Joy of Life Season 2 Recap, Plot, Synopsis

Joy of Life Season 2 Synopsis

The drama continues from the first season of the Joy of Life, which tells the story of Fan Xian, a young man with a mysterious background, who comes from a small seaside town and undergoes various tests and refinements in his family, Jianghu, and the court.

Joy of Life Season 2 Recap

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The story of the first season ended amidst sighs and gasps—Fan Xian was pierced through the body by Yan Bingyun from the Imperial Inspectorate Fourth Division, leaving countless hearts concerned for his fate. The author of the novel, Zhang Qing, suddenly stopped updating it. Students began asking Professor Ye about Fan Xian’s life or death, and even the cleaning lady at the library, deeply concerned, quietly asked Professor Ye about it.

Professor Ye was overwhelmed; she too desperately wanted to know how it would end. Finally, Zhang Qing reappeared and handed the manuscript for Season Two to Professor Ye, who read it all in one sitting. Fan Xian was ordered to escort Xiao En and the Northern Qi spy Si Lili back to Northern Qi. The young Northern Qi emperor, Zhan Doudou, used him to eliminate the all-powerful commander of the Jinyiwei, Shen Zhong.

After enduring countless hardships, Fan Xian managed to exchange Xiao En for Yan Bingyun, who had been betrayed by Li Yunrui. From Xiao En, he not only learned the location of the legendary Temple that everyone longed for, but also discovered that he was not Fan Jian’s illegitimate child, but the son of the Southern Qing emperor and Ye Qingmei.

Before dying, Shen Zhong also revealed to Fan Xian that Second Prince Li Chengze and Li Yunrui were secretly trading and smuggling with him for massive profits. Carrying these three shocking secrets, Fan Xian led the envoy back from Northern Qi. Worried that Fan Xian would expose the conspiracy upon his return, the Second Prince sent Xie Bi’an with heavy troops to intercept the envoy midway, delivering letters to both Yan Bingyun and Fan Xian.

Li Chengze tried to recruit Yan Bingyun and threatened Fan Xian with the lives of Teng Zijing’s wife and child, as well as Fei Jie and Fan Sizhe—Fan Xian’s most cherished people. Fan Xian refused to yield, choosing to fight side by side with Yan Bingyun. Xie Bi’an’s forces surrounded them completely, and Yan Bingyun stabbed Fan Xian through the body with a sword. Fan Xian fell into a pool of blood.

News of Fan Xian’s death reached the palace, throwing the once-mighty Southern Qing Emperor into panic. He was so terrified he lost all composure and immediately summoned Chen Pingping, the Director of the Imperial Inspectorate. Chen Pingping, who deeply admired Ye Qingmei and treated Fan Xian like his own son, was devastated by the news and fell from his wheelchair in shock.

He immediately instructed Yan Ruohai, the head of the Fourth Division, to gather everyone in the department and send them in search of Fan Xian’s body. Following orders, Chen Pingping came to the palace. Fan Jian also arrived upon hearing the news. Grief-stricken, he unleashed his fury on Chen Pingping, blaming him for using Fan Xian as a pawn and sending him on such a dangerous mission.

Chen Pingping was equally heartbroken and swore to avenge Fan Xian, then take his own life in penance. When Qing Di received the second message by carrier pigeon and learned that Yan Bingyun had killed Fan Xian, he was overwhelmed with grief and locked himself in his chambers, refusing to see anyone. Chen Pingping and Fan Jian had no choice but to leave disappointed.

Yan Bingyun suggested burning Fan Xian’s body to prevent Fei Jie from using his medical expertise to bring him back to life. Fearing trouble from delay, Xie Bi’an reluctantly agreed. Yan Bingyun personally lit the firewood, and the flames quickly reduced everything to ashes. Xie Bi’an had someone pick out a charred remnant from the ashes and sent it to Li Chengze. Still suspicious that Fan Xian had faked his death, Li Chengze refused to believe he was truly dead.

Chen Pingping knew Yan Bingyun was always loyal and patriotic and would never harm Fan Xian. Fan Jian also sensed something was amiss and suspected that Fan Xian had faked his death. He was both nervous and worried that Fan Xian might be punished for deceiving the emperor. Fan Jian wanted to go back and plead with the emperor to suppress the news of Fan Xian’s death, but Chen Pingping stopped him.

He wanted to use Fan Xian’s death to create chaos in Qing. Just as Chen Pingping and Fan Jian suspected, it was all part of an elaborate plan by Yan Bingyun and Fan Xian. The sword used by Yan Bingyun was a retractable one gifted to Fan Xian by his fellow disciples from the Third Division before departure. Fan Xian also used blood packets filled with chicken blood to confuse observers.

Wang Qinian had dug a pit beneath the firewood beforehand and rescued Fan Xian, tossing in half a pig to fake the remains. The remains Xie Bi’an recovered were pig bones. Fan Xian had Yan Bingyun continue leading the envoy back while he and Wang Qinian rushed ahead to the capital to rescue Teng Zijing’s wife and child, along with Fan Sizhe and Fei Jie.

Fan Jian rushed back home and secretly informed his wife, Liu Ruyu, of Fan Xian’s faked death. He instructed the servants to erect a mourning hall to create the illusion that Fan Xian had died. Worried that Fan Ruoruo might fall ill from grief, he asked Liu Ruyu to keep a close eye on her. Clever and perceptive, Fan Ruoruo never believed her brother had died and instead consoled Liu Ruyu.

Fan Xian and Wang Qinian raced to the capital and were stunned to find altars for mourning set up all along the city gates and streets. Citizens came out to pay their respects, and merchants were hawking Fan Xian’s poetry collections and all kinds of merchandise bearing his name. Shocked, Fan Xian realized that the news of his death had spread far and wide.

Suspecting this to be Li Chengze’s doing, he dared not reveal himself and decided to hide at Wang Qinian’s house. Li Chengze deliberately spread the news of Fan Xian’s death among the public to solidify the accusation that Fan Xian had faked his death and deceived the emperor. He also had Wang Qinian’s house tightly surrounded. Fortunately, Wang Qinian had dug a secret tunnel leading out of the city.

Under the cover of darkness, he and Fan Xian slipped out, successfully evading the guards. However, they were stopped by traps set by Madam Wang. Wang Qinian struggled greatly to get past the traps and finally settled Fan Xian down. The next morning, Madam Wang asked her daughter Wang Ba to wake Fan Xian for breakfast. Fan Xian experienced Madam Wang’s bold and candid personality firsthand and was also impressed by Wang Ba’s intelligence. The three of them chatted happily and finished their breakfast in good spirits.

Fan Xian sent Wang Qinian to gather information about Teng Zijing’s wife and child but came up empty-handed. All they knew was that the news of Fan Xian’s death was spreading wildly, even within the bureaucracy. Wang Qinian returned via the secret tunnel and warned Fan Xian to flee, or he would be executed for deceiving the emperor. Ignoring Wang Qinian’s advice, Fan Xian insisted on going to explain everything to Qing Di himself.

Disguised as an assassin, Fan Xian broke into the palace but was quickly surrounded. Eunuch Hou rushed to the scene, and Fan Xian begged him to inform Qing Di. Knowing this was a deadly matter, Eunuch Hou urged Fan Xian to flee, but Fan Xian refused and demanded to see the emperor. Chen Pingping arrived just in time to stop him.

Fan Xian resented Chen Pingping deeply—he had risked his life multiple times in Northern Qi, yet the Black Knights Chen had promised never showed up. Sensing Fan Xian’s murderous intent, Chen Pingping chose not to explain and instead agreed to persuade the emperor. He also warned Fan Xian to prepare for both good and bad outcomes and not to implicate the Fan family. Fan Xian handed over the map of the Temple he had drawn.

Trembling, Chen Pingping went to see Qing Di and revealed that Fan Xian was still alive. He tried to speak in Fan Xian’s favor, but Qing Di was unmoved and forcefully drove him out. Only after much hesitation did the emperor agree to meet Fan Xian. For the first time, Fan Xian knelt before Qing Di and truthfully recounted his experiences in Northern Qi.

He repeatedly explained his reasons for faking his death and reported in detail the crimes of Li Chengze and Li Yunrui colluding with the Northern Qi Jinyiwei to smuggle and make profits. Qing Di ignored him and turned his back. Desperate, Fan Xian revealed the location of the Temple. Only then did Qing Di slowly rise, but he soon lay back down. Fan Xian pledged his loyalty with all his might, but to no avail.

