebrations continuously happening in the spring, everyone was putting in their utmost effort to prepare for performances in the palace. If the emperor were to bestow colorful robes as rewards, Zhang Haohao's position would likely be insecure.

Therefore, Zhao Pan'er was willing to cooperate with Zhang Haohao for mutual benefit, which could at least make her stand out from the rest. On the way back, Zhao Pan'er met Gu Qianfan and had a conversation with him. His intimate actions also made her heart flutter. But Zhao Pan'er found it difficult to accept this feeling and suddenly changed her attitude, which in turn made Gu Qianfan feel strange and utterly perplexed.

When tallying the accounts in the evening, Zhao Pan'er discovered that they had made a net profit of over four hundred "wen" on the opening day, which was sufficient proof that their strategy was effective. Song Yinzhang went back to her room to rest first, but Sun Sanniang noticed that Zhao Pan'er was not acting like herself and couldn't help but come over to show concern.

Only then did she learn about Zhao Pan'er's feelings for Gu Qianfan, but also her uncertainty about Gu Qianfan's attitude. In Zhao Pan'er's view, Gu Qianfan was a worthy person. However, his actions were elusive, sometimes close, sometimes distant, which made her heart feel suspended and unable to settle, especially after her experience with Ouyang Xu, which left her feeling lost and despairing about relationships.

Sun Sanniang was certain of Gu Qianfan's feelings and encouraged Zhao Pan'er to pursue him bravely. However, Zhao Pan'er had been hurt in love and dared not easily give her heart away. After calming down, she felt that it was better to rely on herself than on others, and only by being independent and strong could she avoid fearing that love would wane as beauty faded.

Meanwhile, Gu Qianfan recalled what had happened during the day and decided to ask Chen Lian for some advice, inquiring about his view on women's capricious moods. Chen Lian did not realize who Gu Qianfan was referring to. He stated that women always initially show enthusiasm before becoming reserved, and at this critical juncture, one must absolutely not fall into the trap and should continue to maintain a cool demeanor.

In the following period, the business of the "Half-Covered Face" teahouse increased day by day. Everyone loved the atmosphere and eagerly queued up to go upstairs to listen to the music. In contrast, Yu Zhongquan, intending to get revenge on Gu Qianfan, took the initiative to visit Xiao Wei, the son of Xiao Qinyan, and revealed Gu Qianfan's true identity and background to him.

Xiao Wei was no ordinary noble young master; he possessed a keener mind than average and instantly saw through Yu Zhongquan's scheme. In fact, Yu Zhongquan had other ways to deal with Gu Qianfan, but in order to avoid stirring up trouble and incurring Prime Minister Xiao's displeasure, he came here to show loyalty to Xiao Wei. Furthermore, Xiao Qinyan held a high position as a minister and would sooner or later become the future Prime Minister.

If the news about his illegitimate son fell into the hands of the upright faction, it would undoubtedly become a handle against him. Therefore, they should resolve the trouble of Gu Qianfan as quickly as possible while Xiao Qinyan had not yet arrived in the capital.

Episode 15 Recap

With Xiao Wei's tacit consent, Yu Zhongquan intended to frame someone, and furthermore, found a note regarding secret communication in the Half-Covered Face's account book. This way, Zhao Pan'er became a spy, and consequently, was reduced to a prisoner. Upon learning of this matter, Sun Sanniang rushed to the Southern Yamen to contact Chen Lian. Song Yinzhang was also extremely anxious about it and suddenly thought of Shen Ruzuo, so she decided to seek his help.

Zhao Pan'er already knew Yu Zhongquan's true intention was nothing more than to frame Gu Qianfan using her. She flatly denied the charge of colluding with the enemy, yet Yu Zhongquan forcibly pressed her handprint, believing his scheme had succeeded. Little did he know, Zhao Pan'er had already sensed something was wrong and silently swapped the note. What was called "colluding with the enemy" was merely a foreign script wishing the Emperor congratulations, which could not be considered sufficient evidence.

Realizing he had been tricked, Yu Zhongquan became furious and personally resorted to water torture to force her into submission. Just as Zhao Pan'er was on her last breath, Chen Lian and others appeared in time. Yu Zhongquan struggled free and lunged towards Zhao Pan'er, only to see a dagger fly in, piercing straight towards Yu Zhongquan. Almost simultaneously, Gu Qianfan entered from outside, his gaze dark and ruthless.

To prevent Zhao Pan'er from being implicated, Gu Qianfan pretended not to know her and ordered Chen Lian to escort her away. On the way back, Zhao Pan'er met Song Yinzhang and Shen Ruzuo. However, considering Gu Qianfan's connection with the Capital Security Office, she simply said it was Chi Yanei's malicious revenge and that she was not seriously injured, thus preventing Song Yinzhang from overthinking. Gu Qianfan naturally wouldn't let Yu Zhongquan off.

He negotiated privately with Lei Jing, using Yu Zhongquan's embezzlement and Xiao Qinyan's influence to force Lei Jing to hand this person over to him for severe punishment. That same night, Gu Qianfan instructed his subordinates to throw Yu Zhongquan into a basin of hot water until he bled to death. He then warned everyone to take it as a lesson and not spread further rumors.

Seeing Zhao Pan'er return safely, Sun Sanniang finally felt a huge weight lifted from her heart. Shen Ruzuo said goodbye and left, promising to enjoy Song Yinzhang's pipa music next time. After the turmoil of the night, the three sisters were still shaken. At this moment, Gu Qianfan suddenly arrived.

Hearing that Zhao Pan'er had intentionally hidden the truth, his anger grew even stronger, thinking that if he had arrived one step later, they might have been separated forever by death. But Zhao Pan'er still remembered what had just happened and believed that Gu Qianfan pretending not to know her was also to avoid associating with someone of her lowly status. These words, upon hearing them, felt particularly harsh to Gu Qianfan.

He immediately explained that his intention was very simple: he didn't want the people from the Capital Security Office to know that Zhao Pan'er was his weakness, as it would ultimately lead to her being implicated. Zhao Pan'er felt a mix of emotions upon hearing this and asked Gu Qianfan what kind of feelings he had regarding their relationship. She said if he hadn't thought it through and just came to provoke her, it would be irresponsible to their relationship.

Gu Qianfan had indeed not considered it so deeply. Originally, he had always thought about protecting Zhao Pan'er, but unknowingly, he had fallen into it, unable to extricate himself. After waiting for a long time without Gu Qianfan's response, Zhao Pan'er told him to leave. Gu Qianfan said he would seriously consider their relationship and also had Chen Lian ensure Zhao Pan'er's safety.

After Gu Qianfan and the others left, Sun Sanniang couldn't help but complain about Zhao Pan'er being strong everywhere, relying on herself for everything, and never depending on her sisters, which made it seem like they weren't trustworthy. But after venting, Sun Sanniang and Zhao Pan'er reconciled as before. Recently, Half-Covered Face has been having frequent interactions with Shuangxi Tower. The musicians from the tower have become regular customers and often have tea and snacks prepared for them.

Chi Yanei was particularly unhappy in his heart and demanded that Zhang Haohao break off relations with Zhao Pan'er, but he was refused. Instead, he unexpectedly learned from He Si that He Si had revealed the embarrassing incident of him crying loudly at the Earth God Temple. Chi Yanei immediately ran to confront He Si and happened to see him holding a food box from Half-Covered Face, which made him furious.

But there was a previous agreement that He Si and others would be at Zhao Pan'er's beck and call at any time, so Chi Yanei had nowhere to vent his anger. In a fit of rage, he kicked a cabinet and ended up hurting himself. Last night's incident was too strange. Gu Qianfan interrogated the relevant personnel and only then learned that Yu Zhongquan and Xiao Wei had colluded. He figured Xiao Qinyan must not know about this.

Gu Qianfan ordered someone to disclose it to him and also sent a deer leg to Xiao Wei's residence. Just as Xiao Wei was fuming with rage and preparing to report the matter to the yamen, his steward unexpectedly arrived, conveying Xiao Qinyan's message and warning him that if he were to believe rumors and deal with Gu Qianfan again, he would no longer be considered a son of the Xiao family in the future.

Xiao Wei truly couldn't understand why his father was protecting this person in every way, so he wanted his mother to support him. The steward stopped Xiao Wei and hinted that he should not cause more trouble, as he currently held only a nominal position without real power and was no match for Gu Qianfan at all. Moreover, Gu Qianfan was not his enemy.

Without prior notice, Shen Ruzuo came alone to Half-Covered Face to listen to music, and immediately after, sent a box of pastries, which were actually imitations of Sun Sanniang's goods made by several other tea houses. Not only were the prices cheap and the quantity large, but they even offered similar drinks. Especially Qingming Fang had hired two pipa players who sat in the store and played every day, attracting many customers.

Episode 16 Recap

Since Half-Covered Face became popular in Tokyo, the business of nearby large and small tea houses has become increasingly sluggish, forcing them to imitate Half-Covered Face. But in the end, it was merely a clumsy imitation, only copying the appearance without understanding the essence. So, when Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang tasted these tea treats, they both found the taste unpleasant. In fact, Zhao Pan'er had long anticipated the current situation.

After all, in welcoming guests and doing business, there will always be competition among peers. However, she did not react as strongly as Song Yinzhang; she even felt it was a blessing in disguise. Although good wine needs no bush, if they wanted more people to understand the benefits of Half-Covered Face, they still needed to show how they were different from other tea houses. The imitation goods in Teatang Lane could even serve as promotion.

As for the pipa musicians in Teatang Lane, Zhao Pan'er also thought of a countermeasure. The next day, Half-Covered Face held an event to give back to old customers, where they could go upstairs to listen to music without buying tea treats. At first, the performer was Susu Niang from Teatang Lane. Everyone heard something different, and then it was Song Yinzhang. The two played the 'Mingfei Tune' together, and the superiority was immediately clear.

As expected, Susu Niang, who had been devoted to the pipa her whole life, realized she was not as skilled. In front of everyone, she asked to become Song Yinzhang's disciple and offered to stay at Half-Covered Face. The customers suddenly realized the difference in skill between the two and felt that the performance today was extremely brilliant. At the same time, Manager Hu of Qingming Fang heard the news and was furious.

He immediately brought people to cause trouble, stating directly that the twenty-seven tea houses in Teatang Lane would not serve customers of Half-Covered Face and demanded that everyone make a choice. Those present were scholars and gentlemen, naturally hoping that everything could be discussed and relationships eased. Unexpectedly, Manager Hu was aggressive and spoke rudely. His purpose was to make her retreat due to difficulty and voluntarily close down. Zhao Pan'er had never feared powerful figures.

She stated that Half-Covered Face had been registered and paid fees in the Tokyo tea trade long ago. If today's matter did not end well, even if she had to sacrifice her business, she would sue at the yamen to seek justice. Manager Hu was so angry he was speechless, directly cursing Zhao Pan'er for being malicious. Sun Sanniang retorted that they were going too far in their bullying.

Considering that Zhao Pan'er had just opened a shop in Tokyo and her business was so large, there must be powerful figures behind her who could not be offended. Manager Hu was caught in a dilemma and simply suggested a tea competition. If Half-Covered Face won, they would pour tea and apologize and never speak ill of Half-Covered Face again. Zhao Pan'er accepted Manager Hu's challenge. Everyone gathered around to witness this rare tea competition skill.

Du Changfeng was chasing truant students when he accidentally heard about the tea competition between Teatang Lane and Half-Covered Face. He also went to watch out of curiosity. Unfortunately, he had lost his glasses, so he asked the students to describe the process to him.

In the subsequent preparations for the tea competition, Manager Hu deliberately showed off royal tribute tea, natural spring water, and the golden grinder passed down by the Tea Immortal Lu Tong, to demonstrate that his tea products were superior. In contrast, Half-Covered Face only used rainwater, a copper grinder, and previously unheard-of pre-rain tea, making everyone present feel it was slightly inferior. However, Zhao Pan'er didn't care. She slowly stood up and danced around the table.

Her graceful posture attracted attention. Coincidentally, Gu Qianfan was passing by. He stood at the entrance and looked inside, becoming entranced. Manager Hu disliked Zhao Pan'er's brothel-like demeanor, but Du Changfeng couldn't help but retort, leaving him speechless. When it came to the tea whisking stage, Zhao Pan'er and Manager Hu each relied on their skills, and it was subsequently judged a tie.

Next was the crucial 'biting the cup', which refers to the color of the tea liquid, water marks, and tea flavor. It meant not only competing in tea but also in flavor, and even in color and foam. The victory was mainly decided by the color of the tea liquid and the 'biting' of the tea foam against the cup. Manager Hu's tea color was excellent, and the characters on the tea foam were clearly visible.

Looking at Zhao Pan'er's tea foam which gradually dispersed, it was clear the outcome was decided. Just as several gentlemen were about to announce the winner of this round, Zhao Pan'er asked everyone to wait a moment. As soon as she finished speaking, the tea foam magically formed a picture, which was 'Tea Hundred Plays', a performance art using tea. The gentlemen were amazed and ruled that Zhao Pan'er had won. The final round was tasting the tea flavor.

Teatang Lane and Half-Covered Face each had their strengths, but Manager Hu's tea left a lingering fragrance, while Zhao Pan'er's was unique. Although Zhao Pan'er won the tea competition, she remained graceful and spoke very appropriately, which convinced Manager Hu. He decided not to make things difficult for Half-Covered Face in the future and welcomed Zhao Pan'er to visit Teatang Lane anytime.

After Manager Hu left, Zhao Pan'er prepared tea treats and drinks for everyone, also as a way to express gratitude for their support. Du Changfeng fumbled his way forward and accidentally tripped on the threshold, almost falling. Sun Sanniang tried to reach out to catch him, but unfortunately, it was too late. He fell directly onto Sun Sanniang's feet, scattering white powder from head to face. It was this splash of flour that caused those present to laugh and tease.

Sun Sanniang did not see Du Changfeng's appearance and apparently forgot that he was Ouyang Xu's classmate. Instead, she thanked him for speaking out righteously today. Similarly, Du Changfeng felt that Sun Sanniang was gentle and virtuous. He picked up his glasses and looked, only seeing her back at most, and couldn't help but feel moved.

Episode 17 Recap

Using the faint moonlight, Gu Qianfan saw Zhao Pan'er dancing gracefully in the pavilion. It wasn't until the dance ended that Zhao Pan'er noticed Gu Qianfan. Because of the tea competition earlier today, Zhao Pan'er was still bothered by her musician status.

However, Gu Qianfan didn't mind; he stated that he had already thought it through clearly and finally realized that he had fallen in love with her unknowingly in recent days, and decided to marry her as his wife, with the Three Letters and Six Etiquettes, in a formal marriage.

Zhao Pan'er emphasized the disparity in their statuses again, saying that if Gu Qianfan insisted, rumors about her would appear in Tokyo after tonight, and hoped that Gu Qianfan would not make a decision based on impulse. In order to soothe Zhao Pan'er's unease, Gu Qianfan broke off a flower branch and handed it to her, saying frankly that he didn't care about those rumors at all.

Compared to Zhao Pan'er, who came from a musician background, perhaps the Living Yama of the Capital Security Office had a worse reputation. It was Gu Qianfan's sincere confession that gradually moved Zhao Pan'er. She finally accepted the flower branch, and the two embraced tightly. Shen Ruzuo continued to pester Song Yinzhang, making her unbearable. She simply told him truthfully that she had been married before, later divorced her ex-husband, and even personally sent him to prison.

However, Shen Ruzuo already knew about this matter, especially knowing that Song Yinzhang was not a naive young lady who knew nothing of the world, but a remarkable woman who was seemingly delicate on the outside but strong on the inside. At first, Shen Ruzuo did admire Song Yinzhang's pipa skills. But later, upon learning about her past experiences, he couldn't help but feel pity and respect for her.

In Shen Ruzuo's view, Song Yinzhang is the foremost pipa player in Jiangnan, possessing both talent and beauty. Even if her reputation was tarnished by villains, as the saying goes, a thing reflects its owner, and music reflects the person. Her pipa music is like a bright moon and a gentle breeze; why should she care about a little dust on the spiritual platform?

So Shen Ruzuo was willing to be the whisk on the spiritual platform, seeking favor from the beautiful woman. Song Yinzhang almost took him seriously. Fortunately, Sun Sanniang's voice came at this moment. She immediately woke up as if from a dream, urged Shen Ruzuo to leave quickly, and promised to play a tune for him. Shen Ruzuo arranged to meet at Jinming Pool outside Shun Tian Gate three days later.

To prevent Song Yinzhang from backing out, he directly took her hairpin as proof. Because Chi Yanei couldn't stand this insult, he took people to Half-Covered Face, preparing to make a scene. Unexpectedly, other people appeared outside the door. Both sides thought they were guards hired by Zhao Pan'er. After a confrontation, Chi Yanei fled in a panic, and the disturbance was quelled.

Zhang Haohao warned Chi Yanei not to trouble Zhao Pan'er anymore, stating that her backer was definitely not an ordinary person, to avoid bringing disaster upon himself. Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er were eating at a nearby restaurant when they happened to encounter Lei Jing from the Capital Security Office. Their every move was seen by him, and he commented that they were going out as a couple and sitting arm in arm at the same table.

But it was Lei Jing's words that alerted Gu Qianfan. He simply stated frankly that he and Zhao Pan'er did have some genuine feelings, but most of it was just for show, not deep-rooted affection, and hoped that Lei Jing would not take it seriously. Zhao Pan'er was extremely saddened by this, especially Lei Jing's words, which pierced her heart like a poisonous bee's sting.

Lei Jing felt that a woman like Zhao Pan'er, who had reformed from a courtesan background, was completely unworthy of Gu Qianfan. At most, she could be a mistress. Furthermore, he should not follow Ouyang Xu's path, which would be equivalent to cutting off his path to advancement. If he truly wanted to marry, he should seek a lady from a noble family. Not only was Lei Jing having tea here, but Xiao Wei also discovered his half-brother.

Although Gu Qianfan didn't resemble Xiao Qinyan in appearance, his tastes and habits were remarkably consistent with his own. So he ordered someone to investigate carefully. Just as Zhao Pan'er was about to question Gu Qianfan about the previous matter, Xiao Wei suddenly came out. Gu Qianfan concealed his relationship with the Xiao family, not wanting Zhao Pan'er to get involved, so he asked her to return to Half-Covered Face first.

After Zhao Pan'er left, Xiao Wei revealed his intention to compete for the position of legitimate eldest son of the Xiao family. But Gu Qianfan stated that he had no relationship with the Xiao family, and warned him not to provoke him again, or he would not be polite.

