A Dream of Splendor Episode 22 Recap
> A Dream of Splendor 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.