Qing Di suddenly shouted, “Get out! ” Fan Xian realized the emperor wouldn’t kill him for now and left relieved. Fan Xian went to Yan Hua Hall to see Crown Prince Li Chengqian. Li Chengqian pretended to know nothing and played dumb. Fan Xian revealed the smuggling conspiracy between Li Yunrui and Li Chengze. Li Chengqian was dumbfounded—he had always seen Li Yunrui as his ally. But Fan Xian spoke convincingly, detailing every wrongdoing.

Finally realizing the truth, Li Chengqian agreed to help Fan Xian take down Li Yunrui and Li Chengze. Fearing his guards might leak the secret, he ordered them all executed. Wang Qinian learned that Fan Xian was working with Li Chengqian and scolded him for being reckless. Fan Xian’s plan was to expose Li Yunrui and Li Chengze before Yan Bingyun returned with the envoy to increase his chances of a pardon from the emperor.

With his hands full, he had no choice but to ask for Li Chengqian’s help, which would also give him time to continue searching for Teng Zijing’s wife and child. Wang Qinian found out Fei Jie was away on assignment and Fan Sizhe was safe, although he was going out early and returning late each day. He also learned that Teng Zijing’s wife and child had been taken to a newly opened brothel in the capital—Moon Embrace House.

Fan Xian was shocked. With Fei Jie and Fan Sizhe safe for now, he was slightly relieved and decided to focus on rescuing Teng Zijing’s wife and child. Chen Pingping and Yan Ruohai were imprisoned, keeping a close eye on the changing situation and praying for Fan Xian’s safe return. Moon Embrace House was a newly opened, high-class brothel in the capital with strict security and membership-only access.

Fan Xian was troubled about how to get in when he noticed a memorial event being held nearby with a stage set up. The organizers were awarding entry cards to Moon Embrace House to the person who best impersonated Fan Xian. Participants eagerly reenacted scenes such as Fan Xian drunkenly reciting poetry or performing a sword dance with Haitang Duoduo at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet. Watching from the sidelines, Fan Xian was both amused and exasperated.

Fan Xian considered using this opportunity to enter Moon Embrace House but feared being recognized and gave up. Wang Qinian suggested sneaking in at night. From Madam Wang, Fan Xian learned that the manager of Moon Embrace House was Yuan Meng, once the famed courtesan of Liu Jing River. Madam Wang used to run a rouge shop, and many of the brothel girls were her regular customers.

She also mentioned that Wang Qinian was quite familiar with the singer Sang Wen, who was now performing at Moon Embrace House. Madam Wang had always suspected an affair between the two and held a grudge. Despite Wang Qinian’s repeated denials and his sworn oath that he and Sang Wen had no relationship, Madam Wang still slapped him hard. With his wife’s reluctant approval, Wang Qinian took Fan Xian to find Sang Wen. They quietly approached her while she was picking fabric at a silk shop.

Fan Xian asked Sang Wen about Baoyue Brothel and learned that it had opened not long ago, quickly gaining popularity by recruiting many top courtesans from major brothels in the capital. Sang Wen had never seen the owner of Baoyue Brothel. Eagerly, Fan Xian asked her about the whereabouts of Teng Zijing’s wife and child. Sang Wen had never seen them either, only knowing that all those captured were held in the backyard.

She saw a girl surnamed Jin try to escape but was caught and dragged back. Fan Xian decided to use Miss Jin as a breakthrough. Sang Wen tearfully begged Fan Xian to save her from this hell. She had been forced to sign a contract of indenture to sing at Baoyue Brothel. Though she had saved enough for her redemption, she had no means to secure her release and begged Fan Xian to give her that chance.

Fan Xian promised to return for her after finding Teng Zijing’s wife and child. Li Chengze was certain that Fan Xian would come to Baoyue Brothel to look for someone. He used a memorial event to issue access passes, hoping to lure Fan Xian out, but Fan Xian never appeared.

One of Li Chengze’s eight trusted aides, Fan Wujiu, led a team to stake out Wang Qinian’s house day and night, but never saw any trace of Fan Xian or Wang Qinian. Li Chengze then ordered Fan Wujiu to capture Wang Qinian’s wife and daughter as hostages. Wang Qinian and Fan Xian were also staking out the street. When they saw the supply convoy of Baoyue Brothel approaching, Wang Qinian helped hide Fan Xian inside a vegetable basket.

Unexpectedly, Old Jin, the vegetable seller, was also hiding inside the basket—he was trying to rescue his daughter from Baoyue Brothel. Fan Xian and Old Jin managed to sneak into the brothel successfully. Old Jin briefly shared his story: he used to deliver vegetables to the palace but was extorted because he couldn’t bribe Eunuch Dai of the Produce Office. He eventually fell into a debt of five hundred taels. His daughter had to sell herself to repay the debt.

Now, Old Jin only wanted to see his daughter again and redeem her as soon as possible. Baoyue Brothel was heavily guarded, and Fan Xian had no idea where to begin his search. He hoped to find Teng Zijing’s wife and child through Old Jin. He gave all his money to Old Jin and asked Wang Qinian to help as well.

Together, they scraped together five hundred taels, which Fan Xian gave to Old Jin to gain entry to the memorial event. Old Jin performed a poem recital while pretending to be a drunken Fan Xian—his performance was vivid and convincing, and he successfully obtained a pass to enter Baoyue Brothel. Delighted, Old Jin entered the brothel and turned back to smile at Fan Xian before going in.

Watching his back, Fan Xian felt deeply conflicted and vowed to take revenge on Eunuch Dai. Fan Wujiu led his men to Wang Qinian’s house but found it empty. He had no choice but to return and report to Li Chengze. After the memorial event ended, the crowd dispersed. Fan Xian and Wang Qinian waited anxiously outside the brothel. Eventually, Old Jin came out alone, staggering. He told Fan Xian that the ransom had been raised to ten thousand taels.

The five hundred taels they had collected only allowed him and his daughter to meet for two hours. He couldn’t redeem her and was devastated, pounding his chest in grief. He only found out that the owner of the brothel would come to audit accounts the next day. He repeatedly apologized to Fan Xian and offered to sell vegetables to repay him. Fan Xian comforted him and promised to find the money to help rescue his daughter.

Old Jin thanked him profusely. After walking just a few steps, Old Jin collapsed and died. Fan Xian discovered that he had been severely beaten. The thugs at Baoyue Brothel dragged Old Jin’s body away and cleaned the blood at the entrance with brooms and water buckets.

Furious, Fan Xian clenched his teeth, ready to confront the brothel’s manager Yuan Meng, but Wang Qinian held him back, urging him to stay calm and wait for a more righteous opportunity to fully investigate. Fan Xian and Wang Qinian returned home via a secret passage, only to find that Wang’s wife and daughter were missing. They suspected a kidnapping. Wang Qinian wanted to storm Baoyue Brothel to rescue them, but Fan Xian stopped him.

Meanwhile, Fan Wujiu took every spare moment to study, hoping to pass the imperial spring examination. Li Chengze teased him for it. Fan Wujiu was baffled as to how Wang Qinian’s wife and daughter had escaped under their watch. Wang Qinian personally saw Fan Xian enter Baoyue Brothel. He went to inform Li Chengze, reporting that Fan Xian had faked his death to deceive the emperor and had gone to meet the brothel’s owner.

Li Chengze didn’t believe he would betray Fan Xian. Wang Qinian swore an oath of loyalty. Li Chengze then ordered him to lead the way to capture Fan Xian at Baoyue Brothel. The major owner was due to inspect Baoyue Brothel that day. Yuan Meng, not daring to slack off, gathered the girls and told them to do everything they could to please him, especially reminding Sang Wen to give a good performance.

Fan Xian was hiding on a beam and sprinkled white ash onto Sang Wen’s zither. She looked up, saw him, and nodded in acknowledgment. The major owner arrived in a hurry and immediately pulled out the account books. Yuan Meng had Sang Wen and the others perform music for entertainment, but he grew impatient and drove them all out. Fan Xian was stunned to see that the major owner of Baoyue Brothel was none other than his younger brother Fan Sizhe.

Yuan Meng stood beside him fanning him, but Fan Sizhe found it annoying and drove her out to focus on the accounts. Fan Xian came down from the beam, and when Fan Sizhe saw his supposedly dead brother alive, he was overjoyed and immediately fussed over him.

Fan Sizhe proudly told Fan Xian that he was the major owner of Baoyue Brothel—every brick, every blade of grass was his. Even their parents didn’t know about it. He began bragging about his business skills, oblivious to Fan Xian’s furious expression. Fan Xian, gritting his teeth in rage, couldn’t believe this wicked and murderous place was Fan Sizhe’s business. He beat Fan Sizhe black and blue, demanding he pay for Old Jin and the others with his life.