Qi Mu saw this scene from nearby and then informed Gu Qianfan that there was no need to rush to deal with Lei Jing, because his purpose was to act for the literati class against Xiao Qinyan. Inside the Half-Covered Face tea house, two suspicious-looking individuals were sitting. Taking advantage of Zhao Pan'er's inattention, Sun Daqiang pretended to have been poisoned and died. Ge Zhaodi, who was with him, rushed over and wailed, attracting many onlookers.

She publicly slandered that the tea drink at Half-Covered Face was poisoned and insisted on reporting it to the authorities. Seeing that Ge Zhaodi was relentless, the gentlemen present felt that it was a matter of human life and originally wanted to report it to the yamen for investigation, but they were blocked by Zhao Pan'er. At this critical moment, Zhao Pan'er suddenly noticed Sun Daqiang's abnormality and instantly became suspicious.

She went directly into the inner room, prepared two bowls of red fruit drink, and poured them into Ge Zhaodi's and Sun Daqiang's mouths respectively. As expected, Sun Daqiang's feigned death was exposed. He immediately got up and tried to run, but Sun Sanniang quickly moved to block the door. Zhao Pan'er closed the tea house door, leaving only a few gentlemen inside.

She emphasized that she had given Sun Daqiang and Ge Zhaodi a mute potion, stating that if they did not confess the truth, they would lose the ability to speak forever after half an hour.

Episode 18 Recap

Sun Daqiang and Ge Zhaodi, wanting to survive, vied with each other to tell the truth, but their testimonies differed, leading to an internal conflict. It turned out that Sun Daqiang deliberately concealed his gambling debts, fabricating a story about his sister losing the use of her legs to gain Ge Zhaodi's sympathy. Now, Ge Zhaodi realized she had been deceived and immediately confessed that Matou Baye instructed them to come to Half-Covered Face to cause trouble.

Not only that, Ge Zhaodi also revealed other clues, confirming that Baye was acting on the orders of a wet nurse from a wealthy family. Zhao Pan'er suddenly understood, realizing this matter was related to the Gao family. Just as Zhao Pan'er expected, Gao Hui's wet nurse, hearing that Ouyang Xu had been engaged to someone, decided to teach that person a lesson.

Zhao Pan'er decided not to pursue the matter further, so she had Ge Zhaodi write a statement on the spot and leave before the officials arrived, and gave her some money to treat her injured hand. Gu Qianfan came upon hearing the news and hinted that the mastermind behind the scene was the wet nurse Jiang Shi.

He originally wanted to solve the trouble for her, but Zhao Pan'er was still bothered by what had just happened and couldn't help but question Gu Qianfan about whether he was just putting on a show, especially due to Xiao Wei's appearance. Just as Gu Qianfan was about to explain the reason, Chen Lian suddenly came to inform him to go to the manor to meet Xiao Qinyan, so he had to leave first.

Because Gao Gu had recently been looking for paintings by Xu Xi, Zhao Pan'er played to his interests and went to his residence with a painting of a crane and bamboo to seek an audience, meeting with Gao Gu alone. Unexpectedly, Gao Gu turned out to be a lecherous person, coveting Zhao Pan'er's beauty. Even knowing her relationship with Ouyang Xu, he still wanted to take her into his mansion and keep her as a mistress.

Zhao Pan'er merely hoped that Gao Gu could restrain his servants and give her a way to live. If Gao Gu went too far, she would have no choice but to cause a scandal throughout the city. However, Gao Gu's lecherous intentions did not change, and just as he was about to make a move on Zhao Pan'er, Gu Qianfan appeared to protect his "humble wife". He introduced Zhao Pan'er's identity without hesitation, which made Gao Gu momentarily stunned.

He then reprimanded Zhao Pan'er for having just broken off her relationship with Ouyang Xu, only to turn around and attach herself to another man. However, when Gao Gu learned that the person before him was the Living Yama, Gu Qianfan, he immediately lost his arrogance. Watching Gu Qianfan take Zhao Pan'er's hand, he could only leave disheartened. Gu Qianfan finally understood the original reason for Zhao Pan'er's anger.

He explained the history of animosity between himself and Lei Jing and also emphasized that he intended to marry Zhao Pan'er as his wife, absolutely not take her as a concubine. At first, Zhao Pan'er was half-doubting, half-believing. But Gu Qianfan's words struck her inner inferiority complex, and at the same time, he handed her a brocade pouch containing three land deeds and four keys to prove his sincerity.

Zhao Pan'er looked at Gu Qianfan's retreating figure, then hurriedly chased after him, pretending to fall to attract his attention. As expected, Gu Qianfan turned back and reached out to help Zhao Pan'er up. When faced with her questions, he reaffirmed his feelings, completely reassuring her. Zhao Pan'er also no longer hesitated and chose to believe Gu Qianfan. Although she knew nothing about this person, Gu Qianfan promised to tell her everything gradually in the future.

After the two reconciled, Gu Qianfan briefly told Zhao Pan'er about his entry into the Capital Security Office. In fact, he also wanted to be promoted to the fifth rank as quickly as possible, because only by reaching the fifth rank could his mother be posthumously granted a title, allowing her to receive official sacrifices. Zhao Pan'er felt pained for Gu Qianfan and decided to visit his mother's grave another day, considering it an expression of her own feelings.

Just as Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er were in a moment of sweet affection, Chen Lian came to inform him of the Emperor's decree, summoning Gu Qianfan to the palace. After confirming Gu Qianfan's attitude, Zhao Pan'er was in a very good mood, smiling like a flower all the way back.

She told Sun Sanniang that the engagement between the Gao family and Ouyang Xu was hopeless, but Sun Sanniang sensed that the reason Zhao Pan'er was so happy was definitely because of Gu Qianfan. At this time, Ge Zhaodi came to the Half-Covered Face tea house. Since she knew Zhao Pan'er was kind-hearted, she decided to stay and work at the tea house. She was willing to forgo any wages, only seeking to have three meals a day.

However, Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang did not completely trust Ge Zhaodi, after all, she had previously publicly slandered Half-Covered Face for poisoning the tea, and this matter still left the two of them with lingering fears. Ge Zhaodi frankly stated that she was an orphan with no parents and usually transported goods at the docks. She hoped to be taken in by Zhao Pan'er.

Zhao Pan'er observed that Ge Zhaodi's hands were rough with old injuries adding to new ones, which was sufficient proof that her words were not false. So she agreed to let Ge Zhaodi stay. Ge Zhaodi immediately rushed into the back kitchen and skillfully tidied up the cups and utensils. After Gao Gu returned to his residence, he ordered his subordinates to severely punish Jiang Shi, leaving her covered in wounds and extremely weak.

Gao Hui rushed over upon hearing the news and desperately tried to stop Gao Gu, even threatening her own life. In the end, Gao Gu had no choice but to ask his household servants to invite a doctor to treat Jiang Shi and stopped pursuing the matter. Although Jiang Shi claimed that she had stolen money from the mansion, leading to her master's punishment, Gao Hui did not believe it at all.

She then inquired about the situation from Jiang Shi's daughter and learned that Jiang Shi had arbitrarily sent people to cause trouble because Ouyang Xu had an engagement before coming to the capital, and the woman was none other than Zhao Pan'er, the owner of Half-Covered Face.

Episode 19 Recap

Sun Sanniang and the others were going to get Ge Zhaodi new clothes, but Zhao Pan'er happened to use checking the accounts as an excuse to stay alone at Half-Covered Face. Ge Zhaodi saw that she was meeting her lover secretly, so she privately told Sun Sanniang. That night, Gu Qianfan indeed came as promised. First, he leaned in and kissed Zhao Pan'er, then he finally mustered the courage to say his grandfather had arranged an engagement for him.

In fact, this engagement had been completely broken off as soon as Gu Qianfan entered the Capital Security Office. Moreover, Gu Qianfan had never met the other party, nor had he ever gone through the motions. It was precisely Gu Qianfan's sincerity that made Zhao Pan'er very happy. She simply told him about her past, including from when she registered her status to meeting Ouyang Xu, revealing everything without any concealment.

Gu Qianfan didn't care about any of this at all, but Zhao Pan'er hoped they could be honest with each other and dispel all suspicions. The two sat under the moon, embracing each other. Gu Qianfan took out a hairpin he had treasured for a long time. He made no secret that he had been paying attention to her from the very beginning. Now he had finally won her heart, and their relationship reached a new level.

Early the next morning, Song Yinzhang arrived at the agreed location with her pipa. She originally intended to leave after playing and not get further entangled with Shen Ruzuo. Who knew that Shen Ruzuo had prepared a 'Lonely Moon Pipa' and high-quality tea for Song Yinzhang, so that she could play without any distractions. Under Shen Ruzuo's deep affection and kindness, Song Yinzhang and Shen Ruzuo played a tune together.

Chi Yanei saw this scene and was very pleased in his heart, just waiting for the playboy Shen Ruzuo to deeply hurt Song Yinzhang. On the other hand, Zhang Haohao prepared to inform Zhao Pan'er, reminding her to keep Song Yinzhang away from Shen Ruzuo. In the following days, Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan continued their deep affection and sweet relationship. They often met secretly to express their feelings.

Gu Qianfan also considered waiting until Lei Jing was brought to justice to prepare a grand and elaborate wedding for her and find elders from his clan to preside over the wedding. However, because Song Yinzhang frequently entered and exited the entertainment district, and to avoid too many prying eyes, Gu Qianfan instructed Zhao Pan'er not to reveal it for now. Sun Sanniang watched the entire process from nearby.

She was both happy for Zhao Pan'er and a little reluctant to see her go, and could only feel sad and shed tears alone after Zhao Pan'er returned to her room. Originally, Gao Hui was going to the Sweet Osmanthus Fragrance Gathering to meet the rumored Zhao Pan'er, but unexpectedly, she suddenly felt unbearable abdominal pain. It turned out her period was approaching, leaving her feeling a bit helpless.

Zhao Pan'er, who was about to go out, saw Gao Hui and immediately led her into the room to rest, and personally prepared brown sugar and ginger water to alleviate her discomfort. Gao Hui expressed her thanks and left, waiting for the people she sent to investigate to report back.

But Gao Gu knew her whereabouts and stated that he would absolutely not allow her to step out of the Gao family mansion before Ouyang Xu sent back the letter of annulment. By chance, he also saw Gao Hui wearing Zhao Pan'er's clothes. Gao Gu suddenly understood, angrily reprimanded Gao Hui, and confined her to her chambers. Chen Lian hurried to find Zhao Pan'er, but unexpectedly, he was splashed with water by Ge Zhaodi.

The two started cursing at each other and made a huge fuss, almost getting into a fight. Fortunately, Sun Sanniang appeared in time and told Ge Zhaodi to go to Half-Covered Face first to help Zhao Pan'er, only then was their conflict resolved. In May of this year, a rumor spread among the local residents, claiming it was a demonic creature shaped like a hat, often flying in the sky.

After entering homes at night, it would turn into a large wolf. The common people were terrified. And by the Yi-Si day of June, it was rumored that the 'hat demon' had entered the capital, and even incidents of people being injured occurred, causing the entire city to be on high alert. Every sunset, one could see every household with their doors tightly shut, and some even held weapons and pursued it.

The Official heard about this and immediately sent people to Tokyo to investigate, while also holding sacrifices and prayers, hoping to ward off evil and eliminate disaster. Who knew that after the sacrifices, the 'hat demon' not only didn't disappear, but became even more rampant, especially in the military camps. In the end, the Capital Security Office had to be dispatched. Gu Qianfan led his men to set up an ambush until the 'hat demon' appeared.

For a moment, the people on the street fled in panic, so much so that they bumped into Ge Zhaodi. Just as she was at a loss, Chen Lian dismounted and helped her up, then he immediately led people to chase the 'hat demon'. Gu Qianfan fought with the 'hat demon', but in the end, he was still injured. Ge Zhaodi went back and told everyone about it.

Zhao Pan'er was burning with anxiety, but on the surface, she still pretended to be calm. Sun Sanniang saw through Zhao Pan'er's thoughts and deliberately sent Song Yinzhang and Ge Zhaodi away, giving her a chance to go out and inquire about the situation. Zhao Pan'er met Gu Qianfan when she went out. Seeing that he was safe and sound, a huge weight was finally lifted from her heart.

Seeing Gu Qianfan looking weary, Zhao Pan'er told him to rest first, while she went to the kitchen to make some refreshments. It turned out that by the time she finished, she found Gu Qianfan was so tired he had fallen asleep directly. In Gu Qianfan's dream, his mother resolutely left the Xiao family with him. Then his father proactively came to find him.

In the end, he also had to face the struggle between the pure officials and the treacherous minister. He had to make a choice between them, and his heart was quite conflicted. When Gu Qianfan woke up from the nightmare, Zhao Pan'er brought a bowl of soup. So he drank the soup while telling Zhao Pan'er about the situation in the court. As the saying goes, there are no demons in the world, only troubles hidden in people's hearts.

The real 'hat demon' was just targeting the Empress's faction. Every time it appeared, it would attack the common people with gunpowder, causing large-scale casualties as usual. Thus, it spread from one to ten, from ten to a hundred, becoming the widely rumored 'hat demon'. Now the ministers in the court were divided into several factions. The Official was frail and sickly.

The only imperial son, Prince Sheng, was only twelve years old and could not supervise the state for the time being. It required the Empress to often review memorials on behalf of the Official, which caused dissatisfaction among many old ministers. Gradually, rumors spread that the Empress intended to imitate Empress Wu.

Episode 20 Recap

Zhao Pan'er immediately thought of the 'Night Revels of Han Xizai' painting, so Gu Qianfan's subsequent words were related to this. That year, there was a woman who was good at singing and dancing. Because her family was poor, she left home early and made a living through music and performing everywhere, until she later met a Prince. The two became acquainted by chance.

Considering the woman was from a musical household status, the Prince fabricated a good family identity for her, then brought her into his residence, where she was greatly favored. Twenty years passed in the blink of an eye. With the death of the Prince's first wife, the woman naturally rose to become the Princess. Originally, the Princess's later life should have been full of glory and wealth, but unfortunately, the events of that year were not completely seamless.

Many old servants in the Prince's residence secretly investigated the details and finally discovered a musician in the 'Night Revels of Han Xizai' painting whose features were extremely similar to the Princess', confirming that her background was not respectable. The person who painted this picture was skilled at riddles, having once embedded the names of guests from a spring banquet within the painting. If the 'Night Revels of Han Xizai' painting were obtained, it would definitively confirm the woman's identity.

Gu Qianfan told Zhao Pan'er about this hoping she wouldn't pursue the reason any further, to avoid getting involved. However, just as he was about to leave, he unexpectedly saw Song Yinzhang suddenly appear. To avoid arousing Song Yinzhang's suspicion, Gu Qianfan quickly came up with a reason, claiming that Ge Zhaodi was involved in the 'hat demon' case and Zhao Pan'er was summoned for questioning to cooperate with the investigation.

Song Yinzhang believed him, but was curious why Gu Qianfan had brought Zhao Pan'er back. Fortunately, Gu Qianfan had already prepared the famous music score "Liangzhou Da Bian", stating this was his reason for coming, which made Song Yinzhang ecstatic. Song Yinzhang returned to her room, her mood unable to calm down for a long time.

Thinking back on the scene where Gu Qianfan gave her the music score, she felt incredibly sweet and was convinced that Gu Qianfan liked her. However, recalling Shen Ruzuo, who had frequently shown affection before, made Song Yinzhang hesitant and uncertain, as both men were outstanding individuals. Little did she know, after Song Yinzhang left, Gu Qianfan returned to the window to bid a reluctant farewell to Zhao Pan'er before leaving alone.

Meanwhile, Ouyang Xu's days in Xijing were not easy. Since being ordered to invite back Master Baoyi, he had been rushing around everywhere. At Mount Jade Emperor in Xijing, Ouyang Xu traveled over mountains and waters to the nearby temple. This journey exposed him to wind and dew, leaving him completely exhausted and no longer caring about his appearance.

Upon learning that he still had to climb over this mountain to see Qingfeng Temple, Ouyang Xu couldn't help but complain aloud, beginning to question Master Baoyi's identity and why he couldn't stay at his original temple but had to travel everywhere. However, as soon as he finished speaking, Ouyang Xu accidentally lost his footing and rolled down the hillside. His accompanying servant was burning with anxiety.

Fortunately, it was a false alarm, and Ouyang Xu vowed to return to Tokyo in glory and marry Gao Hui soon. Du Changfeng was worried about Sun Sanniang in his heart, so he came to Half-Covered Face wearing glasses. He didn't expect the person to be the rude woman who had helped Zhao Pan'er deal with Ouyang Xu that day, making it difficult for him to accept at first.

Similarly, Sun Sanniang also recognized Du Changfeng, immediately dragged him out of the Half-Covered Face tea house, repeatedly shamed and cursed him, and finally Du Changfeng left in a huff. However, when Sun Sanniang saw the sugar figures, she suddenly thought of her son Fu Zifang, and her heart became incredibly sad. Ge Zhaodi and others came over to comfort her.

Because Ouyang Xu took the wrong path, it took him a day and a night to reach Qingfeng Temple, only to find that he couldn't even enter the temple gate. The Taoist priests at Qingfeng Temple said that the Immortal Master had already gone into seclusion, and all the disciples were undergoing fasting, so they wouldn't even give him a bowl of porridge. Originally, Ouyang Xu was already exhausted. Due to unbearable hunger, he fainted on the ground.

His pageboy had no choice but to snatch food from a pedestrian to feed his master. After eating something, Ouyang Xu finally recovered a little energy. He planned to rest for the night and go down the mountain to find Master Baoyi in the morning, as this was his only hope of returning to Tokyo. Meanwhile, on the other side, people from the Gao family came to the academy to ask Du Changfeng about Ouyang Xu and Zhao Pan'er.

Fearing the Gao family would cause trouble, Du Changfeng hurriedly sent someone to inform Zhao Pan'er. Sun Sanniang specially trained a guard dog to prevent Du Changfeng from entering the shop. When Zhao Pan'er and the others heard the dog barking, they would know that Du Changfeng had appeared. After hearing Du Changfeng's account, Zhao Pan'er learned about Gao Hui's character. Coincidentally, Gao Hui ordered someone to send a gift to Half-Covered Face, as thanks for Zhao Pan'er's help.

Through this matter, Zhao Pan'er felt that Gao Hui was not as malicious as rumored, so she wanted to negotiate with her personally to avoid future worries. Just as Zhao Pan'er was preparing to go see Gao Hui, she saw yellow flowers appear at the entrance, immediately remembering Gu Qianfan's words that yellow flowers represent longing, which meant they were to meet tonight.

