Resumen del episodio 23 de A Splendid Match
> Resúmenes de A Splendid Match
Inside the Bureau of Justice, Chen Yanyun remained confined, though the guards treated him with significant respect due to his status. A guard informed him that the male members of Gu Dezhao's family had been imprisoned and that Gu Jinzhao was currently appealing the case at the Shuntian Prefecture. At the prefecture, Gu Jinzhao argued with Shuntian Prefect Zheng Xiaoyou.
She pointed out the logistical impossibility of the charges, noting that her father, a mere official, could not have mustered the hundreds of large carts required to move 200,000 dan of grain. Zheng Xiaoyou dismissed her logic as mere speculation without evidence, but Jinzhao insisted that finding the missing official, Sun Shitao, would provide the necessary proof. Wang Xuanfan and his associates grew anxious over the missing Sun Shitao.
It was revealed that Sun Shitao had jumped into a river to escape and had been missing for half a month. Wang Xuanfan ordered his men to ensure the body was never found, especially by Gu Jinzhao. He noted that while Grand Secretary Fu Hailian had tacitly approved the scheme, the senior official was already feigning illness to distance himself. Wang feared that if the truth surfaced, Fu would be the first to sacrifice them to protect his own reputation.
Understanding that Zheng Xiaoyou was likely being manipulated to stall the case, Gu Jinzhao hoped to create a distraction to allow Ye Xian to return with evidence. Previously, Chen Yanyun had urged Ye Xian to go to Pingyang Prefecture to secure witnesses and ledgers. Chen had warned Ye that given Zhang Ling’s deep-seated hatred, the entire Gu family—including Ye Xian’s own sister—would be dragged down if the famine relief grain scandal wasn't resolved.
At the Gu residence, the atmosphere was thick with desperation. Madam Ye explained that her father, the Old Marquis, was unwilling to intervene due to the volatile political climate. This news enraged the Old Madam, who accused the Ye family of being ungrateful. Amidst the chaos, Gu Lian hysterically blamed the Fourth Branch for the family's ruin, labeling Gu Jinzhao a jinx.
Gu Jinzhao silenced her with a sharp slap, reminding her that they were facing charges of treason and that internal conflict would only hasten their downfall. Gu Jinzhao then proposed a high-stakes plan to the Old Madam: she would beat the grievance drum to bring the case directly to the Emperor. While beating the drum usually required receiving forty strokes of a rod first, there was a legal loophole.
If a censor approved the appeal, the physical punishment could be bypassed. Since Gu Deyuan was an Assistant Censor-in-Chief who had not yet been stripped of his duties despite being in custody, Gu Jinzhao needed the Old Madam to visit him in prison to secure his official permission. When Gu Jinzhao arrived at the Shuntian Prefecture to beat the grievance drum, Zheng Xiaoyou initially ordered her to be whipped.
However, she produced the written authorization from Gu Deyuan, forcing the Prefect to follow the law and hear her out without punishment. Jinzhao then announced that she had found Sun Shitao’s body in the Tongfu River. This shocked Wang Xuanfan, as his men had recovered what they thought was Sun's body the previous night. It was revealed that Jinzhao had used a decoy corpse to mislead those trying to steal evidence, allowing her to bring the real body to court.
She pointed out a deep ligature mark on Sun’s neck, proving he had been murdered rather than accidentally drowning. In an effort to prove her father’s lack of motive for embezzlement, Gu Jinzhao publicly pledged 50,000 taels of silver and 5,000 dan of grain to the refugees in Shanxi. The Emperor was intrigued by this massive donation and noted the involvement of the Ji family—Gu Jinzhao's maternal relatives—who had previously rendered great service through land equalization.
Realizing the Gu family had access to immense wealth through their in-laws, the Emperor concluded that Gu Dezhao had no reason to steal and suspected a conspiracy. In the dungeon, Chen Yanyun met with Fu Hailian. For the first time, Chen admitted his feelings for Gu Jinzhao, confessing that his concern for her family outweighed his worry for his own safety. He asked the Grand Secretary to protect the Gu family. Fu Hailian agreed, acknowledging Jinzhao's talent.
Subsequently, the Emperor decided on a swift but limited prosecution to avoid mass panic during the implementation of new tax laws. Top officials were executed, while Gu Dezhao was demoted to a Seventh-Rank Magistrate and ordered to serve in a poor county within Pingyang Prefecture. The situation turned decisively when Ye Xian returned from Pingyang Prefecture with a secret ledger.
The ledger documented years of bribery and illegal grain sales involving the Song family, specifically naming Zhao Jichang and Wang Xuanfan’s wife. As the evidence came to light, the Emperor ordered Wang Xuanfan to be arrested and sent to the Bureau of Justice dungeon. Zhang Ling was also stripped of his commandership for his role in the corruption, and Ye Xian was promoted to take his place as Commander. Following the resolution of the case, Gu Dezhao and the other Gu men were released from prison. Chen Yanyun was also exonerated and released, finally reuniting with Gu Jinzhao.