But Fan Sizhe was completely unaware of the brothel’s atrocities. Suddenly, Fan Xian collapsed due to a recurrence of an old injury. Fan Sizhe, in pain and wailing, ran out to call for the brothel’s thugs to beat Fan Xian but then worried he might get into trouble. So he returned alone. Fan Xian, coughing up blood, asked about Teng Zijing’s wife and child. Fan Sizhe had no idea.

He had handed over full management of the brothel to Yuan Meng and only came by to check accounts. He never intended Baoyue Brothel to be a typical brothel; he had selected cultured, well-educated girls skilled in arts and music. He didn’t expect Yuan Meng to run it so corruptly. Fan Xian believed him and suspected someone was manipulating things behind the scenes. Yuan Meng soon arrived, and Fan Xian quickly hid.

Fan Sizhe made up excuses about his bruises and asked Yuan Meng to bring in Sang Wen to sing and lift his mood. Yuan Meng repeatedly instructed Sang Wen to serve Fan Sizhe well. She then tried to eavesdrop outside but was chased away by Fan Sizhe. Through Sang Wen, Fan Sizhe learned about the various crimes at Baoyue Brothel—forcing good women into prostitution, treating lives as worthless.

Terrified, he confessed to Fan Xian that Baoyue Brothel was co-owned by him and the Third Prince, Li Chengping, who was the son of Noble Consort Yi, Liu Ruyu’s younger sister. Li Chengping came to inspect the brothel and gave Yuan Meng a list of reforms. Yuan Meng obediently followed his instructions and asked him to go upstairs to meet Fan Sizhe. Li Chengping, only interested in profits, didn’t even look at the account books.

Instead, he lectured Yuan Meng on his business philosophy. After his inspection, he asked Yuan Meng to take him to see Fan Sizhe. Fan Sizhe dismissed Yuan Meng, and Fan Xian took the opportunity to knock Li Chengping unconscious from behind. Li Chengze surrounded Baoyue Brothel with his men and swaggered in with Wang Qinian and Fan Wujiu. Yuan Meng and her thugs were too frightened to speak.

Fan Xian was already waiting and told Fan Sizhe to let Li Chengze come upstairs. Face-to-face, Fan Xian exposed Li Chengze’s repeated assassination attempts. Li Chengze admitted it but retaliated by accusing Fan Xian of faking his death to deceive the emperor and Baoyue Brothel of trafficking women. He also tried to sow discord between Fan Xian and Wang Qinian. Wang Qinian begged Li Chengze to release his wife and daughter.

Li Chengze finally admitted they had already escaped and were not in his custody. Li Chengze proposed a truce, agreeing to release Teng Zijing’s wife and child—otherwise, Fan Xian would be executed. Crown Prince Li Chengqian arrived just in time with officers from the capital government. At his command, all of Li Chengze’s men were detained. Li Chengze reported Fan Xian’s crimes and accused Fan Sizhe of wanton killing.

But Li Chengqian only had eyes for Li Chengping and ignored Fan Xian, pretending not to understand. When Li Chengze saw Wang Qinian rejoin Fan Xian, he realized too late that he’d been tricked. Fan Xian had carefully planned everything. Wang Qinian pretended to defect to Li Chengze to gain his trust and lure him to Baoyue Brothel. Once Fan Xian arrived, Wang Qinian immediately informed Li Chengqian.

Li Chengze wanted to solidify the charges against Fan Xian and urged Li Chengqian not to get involved. But Li Chengqian, harboring deep resentment over Li Chengze and Li Yunrui’s secret collusion, exposed Li Chengze’s alliance with Yuan Meng and the Crown Prince of Jing, Li Hongcheng. He accused them of using Yuan Meng to ruin Fan Sizhe through Baoyue Brothel. Li Chengqian then forced Li Chengze to release Teng Zijing’s wife and child.

Seeing that the situation had turned against him, Li Chengze had no choice but to order Fan Wujiu to let them go, but he left with a harsh threat. Fan Xian still found something amiss. Li Chengze wouldn’t surrender so easily, and he had always been cautious—leaving Yuan Meng as a weak point seemed out of character. With no solid evidence, Fan Xian decided to wait and see. Meanwhile, he instructed Fan Sizhe to return the indenture contract to Old Jin’s daughter.

Fan Xian knew Li Chengze would not let things go easily and was worried he might stir up more trouble at Baoyue Brothel, so he asked Fan Sizhe to close it down. Li Chengqian urged Fan Xian to return to the diplomatic mission as soon as possible and not delay the journey to the capital.

Fan Xian asked Li Chengqian to send people to protect Teng Zijing’s wife and children, planning to settle scores with Li Chengze after returning to the capital. Li Chengqian promised to do his best. Before leaving, Fan Xian repeatedly warned Fan Sizhe to stay home and not go out. Li Chengping groggily woke up and called Fan Sizhe, who had been dozing off at the table. He vaguely remembered being knocked out.

Fan Sizhe tried hard to make up excuses and finally managed to persuade Li Chengping to leave. Fan Xian accompanied Wang Qinian to his home to find his wife and daughter, only to learn that they had been protected by Chen Pingping. Chen Pingping had even asked Lady Wang to inform Fan Xian that Teng Zijing’s wife and children would be sent to Danzhou. The diplomatic mission hurried toward the capital. Gao Da held tightly onto Fan Xian’s ashes.

As they drew nearer to the capital, Fan Xian still had not rejoined them, leaving Gao Da extremely anxious. He murmured to the ashes, while Xie Bian followed the mission closely with his men. Seeing no sign of Fan Xian and Gao Da mourning with the ashes, Xie Bian became convinced Fan Xian was truly dead. He quickly rushed back to the capital to report to Li Chengze.

Following Fan Xian’s orders, Fan Sizhe hid at home, not stepping a foot outside. Liu Ruyu grew curious and asked about it, but Fan Sizhe dared not tell the truth and made up excuses. Wang Qinian and Fan Xian chased after the diplomatic mission by carriage and unexpectedly encountered Xie Bian head-on. Xie Bian was shocked to see Fan Xian alive and immediately attempted to assassinate him.

Fan Xian’s old wound reopened; not wanting to fight, he used a cliff to escape Xie Bian and sent him with a message to Li Chengze: he would settle things with him once back in the capital. Wang Qinian and Fan Xian soon caught up with the mission. Gao Da was relieved to see them safe.

Fan Xian suddenly noticed the Grand Princess of Northern Qi leading a team following behind and realized that the young emperor Zhan Doudou had made a sudden decision to arrange a political marriage between the Grand Princess and the Southern Qing crown prince. Meanwhile, the crown prince was completing a brief handover with the border troops and had also been ordered to return to the capital.

Fan Wujiu calculated the time and realized that the crown prince and Fan Xian would enter the capital on the same day. Li Chengze came up with a sinister plan: he sent people to block and repair the road so that Fan Xian and the crown prince would enter through the same city gate, hoping to stir up conflict between them. Upon returning to the mission, Fan Xian immediately went to see Yan Bingyun.

Yan warned him not to rejoice too early—wherever the mission went, people came to buy Fan Xian’s belongings to mourn him. Fan Xian needed to provide a convincing reason for still being alive to calm public sentiment; otherwise, it could provoke outrage. Only then did Fan Xian realize the gravity of the situation. The one who spread news of his death was truly malicious, yet he had no way to counter it. Suddenly, Fan Xian had a clever idea.

He decided to use the Grand Princess of Northern Qi to make his fake death seem reasonable. He easily coaxed the real intention out of her: Zhan Doudou had made her Fan Xian’s intelligence liaison. With his eloquence, Fan Xian successfully persuaded the Grand Princess to put on a show.

The Grand Princess of Northern Qi publicly announced that Fan Xian had engaged in a deadly battle with a Grand Master to protect the diplomatic mission and the books left by Zhuang Mohan. He had to fake his death to survive. She insisted she had witnessed it with her own eyes, and Gao Da backed her up. Fan Xian and Wang Qinian covered themselves in dust and dirt to complete the deception.

The officials in the mission fully believed Fan Xian. Yan Bingyun ordered them to send news of Fan Xian’s “resurrection” to the capital via carrier pigeon and let the mission rest briefly before continuing. Fan Xian and his group hastened on and soon reached outside the northern gate of the capital. Assistant Minister Xin Qiwu of the Court of Diplomatic Reception ran out to meet them.

Fan Xian was relieved to learn that Qing Di hadn’t punished him and had even sent people to welcome them. Xin Qiwu revealed that the crown prince was also arriving that day and would soon arrive with his cavalry, urging Fan Xian to give way. Fan Xian refused and used the Grand Princess of Northern Qi to make his case.