Ge Zhaodi knew Zhao Pan'er had a date and tactfully left space for her and her lover to be alone. Later, she went to the street to buy pastries, but unexpectedly met Chen Lian and instinctively snatched the pastries away. Gu Qianfan indeed came to see Zhao Pan'er.

Learning that Du Changfeng had delivered the message, Zhao Pan'er wanted to explain clearly to Gao Hui, especially since she already had a loved one and would certainly not covet Ouyang Xu in the future, which would also put Gao Hui's mind at ease. The next morning, Sun Sanniang saw Song Yinzhang studying the music score and encouraged her to ask Shen Ruzuo for guidance, which would also help something good happen.

Song Yinzhang felt that she was no longer an innocent young woman and was self-conscious about this, but Sun Sanniang didn't think so, stating that even widows in Tokyo had the right to pursue love. Listening to Sun Sanniang's words, Song Yinzhang gradually let go of her worries. She also realized that Sun Sanniang was considering marriage herself, and perhaps one day she would also find her ideal husband.

Episode 21 Recap

The day Xiao Qinyan returned to Tokyo, he ordered someone to invite Gu Qianfan to his residence for a chat about old times, but Gu Qianfan kept a cold face the entire time, stating that he did not want to have any connection with the Xiao household. Moreover, Gu Qianfan's marriage was imminent, and his perfect match was Zhao Pan'er.

Although in Xiao Qinyan's eyes she was a lowly merchant woman, in his own heart she was a peerless treasure, the only hope and light he could see in his past decade-plus of dark life. Therefore, Gu Qianfan warned Xiao Qinyan not to dream of using underhanded tricks to break them up, otherwise he would swear by his mother's soul in heaven that he would definitely make him regret it immensely.

Hearing these words, Xiao Qinyan paused for a moment, but when Gu Qianfan revealed that he would bring his wife and child to pay respects to their ancestors in the future, he felt a little comforted.

And now that he had regained his position as prime minister and the emperor's favor, Gu Qianfan made it clear that they would not interfere with each other; although he would not help him deal with the upright officials, he would not stand by and do nothing either. As for the 'hat demon' case, it was very likely deliberate human action.

It just so happened that Xiao Qinyan returned to the capital to take office as chief minister, and rumors were rampant both inside and outside the court. Furthermore, the emperor had always believed in ghosts and deities, hinting that he should be more vigilant.

Meanwhile, two servants from the Gao family rushed to Qiantang overnight and finally learned through Fu Zifang that Ouyang Xu had been engaged to Miss Zhao, but later broke his promise, becoming a heartless and faithless man. Early the next morning, accompanied by Gu Qianfan, Zhao Pan'er personally went to seek an audience with Gao Hui and presented Ouyang Xu's handwritten letter to prove that what she said was true.

Zhao Pan'er hoped Gao Hui could understand that since ancient times, oaths of eternal love were the least trustworthy. Even Emperor Tang Minghuang could fail others, let alone a mere scholar, so she should heed her father's advice and break off the engagement with Ouyang Xu as soon as possible. As soon as she finished speaking, Gao Gu walked over from the side to comfort Gao Hui.

Zhao Pan'er subconsciously hid behind Gu Qianfan, trying her best to avoid the other party's gaze. Because of Gu Qianfan, Gao Gu did not dare to act disrespectfully towards Zhao Pan'er again, but Gu Qianfan could still sense that his wicked intentions had not disappeared. On the contrary, through their conversation, Zhao Pan'er concluded that Gao Hui was not the vicious woman Du Changfeng described, but rather a willful young lady naive about the ways of the world.

Presumably, Ouyang Xu must have told her many sweet lies to gain her trust. Since Sun Sanniang mentioned Shen Ruzuo last time, Song Yinzhang had been distracted all day. Even when practicing the pipa, she couldn't help but constantly lose focus. Zhang Haohao saw through Song Yinzhang's thoughts and warned her not to trust Shen Ruzuo too much.

After the two finished playing a duet, Song Yinzhang, holding her pipa, was about to leave when she was almost scared to death by Chi Yanei. Zhang Haohao felt indignant for Song Yinzhang, thinking that if Chi Yanei wanted revenge, he could go find Zhao Pan'er entirely. She truly couldn't bear to see Song Yinzhang fall into the tiger's mouth and benefit Shen Ruzuo.

Chi Yanei shrugged it off and casually praised Song Yinzhang's pipa playing as better than her singing, which angered Zhang Haohao so much she turned and left. Considering that Du Changfeng had spoken up for Half-Covered Face before, Sun Sanniang specially made some snacks and asked Chen Lian to deliver them on her behalf, as a way of repaying his kindness. Ge Zhaodi and Chen Lian detested each other at first sight and would argue whenever they met.

Sun Sanniang watched the scene get more and more chaotic and couldn't help but scold Ge Zhaodi. However, Ge Zhaodi felt wronged and refused to pay attention to Sun Sanniang. Although Sun Sanniang explained the reason, she still didn't understand the meaning. She even retorted Sun Sanniang's sore spot impulsively, but immediately apologized when she realized what she had done.

Sun Sanniang suppressed the bitterness in her heart and said that she didn't understand worldly affairs before, which caused her to suffer immensely and break her heart. But it was precisely because of this that Sun Sanniang gradually understood some principles. She didn't want Ge Zhaodi to repeat her mistakes. One must learn to be patient in everything and look at people and matters from different perspectives, which might lead to different outcomes.

Ge Zhaodi blamed herself for being too impulsive just now and gradually understood Sun Sanniang's thoughtful intentions. Chen Lian went to deliver the fruits to Du Changfeng. Unexpectedly, Du Changfeng thought Sun Sanniang would not be so kind and hesitated for a long time before daring to accept them. At this moment, two students came over from the side. Not only did they insult Du Changfeng, but they even snatched the fruits from the table.

Du Changfeng seemed used to it; he was bullied because his eyesight was poor. Chen Lian couldn't stand it and privately taught the students a lesson for Du Changfeng. As evening approached, Chen Lian returned to Half-Covered Face and shared what he had seen and heard with Sun Sanniang. As for Du Changfeng, being a newly successful candidate in the imperial exam, he had not obtained any real power.

This was entirely because when he was granted an audience with the emperor, his poor eyesight caused him to lose composure in front of the palace, resulting in no official position. He could only honestly return to the academy to be a teacher. Du Changfeng's eye problem was not congenital, but it became increasingly blurry later, especially when it was dark. Listening to Chen Lian's words, Sun Sanniang couldn't help but fall into deep thought.

Song Yinzhang went to meet Shen Ruzuo as agreed. Unexpectedly, he spent a lot of money to buy her a hair accessory and indirectly hinted at his wealth and power, which could help Song Yinzhang escape her musician status. Sure enough, Song Yinzhang changed her cold attitude and repeatedly pondered Shen Ruzuo's intentions in her heart. But she thought of Gu Qianfan and couldn't make up her mind for a moment.

Coincidentally, Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan passed by in a boat and saw the two talking cheerfully, thinking they were quite a match. Gu Qianfan took Zhao Pan'er to pay respects to his deceased mother. Before the tomb, he introduced their relationship, stating that they did not seek great wealth and status in the future, only wishing to accompany each other hand in hand and spend their lives together until old age.

Gu Qianfan promised the traditional wedding rituals (three letters and six rites) and also prepared to choose an auspicious day to hold a Water and Land Dharma Assembly for Zhao Pan'er's parents, so that he could propose marriage and offer betrothal gifts before the spirits of the two elders. Zhao Pan'er was moved by this. She had never imagined Gu Qianfan would be so thoughtful. When mentioning the rituals, Gu Qianfan stated that Qi Mu had already been chosen as the matchmaker, so it would definitely be grand and splendid.

Episode 22 Recap

Although she had paid respects to Gu Qianfan's mother, his father's identity had not yet been disclosed. Zhao Pan'er remained silent and did not inquire. Gu Qianfan stated that the secret of his background was too complex and could not be truthfully revealed, at least for now, but promised to explain everything one by one later. As the boat was about to pass under the bridge, Chen Lian and others were ordered to scatter flower petals into the sky.

Zhao Pan'er received this romantic gesture and could not hide her inner joy, shyly hiding back inside the boat. Chi Yanei spent a fortune to buy a cricket named "Jade Monk". He excitedly brought it out for everyone to admire, only for a sneeze to scare it away. As Chi Yanei was searching for the Jade Monk, he suddenly spotted Zhao Pan'er passing by and couldn't help but complain loudly, even implicating Gu Qianfan.

Zhao Pan'er learned from Chi Yanei that he and Gu Qianfan had known each other since childhood, but their relationship had always been adversarial. Because Chi Yanei couldn't defeat Gu Qianfan, he simply snatched Zhao Pan'er's shoes. After Gu Qianfan warned Chi Yanei, he immediately picked up Zhao Pan'er and left, going to a nearby market to buy her a new pair of shoes, and then recounted Chi Yanei's ruffian behavior.

After seeing Shen Ruzuo last time, Song Yinzhang was in a turmoil and couldn't help but confide in Sun Sanniang about leaving her musician status. Sun Sanniang immediately guessed it was related to Shen Ruzuo and reminded Song Yinzhang to remember Zhao Pan'er's words: a woman's value lies in self-reliance, and she should not overly depend on men. Furthermore, Gu Qianfan had already promised to resolve this matter, so he must have a way.

It was hearing Gu Qianfan's name that made Song Yinzhang's eyes light up. She decided to wait a little longer. Just as her words fell, a gust of wind blew her silk scarf away. Song Yinzhang chased after it and happened to see Gu Qianfan sending Zhao Pan'er back. She immediately offered to showcase her recent pipa practice, specifically prepared for Xiao Qinyan's banquet.

After the piece ended, Zhao Pan'er and others praised it profusely, but only Gu Qianfan pointed out that Song Yinzhang was overly focused on showing off technique and completely missed the meaning of the music. Liangzhou Da Bian is a famous frontier melody, which tells the story of a brave soldier drinking heartily at a feast before going on a campaign.

However, Song Yinzhang played the sound of clashing weapons and warhorses as joyful leaping, like the emotions of delicate children. If she were to perform at Xiao Qinyan's birthday banquet, she would surely become a laughingstock. Gu Qianfan's words made Song Yinzhang turn pale. Accompanied by others, she returned to her room, holding the pipa in silence.

Zhao Pan'er, concerned that Song Yinzhang couldn't bear it, personally went to comfort her and encouraged her to continue practicing the same piece to impress the audience at the Xiao residence, which would prove her skill. That night, the Capital Security Office set up an ambush, waiting for the 'hat demon' to appear. Within moments, the black-robed figure appeared in the form of the 'hat demon'.

They thought they could deceive everyone by running through streets and alleys, but eventually fell into Gu Qianfan's hands. Gu Qianfan ordered Chen Lian not to use harsh torture and to thoroughly investigate the truth behind it. At this moment, Commander Cui from the Palace Front Command suddenly arrived at the Capital Security Office, intending to take away the prisoner who had just been captured today.

Gu Qianfan suspected Commander Cui's true intentions, fearing that the mastermind behind the scenes wanted to silence the prisoner, so he refused to hand him over. As he was in a standoff with Commander Cui, Lei Jing immediately came over and spoke favorably on behalf of Commander Cui. However, Gu Qianfan's attitude was firm. He stated that the case involved was too significant and warned Lei Jing not to meddle.

Lei Jing hesitated due to the relationship between Gu Qianfan and Xiao Qinyan and left. Unexpectedly, Commander Cui, while no one was paying attention, whispered that he was sent by Qi Mu and even used a secret sign to prove his identity. Although Gu Qianfan was shocked, he still refused Commander Cui, stating that he would keep a close watch on the prisoner and told him to go back and truthfully report to Qi Mu.

Soon after, Gu Qianfan received a secret letter from Qi Mu, asking him to find an opportunity to meet at the Xiao residence's birthday banquet tomorrow. On the day of the birthday banquet, officials from all factions in the court came to offer congratulations, and even the emperor issued an imperial decree to wish him a happy birthday, which was sufficient to show how highly Xiao Qinyan was regarded.

Song Yinzhang, Zhang Haohao, and others came to the palace to perform. Suddenly, they heard an imperial decree being announced outside the door and couldn't help but go over to take a look, seeing many high-ranking officials, including the new prime minister Xiao Qinyan, Censor-in-Chief Qi Mu, and former prime minister Ke Zheng. And he had always been at odds with Xiao Qinyan, his mortal enemy.

However, having been dismissed from his position as prime minister this time, he became a local official after leaving the capital. Xiao Qinyan took the imperial decree with both hands and handed it to Xiao Wei, originally intending for him to keep it safe. Unexpectedly, Xiao Wei took it with just one hand and then casually threw it to the steward beside him, completely disregarding it. Such disrespectful behavior surprised everyone present.

Among them, the older officials from the pure faction appeared calm, but in fact, they already had their plans. Xiao Qinyan, considering the guests present, did not publicly reprimand Xiao Wei. When Xiao Wei went into the room to change clothes, Xiao Qinyan could not hide his disappointment and severely rebuked him. Xiao Wei left the room and heard his father mention Gu Qianfan, feeling quite dissatisfied.

Xiao Qinyan learned that Gu Qianfan had not yet arrived and instructed the steward to prepare a seat for him in a quiet place, including his preferred food. During the birthday banquet, dancers performed. Song Yinzhang stood outside the door with Zhang Haohao waiting. Even though her arms were sore, she still had to hold the pipa and pay attention to her words and actions.

Episode 23 Recap

Official courtesans are under the control of the Music Bureau, and while they may seem glamorous and favored by nobles on a daily basis, they are ultimately below the ranks of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, belonging to the humble status. Zhang Haohao had become accustomed to waiting outside the door for a long time, but Song Yinzhang was new to this experience.

Just as she was feeling a little strained, Gu Qianfan suddenly appeared and instructed her to cheer up, saying that only by treating the pipa as a sword could she live up to her recent hard work. Watching Gu Qianfan walk towards the banquet, everyone present had different thoughts. Xiao Wei felt extremely annoyed, went alone to the courtyard to throw a tantrum, and returned after calming down.

After the performances ended, the old prime minister Ke Zheng felt the singing was just ordinary, but the pipa left him wanting more. Everyone requested Song Yinzhang to play another piece. Zhang Haohao stepped down without changing her expression, her hands already clenched tightly in her sleeves. Unexpectedly, Xiao Wei suddenly spoke, saying the pipa seemed monotonous and uninteresting, and needed someone to add excitement.

He deliberately called out Gu Qianfan, the Deputy Commissioner of the Capital Security Office, asking him and Song Yinzhang to emulate the former dynasty's Gongsun Daniang and Lei Haiqing, by dancing a sword for his father Xiao Qinyan's birthday celebration. Upon hearing this, everyone silently observed Xiao Qinyan, only to see him appear outwardly indifferent. Song Yinzhang used the story from the former dynasty to insult Xiao Wei, leaving him speechless.

Such disrespectful remarks naturally caused the Xiao family to lose face. Gu Qianfan immediately asked for a Yellow River carp and performed a live sword-cutting fish sashimi demonstration for everyone to taste. The exquisite swordsmanship amazed everyone. Ke Zheng, rarely, praised Gu Qianfan, and others readily agreed. Song Yinzhang played Liangzhou Da Bian. After diligent practice during the previous period, she had grasped the meaning of the music.

All the hatred and injustice surfaced in her mind, fully expressing the composer's true state of mind. After the piece ended, applause resounded. Ke Zheng repeatedly praised her and personally inscribed characters on the pipa for it, admonishing the officials present to remember the two characters "integrity and resolve" (风骨). They should not consider extravagance and flattery as good, but rather consider purity and straightforward admonishment as the right way.

As soon as he said this, Xiao Qinyan led the toast to Ke Zheng. Unexpectedly, he did not accept it and simply flicked his sleeves and left. Xiao Qinyan politely saw him off, but still received a cold response. Before leaving, the old prime minister Ke Zheng declared that he feared neither ghosts nor gods above, nor illness and sickness below.

Once the official (emperor) sobered up and was no longer seduced by wicked flatterers, and left the demon empress to establish a new crown prince sooner, he would naturally return to Tokyo to serve the official. It was precisely because Song Yinzhang became famous with one piece that she attracted the envy of other musicians in the Music Bureau. They surrounded Song Yinzhang like stars surrounding the moon. However, Zhang Haohao felt Song Yinzhang had stolen her thunder.

Taking her anger back to Shuangxi Tower, she couldn't help but argue with Chi Yanei. Ultimately, the two parted ways unhappily and completely broke off their relationship. Chen Lian was ordered to inform Zhao Pan'er to pick up Song Yinzhang from the Xiao residence as soon as possible, otherwise she would have to stay overnight there. Zhao Pan'er was also happy to hear that Song Yinzhang had had a great success tonight and rushed to the Xiao residence.

Unexpectedly, the carriage axle broke halfway. Fortunately, she met Gao Hui and rode with her. Since their last parting, Gao Hui had gradually recognized Ouyang Xu's true face and also apologized to Zhao Pan'er. After all, previously, Jiang shi had used her name to harm people everywhere and do evil deeds. Even Ouyang Xu was heartless and unrighteous.

On the surface, he appeared to be a devoted lover, making all sorts of vows, but in reality, he wanted to deceive her into eloping. Once the deed was done, he would force her father to acknowledge the marriage, and then he could naturally return to Tokyo openly. Gu Qianfan brought Song Yinzhang to the west side gate, just waiting for Zhao Pan'er to come and pick her up to go home.

However, when Song Yinzhang left the house, she encountered some dissolute and frivolous men. Fortunately, Shen Ruzuo appeared in time to rescue her, taking this opportunity to get Song Yinzhang to join him on a painted boat and express his admiration for her.

The steward was ordered to guard the garden and wanted Gu Qianfan to have a few drinks with Xiao Qinyan, but Gu Qianfan refused and revealed to him that Song Yinzhang was Zhao Pan'er's sister, so Xiao Qinyan did not need to investigate her further. After leaving the Xiao residence, Gu Qianfan went alone to meet Qi Mu. Through him, he learned that the mastermind behind the 'hat demon' case was none other than Duke Anguo.

Therefore, Qi Mu had dispatched the Palace Front Command to take the prisoner, intending to close the case and ensure Gu Qianfan's safety. Gu Qianfan agreed to transfer the prisoner, publicly announcing that the prisoner had bitten off his tongue and died. Immediately afterwards, he also revealed that he was preparing to get married and hoped that Qi Mu could act as a matchmaker and preside over the wedding.

Qi Mu did not directly respond, but instead mentioned Gu Qianfan's initial aspirations. In fact, he did not like the life of fighting and swordsmanship, but rather intended to serve as a pure and important civil official after being enfeoffed with a fifth-rank title, and spend his leisure time compiling the Gu family's centuries of literary works.