The second prince Li Chengze, upon hearing that Fan Xian’s mission and the crown prince Li Chengru’s cavalry would arrive in the capital on the same day, secretly ordered both to enter through the northern gate. The Ministry of Rites, concerned about potential congestion, sent Xin Qiwu to ask Fan Xian to give way to Li Chengru. Fan Xian, unwilling to yield, pretended to consult the Grand Princess of Northern Qi and subtly hinted at her not to back down.

As she was there on orders to marry Li Chengru, the matter concerned not only her personally but represented all of Northern Qi. She firmly refused to give way to her future husband. Xin Qiwu, being of low rank, dared not anger the princess and returned to report. Crown Prince Li Chengqian welcomed Li Chengze and the third prince Li Chengping at the city gate. Just as Fan Xian’s mission arrived, Li Chengru’s cavalry galloped from the opposite direction.

The two teams met outside the gate. Fan Xian dismounted and greeted Li Chengru, but the prince, arrogant by birth, dismissed Fan Xian and demanded he give way. The Grand Princess insisted that Li Chengru should yield. Fan Xian fanned the flames on the side. Enraged, Li Chengru threatened to kill Fan Xian. Unafraid, Fan Xian stood his ground. The two sides drew weapons, tension rising.

Just as a battle seemed imminent, a sudden violent wind swept through, filling the air with yellow sand, obscuring vision. The people and horses of both sides were thrown into chaos. Two of Li Chengru’s warhorses were startled and charged toward Fan Xian. Wang Qinian shouted for Gao Da to protect him. When the storm passed, calm was restored, but the two horses lay dead in a pool of blood.

Even the battle-hardened Li Chengru hadn’t seen clearly what had happened. He marveled at Gao Da’s swift action and, though grieving the horses, hated Fan Xian even more. The Grand Princess stood up for Fan Xian, but Li Chengru, unrelenting, drew his sword to kill him. Li Chengqian arrived just in time to ease the situation. He warmly welcomed Li Chengru into the city. The Grand Princess, willing to pay for the dead horses, still refused to give way.

Li Chengru was furious. He never wanted to marry the Grand Princess, resented being forced back to the capital, and didn’t want to hear her nagging. He sought a chance to speak to her alone. Worried the matter might escalate, Li Chengqian stepped in as mediator, urging a truce. Neither side relented. Li Chengru mocked Fan Xian for marrying above his station with Lin Wan’er. Fan Xian retorted sarcastically.

Li Chengqian, all smiles, held their hands and led them into the city. Li Chengping hadn’t seen his brothers in a long time and was visibly emotional, clinging to Li Chengru with endless questions. Li Chengze and Fan Xian, enemies at first sight, immediately exchanged verbal barbs until Li Chengqian interrupted. Li Chengping recognized Fan Xian as the one who knocked him out at Baoyue Brothel and tattled in front of Li Chengru.

Li Chengru questioned Fan Xian for attacking a prince. Fan Xian forced Li Chengping to reveal the location, and Li Chengping, flustered, didn’t dare say Baoyue Brothel and lied that he had mistaken someone else. Li Chengru let the matter drop. Once inside the city, Fan Xian was summoned by Qing Di for questioning. Qing Di then hosted a family banquet, calling together the four princes and Fan Xian. Grand Eunuch Hou helped the bruised Fan Xian into the banquet.

Struggling to sit, Fan Xian groaned in pain. Li Chengze, hearing he had been beaten by Qing Di with a court staff, secretly rejoiced. Acting as if nothing had happened, Qing Di asked Fan Xian to recount his Northern Qi journey. Enduring the pain, Fan Xian briefly spoke of what he saw and heard. Qing Di eagerly asked about the temple’s location.

Fan Xian said he had learned from Xiao En that it lay in the far north beyond Northern Qi. Qing Di decided to destroy Northern Qi first. Fan Xian reported Li Chengze and Li Yunrui’s long-term smuggling with Northern Qi’s Jinyiwei. Qing Di was furious. Li Chengze quickly knelt and loudly declared his innocence, accusing Fan Xian of slander. Qing Di demanded evidence, but witness Shen Zhong was dead.

Fan Xian proposed using the Imperial Inspectorate’s vast intelligence network to investigate, showing his Commanding Officer’s badge. Qing Di threw it into the lake behind him. Fan Xian was stunned. Seeing Qing Di protect him, Li Chengze praised Fan Xian’s achievements and mentioned that his sister, Fan Ruoruo, was one of the capital’s few talented women, asking Qing Di to arrange a marriage between her and Li Hongcheng. Qing Di agreed on the spot.

Fan Xian strongly objected—Li Hongcheng was a notorious playboy and Li Chengze’s ally. He would never let Fan Ruoruo marry him. But Qing Di’s word was law; Fan Xian couldn’t resist. Grateful for Fan Xian’s contributions and for bringing back Zhuang Mohan’s literary legacy, Qing Di granted him the title of First-rank Southern Marquis. Then, Qing Di changed the topic and declared Li Chengze would marry Ye Ling’er, the daughter of the capital garrison commander Ye Zhong.

Li Chengze protested, but Qing Di was resolute. Fan Xian again pleaded for punishment of Li Yunrui and Li Chengze, but Qing Di rebuked him harshly for lacking evidence and stormed off. Fan Xian, deeply disappointed, left as well. Li Chengze realized Fan Xian had been faking injury all along—Qing Di never hit him. Li Chengqian caught up with Fan Xian, who sat sulking.

He was furious at Li Chengze, who not only used Baoyue Brothel to frame Fan Sizhe but now tried to humiliate him with Fan Ruoruo’s marriage. Li Chengqian advised patience—gather evidence slowly, or Qing Di wouldn’t punish them. Though witness Shen Zhong was dead, Fan Xian still had evidence that Li Yunrui and Li Chengze used the Shijia Town smuggling route. He asked Li Chengqian to send people to gather proof.

Li Chengqian said that by the time his people arrived, Li Chengze had already burned Shijia Town to the ground, leaving no clues. He lamented the plight of the townsfolk and condemned Li Chengze’s cruelty. Fan Xian was disheartened—his evidence chain had been completely severed. But he was unwilling to give up. Li Chengqian encouraged him to first reclaim his role as Imperial Inspectorate Commanding Officer, then seek revenge slowly.

The Empress, Li Chengqian’s mother, once hated Ye Qingmei, whom Qing Di favored. Now, years later, Ye Qingmei’s son Fan Xian was in the capital and gaining attention. She closely monitored his every move. Already filled with anger, the Empress was infuriated to hear that Qing Di had invited Fan Xian to a royal family banquet.

When she saw that Li Chengqian had filled his room with paintings of court ladies, she grew even angrier and summoned Li Chengqian, forcefully demanding to know who the woman in the painting was. Li Chengqian was so frightened he knelt and begged for mercy.

The Empress immediately recognized that all the figures in Li Chengqian’s paintings were of Li Yunrui. Enraged, she furiously yelled at Li Chengqian. If this matter were to spread, it would not only be a royal scandal, but Li Chengqian’s position as Crown Prince would also be at risk. Realizing the severity of the situation, Li Chengqian burned all the paintings on the spot and swore to sever his feelings for Li Yunrui.

Only then did the Empress relent, eagerly asking him about the situation in Shijiazhen. Li Chengqian had no choice but to admit that the horrific massacre was carried out by him, intending to deepen the enmity between Fan Xian and Li Chengze. Wang Qinian returned home to discuss with his wife. As long as Fan Xian offered him generous treatment, he was willing to follow Fan Xian’s lead.

Fan Xian wanted to use the smuggling incident to bring down Li Yunrui and Li Chengze, but Qing Di spared no effort in protecting them and even threw away Fan Xian’s Inspector's badge. After painstaking investigation, Fan Xian uncovered the crucial lead of Shijiazhen, only to have it all destroyed in a fire set by Li Chengze. Fan Xian felt an unprecedented sense of defeat.

With no outlet for his frustration, he took a bucket and cloth and cleaned the stone tablet in front of the Imperial Inspectorate until it was spotless. It was something his mother Ye Qingmei had left behind—a beautiful wish she made, and also Fan Xian’s lifelong aspiration. But now, he was struggling with every step. Wang Qinian stayed by Fan Xian’s side, offering words of comfort. Feeling helpless, Fan Xian threw a tantrum and threatened to quit.

Wang Qinian encouraged him and swore to do everything he could to help. But Fan Xian still couldn't get over it. Chen Pingping witnessed this and returned the Inspector's badge to Fan Xian, encouraging him not to lose heart. He advised Fan Xian to first understand his opponent’s true intentions and to know both himself and the enemy; otherwise, he would suffer another defeat.

Fan Xian swore to fight Li Chengze to the end, to seek justice for those who had died unjustly like Old Jin and Teng Zijin. Chen Pingping gave Fan Xian some guidance, first advising him to form his own team, and appointing him as the Chief of the First Division of the Imperial Inspectorate. Since Zhu Ge’s death, the First Division had been leaderless.

Its main task was to monitor the officials of the capital, with broad jurisdiction—both a place of disputes and intense battles. Fan Xian could make full use of the division's advantages to expand his power and take on Li Chengze. Fan Xian was immediately interested and poured out all his pent-up feelings. His trip to Northern Qi had made him realize that all his actions from childhood were manipulated by Chen Pingping.

Chen Pingping didn’t want to explain too much; his feelings for Ye Qingmei ran deep, and he was even willing to die for her. He treated Fan Xian as his own son and wanted to arrange everything for him. Fan Xian was half convinced, knowing there were still secrets Chen Pingping hadn’t told, but he didn’t press further. Fan Jian hurriedly arrived at the Imperial Inspectorate, shouting at Chen Pingping.

Fan Xian had just returned from Northern Qi, had been summoned to the palace by Qing Di, and was now at the Inspectorate—he hadn’t even been home yet. The more Fan Jian spoke, the angrier he became. Chen Pingping clarified that he hadn't summoned Fan Xian. Fan Xian explained that he came on his own, just to clean the stone tablet. Without another word, Fan Jian dragged Fan Xian home.

Fan Jian had heard about Fan Xian’s ordeal in the palace and warned him not to confront Li Chengze head-on, nor act hastily. Fan Xian wanted to establish his team quickly. Fan Jian taught him some officialdom tricks, which Fan Xian memorized. He wanted to get off midway to see Lin Wan’er, but didn’t want to disappoint Fan Jian, so he agreed to stay home for a couple of days.

Fan Jian told him to comfort Fan Ruoruo, who constantly worried about him. As soon as Fan Xian got home, he looked for Fan Ruoruo, only to find that she had tried to flee her marriage with her luggage. But she soon returned, believing that Fan Xian would find a way to break off the engagement. Fan Xian promised to help her no matter what it took.

Upon learning that Fan Sizhe had secretly opened a brothel, Fan Jian summoned him. Fan Xian recounted how Li Chengze used the Baoyue Brothel to frame Fan Sizhe. Liu Ruyu was anxious that Fan Sizhe might be punished and wanted to take him to Danzhou to lie low for a while. Fan Xian found that unwise and planned to send Fan Sizhe to Northern Qi instead. Liu Ruyu was reluctant to send Fan Sizhe to faraway Northern Qi to suffer.

Fan Xian patiently explained the stakes to him: only by leaving Southern Qing could he completely escape Li Chengze’s frame-up. After much consideration, Fan Sizhe reluctantly agreed and went back that night to pack. After hastily packing a few clothes, Liu Ruyu gave him countless instructions. Fan Jian came out to see him off and, for the first time, praised him for taking responsibility, hoping he would return soon.

Moved to tears, Fan Sizhe knelt and bid farewell to his parents before leaving home with tears in his eyes. Thunder rolled and heavy rain poured down. Fan Xian prepared a carriage to send Fan Sizhe off. Fan Sizhe looked through the window at the rain-soaked capital, the place where he had grown up. Now, he had to journey alone to Northern Qi, with much reluctance in his heart. Fan Sizhe wanted to cry.

Fan Xian gave him a large sum of money for business. Fan Sizhe's eyes lit up at the sight of the money and he immediately beamed with joy. Fan Xian instructed him to seek out Guo Baokun as soon as he arrived in Northern Qi. Fan Xian escorted Fan Sizhe to the city gate. Yan Bingyun had selected several skilled fighters from the Fourth Division to escort Fan Sizhe north.

Watching the carriage gradually disappear, Fan Xian finally felt at ease to go see Lin Wan’er. Lin Wan’er, having heard about what Fan Xian had faced since returning to the capital, wanted him to focus on handling the upcoming troubles. She hid and did not meet him, asking Ye Ling’er to pass on a message, telling him to focus on his work.

Although Fan Xian didn’t get to see Lin Wan’er, he knew she still cared for him, and left in disappointment. Ye Ling’er admired the relationship between Lin Wan’er and Fan Xian. Thinking of how Qing Di had betrothed her to Li Chengze made her furious. She wanted to stay at Lin Wan’er’s place for a few days to clear her mind, which Lin Wan’er gladly welcomed. Yan Bingyun went to the prison to retrieve Yan Ruohai.

Yan Ruohai scolded him harshly, blaming him for foolishly following Fan Xian. But Yan Bingyun believed in Fan Xian. Yan Ruohai revealed that Chen Pingping would hand over the Imperial Inspectorate to Fan Xian, which greatly surprised Yan Bingyun.

Fan Xian originally planned to use the Northern Qi smuggling incident to completely bring down Li Chengze and Li Yunrui, but all the leads he had were severed. Just as he was falling into despair, Chen Pingping earnestly persuaded him. Fan Xian reluctantly agreed to temporarily take over the First Division of the Imperial Inspectorate as Inspector. The blood-soaked capital gradually returned to its former peace and prosperity. Yan Bingyun went to the prison to take Yan Ruohai home.

The father and son had a heartfelt conversation. Yan Ruohai relayed Chen Pingping’s orders for Yan Bingyun to help Fan Xian firmly establish his position in the Inspectorate. Yan Ruohai felt he was getting old and wanted to hand over full control of the Fourth Division to Yan Bingyun, urging him to learn from Fan Xian. Yan Ruohai reminded him to separate work from emotions.

Yan Bingyun admitted it was a bit rash to bring Shen Zhong’s sister back from Northern Qi, but he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing. Early the next morning, Fan Xian formally took office at the First Division with Wang Qinian. Yan Bingyun, on Chen Pingping’s orders, waited at the gate early. The First Division was bustling. Officials from the six ministries sent gifts one after another.

Fan Xian secretly vowed to completely reform the division, dragging Yan Bingyun along to witness the spectacle. Inside, the officials were too busy currying favor to notice them. The three of them went straight into the courtyard and saw several baskets of Yunmeng fish just delivered by the Ministry of Provisions. This fish species was unique to the south and renowned for its delicious taste.

It needed northern snow and ice from the previous year to stay fresh, requiring urgent transport by the Ministry of War. While inspecting the division, Fan Xian learned that the heads of each section had all taken leave. The staff were gathered playing mahjong, and only Clerk Deng Ziyue was working.

From him, Fan Xian uncovered a huge secret: the Ministry of Provisions and the Ministry of War delivered rare Yunmeng fish to the First Division, which resold them to the Ministry of Provisions at doubled prices. The profits were shared, and all six ministries used similar schemes to make illicit gains. Suppressing his anger, Fan Xian immediately dismissed the section heads and appointed Wang Qinian and Deng Ziyue as his trusted aides.

Fan Xian sternly reprimanded the staff and laid down new rules. Terrified, they quickly complied. Citing the fish's lack of freshness, he ordered Deng Ziyue to seal off the Ministry of Provisions. Deng, being of low rank, feared he couldn't command respect. Fan Xian had Yan Bingyun back him up. Though reluctant, Yan Bingyun had no choice but to go. Fan Xian then visited Li Chengze, deliberately bringing an empty fish bucket to provoke him.

On arrival, he mocked Xie Bian and forcibly took Li Chengze to the Ministry of Provisions to watch the show. Deng Ziyue’s men surrounded the place. Eunuch Dai, fully in charge of the ministry and backed by Li Chengze’s mother, the Noble Consort, didn’t take Deng seriously. But when Fan Xian and Li Chengze arrived together, Eunuch Dai realized something was wrong. Palace eunuch Hong Zhu came to pass a message and persuaded Eunuch Dai to check things out.

Dai, impressed by Hong Zhu’s cleverness, wanted to take him along, but Hong Zhu refused and invoked the Noble Consort’s name, forcing Dai to drop the idea. Eunuch Dai nervously came to meet Fan Xian and tried to bribe Wang Qinian to gather intel. Deng Ziyue saw this, and Wang Qinian shared the money with him. Fan Xian compared the account books and confirmed that they were in Dai’s handwriting.

He listed all the corrupt practices Dai had committed using the Ministry of Provisions to help six ministries profiteer. Fearing death if exposed, Eunuch Dai quietly gave Fan Xian an envelope. Fan Xian opened it on the spot and accepted the 3,000 tael banknotes inside, ordering Deng Ziyue to lift the seal on the Ministry of Provisions. Li Chengze saw that Fan Xian was clearly provoking him and stormed off in anger.