However, this life goal might now be impossible to achieve, because if Gu Qianfan insisted on marrying Zhao Pan'er as his wife, he would surely be subjected to public criticism. Although there was no explicit prohibition in the court against marriage between officials and merchants, Zhao Pan'er had once been a barmaid, which would definitely affect Gu Qianfan's official career, and the censors would certainly not give up easily.

Therefore, Gu Qianfan still wanted to have his deceased mother posthumously granted a noble title. Qi Mu advised him to think carefully and not disregard the facts for his own selfish desires. After Qi Mu left, Gu Qianfan instructed Chen Lian to delay reporting the sudden death and then transfer the prisoner to the Palace Front Command.

Gu Qianfan had originally been unable to understand why the Palace Front Command was taking over the 'hat demon' case, but a casual remark from Chen Lian instantly enlightened him, making him realize that Qi Mu was the true mastermind behind the 'hat demon' case.

Episode 24 Recap

On a night of heavy rain, Gao family servants found Ouyang Xu, rummaged through his bag to find the seal, and forced him to sign a repudiation of marriage agreement. Ouyang Xu, being a frail scholar, was no match for them at all. When he heard that Gao Hui already knew the truth and that Zhao Pan'er was about to marry Gu Qianfan, he completely broke down, and a wave of hatred surged within him.

After talking last night, Song Yinzhang was in a state of confusion, both caring about Shen Ruzuo's deep promises and also unable to forget Gu Qianfan. Zhao Pan'er waited by the riverside until dawn and finally picked up Song Yinzhang, but she deliberately concealed the truth, saying that she got into the wrong carriage which caused the delay.

Qi Mu ordered Commander Cui to personally interrogate the prisoner, making sure to frame Duke Anguo for the crime, so that everything would be foolproof. Commander Cui wanted to use this to bring down Xiao Qinyan to avenge his elder sister, but Qi Mu thoroughly understood the Emperor's will.

Relying solely on the 'hat demon' case was not enough to make the Emperor suspicious of Xiao Qinyan, after all, Xiao Qinyan had climbed to his current position precisely by relying on the Dao of ghosts and spirits. Moreover, Ke Zheng had always regarded himself as having noble integrity and being upright and honest. If he knew that his disciple used such methods to deal with Xiao Qinyan, he would probably die of anger halfway.

Qi Mu's reason for framing Duke Anguo was also a plan that killed two birds with one stone: it could harm Xiao Qinyan and also clear their relationship, prompting the official (emperor) to establish the crown prince sooner, thus stabilizing the foundation of the state. As long as the crown prince oversaw state affairs, there would be no need to worry about women interfering in politics, and Xiao Qinyan and others would eventually lose power.

Song Yinzhang returned to her residence and proactively boasted to Zhao Pan'er and the others about what she saw and heard at the Xiao residence, and was particularly proud of the inscription by Ke Zheng. However, she didn't receive the expected praise and attention, especially when she heard Zhao Pan'er suggest introducing fish sashimi when the teahouse business was slow, which immediately met with strong opposition from Song Yinzhang.

In Song Yinzhang's view, Half-Covered Face was a place for appreciating music and tasting tea, emphasizing elegance, so how could they easily change their original intention. Although Sun Sanniang said that what she said earlier was just a joke, Song Yinzhang was still unforgiving, repeatedly emphasizing that the three of them had already agreed that regarding the way the teahouse is operated, as long as one of them disagreed, it should absolutely not proceed.

Precisely because of this, Song Yinzhang's unprovoked troublemaking caused Ge Zhaodi's dissatisfaction. She felt that Song Yinzhang had become increasingly unfamiliar since returning from the Prime Minister's residence. Moreover, Ge Zhaodi believed that fruits and pastries were all food, so why insist on sticking to the teahouse? Perhaps a teahouse is different from a restaurant. If they were to operate a wine shop, they naturally wouldn't need to worry about costs and other issues.

When Zhao Pan'er met Gu Qianfan, she found him distracted. After asking, she learned it was due to the matter of matchmaking. Actually, Zhao Pan'er didn't care who presided over the grand wedding, but was instead interested in opening a wine shop. At that time, she wouldn't need to show her face, and it would even be beneficial to Gu Qianfan's official career, dispelling his concerns about the wine shop.

With Gu Qianfan's support, the two enjoyed the scenery on a boat together. At this moment, a monster's roar suddenly came, obviously the 'hat demon' was committing crimes again. Gu Qianfan quickly chased after to check, finding that this time the method of the crime was different from before, realizing that Tokyo was about to face great trouble, so he instructed Zhao Pan'er to be extra careful.

Commander Cui felt that something was strange and guessed it was done by Gu Qianfan, but this was refuted by Qi Mu. Then he thought of Lei Jing, after all, he was inherently a two-faced villain. After being reminded by Commander Cui, Qi Mu decided to frame the crime on the Capital Security Office. Neither Gu Qianfan nor Lei Jing could stop his great plan.

Since Song Yinzhang became famous, many listeners came specifically to hear her, but Song Yinzhang's mindset changed. She no longer wanted to play the pipa for these poor scholars, which almost caused trouble at the teahouse. Ge Zhaodi handled everyone at the entrance, while Zhao Pan'er persuaded Song Yinzhang upstairs, finally getting her to agree to play another piece. But during the performance, Song Yinzhang felt wronged.

Du Changfeng, sitting downstairs, listened so intently that he could clearly feel the sadness in the music and couldn't help but shed tears. Sun Sanniang saw this and gave a plate of fruits to Du Changfeng. Du Changfeng asked Sun Sanniang if the Gao family had made things difficult for her, and Sanniang said frankly that everything was fine.

When Ge Zhaodi passed by with ice, Sun Sanniang specifically took out a piece and handed it to Du Changfeng, telling him to mind his image. Chi Yanei heard Song Yinzhang's pipa and couldn't help but shed tears, feeling even more hatred towards Zhao Pan'er. When he learned that people from the ice shop were delivering ice to Half-Covered Face, he warned them in the name of the Tokyo Ice Shop not to deliver ice to Zhao Pan'er.

That night, Xiao Qinyan met Gu Qianfan alone and straightforwardly revealed his thoughts. The reason he deliberately spread the news that he would not bring guards to admire the moon on the river was to wait for Qi Mu's action. In fact, Qi Mu had long known Gu Qianfan's identity. This person had malicious intentions, wanting to use Gu Qianfan's hand to deal with Xiao Qinyan and watch the Xiao father and son fight each other.

Now that the 'hat demon' matter could not be concealed, Xiao Qinyan was preparing to use the plan against them, because he knew that Qi Mu wanted to use this to confirm that the treacherous minister who had just taken office died from a heavenly punishment by the 'hat demon', which was the true intention of the pure faction.

Hearing Xiao Qinyan's words, Gu Qianfan realized that the banks of the Bian River were not peaceful, and Xiao Qinyan intended to use his life to force him to make a choice. As soon as he finished speaking, dozens of men in black robes rushed forward, heading straight for the painted boat to kill Xiao Qinyan, and the scene quickly fell into chaos.

Xiao Wei rushed to protect Xiao Qinyan, but his martial arts were not enough, and he gradually fell into a disadvantage. Just at the critical moment, Gu Qianfan descended from the sky. Xiao Qinyan was greatly comforted by this, which instead made Xiao Wei extremely jealous.

Episode 25 Recap

After dozens of rounds, the leader gradually fell into a disadvantage. His face covering then fell off, and Gu Qianfan discovered that the person was Commander Cui. Because of Gu Qianfan's identity and his insistence on protecting Xiao Qinyan, Commander Cui led his men to silence them, and while Gu Qianfan was distracted, he raised his long sword and attacked a vital point.

Just as Xiao Qinyan was about to rush forward to fight Commander Cui head-on, Gu Qianfan held a wooden branch and stabbed Commander Cui in the neck, causing him to die on the spot. Gu Qianfan was severely wounded because of this. What followed was a raging fire on the painted boat. Seeing the unfavorable situation, Xiao Wei quickly ran to the window and shouted for help, attracting the surrounding residents who rushed to the bridge.

Zhao Pan'er heard Gu Qianfan's name and immediately pulled a rope and threw it towards the painted boat, attempting a rescue. Unfortunately, Zhao Pan'er did not have enough strength, so others came over to help, and they finally dragged the painted boat to the dock. Seeing Gu Qianfan poisoned and unconscious, Zhao Pan'er fired a flare into the air, calmly and carefully treated his wounds, repeatedly squeezing out poisoned blood, and applied honey to stop the bleeding.

Xiao Qinyan was already in complete disarray, so when he saw Zhao Pan'er treating the wounds in an orderly manner, he couldn't help but admire her in his heart. Chen Lian arrived with people in time. Zhao Pan'er simply explained the situation and prepared to go home to wait for news. No matter the outcome, she hoped Chen Lian would come to inform her.

After everyone gradually dispersed, Zhao Pan'er could no longer bear it, and she collapsed onto the ground, tears streaming down her face. Only after her emotions gradually calmed down did she hurry home, having no mood left to deal with the concern from Ge Zhaodi and Sun Sanniang. At this time, Song Yinzhang did not notice Zhao Pan'er's unusual state.

She even wanted Zhao Pan'er to invite Gu Qianfan over for a few drinks at their home on her behalf to express her gratitude, but Zhao Pan'er was unwilling to pay much attention and resolutely refused Song Yinzhang. After the imperial physician's treatment, Gu Qianfan's life was finally saved. He immediately ordered Chen Lian to inform Qi Mu, and then fell into a coma again.

Lei Jing, fearing Xiao Qinyan's blame, specifically instructed the imperial physician to ensure Gu Qianfan was safe and sound, without any mistakes. Although Zhao Pan'er was concerned about Gu Qianfan's safety, she still pulled herself together to go to Half-Covered Face to work. Song Yinzhang, on the other hand, was sulking over the events of last night and simply found an excuse to go on strike.

Because the dog days of summer in Tokyo were unbearably hot, Zhao Pan'er personally went to buy ice. Unexpectedly, Chi Yanei interfered, strictly ordering the ice shops not to deal with Zhao Pan'er. Because of this, Zhao Pan'er could only go back and think of another solution. Upon hearing that Song Yinzhang was not coming to Half-Covered Face and there was no shaved ice to relieve the heat, the literati and scholars also stopped frequenting the place.

Sun Sanniang took Ge Zhaodi and split into two groups. By chance, they saw Du Changfeng being bullied by students. In a fit of anger, she rushed directly to the academy to demand an explanation, and scolded the unruly children in front of the headmaster, forcing them to apologize to Du Changfeng. Through this incident, Du Changfeng was extremely grateful to Sun Sanniang and thanked her repeatedly along the riverbank.

Sun Sanniang got the idea to tease him and half-jokingly asked Du Changfeng for money. Unexpectedly, Du Changfeng obediently complied. At the same time, Ge Zhaodi was buying things by the shore when she unexpectedly encountered her greedy mother. In a panic, she threw down a few copper coins and only then found an opportunity to escape. Sun Sanniang knew that Du Changfeng was not blind from birth, but that it was entirely due to later causes.

She had also encountered many similar situations before, so she gave Du Changfeng a suggestion: buy pig lungs to take home and eat them continuously for thirty days, and there would definitely be an improvement. Du Changfeng did not know how to cook, and Sun Sanniang did not explain it in detail. He was also half-skeptical about this. After a night passed, Gu Qianfan's condition still showed no improvement. Xiao Qinyan found a miracle doctor from the palace.

This person was skilled in using golden needles, and sure enough, he made Gu Qianfan regain consciousness. Chen Lian reported to Gu Qianfan the matters he had instructed him to do last night. Qi Mu did not care about Gu Qianfan's condition, but instead asked when Commander Cui had died and if Xiao Qinyan was still alive. It was not until his thirty-sixth sentence that he asked about Gu Qianfan's injuries.

Song Yinzhang threw the food that Sun Sanniang had kindly brought to her onto the ground. Sun Sanniang opened her mouth to ask what she meant. Song Yinzhang hurriedly tried to pick up the bowl from the ground, but Sun Sanniang slapped her hand away and deliberately mocked her, saying that if she injured the hand she used to play the pipa, she would blame them again!

Just because everyone said a few unpleasant words, she sulked and refused to go to Half-Covered Face. Song Yinzhang opened her mouth and said she was unwell, but Sun Sanniang said that Zhao Pan'er was the one who was truly unwell. Yesterday, when Zhao Pan'er came back, she was staggering, but she still went to the teahouse today as usual.

Sun Sanniang felt it wasn't worth it for Zhao Pan'er and stated frankly that she was a rough person who didn't understand their refined tastes, but she only knew that Zhao Pan'er had specifically instructed her, knowing that Song Yinzhang struggled in the summer heat, to prepare more refreshing food. Sun Sanniang also said that Zhao Pan'er's surname was Zhao and Song Yinzhang's surname was Song, and Zhao Pan'er doesn't owe Song Yinzhang anything.

Upon realizing that he was a pawn being used by Qi Mu, Gu Qianfan became completely disheartened. He then, accompanied by Chen Lian, personally came to Half-Covered Face. Zhao Pan'er wept tears of joy, rushing forward to hug Gu Qianfan. This scene happened to be seen by Song Yinzhang. Recalling past events, Song Yinzhang finally understood the relationship between the two.

By chance, she also learned from Sun Sanniang the news that Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan were about to get married. These words greatly shocked Song Yinzhang. She never expected that everyone knew about their relationship, but she was the only one kept in the dark. Considering this point, Song Yinzhang turned around and got on a boat, claiming to go to Shuangxi Tower to find Zhang Haohao. In reality, she didn't want to face Sun Sanniang.

Carefully recalling what Shen Ruzuo had said before, she immediately changed direction and went to Changle Fang Left Street. Shen Ruzuo knew that Song Yinzhang had come uninvited and was immediately overjoyed. At Song Yinzhang's request, he repeated his vows of eternal love, stating that she was a pearl and jade, and should not fall into the muddy marketplace. He promised to sincerely cherish her from now on. Song Yinzhang obviously believed him and made up her mind to spend the rest of her life with Shen Ruzuo. The two embraced tightly.

Episode 26 Recap

Ge Zhaodi not only failed to buy ice but also returned empty-handed, feeling deeply remorseful about it. Originally, she was going back to her room to get money for Sun Sanniang, but Sun Sanniang didn't care about this at all and had a bad feeling about Song Yinzhang.

Sure enough, as soon as she finished speaking, the Shen family had already sent someone to fetch Song Yinzhang's Solitary Moon pipa, and at the same time, they delivered a letter containing only a few short words. In fact, Sun Sanniang had already sensed that Song Yinzhang admired Gu Qianfan. Only because she accidentally let slip today did it cause Song Yinzhang to become disheartened and thus fall into Shen Ruzuo's embrace.

To prevent Zhao Pan'er from being sad, Sun Sanniang instructed Ge Zhaodi not to reveal it to others. Ge Zhaodi suddenly thought of the Capital Security Office's full mobilization during the day, and because Zhao Pan'er's emotions were unusual last night, she felt it must be related to Gu Qianfan. Because Zhao Pan'er was by his side, Gu Qianfan felt a little relieved and rested in a private room at Half-Covered Face.

Chen Lian said that he and Gu Qianfan would return to the Capital Security Office later. Moreover, the hat-demon case involved many people, so for safety, they could only set up a quiet room for recuperation in the Southern Office of the Capital Security Office. As for Half-Covered Face, it could also rest for two more days, and he would continue to send people to protect it secretly.

Xiao Qinyan knew that Gu Qianfan was out of danger and finally felt a great weight lifted from his mind. At the same time, he felt that Zhao Pan'er handled matters calmly in times of crisis and was decisive, which seemed like a good mistress. Considering that Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er truly loved each other, Xiao Qinyan felt it was not appropriate to interfere further and could only bless their marriage.

Xiao Wei suddenly came to report to Xiao Qinyan that they had found some clues regarding the investigation in Shaanxi Road last time. When Zhao Pan'er heard that Song Yinzhang had moved into the Shen family's residence, she originally wanted to go and bring her back, but she was stopped by Sun Sanniang, because Song Yinzhang definitely wouldn't want to see them. Moreover, Song Yinzhang was doing quite well staying at the Shen family now.

Shen Ruzuo treated her like a treasure, not only buying her entirely new things but also providing four maids to serve her. Hearing this situation, Zhao Pan'er breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that Song Yinzhang had made her own choice, and decided to let her be and no longer meddle. The immediate priority now was to consider how to transform the teahouse into a restaurant.

Fortunately, Sun Sanniang and Ge Zhaodi both strongly supported Zhao Pan'er's decision and were willing to work hard with her to build a new future. Because Song Yinzhang no longer appeared to play music, and because there was no shaved ice in the teahouse, Zhao Pan'er halved the prices of all teas and fruits and temporarily used well water for refrigeration.

Just as everyone was racking their brains for a solution, Du Changfeng, to thank Sun Sanniang for treating his eye condition, specially prepared two large buckets of ice for them. Zhao Pan'er could see that the relationship between Sun Sanniang and Du Changfeng was not simple and felt happy for her. Taking advantage of their leisure time, Gu Qianfan met with Zhao Pan'er in a boat and learned about what had happened at the teahouse recently.

Gu Qianfan also talked about the progress of the hat-demon case, stating that he used to deeply respect Qi Mu, but after the last incident, he probably wouldn't trust him anymore. Just as the two were talking, a summons came from the palace for Gu Qianfan to have an audience with the Emperor. However, when Gu Qianfan entered the palace, he encountered Qi Mu and deliberately kept his distance from him.

Qi Mu deliberately dismissed everyone and pretended to express concern, but Gu Qianfan had already discovered that he had faked being a victim of the hat-demon case and left court to recuperate under the pretext of retiring to his hometown. Zhao Pan'er prepared her savings, intending to take over the restaurant.

Unexpectedly, the restaurant owner looked down on women doing business and stated that a man from her family must come forward because it was the rule of the wine business. In the owner's view, women since ancient times should assist their husbands and raise children, and should not show their faces in public, let alone open a business to welcome guests.

Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang were dissatisfied with the restaurant's conduct, but there was truly nothing they could do, so they had to think of another way. Looking at the pipa player inside the restaurant, Zhao Pan'er hoped that Song Yinzhang could be happy at the Shen family's residence. But she didn't know that at this moment, Song Yinzhang was like a caged bird, kept in a cage all day for Shen Ruzuo to admire.

Although Shen Ruzuo treated her like a precious treasure, Song Yinzhang was not happy. Seeing a red coral hairpin, she suddenly remembered that Zhao Pan'er had once owned this accessory. Shen Ruzuo immediately ordered his servants to retrieve all red coral. Gu Qianfan was promoted to a fifth-rank Sī Shǐ, and specifically petitioned the Emperor to posthumously grant his mother the title of an official lady.