Yan Bingyun was baffled—he couldn’t understand why Fan Xian would so openly accept a bribe. Fan Xian even instructed him to gather several officials to submit memorials accusing him to the Censorate. Passing by Baoyue Brothel, Fan Xian thought of the late Old Jin and swore to root out all the dark forces in the capital and seek justice for those who had died in vain.

Li Chengze left the Vegetable Collection Bureau with Xie Bian. They walked back to the palace. To ensure Li Chengze's safety, the streets were cleared wherever they passed. In an instant, the streets were deserted. The commoners and street vendors left in a hurry, causing fruits and vegetables to scatter everywhere. Li Chengze casually picked up a string of trinkets from a roadside stall that he liked. Before leaving, he thoughtfully left some silver coins. Li Chengze was utterly baffled.

He couldn’t understand why Fan Xian had summoned him to the Vegetable Collection Bureau and openly accepted a bribe from Eunuch Dai right in front of him. Xie Bian also couldn’t guess Fan Xian’s intention. Li Chengze couldn't openly impeach Fan Xian but was unwilling to miss such a good opportunity to suppress him. Their conversation was overheard clearly by Deng Ziyue, who was hiding nearby.

The next morning, Qing Di received a joint memorial from the Censorate censors, accusing Fan Xian of corruption and accepting bribes. Qing Di asked Eunuch Hou to hand the memorial directly to Fan Xian. Eunuch Hou reminded Fan Xian to submit a petition to explain himself, but Fan Xian was indifferent and slow to respond, which sparked much discussion among the censors. Fan Xian had no choice but to send Wang Qinian to deliver a calligraphy scroll to the censors.

On it were four bold characters: “Yin Yin Kuang Fei” (“Mad barking dogs”), insulting the censors as wild barking dogs. They were furious and collectively impeached Fan Xian and Eunuch Dai. There were even ridiculous rumors among the public that Fan Xian was Eunuch Dai’s godfather. When Eunuch Dai heard this, he nearly fainted from anger.

He cursed Fan Xian for pushing him into a hopeless situation and couldn’t help but pour out his grievances to Hong Zhu, who tried to comfort him with kind words. Fan Xian had deliberately stirred up the situation, aiming to shake the political scene in the capital to its core. He asked Yan Bingyun to use the influence of the Imperial Inspectorate Fourth Division to investigate officials outside the capital.

Although Yan Bingyun didn’t want to get involved, he couldn’t resist the persistent persuasion of Wang Qinian and Gao Da. Liu Ruyu, upon hearing that Fan Xian had been impeached, was deeply worried and wanted to enter the palace to speak with her sister, Noble Consort Yi, to find out more. Fan Xian had already made thorough arrangements and advised Liu Ruyu not to get involved in this mess.

Fan Sizhe was heading north to Northern Qi, while Li Chengze’s men closely tailed him, looking for a chance to capture him alive. During an inspection, Fan Xian saw his colleagues eating meat, while Deng Ziyue was eating dry rations alone in a storeroom. Fan Xian learned that the money to buy meat came from the fifty taels of hush money Wang Qinian gave to Deng Ziyue.

Deng Ziyue had accidentally witnessed Eunuch Dai bribing Wang Qinian, and Wang Qinian had shared fifty taels with him to keep quiet. Fan Xian also discovered that Deng Ziyue was diligent in his duties, did not embezzle, did not accept bribes, did not falsify accounts, and was humble towards his colleagues, earning a good reputation. In fact, Deng Ziyue had once been an upright and unbending man.

It was unexpected that after years as an official, he had become so submissive. Deng Ziyue came from a humble background in Dingzhou. As a young man, he had great ambitions. Years ago, a commander in the border army forged accounts and used the excuse of buying horse feed to swindle government silver. Deng Ziyue broke through heavy defenses to deliver evidence to the Imperial Inspectorate.

Chen Pingping, recognizing his bravery and integrity, specially approved his admission into the Imperial Inspectorate. Over the years, Deng Ziyue had seen through the darkness and injustice of officialdom. As a minor official with little influence, he had no choice but to restrain himself and become a yes-man. Fan Xian offered to be Deng Ziyue’s backing and encouraged him to stand tall and return to his former self.

But Deng Ziyue had already lost all fighting spirit and only wanted to protect himself. Fan Xian harshly scolded him to provoke his pride and rebuild his confidence. Deng Ziyue then vowed to help Fan Xian reform the corrupt bureaucracy. Fan Xian asked him to ghostwrite a self-defense letter, which only contained eight characters: “Jian Chen Dang Dao, He Zui Zhi You” (“With treacherous ministers in power, what crime is there? ”). The number of impeachment memorials against Fan Xian grew.

Qing Di was overwhelmed and decided to let Fan Xian and the censors confront each other in court. Yan Bingyun received evidence collected by the Fourth Division on corrupt officials outside the capital and immediately handed it to Chen Pingping. Chen Pingping dispatched his personal guard, Shadow, overnight to deliver the message to Fan Xian, telling him to calmly defend himself at court the next day.

Li Chengqian, worried that Fan Xian couldn’t out-argue the eloquent censors, waited for him early outside the palace hall and gave him repeated reminders. Fan Xian was already confident, which slightly reassured Li Chengqian. When Fan Xian noticed that Xin Qiwu was deliberately avoiding him, he loudly called out to him, forcing Xin Qiwu to greet him with a forced smile. All the censors arrived to confront Fan Xian at the court. Unexpectedly, Qin Ye, the Chief Minister of the Privy Council, had arrived early.

Qin Ye was not only the Chief Minister of the Privy Council but also held military power and had earned numerous battle merits. He was the number one figure in the Southern Qing military and highly respected by all civil and military officials. Qing Di also viewed him with special regard, always having two chairs prepared for him and Lin Ruofu during court sessions, while Crown Prince Li Chengqian and other princes could only stand.

Qin Ye arrived early and sat in one of the chairs, resting with his eyes closed. Lin Ruofu swaggered into the court. All the officials nodded and bowed to him. Even Crown Prince Li Chengqian smiled in greeting. Fan Xian stood by, watching coldly, surprised that his future father-in-law Lin Ruofu had such prestige. Chen Pingping arrived in a wheelchair. Fan Jian waited for him outside, dismissed the Imperial Inspectorate guards, and pushed Chen Pingping toward the hall.

He suspected Chen Pingping was backing Fan Xian; otherwise, Fan Xian wouldn’t dare to act so boldly. Chen Pingping denied it, but Fan Jian didn’t believe him. Left Censor-in-Chief Lai Mingcheng was furious upon seeing Fan Xian and spoke harshly. Li Chengqian took the chance to stir things up in front of Fan Xian.

Enraged, Fan Xian tried to rush up and argue with Lai Mingcheng, but Li Chengqian quickly pulled him aside, urging them to argue it out properly in court. At the entrance of the hall, there was a small slope. Chen Pingping’s wheelchair was too heavy, and despite multiple attempts, Fan Jian couldn’t push it up. Sweating profusely, he suspected Chen Pingping was hiding something in the wheelchair. Chen Pingping joked that he had hidden thousands of troops inside.

Fan Jian thought he was joking and didn’t take it seriously. Despite his efforts, he still couldn’t push the wheelchair up the slope. Li Chengru also came to watch the commotion. He briskly stepped forward to take over from Fan Jian and effortlessly pushed Chen Pingping up. Li Chengru wanted to see how Fan Xian would deal with the entire Censorate’s impeachment. Fan Xian was confident, but Fan Jian remained worried and reminded Fan Xian not to lose his temper.

Qing Di arrived shortly afterward and had Eunuch Hou distribute Fan Xian’s self-defense letter, which read, “With treacherous ministers in power, what crime is there? ” to all officials. Lai Mingcheng was the first to step out and accuse Fan Xian of accepting bribes and abusing his power. Fan Xian refused to plead guilty and loudly declared his innocence.

Lai Mingcheng produced a thick stack of witness testimonies, but Qing Di didn’t look at them and instead summoned Eunuch Dai to court for confrontation. Qing Di asked Chen Pingping for his opinion on the charges. Chen Pingping expressed suspicion of Fan Xian's misconduct and claimed that everyone looked like criminals to him. Qing Di deliberately brought up Lin Ruofu. Chen Pingping said he looked even more like a corrupt official, causing an uproar among the officials.

Qing Di then asked for Qin Ye’s opinion. Qin Ye strongly supported Fan Xian, praising him highly and even commended him publicly for seducing the Northern Qi Saintess to boost Southern Qing’s prestige. The officials covered their mouths, laughing, while Fan Xian hastily denied the claim in fear. Lin Ruofu was secretly furious but pretended to stay calm.

When Eunuch Dai heard that Qing Di had summoned him to confront Fan Xian, he was so terrified that his soul nearly left his body. The guards had to drag him into the court. He didn’t even notice when he lost a boot. Worried that he would be reprimanded for misconduct, Hong Zhu personally helped him put his boot back on. Eunuch Dai trembled as he entered the hall. Lai Mingcheng presented the testimonies and accused him.

Fan Xian urged Eunuch Dai to confess, saying three thousand taels of silver wouldn’t result in a heavy sentence. But the Censorate had already thoroughly investigated him. Lai Mingcheng listed countless corrupt acts committed by Eunuch Dai during his years at the Vegetable Collection Bureau and submitted the collected evidence to Qing Di. Lin Ruofu opposed the move, accusing Lai Mingcheng of overstepping and causing unnecessary trouble for Qing Di.

He worried that this might lead the Six Ministries to slack off and disrupt court order. Qing Di found this reasonable. Lai Mingcheng and Lin Ruofu argued, and to avoid a conflict of interest, Lai Mingcheng asked Lin Ruofu to recuse himself since he was Fan Xian’s future father-in-law. Lin Ruofu had no choice but to step back. Qing Di asked Eunuch Dai to review the evidence. Seeing that everything had been exposed, Eunuch Dai surrendered.

Qing Di ordered his execution by beheading. Lai Mingcheng begged Qing Di to punish Fan Xian. Instead, Fan Xian accused him of framing Prince Li Chengze, who had also been at the Vegetable Collection Bureau on the day of the incident. If Li Chengze saw Fan Xian taking three thousand taels and said nothing, it would mean he was complicit. Li Chengze admitted he had seen Fan Xian take the money but believed there was a reason behind it.

Fan Xian declared publicly that the bribe was part of a trap to catch bigger fish, and he had handed the silver note to Chen Pingping that same day. Chen Pingping testified for him. Lai Mingcheng, realizing Fan Xian was denying everything, argued fiercely with him. The two engaged in a verbal battle. Fan Xian claimed he was a lowly official and dared not pursue the matter further for fear of implicating more high-ranking officials.

Lai Mingcheng took the bait, vowing the Censorate would investigate all corrupt officials. That was exactly what Fan Xian had been waiting for. Chen Pingping brought out a registry of corrupt officials from various local governments and handed it to the Censorate for investigation. Qin Ye instructed the Imperial Inspectorate to continue gathering evidence. Chen Pingping claimed they lacked manpower and the web of corruption was deeply rooted, even involving royal princes.

He handed the registry to Qin Ye, who declined the responsibility. Chen Pingping then handed it to Lin Ruofu, who firmly refused as well. Lai Mingcheng volunteered to take the registry. Upon seeing Li Chengze’s name on it, he ignored his colleagues' attempts to stop him and insisted on a full investigation to cleanse the court and restore peace and order. Several officials stepped forward to support him.

Fan Xian praised Lai Mingcheng and even offered to take back the “mad barking dogs” scroll. Qing Di publicly announced that the Censorate was to investigate each name on the list. After court, Fan Xian waited for Lin Ruofu outside. Lin Ruofu realized that Fan Xian intended to use the Censorate to investigate Li Chengze and suspected those supportive officials were planted by Fan Xian. Lin Ruofu denied it outright.

Li Chengqian pretended to care for Li Chengze, but Li Chengze saw through it and responded sarcastically. Xin Qiwu secretly informed Li Chengqian that those officials who supported Lai Mingcheng were from his own faction. Li Chengqian had so many subordinates he didn’t know them all, but he realized someone had used his faction to manipulate the situation. Lin Ruofu urged Fan Xian to visit Lin Wan'er.

Since returning from Northern Qi, Fan Xian had been too busy to make time. Lin Ruofu suspected he had an affair with Haitang Duoduo, but Fan Xian firmly denied it and promised to visit Lin Wan'er that evening. Qing Di could tell that Fan Xian was targeting Li Chengze. After court, he kept Fan Jian and Chen Pingping behind, suspecting Chen Pingping was backing Fan Xian.

Chen Pingping denied it, and Fan Jian declared that even if Fan Xian made a grave mistake, he would help clean up the mess. Qing Di was furious, shocked that both of them supported Fan Xian so unwaveringly, and made it clear that he would not punish his own son, Li Chengze.

Qing Di had long realized that the person Fan Xian wanted to investigate was Li Chengze. Though he could not intervene directly, Chen Pingping and Fan Jian not only refrained from easing the conflict between the two youths, but also added fuel to the fire. Chen Pingping believed that Li Chengze had been influenced by sinister officials and that someone needed to stand up and eliminate these traitors.

He thought Fan Xian was the most suitable person to handle this matter. In a fit of anger, Qing Di stormed off, leaving Fan Jian and Chen Pingping behind. Fan Jian did not expect Li Chengqian to have his subordinates support Lai Mingcheng in court. Chen Pingping suspected that those people had been arranged by Lin Ruofu, who intentionally had Li Chengqian’s followers step forward to provoke conflict between Li Chengze and Li Chengqian. Fan Jian was greatly shocked.

Although Fan Xian had not publicly named Li Chengze as the target of his investigation, all the court officials had guessed it. Li Chengze could not swallow this humiliation and came to confront Fan Xian. The list of corrupt officials that Chen Pingping submitted were all under Li Chengze's command, and he suspected that Fan Xian had provided the list. Fan Xian feigned ignorance and played dumb.

Li Chengze took the initiative to propose a reconciliation with Fan Xian, but Fan Xian was not buying it. Xie Bi'an arrived with reinforcements to support Li Chengze, while Deng Ziyue led colleagues from the Imperial Inspectorate to back Fan Xian. Tension ran high. Li Chengze threatened that he had already sent men to pursue Fan Sizhe and would soon bring him back for punishment. Fan Xian ignored him. The more Li Chengze thought about it, the angrier he became.

He ordered Xie Bi'an to create a murder case at Baoyue House and to kill Fan Sizhe, making Fan Xian feel the pain of losing a loved one. Xie Bi'an took the order and began preparations. A torrential downpour began to fall. Yuan Meng had just left Baoyue House in the rain when three thugs stormed in and dragged Old Jin's daughter out, beating her to death at the door.

Lai Mingcheng was leading the Censorate officials in working overtime to investigate corruption when he suddenly received news that a courtesan from Baoyue House had been beaten to death in the street. The manager, Yuan Meng, had fled, leaving behind a letter stating that the actual owner of Baoyue House was Fan Sizhe. Lai Mingcheng immediately submitted a report to impeach Fan Xian and Fan Sizhe. Fan Xian rushed to Baoyue House upon hearing the news.

When he saw the tragic death of Miss Jin and read the letter left by Yuan Meng, he was filled with fury and guessed that Li Chengze was the mastermind behind it. Fan Xian ordered Deng Ziyue to pursue Yuan Meng. Prince Jing’s heir, Li Hongcheng, had a secret affair with Yuan Meng. Fearing that he would be implicated after hearing about the Baoyue House incident, he came to beg Fan Xian not to reveal their relationship.

He also swore that he would be devoted only to Fan Ruoruo. Fan Xian did not believe him at all and drove him away. When Qing Di heard about the tragic Baoyue House incident, he sought Li Chengqian’s opinion. Li Chengqian suspected that someone was framing Fan Xian. Qing Di casually mentioned that the officials who supported Lai Mingcheng in court that day were under his command.

Li Chengqian was so frightened he knelt and begged for forgiveness, claiming to have known nothing about it. Qing Di gave him a three-legged stool as a warning to be cautious in the future and told him to seek guidance from the Empress. Li Chengqian went to the Empress for help. She questioned Qing Di’s words in detail and scolded Li Chengqian for supporting Fan Xian. As the Crown Prince, he should have remained detached and uninvolved.

The Empress guessed that Lin Ruofu had ordered Li Chengqian's followers to support Lai Mingcheng in court and believed Qing Di had also realized this but simply chose not to say it outright. Since the Baoyue House murder, Fan Xian and Fan Jian used illness as an excuse to avoid court and refused to receive guests.

Lai Mingcheng suspected that they were trying to distance themselves from the crime and were deliberately avoiding people, but he could only sigh in frustration, unable to confront them directly. Li Chengze also noticed that Fan Jian and Fan Xian were feigning illness and had Xie Bi'an send a trusted imperial physician to examine them. Bored at home every day, Fan Xian made various desserts by hand.