At first, the Emperor did not agree, but only after Xiao Qinyan stepped forward to speak on his behalf was the request granted. In fact, Gu Qianfan wanted to marry Zhao Pan'er after his wish was fulfilled, so he sought a less demanding position from the Emperor, no longer wanting to be entangled in court struggles. However, Xiao Qinyan thought his idea was too simple.

As the saying goes, "Brothers fight tigers together, fathers and sons fight side by side in battle." If Xiao Qinyan wanted to secure his position in court, he naturally needed Gu Qianfan. Moreover, Qi Mu was definitely not someone who would give up easily.

Xiao Qinyan knew he couldn't persuade Gu Qianfan now, so he didn't say much more, but instead asked him to remember to notify him when he had set a good date for relocating the tomb, as "a day as husband and wife is like a hundred days of kindness." Once his wish was fulfilled, Gu Qianfan went to mourn his birth mother.

He had expected to cry his heart out at this moment, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions, and he couldn't tell whether he should be happy or sad. That evening, Gu Qianfan took the initiative to find Zhao Pan'er and shared his true thoughts with her. Zhao Pan'er put herself in Gu Qianfan's shoes to understand him, saying that she would share all his joys and sorrows from now on. Gu Qianfan felt greatly comforted, and the two leaned on each other while gazing at the moon.

Episode 27 Recap

After surviving the ordeal, when Gu Qianfan returned to the Capital Security Office, he was no longer a sixth-rank Deputy, but had been promoted directly to a fifth-rank Si Shi, taking Lei Jing's main seat. Looking at the magnificent hall, Gu Qianfan felt extremely complicated. Chen Lian couldn't help but tease him that his clothes were so neat, surely Zhao Pan'er had ironed them herself last night.

As expected, Gu Qianfan gave him a sharp glance, a smile playing at the corner of his mouth. After announcing the new rules, Gu Qianfan looked through the official documents on his desk and found a file regarding Zhao Pan'er's father. Only then did he learn that her father had been tragically exiled for saving the villagers outside the county, which led to Zhao Pan'er being reduced to a humble status due to her father, enduring much suffering.

It was precisely because of this that Gu Qianfan finally understood why Zhao Pan'er's attitude changed so drastically upon hearing about the Capital Security Office, and he felt deeply saddened. Ouyang Xu found it difficult to survive in Xijing and was forced to seek patronage from the nephew of the immortal Bao Yi, trying every means to please him. The old official Ke Zheng was ordered to leave the capital for a new post.

On his way, he passed by Qingfeng Temple and saw Ouyang Xu. At this time, Ouyang Xu appeared extremely dejected, completely lacking his usual noble spirit. Ke Zheng sneered a few times, feeling that he had truly been blind to have selected such a top scholar from among countless talents, a man willing to be a ghostwriter for merchants.

Although Ouyang Xu honestly explained the reason, Ke Zheng saw it all as excuses and no longer acknowledged him as a student. He returned all his belongings, and from then on, their relationship was severed. Since Gu Qianfan took office, he buried himself in official duties all day long. Chen Lian could only go to the teahouse on his behalf and happened to encounter Du Changfeng coming towards him.

Chen Lian originally wanted to tease him, but unexpectedly, Du Changfeng's vision was gradually recovering. Even without glasses, he could see things three zhang away clearly. Because the owner of Wangyue Tower was in urgent need of money, he agreed to sell the private rooms on the east building to Zhao Pan'er and sent the contract.

Du Changfeng learned from Master Zhu that Zhao Pan'er was looking for a real estate agent, so he came over to help check the contract content, considering it a way to repay Sun Sanniang for curing his eyes. Seeing Sun Sanniang and Du Changfeng talking happily, Zhao Pan'er consciously left to attend to her own matters.

Thinking that Gu Qianfan hadn't been to the teahouse for many days, she asked Chen Lian to help deliver some things and inform Gu Qianfan about borrowing money to open a restaurant. Du Changfeng noticed that the contract stated the remaining payment must be settled within five days, which he felt was too high a risk.

However, Zhao Pan'er didn't care at all, saying that even if the owner ran away with the money, the Capital Security Office would step in to handle it. However, setting up the restaurant required a thousand guan, a substantial expense. Initially, Du Changfeng had some reservations, but upon hearing that Zhao Pan'er was going to marry Gu Qianfan, he was completely reassured.

Sun Sanniang couldn't help but scold Du Changfeng for his improper attire, calling him sloppy and not looking like a jinshi (successful candidate in the imperial examination). Du Changfeng felt she was right and wanted Sun Sanniang to accompany him to a tailor shop to get a set of clothes.

Considering that Du Changfeng's parents died early and there was no woman in his family to help arrange things, Sun Sanniang felt a little soft-hearted and agreed to go with him the next day to choose fabric. Chen Lian returned to the Capital Security Office to relay Zhao Pan'er's situation and felt it was somewhat inappropriate that Gu Qianfan hadn't visited for many days. Gu Qianfan, burdened by investigating Zhao Pan'er's father's case, didn't know how to face her.

So he simply asked Chen Lian to first take the two hundred guan he currently had to the teahouse, and he would figure out the rest later. Now that the Northern Envoy Prince Yelü Zongsheng was visiting, Lei Jing advised that Gu Qianfan should be the one to receive him. The Emperor gladly agreed, instructing Gu Qianfan to be sure to observe the envoy's character and preferences.

Meanwhile, Chen Lian brought the two hundred guan to find Zhao Pan'er and revealed that Gu Qianfan was currently accompanying the Northern Envoy and truly couldn't get away, but he would come in person afterwards. After Chen Lian left, Sun Sanniang and Zhao Pan'er discussed the restaurant matter, fearing that Gu Qianfan might not want to lend the money. However, Zhao Pan'er completely trusted Gu Qianfan; otherwise, she wouldn't have considered purchasing Wangyue Tower.

Hearing Zhao Pan'er's words, Sun Sanniang finally breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help but tease Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan about their deep affection for each other. Sun Sanniang accompanied Du Changfeng to the fabric shop. With her eloquent tongue, she bought the best clothes for the least amount of money.

Du Changfeng took the opportunity to confess his feelings to Sun Sanniang and revealed that he had been engaged before, but the woman passed away before they were married, which is why he carried the reputation of "wife killer" and no one dared to marry him until now. In fact, Sun Sanniang didn't care about the so-called "wife killer" reputation; she just wasn't ready for remarriage yet and was unwilling to give a clear response.

On the other hand, Chen Lian bought a gift for Ge Zhaodi. Unexpectedly, Ge's mother followed him there and started hitting Ge Zhaodi. Chen Lian thought there was a misunderstanding between mother and daughter and wanted to mediate, but Ge Zhaodi became furious, smashed the gift on the spot, which angered Chen Lian so much that he swore he would never interfere in her matters again and turned to leave.

Zhao Pan'er could see that Ge's mother was definitely not a good person, so she and Sun Sanniang put on a play, demanding that Ge Zhaodi return the jade Guanyin, worth at least fifty guan. Before Ge's mother could make trouble, Sun Sanniang took Ge Zhaodi to the side courtyard. What followed was Ge Zhaodi's shrill screams, completely extinguishing Ge's mother's arrogant attitude.

Episode 28 Recap

Since Ge's mother had no money to compensate for the jade Guanyin, she had no choice but to sell her daughter, Ge Zhaodi, to Zhao Pan'er as a slave. After Ge Zhaodi signed the contract of sale, Zhao Pan'er agreed to give Ge's mother five guan as travel expenses. Ge's mother was overjoyed, and at Zhao Pan'er's suggestion, she went to the Chi Manor on her own initiative to demand money.

Chi Yanei was already upset because Gu Qianfan had been promoted, and when he saw Ge's mother attempting to steal his wealth, he immediately ordered his men to beat her soundly and then threw her out of his house. Since Chen Lian returned from the teahouse, he had shut himself in his study, feeling sad and upset.

He even applied to Gu Qianfan to leave the capital to investigate a case, the truth being that he wanted to leave that sorrowful place. At the same time, Zhao Pan'er missed Gu Qianfan, but she hadn't seen the yellow flowers appear outside her door for a long time, and she felt deeply disappointed. Gu Qianfan was also thinking of Zhao Pan'er. After she fell asleep, he went into the room alone and left some banknotes.

However, that night there was a thunderstorm, and the strong wind blew the banknotes and bills onto the floor. Ge Zhaodi didn't notice and simply tucked the banknotes into some papers. Zhao Pan'er still didn't know about the banknotes. Because the owner of Wangyue Tower was urgently pressing for payment, she had no choice but to first sign the contract, promising to send the remaining six hundred guan the next day.

After leaving Wangyue Tower, Zhao Pan'er headed straight for the Capital Security Office. To her surprise, both Gu Qianfan and Chen Lian had already left the capital and were likely not returning for the next few days. Considering that Gu Qianfan must have had important matters to attend to, Zhao Pan'er decided to mortgage her calligraphy, paintings, and property deed to the pawnshop, at least to raise the six hundred guan first.

Sun Sanniang did not agree, as this was their last resort. However, Zhao Pan'er's mind was made up, so Sun Sanniang could only accompany her and Ge Zhaodi to the pawnshop. Initially, the boss was reluctant to accept the deed and the calligraphy/paintings due to Chi Yanei's influence. But when he heard that Song Yinzhang was closely associated with powerful figures, he agreed to accept the deed, valued at three hundred guan, for one hundred guan.

Zhao Pan'er was to redeem it seven days later. Far away in Yongqiu City, Gu Qianfan received a letter from Tokyo, learning that Zhao Pan'er urgently needed to see him. He was instantly filled with anxiety. Coincidentally, there was a landslide, and in saving Yelü Zongsheng, Gu Qianfan was severely crushed by large rocks, resulting in serious internal injuries and two days of unconsciousness.

Xiao Qinyan was concerned about Gu Qianfan's condition and earnestly advised him not to rush back to the capital, hoping to use this opportunity to ease the relationship between father and son. But as soon as Xiao Qinyan left, Gu Qianfan immediately went to find Yelü Zongsheng, honestly explaining the reason for his return to the capital and hoping he would help him deal with Xiao Qinyan.

Yelü Zongsheng was grateful for Gu Qianfan's life-saving grace and also felt that he was a person who valued loyalty and righteousness, so he readily agreed to the request. On the other hand, Ouyang Xu felt his future career was hopeless because of Ke Zheng. He thought he had no one to rely on anymore and spent his days drowning his sorrows in alcohol. His attendant, Ziming, couldn't bear to watch anymore and advised Ouyang Xu to cheer up.

He told him that if the immortal Bao Yi was not conferred a title soon, it would be difficult for them to return to Tokyo. Ziming heard that Qi Mu had returned home to recuperate from illness and thought this should be an opportunity. He suggested that Ouyang Xu send a gift to Qi Mu to curry favor with him, which might open up another path.

However, Ouyang Xu believed that Qi Mu, being part of the same pure faction as Ke Zheng, would certainly not welcome him. Moreover, Qi Mu's sudden return home meant that he had already been defeated by Xiao Qinyan. However, Ziming did not give up and searched through the boxes for valuable items. Ouyang Xu saw the Night Revels Painting that Zhao Pan'er had longed for day and night and suddenly perked up.

He carefully examined the painting for differences and discovered that the name of Empress Liu Wan was hidden within the musician depicted in the painting. Realizing that the Night Revels Painting was related to the Empress, Ouyang Xu seemed to see hope and finally thought of a way to return to the capital. Gu Qianfan rode his horse towards Tokyo overnight, enduring his internal injuries.

Even though he was so tired he coughed up blood, he refused to rest for a moment. Zhao Pan'er, accompanied by Du Changfeng and others, went to Wangyue Tower to meet the owner. Sun Sanniang quietly asked Ge Zhaodi about Song Yinzhang's situation and learned that Song Yinzhang was still complaining about Zhao Pan'er, still disagreed with opening the restaurant, and would even not attend Zhao Pan'er's and Gu Qianfan's wedding.

Sun Sanniang felt indignant on behalf of Zhao Pan'er, thinking that Song Yinzhang was being unreasonable and disregarding their sisterly bond. However, upon careful consideration, Ge Zhaodi felt that Song Yinzhang was mostly jealous of Zhao Pan'er. When Zhao Pan'er was engaged to Ouyang Xu, Song Yinzhang was determined to marry the jinshi Zhou She.

Now that Zhao Pan'er was about to become a titled lady, Song Yinzhang had begun to attach herself to Shen Ruzuo, enjoying the wealth and status of the Shen family. Although Sun Sanniang found it somewhat unbelievable, she also agreed that there was some truth to it. Moreover, Zhao Pan'er, being so astute, must have also guessed this implication, which was why she hadn't asked Ge Zhaodi or Sun Sanniang to mention it.

Although Song Yinzhang did not agree to open the restaurant, Zhao Pan'er felt that her name should rightfully be included, so she and Sun Sanniang successively pressed their fingerprints on the contract. Du Changfeng was filled with admiration, believing Zhao Pan'er to be a person of profound righteousness, which repeatedly changed his impression of her. Ge Zhaodi saw her own name on the contract and was both happy and shocked. She had never imagined she would become a restaurant owner, so she pressed her fingerprint with great excitement. The few of them smiled at each other.

Episode 29 Recap

Gu Qianfan rushed back to Tokyo despite his injuries. Before he could see Zhao Pan'er, he unexpectedly met Xiao Wei. Through Xiao Wei, he learned that his father had impeached Zhao's father, which led to the tragic misfortune of the Zhao family, and Zhao Pan'er was consequently demoted to the music register. Not only that, Xiao Wei said that Xiao Qinyan would never agree to Gu Qianfan marrying Zhao Pan'er.

Otherwise, why would he deliberately place Zhao's father's case file on the desk, making it easy for Gu Qianfan to investigate further? It was precisely these words from Xiao Wei that made Gu Qianfan feel as though he was in an ice cave. Recalling past events, it indeed proved Xiao Qinyan's deep cunning.

If their two families were separated by a sea of blood enmity, it was destined that the relationship between Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er would become increasingly distant. Xiao Wei reminded Gu Qianfan not to hold onto any more illusions, because a person like Xiao Qinyan had no emotions whatsoever and could utilize and scheme against anyone. Gu Qianfan had already suffered internal injuries, and at this moment, with fury burning in his chest, he finally vomited blood and fainted.

The Capital Security Office urgently sought imperial physicians for treatment. Considering the matter was of great importance, they temporarily avoided making it public. On the other hand, Zhao Pan'er had not waited for Gu Qianfan for a long time. She secretly prayed for him, hoping that the spirits of her parents in heaven could protect him. Since Song Yinzhang moved into the Shen residence, she had been living a life of ease and comfort every day.

Although she received care from many maidservants and servants, she still had no official title or status. When faced with Song Yinzhang's urging for marriage, Shen Ruzuo responded by using the reason of being registered as a musician. He said they would have to wait until Song Yinzhang was reclassified as a commoner before they could get married. However, in Shen Ruzuo's view, being removed from the music register was not an easy task.

Therefore, he suggested Song Yinzhang accompany him on social engagements. Only by dealing with several court officials could he truly gain real power. In order to marry Shen Ruzuo honorably, Song Yinzhang pondered for a moment and could only agree to accompany him to meet Lin Sansi. Ouyang Xu knew the secret of the Night Revels Painting, so he decided to seek refuge with Qi Mu.

After his request for an audience was unsuccessful, he still instructed his servant to relay the message again, stating that the Night Revels Painting he possessed was related to Gu Qianfan of the Capital Security Office, and urged Deputy Censor-in-Chief Qi to meet him. Indeed, when Qi Mu learned of this, his expression immediately changed, and he ordered his servant to summon Ouyang Xu inside.

Since Ouyang Xu had previously had an engagement with the Gao family, Qi Mu was somewhat suspicious of him and did not believe his intention to pledge allegiance. Ouyang Xu bowed low and humbled himself, voluntarily becoming a stooge to obey Qi Mu's directives, even enduring humiliation by eating a few mouthfuls of dirt.

As expected, Qi Mu was very satisfied with Ouyang Xu's performance and ordered someone to inform the immortal Bao Yi that if he still refused to accept the conferment, it would be equivalent to offending the Emperor. Ouyang Xu achieved his goal but completely lost his dignity. Upon returning to his residence, he did not forget to mock himself as a stooge, laughing almost madly. In the blink of an eye, it was the day to pay the final balance.

Unfortunately, Gu Qianfan had not yet appeared, and Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang, and the others found it difficult to raise the six hundred guan. After being comforted by Sun Sanniang and Ge Zhaodi, Zhao Pan'er decided to go find the owner of Wangyue Tower tomorrow to discuss getting a few more days of grace. However, the owner of Wangyue Tower was completely unwilling to be flexible. He even tampered with the contract, preferring to see Zhao Pan'er default.

Du Changfeng carefully examined the contents of the contract and then blamed himself for not noticing this detail earlier. Now, wanting to file a complaint with the authorities was also impossible. To make up for his guilt, Du Changfeng planned to mortgage his property to raise three hundred guan. But Zhao Pan'er knew she couldn't keep the teahouse, so how could she implicate Du Changfeng as well? Thus, she immediately refused.

Seeing her hopes dashed like reflections in water or the moon in a mirror, Zhao Pan'er felt unwilling to give up. After much thought, she personally went to Chi Yanei to borrow money. Upon learning that Zhao Pan'er needed his help, Chi Yanei was both shocked and excited, racking his brain to get revenge for past events. He Si knew the Master's character and advised Zhao Pan'er to be patient.

Who would have thought that Chi Yanei first made Zhao Pan'er kowtow and apologize, and then asked her to sing a song on the spot? Chi Yanei ordered a song titled "Thinking of My Husband," deliberately wanting to see Zhao Pan'er make a fool of herself. After all, he thought that since Zhao Pan'er came to ask him for help, she must have been miserably abandoned by Gu Qianfan.

Zhao Pan'er refused to sing a song but only offered to dance for him. In the process, Chi Yanei gradually became mesmerized and deeply moved. Although he was willing to lend the three hundred guan, Chi Yanei still didn't want to let Zhao Pan'er off easily, so he demanded the fire coral hairpin as collateral. Just as Zhao Pan'er was about to hand over the hairpin, Chi Yanei suddenly propositioned her to submit to him, resulting in her slapping him.

In the end, she didn't get the three hundred guan. Zhao Pan'er felt immense humiliation. She left the Chi residence alone and rubbed the hairpin with clean water. Finally, she alternated between crying and laughing. After calming down, she pulled herself together and resolutely walked home.

Episode 30 Recap

Zhao Pan'er was convinced that Gu Qianfan had betrayed her. So, resolved to go through with it, she held the hairpin and went to Wangyue Tower, threatening the boss to return the three hundred guan. As expected, the boss immediately backed down. Zhao Pan'er got the money back and then thought about selling other calligraphy and paintings to raise enough money to redeem the teahouse land deed, so the three of them could restart the business of Half-Covered Face.

In order to ensure ample funds, Zhao Pan'er decided to sell her jewelry, including the fire coral hairpin. Sun Sanniang knew Zhao Pan'er was sad, so she took Ge Zhaodi to the pawn shop. Unexpectedly, Du Changfeng followed them. Hearing their conversation, he went over and asked them to leave the coral hairpin for now, then took out his family heirloom to help them fill the gap.

While Ge Zhaodi went into the pawn shop to exchange money, Du Changfeng asked Sun Sanniang about Zhao Pan'er seeking out Chi Yanei. Just then, a carriage passed by, and Song Yinzhang saw this scene through the window, thinking Zhao Pan'er was in trouble.

Song Yinzhang originally wanted to get off the carriage to ask for clarification, but Shen Ruzuo told her to go with him to the Lin residence for the feast first, and that someone would naturally keep an eye on Zhao Pan'er. Although Song Yinzhang was unwilling to lower herself to please Lin Sansi, under Shen Ruzuo's persuasion, she still personally played the pipa for him.

Lin Sansi drooled over Song Yinzhang's beauty, using the excuse of appreciating the pipa to inappropriately touch her. In contrast, Shen Ruzuo seemed to turn a blind eye, not stepping forward to stop him at all. After the song ended, Song Yinzhang endured the discomfort and walked to the pond, repeatedly washing her hands. Seeing this, Shen Ruzuo continued to coax Song Yinzhang to join the table and entertain guests.

When Song Yinzhang went to the side room to change clothes, she happened to meet Zhang Haohao and learned that she was about to get married and would leave the Music Bureau in the future to accompany Master Ru away from Tokyo. During this time, Zhang Haohao had finally come to understand many things. The so-called status of a top courtesan, or a smile worth a thousand taels, were not as comfortable as living freely.

Instead, out of consideration for their past friendship, Zhang Haohao advised Song Yinzhang to be wary of Shen Ruzuo and not to easily trust him. Song Yinzhang immediately refuted Zhang Haohao, stating that Shen Ruzuo had promised to marry her honorably with an eight-bearer sedan chair and proper ceremonies. At the banquet, Shen Ruzuo kept urging Song Yinzhang to drink. Song Yinzhang, unaware, drank it down in front of everyone.

Zhang Haohao, sitting opposite, seemed to show a strange look, trying her best to restrain the urge to stop her. Immediately after, the hall resumed its lively atmosphere. Lin Sansi stared lecherously at Song Yinzhang, and Shen Ruzuo exchanged a glance with him. As expected, Song Yinzhang gradually felt dizzy and was helped back to the guest room by the servants.

Shen Ruzuo came over to check if she was conscious and was about to light the aphrodisiac incense when Song Yinzhang suddenly ambushed him from behind. It turned out that earlier, Song Yinzhang had learned about Shen Ruzuo's character from Zhang Haohao. In the past, Shen Ruzuo had deceived many women from the Music Bureau one after another. Every time he succeeded, he would abandon them and then offer them to Lin Sansi to further his own career.

Zhang Haohao's words made Song Yinzhang wary. At first, she was half-believing, half-doubting, but when she realized there was something wrong with the wine, she finally saw Shen Ruzuo's true face. Song Yinzhang tied Shen Ruzuo up securely, wildly smashing a porcelain bottle at him, and made him sign a written agreement to avoid him causing her trouble again. A storm swept in that night. Song Yinzhang, before Lin Sansi appeared, grabbed her pipa and rushed out the door.

It was this very storm that caused enormous losses to the teahouse. All the things they had prepared were gone. Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang looked at the mess on the ground, filled with grief. They held each other and cried loudly, seeing no hope for the future. When the rain stopped the next day, Sun Sanniang understood Zhao Pan'er's thoughts.

She suggested dividing the three hundred guan among the sisters and leaving Tokyo from then on, perhaps starting a small business back in Qiantang. As Zhao Pan'er and the others passed by the dock, they saw Ren Jiang, the Inspector of the Kaifeng Prefecture, deliberately humiliating Chi Yanei. Not only did he make him kneel in public, but he also ordered him to lick the mud off his shoes.

Originally, Zhao Pan'er didn't want to get involved, thinking Chi Yanei was suffering the consequences of his own actions. But when she heard Ren Jiang belittling merchants, she couldn't help but step forward and speak up for justice. Zhao Pan'er's composure deeply impressed everyone present. She stated that Ren Jiang had no right to arbitrarily kill innocent people without trial, and moreover, cleaning the river was his duty, and he should not involve the common people in it.

Chi Yanei applauded repeatedly upon hearing this, and the onlookers also agreed with Zhao Pan'er's point of view. Instead, Zhao Pan'er continued to argue based on reason, countering Ren Jiang according to the laws of the Song dynasty and reclaiming respect for merchants. Ren Jiang knew he was in the wrong and, due to Zhao Pan'er's eloquence, was completely at a loss for how to respond.

Episode 31 Recap

Ren Jiang was enraged and humiliated by this and was about to frame Zhao Pan'er as an accomplice of the hat demon. Unexpectedly, Song Yinzhang suddenly appeared. The words "Feng Gu" on her pipa were known to all the people in the city. Similarly, Ren Jiang also understood that offending Song Yinzhang was equivalent to implicating Ke Zheng and Xiao Qinyan, both of whom were influential court officials he could not afford to offend under any circumstances.

Because of Song Yinzhang's threat, Ren Jiang was in a dilemma. Chi Pan deliberately revealed Zhao Pan'er's relationship with Gu Qianfan. As expected, Ren Jiang quickly apologized to her. Zhao Pan'er did not pursue the matter further, understanding Ren Jiang's difficulties. She was willing to help him repair the dock along with the common people, and the issue was ultimately resolved satisfactorily. Ouyang Xu returned to Tokyo as he wished.

When leaving the palace after receiving his title, he met Gao Gu. He not only changed his address to call him father-in-law but also proactively sent a letter to Gao Hui, along with the bellyband Gao Hui had given him earlier. Gao Hui was extremely embarrassed by this and truly didn't know how to handle it.

In contrast, after hearing about the teahouse's misfortune, Song Yinzhang also learned that there had been no news from Gu Qianfan, and that it was impossible for him and Zhao Pan'er to be together again. So, Zhao Pan'er said she had lost all her spirit, like a walking corpse, and staying in Tokyo held no meaning. But Sun Sanniang felt that Zhao Pan'er shouldn't give up easily.

Since she could let go of Ouyang Xu, she could at least forget Gu Qianfan. Back then, the three sisters had agreed to make a name for themselves in Tokyo, so how could they give up before reaching the end of their rope? As soon as she finished speaking, Chi Pan suddenly appeared with his subordinates, saying he wanted to cooperate with them and was willing to provide funds and a restaurant.

Actually, the reason Chi Pan suddenly showed goodwill was entirely due to Zhao Pan'er's righteous words just now, which finally allowed him to hold his head high. He also felt admiration and was willing to let go of past grievances. However, Zhao Pan'er had not forgotten the humiliation she had suffered before, so how could she easily agree to cooperate? Therefore, she turned and left with Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang.

When Chi Pan's men surrounded Zhao Pan'er and the others as ordered, Du Changfeng thought Chi Pan was doing evil and rushed over with a wooden stick, actually hitting Chi Pan's forehead and drawing blood. This scared Chi Pan, who let out cries of agony and fainted on the spot. Sun Sanniang felt the injury was indeed serious, so she went to the medical hall with Zhao Pan'er.

Immediately after, they heard screams coming from inside, which made people tremble with fear. Chi Pan deliberately had He Si inform Zhao Pan'er to come over. He feigned pity and pleaded with her to agree to the cooperation, stating that his admiration was sincere and hoping they could help manage Yong'an Tower. From then on, any losses would be his, and profits would be split equally. But Zhao Pan'er still did not agree, holding onto the past grievances.

Seeing Zhao Pan'er walk towards the door, Chi Pan anxiously chased after her and knelt down to kowtow in front of everyone. Since he had shown enough sincerity, Zhao Pan'er did not continue to make things difficult for Chi Pan. Finally, the two reached an agreement: she would be the manager, Sun Sanniang would be in charge of the kitchen, and Song Yinzhang and Ge Zhaodi would each manage the music and the front hall, respectively.

In order to better manage Yong'an Tower, Chi Pan agreed to all of Zhao Pan'er's requests one by one. He even brought blank paper and pressed his handprint on it, allowing Zhao Pan'er to write the contract as she wished. Gu Qianfan remained unconscious. The Capital Security Office personnel and the doctors were at a loss and had no choice but to notify Chen Lian, who was far outside the city.

Others were unwilling to take responsibility and delayed approving the bloodletting treatment until Chen Lian rushed back to the Capital Security Office. Only then was the dangerous method implemented. Chen Lian watched as basin after basin of fresh blood was carried out, his heart filled with anxiety. At the same time, he ordered someone to find Zhao Pan'er and ensure she was informed of the situation.

Meanwhile, Chi Pan brought Zhao Pan'er and the others to Yong'an Tower, preparing to begin reorganization. Although Yong'an appeared decent and was in an excellent location, the key was its lack of sufficient appeal, resulting in very few customers. Zhao Pan'er looked through the ledger and found that it was losing a thousand guan every month. Chi Pan, having a vast family fortune, didn't take the loss seriously at all.

However, the dramatic change in his attitude towards Zhao Pan'er had made him like a loyal subordinate, even telling Lv Wu to redeem the teahouse land deed. Song Yinzhang and Sun Sanniang asked about the general situation. Unexpectedly, everyone inside Yong'an Tower knew nothing when questioned, making it seem like they each had connections. They believed Yong'an Tower could be revitalized soon. Because of the bellyband incident, Gao Gu truly couldn't come up with a countermeasure.

Moreover, Ouyang Xu had already returned to the capital. He didn't fear Ouyang Xu's status as a Hanlin scholar but rather the powerful backing behind him. Therefore, after much consideration, Gao Gu decided to persuade his daughter to marry Ouyang Xu. This way, it would also be considered fulfilling the previous engagement. Gao Hui's objections were ineffective. Thinking that she had to marry such a husband, she couldn't help but feel sad.

Episode 32 Recap

Yong'an Tower was originally a 'washe' (entertainment complex), which Chi Yanei later converted into a restaurant. Business was usually slow, but he still wanted to keep the memories of his childhood. It was precisely because of this that Zhao Pan'er also thought of Song Yinzhang's kindness to her. She truthfully recounted the past to Chi Yanei, her mood also heavy.

And this place, located in the most prosperous area of Tokyo, with a scale no less than Kongyue Tower, was Zhao Pan'er's vision for the future. She discussed business with Chi Yanei, quoting the Buddhist concept of "Perception and Observation." If a person can perceive the world, it relies on the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind, form, sound, smell, taste, touch, and phenomena.

Although she couldn't guarantee that Yong'an Tower's dishes would be the best in all of Tokyo, she was willing to strive for excellence in these four senses. Because Gu Qianfan was still unconscious, Chen Lian was extremely anxious, so he mentioned Zhao Pan'er's name in his ear. As expected, Gu Qianfan thought something had happened to Zhao Pan'er and gradually regained consciousness.

Accompanied by the Capital Security Office personnel and others, he was originally going to see Zhao Pan'er, but unexpectedly met her halfway. Gu Qianfan didn't have the courage to get out of the carriage. Chen Lian stepped forward on his behalf and reminded Zhao Pan'er to be wary of Chi Yanei. Zhao Pan'er was indifferent, saying that since she had severed ties with worldly affairs, it was none of the Capital Security Office's business who she was with.

Little did she know, Gu Qianfan was leaning by the window in the carriage, weak and heartbroken. In fact, Zhao Pan'er was sure Gu Qianfan was in the carriage and was hoping he would explain the reason to her himself, but ultimately hope turned into disappointment, and she finally decided to completely break ties with him.

As the carriage drove away, Zhao Pan'er was somewhat dejected and couldn't help but cry in Sun Sanniang's arms, thus completely turning the page on this matter. Since then, Zhao Pan'er has been responsible for the renovation of Yong'an Tower, while Sun Sanniang has showcased her knife skills in the back kitchen, earning the complete respect and obedience of the chefs present. Song Yinzhang and Ge Zhaodi also have their own jobs.

Almost everyone is invested in it, intending to build the best restaurant in all of Tokyo. Gao Hui took the initiative to find Zhao Pan'er, saying that she had been caught by Ouyang Xu and revealed the matter of getting married, hoping Zhao Pan'er would be very careful, as Ouyang Xu would surely seek revenge.

Du Changfeng heard that Ouyang Xu had returned to the capital and, fearing he still held a grudge from the past, rushed to plead for clemency. Ouyang Xu pretended to be magnanimous and wouldn't hold a grudge about past events, but in fact, sensing that the Capital Security Office had people watching him, he was plotting how to get revenge on Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er.

On the other hand, Du Changfeng believed him and explained Ouyang Xu's attitude to Zhao Pan'er and the others. Sun Sanniang gathered her courage to confess her feelings. Du Changfeng was overjoyed, saying he was sincere about spending his life with Sun Sanniang and promised to marry her officially. However, Sun Sanniang had her concerns, as she had been married before and had a ten-year-old son. Du Changfeng responded sincerely from the bottom of his heart, which moved Sun Sanniang.

After confirming the marriage, Du Changfeng prepared to contact a matchmaker quickly, eager to marry Sun Sanniang. Sun Sanniang wasn't in a hurry and wanted to wait until Yong'an Tower was stable. Du Changfeng couldn't help but kiss her. Unexpectedly, Sun Sanniang instinctively pushed him, causing them to roll on the ground. Just then, Ge Zhaodi saw this scene. Du Changfeng was mortified and hastily bid farewell.

At this time, Chen Lian took the initiative to apologize to Ge Zhaodi and told her about Gu Qianfan's recent experiences. He also gave her the porcelain doll he had bought. But Ge Zhaodi, thinking of Zhao Pan'er's experience, also felt indignant and did not immediately forgive him. Sun Sanniang knew what Shen Ruzuo had done, and thinking of Ouyang Xu and Gu Qianfan, she feared Du Changfeng might be a man like them.

Fortunately, Song Yinzhang held the written agreement, so she had nothing to fear from Shen Ruzuo causing trouble, especially since Shen Ruzuo had offended Lin Sansi and had lost his fingers after that day. Now Song Yinzhang has completely thought things through. She no longer has illusions about men and treats them entirely as playthings, occasionally using them for diversion when she's happy. So Song Yinzhang advised Sun Sanniang not to worry too much and to marry Du Changfeng first.

If she was unhappy someday, she could always divorce him. Meanwhile, Ge Zhaodi truthfully relayed Gu Qianfan's situation to Zhao Pan'er, confirming that Chen Lian would definitely not lie and that perhaps he was indeed seriously injured. But Zhao Pan'er hadn't forgotten the previous encounter with the Capital Security Office. At that time, Gu Qianfan would rather hide in the carriage than get out, which was truly baffling.

Episode 33 Recap

The issue of the Northern envoy mentioned definitely exists, but what Zhao Pan'er cares about is mainly why Gu Qianfan chose to evade her. Back then, when Gu Qianfan confessed to Zhao Pan'er, he didn't care about the distinction between noble and lowly, or their status, but now he is hesitant. Zhao Pan'er reconciled with Gu Qianfan in her dream, but felt lost upon waking up.

On the opening day of Yong'an Tower, it was brightly lit, fireworks bloomed, scholars and literati came admiring its reputation, and common people vied to watch. Acrobatic troupes and lion dance teams appeared one after another, creating a lively scene. Upon entering Yong'an Tower, everyone could see singing and dancing, which was pleasing to the eye. Zhao Pan'er personally introduced the layout of the building, which was mainly divided into three pavilions.

The Yiyuan Pavilion is specifically for receiving distinguished guests, the Qianshan Pavilion can be enjoyed by both the refined and common folk, and the Wanshui Pavilion is even more brilliant, with different performances daily and the ability to open up a 'wazi'.

Seeing that the time was almost right, Chi Yanei took the initiative to go on stage and share his thoughts, saying that business is like the warmth of spring, new ventures surpass old ones, and then announced the grand opening of Yong'an Tower, welcoming everyone to visit. Various delicacies from mountains and seas were served, and the elegant side dishes were also unforgettable and highly praised.

Thinking that even the dishes in the main hall were so delicious, the private rooms in the Yiyuan Pavilion must be even more exquisite. Zhao Pan'er revealed that the private rooms would not be open for business today, and would wait until tomorrow to first invite twelve of the most respected scholars and literati in Tokyo, when they would create a Flower and Moon Banquet using extremely fine ingredients.

That night, Zhao Pan'er and others prepared the Flower and Moon Invitation and priced it at fifty guan. Song Yinzhang and Ge Zhaodi worried that the price was too high and feared they would lose customers. Zhao Pan'er also realized this, so she decided to invite twelve famous people, as only by doing so could they build a reputation and even whet the appetite of the entire city.

Just as Zhao Pan'er expected, ordinary people talked about it excitedly, and the upper-class literati were all looking forward to it. Gao Gu received the Flower and Moon Invitation first, naturally overjoyed, which also made Yuan Tuntian envious. Following this, Liu Jiu, Lin Pin, and other scholars successively received the Flower and Moon Invitation.

When they went to Yong'an Tower together, they were surprised to find the interior of Yong'an Tower completely dark, without any sense of warm hospitality towards guests. Just as everyone was about to complain, Chi Yanei, who was hiding in a corner, gave an order. Immediately, the lights came on, and dancers swarmed out like fish, performing the prosperity of the Great Tang Dynasty on the spot, followed by singing and dancing.

Song Yinzhang played the pipa divinely, enchanting everyone present, who were so engrossed they almost forgot to applaud. Just when they thought the music and dance had reached the peak of beauty, unexpectedly Yong'an Tower seemed to transform into reality. Beneath several masterpieces by famous artists, a group of dancers could be seen performing with long sleeves. The subsequent fine wine and delicious food were continuously praised by everyone.

Zhao Pan'er truly achieved the ultimate in the four senses, and everyone who attended the banquet felt the trip was worthwhile, and would even be willing to spend another hundred guan. Because the private rooms were vastly different from the main hall, Yuan Tuntian was not qualified to enter the private rooms. He felt somewhat resentful in his heart and secretly vowed to become a distinguished guest in the private rooms as soon as possible.

Xiao Qinyan sat in a painted boat, looking at the prosperous scene of Yong'an Tower in the distance, and couldn't help but lament that Zhao Pan'er was indeed capable. He also asked Gu Qianfan when he would get married. However, Gu Qianfan ruthlessly exposed Xiao Qinyan's conspiracy, stating that as the Capital Security Officer in charge of investigations and inquiries across the land, he would not speak carelessly without solid evidence.

In the previous Hat Demon case, Xiao Qinyan used Gu Qianfan as a tool, leading to Qi Mu being severely injured. But Gu Qianfan stated directly that he would not accept the high-born noble ladies arranged by him, nor would he return home to acknowledge his ancestors, nor would he become a tool for the other party's power struggle.

Gu Qianfan could not deny the fact that he and Xiao Qinyan were father and son, and could only show his determination by slitting his wrist. Since a person has up to ten bowls of blood in their lifetime, excluding being saved on the painted boat and Xiao Qinyan's scheme to frame Zhao Pan'er's father, he would return another bowl of blood.

From then on, Gu Qianfan and Xiao Qinyan would have no relationship, and the father-son bond would be written off. Late that night, Gu Qianfan prepared to sneak into the room to visit Zhao Pan'er. Unexpectedly, Zhao Pan'er had placed animal traps outside the window, causing him to fall into the ambush. Others heard the sound and came over. Facing Gu Qianfan, they all sided with Zhao Pan'er.

Zhao Pan'er closed the window, unwilling to meet Gu Qianfan, so he had to leave first. Empress Liu Wan and the pure faction are in conflict, but the Emperor protects the Empress everywhere, which is enough to show their deep affection. The matter of Yong'an Tower spread to the palace. When the Emperor learned of it, he thought about taking the Empress to taste something new after he felt a little better.

At the same time, Chi Yanei felt that the Flower and Moon Banquet was highly sought after by literati and scholars, and should not be held only every few days. But Zhao Pan'er felt that scarcity makes something precious, and in terms of doing business, she was definitely slightly better than Chi Yanei.

Episode 34 Recap

Ouyang Xu entered the palace to meet the Emperor, actively presenting the 'Night Banquet Scroll' and impeaching Empress Liu Wan for deceiving the Emperor and the court, causing chaos in the imperial harem with her loss of chastity, and usurping the Empress position. The Emperor was furious upon hearing this, but upon seeing the names in the 'Night Banquet Scroll', after being overcome with anger, he only felt dizzy and ordered the palace servants to drive Ouyang Xu out.

But Ouyang Xu was still being hypocritical, stating bluntly that his offense in reporting today was for the sake of the world's principles, managing to fabricate his personal desires into such a grand and righteous cause. To prove that he had not slandered the mother of the nation, Ouyang Xu used a self-inflicted injury scheme to show his loyalty, which indeed attracted the Emperor's attention. He immediately summoned the imperial physician.

What Chi Yanei admired about Zhao Pan'er was her ability to excel in every aspect of managing restaurants and tea houses. It was also because the Emperor's headache flared up and the imperial physician was slow to arrive that Lin Pin proactively offered the Suhe Yujin Wine. As expected, after drinking this wine, the headache symptoms gradually lessened. After the other ministers withdrew, the Emperor ordered the eunuch to notify Lin Pin to bring a few more bottles.

Initially, the Emperor thought Lin Pin had privately hoarded fine wine, but upon learning that this wine was the Suhe Yujin Wine from Yong'an Tower, he couldn't help but become interested. Although Yong'an Tower had not been open for long, it was famous in Tokyo because of the Flower and Moon Banquet, so he left the palace in disguise and came to Yong'an Tower. When he saw Zhao Pan'er walking towards him, he was instantly attracted by her beauty.

Song Yinzhang watched this scene calmly. On the other hand, Zhao Pan'er was neither humble nor arrogant, and very graceful, which further impressed the Emperor, causing him to look at her a few more times. Zhao Pan'er smelled the scent of ambergris on the Emperor, knowing that this person was extraordinary. Moreover, while introducing the dishes to him, she paid special attention to the behavior of the eunuch and the Emperor, and instantly understood in her heart.

It wasn't until the Emperor suddenly asked about Yang Zhiyuan, the Transport Commissioner of Liangzhe Road, that Zhao Pan'er immediately became alert and knew the other party's identity. She then deliberately revealed that the 'Night Banquet Scroll' had been destroyed in a large fire. To gain the Emperor's trust, Zhao Pan'er recreated the scene within the 'Night Banquet Scroll' using the art of tea whisking, while also recounting various details.

Because of this, the burden on the Emperor's mind was slightly lifted. Zhao Pan'er feigned calmness as she left the private room, immediately telling Ge Zhaodi that she must find Gu Qianfan and under no circumstances let the Emperor know he was nearby. Meanwhile, on the other side, the Emperor summoned his hidden guards, ordering them to investigate the truth of what Zhao Pan'er said, and ensuring that the Capital Security Office would not detect it.

The eunuch felt that if they could prove the 'Night Banquet Scroll' they had was a counterfeit, it would be a great achievement and prevent them from falling into the gossip of the pure faction. After all, Ouyang Xu's audience had been prepared for a long time, but the Emperor's visit to Yong'an Tower was purely on a whim.

Even Yang Zhiyuan was someone he brought up himself, so Qi Mu's offering of auspicious signs during this trip to the capital was definitely unusual and portended trouble. The Emperor thought the eunuch's words were reasonable, so he got up and left Yong'an Tower. Meanwhile, Gu Qianfan learned of the Emperor's movements and immediately rushed over.

After sending off the Emperor, Zhao Pan'er confirmed that the visitor was the Emperor, so she had Song Yinzhang remind Chen Lian and the others, and then borrowed Chi Yanei's carriage to go and stop Gu Qianfan. Chi Yanei was thoughtful. To avoid arousing suspicion, he specifically hung lanterns on the luxurious carriage, and carried a food box, pretending to be delivering something.

As expected, the fine carriage and horses attracted the attention of people on the street, who couldn't help but exclaim that Yong'an Tower indeed provided excellent service. Seeing this, Wang Feng, the manager of Wang Lou, also had his servants prepare several good carriages, intending to imitate Yong'an Tower.

Gu Qianfan met Zhao Pan'er on the bridge, pulled her to a secluded riverside, and learned from her that Ouyang Xu had most likely given the 'Night Banquet Scroll' to the Emperor. As the matter was urgent, he had to start by examining the color of the silk mounting to make the Emperor believe that Ouyang Xu had forged the 'Night Banquet Scroll'. Anyway, the Yang family had no surviving witnesses, so Zhao Pan'er took this risk. Firstly, she sympathized with Empress Liu Wan's helplessness, and secondly, she was considering Gu Qianfan.

Episode 35 Recap

Gu Qianfan wanted to explain his previous encounters and why he had not appeared sooner, but in Zhao Pan'er's view, Gu Qianfan had had the thought of breaking the engagement and had never thought of facing it together with her, but instead chose to escape. This cowardly behavior was perhaps even worse than Ouyang Xu's, which was truly disappointing. As soon as she finished speaking, Chi Yanei hurried over, grabbed Zhao Pan'er, turned, and left.

Gu Qianfan stood on the bridge looking at Zhao Pan'er's receding figure, ultimately still not mustering the courage. Chi Yanei knew Zhao Pan'er was sad, so he took her to see the lantern and fireworks display and eat special Tokyo delicacies. Zhao Pan'er sat high up, drank and played finger-guessing games with Chi Yanei. She won three times in a row, finally lessening some of her unhappiness.

Just as Chi Yanei was about to confess his feelings to Zhao Pan'er, who knew Zhao Pan'er directly exposed his thoughts, stating that she had grown up in places of entertainment since childhood and naturally had seen such scenes many times. The eunuch brought the Suhe Yujin Wine to the Emperor, but the Emperor, remembering that Empress Liu Wan was afraid of thunder and lightning, ordered the eunuch to send it to the Empress's palace.

Meanwhile, Chi Yanei's declaration of love was fruitless, and he was instead mocked by Zhao Pan'er, even losing the bet again. Zhao Pan'er bought puppets to cheer Chi Yanei up, and at the same time asked him about Gu Qianfan's affairs, only then learning the relationship between Gu Qianfan and Xiao Qinyan. Chi Yanei told the truth as it was. That year, Gu Shuniang and Xiao Qinyan married in another place, keeping it a secret from their families.

Not long after, Gu Shuniang took Gu Qianfan and entered the capital under the cover of night. Chi Yanei lived opposite the Gu family's residence, and thus heard Old Master Gu fly into a rage. From then on, Gu Shuniang's public identity was Gu Qianfan's aunt, but those in the know understood they were mother and son. Old Master Gu also refused to acknowledge Xiao Qinyan, stating that the Gu family would never accept such a despicable son-in-law.

After understanding the whole story, Zhao Pan'er also instructed Chi Yanei not to reveal it to others, to avoid causing unnecessary trouble. When Zhao Pan'er returned home and saw the yellow flowers outside the door, she knew Gu Qianfan had come alone. Forcing back her sorrow, she stepped on the yellow flowers, and then entered the house. Song Yinzhang accompanied Zhao Pan'er back to her room, found that the window was still open, so she helped close it.

Unexpectedly, she accidentally knocked over a teacup, causing the teacup and papers to fall to the ground. Zhao Pan'er didn't pay attention and told Song Yinzhang to go back first. But as she was also preparing to rest, she suddenly saw the banknotes left on the floor reflected in the bronze mirror, and then learned through Chen Lian that Gu Qianfan had sold his house to raise money.

--- A little beggar came to Yong'an Tower, openly snatching the pastries Chi Yanei had given Zhao Pan'er, which angered Chi Yanei so much that he ordered He Si to catch the person. The commotion attracted many guests to watch. Just as Chi Yanei was scolding, Sun Sanniang saw the little beggar's appearance and couldn't help but freeze in place. She never expected the little beggar to be Fu Zifang, and instantly rushed downstairs to hug him tightly.

No news came from the palace for a long time. Ouyang Xu felt it was very suspicious. Hearing that the imperial physician hadn't come today, he immediately realized something unexpected had happened. At this time, Lei Jing reported the investigation results to the Emperor, confirming that what Zhao Pan'er said was true, and felt that the Hat Demon case and the Night Banquet Scroll matter actually had another mastermind, deliberately stirring up court conflict.

After all, if the Emperor considered the Night Banquet Scroll to be real, Empress Liu Wan and the Crown Prince would surely be deposed. Not only would Xiao Qinyan be implicated, even a legitimate heir would need to be chosen from the imperial clan. If the Emperor considered the Night Banquet Scroll to be false, Qi Mu would certainly be guilty. The Empress would also likely suffer humiliation due to her reputation being tarnished, affecting her standing with the Emperor.

Even if Prince Sheng were to be made Crown Prince then, with both the Empress's faction and the pure faction suppressed, the regents the Emperor could choose in the future would likely all have to come from the imperial clan. The Emperor felt what he said was reasonable. And in fact, Lei Jing's scheme also succeeded because of this. The Empress finally rode out the storm and continued to sit firmly in the imperial harem.

Lei Jing went to see Xiao Qinyan alone, using the Night Banquet Scroll matter to show favor to him, expressing willingness to join forces with him. When Xiao Qinyan ascends to the position of Chancellor, he naturally could also get many benefits. Because the Empress had regained favor, Qi Mu and others successively lost the Emperor's trust.

Xiao Qinyan was overjoyed, believing that if this happened just a couple more times, it would be absolutely impossible for the pure faction to make a comeback. Gao Gu reprimanded Ouyang Xu for fabricating and deceiving, inventing the origin of the Night Banquet Scroll. Not only did he fail to bring down the Capital Security Office and the Empress's faction, he even implicated the pure faction.

Originally, Gao Gu wanted to use this opportunity to break off the engagement, but Ouyang Xu continued to threaten him with the undergarment, leaving him with no options. On the way back, Ouyang Xu discovered that undergarments embroidered with names were being sold everywhere on the streets, which meant he would soon lose his leverage over the Gao family. Left with no choice, he came to Gao Hui to dissolve the engagement, but was instead humiliated by Gao Hui.

Episode 36 Recap

Now that he couldn't bring down Gu Qianfan through the Night Banquet Scroll, it meant Ouyang Xu's official career was completely over. To protect himself, he threatened Gao Hui with words, asking her to introduce Gao Fei to help him meet the Emperor, to plead and present his case. From then on, the two would have no more ties, and Ouyang Xu would not trouble the Gao family further.

Since Zhao Pan'er last met Gu Qianfan, she started going through the contents of the official gazette upon her return. Chi Yanei found it strange and concluded it was related to Gu Qianfan, regretting that he shouldn't have let them meet. Zhao Pan'er was utterly annoyed and directly drove Chi Yanei out, then focused on checking records about her father.

In Zhao Pan'er's memory, her father Zhao Qian's act of disobeying orders happened in the first year of the Jingde era, but she searched repeatedly and couldn't find it. Coincidentally, a breeze swept past, and one page caught Zhao Pan'er's attention; the content on it shocked her immensely.

It turned out that Zhao Qian, then serving as Inspector and Patrol Commissioner, was impeached by Left Palace Censor Xiao Qinyan because he had opened the city gates of Dongguang County without authorization and killed the Northern Plains raiders. Thus, Zhao Pan'er finally understood Gu Qianfan's difficulties. This matter left Zhao Pan'er's mind in turmoil; she stood by the window, tears streaming down her face.

Song Yinzhang didn't understand what had happened, so she simply offered guidance based on her own feelings. Following Song Yinzhang's suggestion, Zhao Pan'er went to a temple alone to seek guidance. After listening to the abbot's words, her mood cleared up. --- For a period after that, Yong'an Tower was packed with guests, from notable literati and officials to ordinary citizens; visitors streamed in daily. Lei Jing followed Gu Qianfan's arrangement and deliberately approached Xiao Qinyan and Qi Mu.

This would stabilize the two factions in the court, earn the Emperor's appreciation, and also gain the Empress's favor, allowing him to easily deal with Ouyang Xu and prevent Zhao Pan'er from being implicated. Wang Feng extensively purchased Suhe Yujin Wine, mixed white water into it, let it sit for three days, and then sold it at a cheap price, quickly attracting many customers.

When Chi Yanei learned of this, he took people to question him and ultimately was inevitably injured. In fact, Zhao Pan'er had already notified He Si to monopolize the market supply and was completely unconcerned about other restaurants copying them. Furthermore, she would continue to launch new drinks this time, while also guaranteeing that Chi Yanei could become the Deputy Head of the Spice and Herb Guild.

As soon as she said this, Chi Yanei knelt down to confess his love to Zhao Pan'er, vowing that if the two could become husband and wife, they would definitely dominate Tokyo. Zhao Pan'er was already used to such declarations. She learned through Song Yinzhang that the musicians at Yong'an Tower were all properly arranged, and finally felt at ease. The next step was to settle her own important life event.

When Gu Qianfan came out of the Capital Security Office and saw the wall covered in yellow flowers, he immediately thought of Zhao Pan'er, so he rushed towards Ban Zhe Mian. As expected, Zhao Pan'er had been waiting there for a long time. Zhao Pan'er didn't care about the relationship between Gu Qianfan and Xiao Qinyan; instead, she was convinced that she could not lose Gu Qianfan.

Therefore, she was willing to put down all her self-esteem and pride, forcing him to make a choice. Seeing Zhao Pan'er about to count to three, Gu Qianfan walked over and held her in his arms, promising to spend the rest of his life cherishing Zhao Pan'er and atoning for all his mistakes. Chen Lian and Ge Zhaodi hid in a corner, watching Gu Qianfan lead Zhao Pan'er away, finally feeling a great burden lifted from their hearts.

When Song Yinzhang learned that the two had reconciled, her heart was filled with mixed emotions. She also threw her red coral bracelet into the river, formally bidding farewell to the past. Ouyang Xu entered the palace and knelt, begging the Emperor for forgiveness. Considering that he was misled by Qi Mu and was otherwise upright and honest, the Emperor ordered him demoted to Assistant Prefect of a small prefecture.

Gu Qianfan returned to the Gu family residence with Zhao Pan'er. The vast courtyard seemed exceptionally quiet and cold. Zhao Pan'er had already begun preparing to arrange the furniture and look forward to the future, and unknowingly fell asleep leaning on the railing. Empress Liu Wan privately summoned the high-ranking eunuch, praising him for his effective work before, and promised that her brother would take good care of his nephew in the army.

However, to prevent the eunuch from having second thoughts, the Empress continued to admonish him with words, while also lamenting that the Emperor was a benevolent monarch and even a good person, but unfortunately couldn't protect himself, so she could only find ways to protect herself. The next morning, everyone was chattering around Zhao Pan'er, teasing her for having changed clothes and guessing that she had spent the night at Gu Qianfan's house.

When Chi Yanei heard the conversation, he sat there stunned, but unfortunately, he was ignored the whole time. Zhao Pan'er heard that Fu Zifang was being disobedient, so she followed Ge Zhaodi to see what was happening.

Episode 37 Recap

After Zhao Pan'er's persuasion, Fu Zifang obediently came to the school to study, but Sun Sanniang was slightly reluctant. Du Changfeng thought that if Fu Zifang were a baby, it wouldn't matter, but the problem was that Fu Zifang was already fourteen years old, and he would be able to register as an adult and pay taxes next year, so he should live independently.

Moreover, Du Changfeng and Sun Sanniang would get married sooner or later, so Fu Zifang would also be considered his son, and he would naturally take good care of him. Sun Sanniang was very touched and leaned in to kiss Du Changfeng. Since Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er reconciled, they were inseparable. Zhao Pan'er deliberately teased Gu Qianfan, watching him get jealous of Chi Yanei, finding it quite cute and amusing.

Gu Qianfan knew that even if Zhao Pan'er let go of her previous hatred, there would still be some shadow in her heart. He was willing to stay with Zhao Pan'er and willing to use time to slowly heal her wounds. Zhao Pan'er's eyes turned red upon hearing this, and she learned through Gu Qianfan that Ouyang Xu had been transferred to Suzhou as an official.

In this light, it could be considered a lateral transfer; the Emperor had not given him any demotion penalty. But Ouyang Xu could not accept this reality, so he handed the property deed to Ziming, asking him to sell it for cash to find connections and relationships as quickly as possible. Uncle De tried to stop him, unwilling to let Ouyang Xu deplete the Ouyang family's last assets, but Ouyang Xu was stubborn.

He could not accept being transferred to a barbaric place like Lingnan, which was malaria-ridden, damp, and hot. He had originally held a prestigious and important position in the imperial library, but the Emperor's capriciousness drove him completely insane, and he became convinced it was a deliberate act by Gu Qianfan and Qi Mu. That day, Ouyang Xu suddenly came to Yong'an Tower. Song Yinzhang's attitude towards Ouyang Xu's appearance was one of extreme disgust and unfriendliness.

Ouyang Xu said he was about to leave Tokyo, so before leaving, he asked Song Yinzhang to deliver a letter on his behalf. Ge Zhaodi remarked that although Ouyang Xu was a beast, he was at least handsome. Zhao Pan'er saw the content of the letter and guessed that Ouyang Xu wanted to use their past relationship to soften her and show weakness.

Whether for Zhao Pan'er or Ouyang Xu, the best punishment was the end of their official career path. Now the major restaurants in the city knew that Yong'an Tower had acquired all the spices. Coincidentally, tomorrow was the first day of the month, and the owner of Pan Tower personally sent an invitation to Yong'an Tower to discuss the wine monopoly bid together.

Clearly, the guild was recruiting them, and it was believed that it wouldn't take long before they could transition from a small shop to a proper restaurant. Due to Uncle De, the land deed was not sold but pawned for four hundred strings of cash. Ouyang Xu had beaten Ziming beyond recognition, and finally went mad enough to kill Uncle De, completely losing his humanity. Even Ziming, who had spent many days with Ouyang Xu, was still terrified by him.

Gu Qianfan personally selected gifts for Zhao Pan'er, filling the entire room with large and small packages, and also bought her a puppy as a companion. Although Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er had reconciled, Chi Yanei still didn't think their relationship would last long and even firmly believed that as long as he diligently swung his pickaxe, he could definitely poach her. At this moment, Zhao Pan'er walked out holding an umbrella.

Before Chi Yanei could speak, Gu Qianfan took Zhao Pan'er's hand and cast a provocative look at him. Chi Yanei chased after them in a hurry, to the extent that inside the carriage, the two men stared at each other for half an hour, refusing to concede defeat even with tired, red, teary eyes, until Zhao Pan'er suddenly spoke up and suggested a truce.

As for the wine monopoly bid next year, Zhao Pan'er believed they should decline, because a proper restaurant only had a big name and wasn't necessarily more profitable to run. Yong'an Tower had only just started, and if they expanded too quickly, it might be difficult to manage. Chi Yanei thought Zhao Pan'er's words made sense, so he considered today just attending the invitation.

Who knew that there was a problem with the road ahead, making the carriage difficult to pass, so the three simply walked there. Assassins had already ambushed on the bridge. Seeing Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er getting closer, they deliberately cut the ropes, and dozens of thick logs smashed down. Gu Qianfan shielded Zhao Pan'er with his body. Both were injured as a result and stayed at the Gu family residence to recuperate for the past few days.

Du Changfeng learned of this and rushed to find Sun Sanniang, fearing that she was also injured. Sun Sanniang, due to Fu Zifang, thought about getting married a little later. The owner of Pan Tower and others discussed how to deal with Yong'an Tower. Song Yinzhang took over as manager for Zhao Pan'er and did quite well. Who knew that Princess Chang Le accused Yong'an Tower of selling rotten food?

Fortunately, Song Yinzhang brought a medical official who confirmed that the food had been swapped. Princess Chang Le's mansion also apologized to Yong'an Tower for this. However, one wave had not subsided when another rose. Li Qing's family, who was previously responsible for selling wine, suddenly changed their attitude and absolutely refused to sell wine to Yong'an Tower anymore. Song Yinzhang decided to ask Chi Yanei to come forward and resolve it.

But after encountering the previous incident, Chi Yanei locked himself in his room all day, refusing to go out. Song Yinzhang was frustrated that he was not living up to expectations and said that if the problem at Yong'an Tower wasn't resolved, it would soon face closure.

Episode 38 Recap

Fu Zifang discovered the relationship between Sun Sanniang and Du Changfeng and, finding it difficult to accept, sought death by the river. Song Yinzhang, knowing the river wasn't deep, pushed him in. Sun Sanniang was disappointed in Fu Zifang and turned to leave directly. At night, Fu Zifang returned home alone to apologize to Sun Sanniang, and the mother and son reconciled.

Fortunately, Yong'an Tower is managed by Song Yinzhang in her place, and business has remained quite prosperous recently, no less than when Zhao Pan'er was there. Gu Qianfan revealed to Zhao Pan'er that Ouyang Xu was killed on his way to his post, and the killer's identity is currently unknown. However, he found it very strange that a censor impeached Gu Qianfan in court that day for marrying a merchant woman.

Just as the words fell, Zhang Yun, Commander of the Imperial Guard, led people to the door and, by imperial decree, escorted Gu Qianfan to the Imperial Guard's private prison for investigation. Since the Emperor ordered that no severe torture be used, Zhang Yun used water torture to pressure Gu Qianfan to hand over the Night Revels painting.

However, Gu Qianfan stated that he had never seen the Night Revels painting, nor had he ever instructed anyone to forge it to deceive the Emperor. On the contrary, Commander Cui impersonated a cat spirit. Zhang Yun had a deep friendship with Commander Cui and used this as an opportunity for revenge. Seeing that Gu Qianfan was reluctant to confess, he ordered more severe torture.

Gu Qianfan suppressed the pain, warning Zhang Yun not to be incited by others, but Zhang Yun did not listen to the advice and continued to intensify the punishment. It was widely rumored that Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er had a relationship, which also led the Emperor to suspect that Gu Qianfan was colluding with the Empress's faction and had instructed Zhao Pan'er to fabricate the Night Revels painting.

Since Qi Mu was not in the capital, Zhao Pan'er believed that Xiao Qinyan would never stand idly by. Therefore, they must also wait patiently; only by appearing calmer could they gain the Emperor's trust. Chi Yanei, out of selfish reasons, wanted to marry Zhao Pan'er, which would also help avoid investigation by censors, and the rumors would be dispelled naturally. But Zhao Pan'er politely declined Chi Yanei's kind intentions.

Not only had she already committed to Gu Qianfan, but even if she were to marry Chi Yanei, it would be difficult to prove her innocence, as she and Gu Qianfan had been inseparable all the way from the pond incident to Tokyo. If the Emperor wanted to investigate thoroughly, it would certainly not be difficult. Now Zhao Pan'er was very worried about Gu Qianfan's situation.

Du Changfeng, considering that Chi Yanei was the manager of Yong'an Tower and it was inconvenient for him to step forward rashly, went on everyone's behalf to visit and thus discovered Gu Qianfan's ear injury. Gu Qianfan asked Du Changfeng to relay a message to Zhao Pan'er and the others, that for the time being they should not act rashly. The reason the Emperor had not yet targeted Yong'an Tower was merely because he was still suspicious.

Moreover, Gu Qianfan had a handle on Lei Jing, so he believed that Lei Jing was currently speaking on his behalf before the Emperor. When Zhao Pan'er learned of this matter, she asked Chen Lian to help distract the surveillance, while she went alone to see Xiao Qinyan, hoping that he could save Gu Qianfan. Although Xiao Qinyan agreed on the surface, he was already calculating a scheme in his heart.

In the end, Xiao Wei took Zhao Pan'er from the carriage and revealed to her that Xiao Qinyan was someone who would sacrifice kinship for profit. Therefore, he hoped that both Zhao Pan'er and Gu Qianfan would be safe and not believe Xiao Qinyan's lies. Just as Gu Qianfan expected, Lei Jing helped clear him of guilt before the Emperor.

At the same time, Chen Lian came up with a strategy: bribe Ouyang Xu and try to get him to change his statement and shift the blame to the reformist faction. Zhao Pan'er learned that Ouyang Xu had survived and decided to go meet him in person. Chen Lian waited nearby. Upon arriving at Ouyang Xu's residence, Zhao Pan'er directly explained the situation, unable to understand why he would commit such a fatal act.

Ouyang Xu stated that he had reached a dead end, and immediately knelt on the ground. Just as Zhao Pan'er approached, Ouyang Xu, appearing deranged, stared with bloodshot eyes, fiercely choking Zhao Pan'er's neck, hating her for betraying him and falling in love with Gu Qianfan. Ouyang Xu completely lost his mind. When he realized Zhao Pan'er was unresponsive, he froze in place.

Zhao Pan'er, taking advantage of Ouyang Xu's inattention, got up and hit him on the head, but she was ultimately no match for Ouyang Xu. Fortunately, Chen Lian heard the sound, rushed in, and took Zhao Pan'er away from the residence. Gao Hui, disregarding the obstacles, insisted on seeing the Emperor, stating directly that Zhao Pan'er was her close friend and she understood her character very well, believing that she would never rely on power to monopolize spices.

To prove Zhao Pan'er's innocence, Gao Hui truthfully recounted what she knew. She sympathized with Zhao Pan'er, a woman who came to the capital alone without support, achieving what she had with Yong'an Tower solely through hard work. She trusted that the Emperor would see clearly and not let court struggles ruin innocent commoners.

Episode 39 Recap

Gao Gu knew that his daughter had entered the palace to plead for clemency and was disappointed that she was not stronger, but Gao Hui had made up her mind that she had to get justice for Zhao Pan'er, considering it repayment of the kindness she received. After much deliberation, the Emperor informed the eunuch official to summon Xiao Qinyan and ordered the release of Gu Qianfan, reinstating all his former duties.

It was precisely because of this that Zhang Yun respectfully invited Gu Qianfan out and presented him with excellent medicine specifically for ear ailments. Gu Qianfan, considering Zhang Yun was acting for the court, did not pursue the matter. When he arrived at Yong'an Tower, he learned that Zhao Pan'er had gone to Kaifeng Prefecture to file a complaint against Ouyang Xu. However, the Empress's attendant had already notified Kaifeng Prefecture, so the case was not publicly heard.

Seeing the prefecture office gate close, the onlookers were outside gossiping. Gu Qianfan had just emerged from the Guard Department and could only wait and see for the time being. Zhao Pan'er publicly accused Ouyang Xu of being faithless and reneging on their marriage, and failing to make his wife a concubine, he held a grudge and spread rumors to slander her.

But even with the complaint filed and witnesses like Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang in court, the Prefect still used the excuse of domicile, ordering Zhao Pan'er to return to her hometown to sue. The common people, due to Zhao Pan'er's musician status, all sided with Ouyang Xu indiscriminately, cursing and accusing her in various ways. Zhao Pan'er saw that Gu Qianfan was safe and finally breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, she decided to continue suing, just to silence these widespread rumors. Even though Zhao Pan'er and others were hundreds of times more capable and thousands of times kinder than these men, in their eyes, they were still utterly rotten women. Originally, suing Ouyang Xu was to rescue Gu Qianfan. Now, even bearing the slander, she had to see Ouyang Xu punished by law.

Gu Qianfan was not intimidated by the Empress's power and still chose to support Zhao Pan'er, bravely accompanying her on this journey. A dark-faced boy stepped out of the crowd and proactively pointed the way for Zhao Pan'er, suggesting she go to the Dengwen Drum Court outside the Que Men in Tokyo. This place was established by imperial decree during the Jingde era.

Anyone with grievances, whether officials, scholars, or commoners, could present their case there, and the petition could be submitted to the Emperor. However, the Dengwen Drum Court only accepted lawsuits for serious crimes such as official corruption, robbery, and murder. For other cases, they had to be appealed step by step from county to prefecture, otherwise, it was considered an overstep, and required twenty strokes of the cane first.

With Gu Qianfan's support and the accompaniment of Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang, Zhao Pan'er struck the Dengwen drum. The drum sound, which had not been heard for a long time, spread throughout Tokyo, attracting the attention of the Emperor and many ministers. Zhao Pan'er was willing to accept the required twenty strokes according to the law. Unexpectedly, the Empress interfered, causing the buttock strokes to become back strokes.

Under everyone's gaze, Zhao Pan'er couldn't bear the severe punishment, vomited a mouthful of blood, and gradually fell unconscious. Gu Qianfan and Sun Sanniang rushed forward to stop it, while Ouyang Xu, as if possessed, kept muttering "Beat her to death". The other onlookers couldn't bear to watch. Gu Qianfan, in his capacity as Capital Security Office Envoy, angrily reprimanded the Judicial Officer for excessive punishment and the potential for injustice.

He then picked up Zhao Pan'er and left, stating he would only receive the remaining fourteen strokes after everything was investigated and clarified. When the Emperor learned of Zhao Pan'er's plight and her identity, he was filled with emotion. It had been his own fault back then, but Zhao Pan'er had not held a grudge. Even the palace maids all spoke highly of her.

But when the Emperor heard about Gu Qianfan obstructing the execution, he immediately went to question the Empress. Now it was widely rumored outside, claiming the Drum Court was unjust, which also represented the court's injustice. The Empress showed no introspection, instead feeling wronged. The Emperor spoke of his years of kindness and indulgence towards her and stated that he only had pity for Zhao Pan'er, with no romantic feelings. The so-called way of governing involved both strictness and leniency.

The reason the Emperor tolerated the reformist faction was entirely because he remembered his late father's teachings: everything must be based on heavenly principles and respect public opinion. However, the Empress arbitrarily fabricated baseless charges, which was no different from Qi Mu and others. Gu Qianfan stayed by Zhao Pan'er's side, seeing her injuries were so severe, naturally feeling distressed. But the urgent priority was to devise a countermeasure.

While Zhao Pan'er was still unconscious, Gu Qianfan entrusted Sun Sanniang and Song Yinzhang to take care of her. He sneaked into the Empress's palace in the middle of the night, actively showing his sincerity to the Empress, offering to place the Capital Security Office at her disposal, hoping only that she would be merciful and spare Zhao Pan'er's life.

Episode 40 (Ending) Recap

Gu Qianfan insisted on bringing Ouyang Xu to justice and using this case to clear Zhao Pan'er's name of rumors and slander. The Empress still needed to use Ouyang Xu to bring down Qi Mu, so she did not agree to Gu Qianfan's terms. However, as soon as he said this, Gu Qianfan held a dagger to the Empress's neck, hoping that the Empress, seeing that they were both women, would restore Zhao Pan'er's chance for a fair trial.

In order to make the Empress change her mind, Gu Qianfan explained the whole story, including how Zhao Pan'er, even risking the crime of deceiving the Emperor, tried every means to make the Emperor believe that the Night Revels painting was actually a forgery, which helped the Empress escape a terrible disaster.

In fact, Zhao Pan'er helped Empress He also because she remembered that she was also from the musician class and could understand the feeling of not being in control of oneself. It was precisely because of this that the Empress was moved. After some thought, she went to see the Emperor by herself. Gao Gu heard about Zhao Pan'er's situation at the Dengwen Drum Court and was filled with admiration.

He sent someone to deliver the miraculous medicine bestowed by Emperor Taizong upon the Gao family's ancestors. Sure enough, shortly after taking it, Zhao Pan'er gradually regained consciousness. Early the next morning, accompanied by everyone, Zhao Pan'er supported her weak body and went to the Dengwen Drum Court. Unexpectedly, the court had appointed another official to handle the case.

Just as Zhao Pan'er was preparing to endure the unfinished caning from the previous day, a eunuch suddenly arrived with an imperial decree, publicly announcing that the Emperor, using the occasion of his birthday celebration, had ordered that from this day forward, any caning punishment for women below a certain level could be redeemed with money.

Therefore, with funds raised by many common people and musicians, the court official allowed Zhao Pan'er to redeem the fourteen strokes of flogging with thirty "guan" of money. Ouyang Xu maliciously slandered Zhao Pan'er's reputation and repeatedly denied the engagement. Zhao Pan'er presented a document on which was written the other party's three generations of ancestry and birth information, thereby proving the intimate relationship between the two, and it only needed to be submitted to the court registry for verification.

Not only that, but Zhao Pan'er also accused Ouyang Xu of defamation and fraud. Immediately after, she produced the pawn ticket for the inkstone, and people like Chi Pan came forward to testify. According to the laws of the Song Dynasty, anything over five "guan" should be punishable by execution. However, the court official, considering that Ouyang Xu still held an official position, found it truly difficult to make a decision and coughed twice.

The Emperor, sitting behind the screen, signaled the court official to impose a heavy penalty. The Empress also realized her mistake, but she still did not want to let Qi Mu off easily. The Emperor stated that when he disregarded opposition to establish Liu Wan as Empress back then, it was because he valued her ambition and capability, which compensated for the traits he lacked.

Therefore, he instructed the Empress that she could completely do as she pleased, as long as she could withstand the scrutiny of the world. Upon hearing this, the Empress was deeply moved. Ouyang Xu was caught off guard by Zhao Pan'er's counterattack today. But he hadn't thought that if it weren't for yesterday's verbal humiliation, how could Zhao Pan'er have understood that legal statutes and practicality were two different things?

To bring Ouyang Xu to justice, she had to have serious charges against him. Unexpectedly, Song Yinzhang suddenly appeared with evidence, further adding that Ouyang Xu knowingly broke the law, confirming that he had harmed Uncle De and Ziming. Finally, Ouyang Xu was unable to refute, protesting loudly like a madman, and even attempted to attack the court official, coincidentally hitting the screen and seeing the Emperor and Empress emerge.

With irrefutable evidence presented, the Emperor ordered Ouyang Xu to be sent to the Capital Security Office to be personally interrogated by Gu Qianfan. The death penalty was already unavoidable. Watching the bailiffs escort Ouyang Xu, the onlookers outside cheered and threw rotten vegetables at him. The Emperor granted Zhao Pan'er, Sun Sanniang, and Song Yinzhang one wish each.

Sun Sanniang wished to marry in a phoenix coronet and a robe of office, Song Yinzhang suggested that the Dengwen Drum Court waive the caning for overstepping jurisdiction, and as for Zhao Pan'er, she longed for the world to no longer have prejudices of status, believing that people of low status were not necessarily low in character. These words resonated deeply with the Empress and the eunuch.

Everyone present was moved to tears, kneeling and begging the Emperor to show great benevolence and free generations of musicians, artisans, and official and private servants from the suffering of low status. Although the Emperor intended to change this, it could not be achieved overnight.

Therefore, he promised that all those among musicians, artisans, servants, etc., who were outstanding in their abilities, could enter the Inner Court Service and Hanlin Academy, and be granted the position of 'Gongfeng' (attendant), thus also gaining respect. After everything settled down, Yong'an Tower was still packed with guests, just to witness Song Yinzhang's charm, including Chi Pan, who had already developed feelings of admiration for her. Sun Sanniang's wish also came true.

Wearing the phoenix coronet and robe of office bestowed by the Emperor, she married Du Changfeng amidst everyone's blessings and gazes. Gu Qianfan and Zhao Pan'er, having gone through many hardships, were also connected heart to heart. From then on, they were no longer alone and jointly built a family that belonged to them.