Wang Qinian ate heartily and praised his cooking skills, while Deng Ziyue wrapped up some pastries to take home and enjoy later. Fan Xian noticed that Deng Ziyue was still suspicious and trying to confirm whether he was truly trustworthy. Fan Xian reassured him and reminded him that Chen Pingping also supported them. Still, Deng Ziyue remained cautious and tense. Imperial Physician Li arrived at the Fan residence. Fan Ruoruo rushed to inform Fan Xian.

Fan Xian was confident Fan Jian would not slip up. Seeing that the time was right, he had Deng Ziyue spread some rumors. Liu Ruyu deliberately greeted Imperial Physician Li loudly to signal Fan Jian, who quickly swallowed the poison Fan Xian had given him in advance and lay down pretending to be ill. The physician carefully examined Fan Jian and found signs of poisoning, advising Liu Ruyu to investigate the household thoroughly and find the poisoner.

He then went to examine Fan Xian, with Liu Ruyu leading the way and warning Fan Xian aloud. Fan Xian had already made thorough preparations. Pale-faced, he met Imperial Physician Li in a wheelchair and fainted from exhaustion. The physician diagnosed that Fan Xian had suffered severe internal injuries, causing a disruption in his vital energy. Fan Xian alternated between clarity and confusion, acting convincingly and successfully deceiving the physician.

The physician reported truthfully to Li Chengze about Fan Jian’s poisoning and Fan Xian’s serious injuries, but Li Chengze did not believe it. Deng Ziyue gathered many commoners to spread rumors about the affair between Baoyue House manager Yuan Meng and Li Hongcheng. The news quickly spread throughout the capital.

Fan Xian and Li Chengze face off. Imperial Physician Li diagnosed that Fan Jian was poisoned and that Fan Xian had suffered serious internal injuries. Li Chengze deduced that the poison came from Fan Xian, who was the prized pupil of poison expert Fei Jie. He suspected that Fan Xian was faking his injuries, but the physician was adamant. With decades of medical experience, he could not have made a mistake.

However, Li Chengze still couldn’t figure out who had injured Fan Xian so badly. After the physician left, Fan Xian had Fan Ruoruo deliver the antidote to Fan Jian. Though Fan Xian had faked illness in front of the physician, his body was indeed suffering. Ever since his return from Northern Qi, the domineering internal energy within him had become increasingly uncontrollable.

Moreover, he had yet to recover from the stab wound he had received from Yan Bingyun to fake his death. Wang Qinian advised Fan Xian not to act rashly again, lest his energy become chaotic and his martial arts be ruined. Fan Xian didn’t know how to properly regulate his internal energy. When Lin Wan’er heard that Fan Xian had suffered serious internal injuries, she couldn’t visit him personally and sent Ye Ling'er to check on him.

Ye Ling'er saw that Fan Xian looked perfectly fine and assumed he was faking his illness, so she returned to report to Lin Wan’er. Following Fan Xian’s instructions, Deng Ziyue had people in the capital spread rumors about the affair between Li Hongcheng and Yuan Meng. The gossip quickly filled the city. In official circles, rumors began that Fan Xian was engaging in factionalism, using the Censorate to attack Li Chengze. Hearing this, Fan Xian became cautious.

If these rumors spread unchecked, every official would feel endangered and view him and the Imperial Inspectorate as enemies. Fan Xian instructed Deng Ziyue to spread information among the commoners, while Li Chengze had rumors about Fan Xian circulated in official circles. The two clashed openly and secretly, unwilling to yield. After careful consideration, Li Chengze decided to target Lin Wan’er. Ye Ling'er happened to be at the royal villa. When she saw Li Chengze, her anger flared.

She didn’t want to marry him but didn’t dare defy the imperial edict, fearing not only for her life but also for her family’s safety. She rushed at Li Chengze in fury but was restrained by guards. Growing more frustrated, she sat in the courtyard sharpening a knife. Fan Xian, after weighing the situation, decided to first build a good reputation in the officialdom to dispel the wariness of the officials. He immediately went to discuss marriage with Lin Wan’er.

Upon arriving at the royal villa, he saw Ye Ling'er sharpening a knife. After learning that Li Chengze was inside, he chatted with her. Realizing she only talked about killing Li Chengze but didn’t dare act, he gave her a bottle of deadly poison and told her to seize the opportunity to poison Li Chengze. Although Ye Ling'er didn’t want to kill anyone, she couldn’t avoid Li Chengze and followed Fan Xian into the room.

Li Chengze claimed he was there to clarify that Baoyue House was Fan Sizhe’s business and had nothing to do with Fan Xian. Then he suddenly changed his tone and spoke ill of Fan Xian in front of Lin Wan’er. Hearing this from outside, Fan Xian picked up a chair and hurled it into the room. Li Chengze narrowly avoided being hit, breaking into a cold sweat as he looked at the shattered chair.

Wang Qinian was waiting for Fan Xian at the villa gate when he saw the Grand Princess of Northern Qi riding a mule to visit Lin Wan’er. The mule went wild, and the princess screamed as it bolted with her on its back. Wang Qinian couldn’t help but laugh. Li Chengru and the princess had come to visit Lin Wan’er, but seeing the mule run off, he hurriedly chased after her.

Li Chengru immediately recognized Wang Qinian as Fan Xian’s confidant and remembered the warhorses he and Gao Da had gotten killed. Furious, Li Chengru confronted him. Wang Qinian nervously smiled and blamed Gao Da alone. Since Li Chengru was busy chasing after the princess, he pressed Wang Qinian for his name. Wang Qinian lied that he was Deng Ziyue and repeated it several times so Li Chengru would remember. Lin Wan’er hosted a banquet for Li Chengze.

Ye Ling'er and Fan Xian ate together. Lin Wan’er and Fan Xian, having not seen each other for a long time, expressed their longing affectionately. Lin Wan’er noticed that Fan Xian had lost weight and expressed concern. Fan Xian admitted he was pretending to be sick and urged her not to worry. Ye Ling'er drank in silence.

Li Chengze, unwilling to watch their loving display, tried to leave, but Fan Xian stopped him, demanding an explanation for the murder of Miss Jin at Baoyue House. Li Chengze claimed ignorance and suggested Fan Xian convince Fan Sizhe to turn himself in. Suppressing his grief, Fan Xian toasted Li Chengze and took the opportunity to drug his wine, vowing to seek justice for the innocent. Li Chengru brought the Grand Princess of Northern Qi to visit Lin Wan’er.

When a gust of wind messed up her hair, he helped fix it. She blushed deeply. Realizing his impropriety, Li Chengru apologized profusely and even offered to swear a blood oath. The princess was amused by his straightforwardness and burst out laughing. Li Chengru and the princess sat down to eat. Though a prince, Li Chengru had led troops in battle since childhood and didn’t eat as elegantly as Fan Xian or Li Chengze.

He ate meat in large bites and drank in big gulps. The princess cheerfully recounted how she had just bought a warhorse to repay Li Chengru. Ye Ling'er, emboldened by alcohol, announced that she wanted to call off the engagement with Li Chengze, who flatly refused. Coincidentally, all three couples present had received imperial marriage decrees from Qing Di. Li Chengru had once considered fleeing the engagement, but seeing how kind and lovable the princess was, he gave up the idea.

Fan Xian felt fortunate that the woman Qing Di had chosen for him was Lin Wan’er, the one he loved. Ye Ling'er did not dare to flee marriage, fearing it would implicate her family. Fan Xian advised her to escape to Northern Qi or Danzhou.

Li Chengze intentionally brought up rumors of Fan Xian’s romantic entanglement in Northern Qi, but the Grand Princess stepped in to clarify that Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo were merely like-minded friends, with no romantic involvement. Lin Wan’er’s expression changed instantly, but she refrained from reacting in public. Fan Xian feared the Grand Princess would make things worse and quickly interrupted her, using the excuse of checking out the new horse to lead her away.

The princess said she had come on behalf of the Northern Qi Empress to help Fan Xian deal with Li Chengze and was planning to send a pigeon message back for evidence of Li Chengze’s smuggling. Fan Xian stopped her, afraid she might reveal more secrets. He discovered that she had bought a mule instead of a horse, and she teased Li Chengru for being duped. Lin Wan’er had already seen through Li Chengze’s intentions.

When Qing Di arranged their marriage, he had also agreed to let Fan Xian take over the treasury. Li Chengze’s attempt to sow discord was aimed at breaking their engagement and preventing Fan Xian from gaining power. Seeing that his plan had been exposed, Li Chengze refused to admit it. Lin Wan’er made it clear that her engagement with Fan Xian would not change. Li Chengze stood up to leave. Fan Xian lied, claiming he had poisoned Li Chengze’s wine.

Li Chengze was terrified. Fan Xian then handed him an antidote and left with Lin Wan’er. The Grand Princess, having enjoyed the drama, left with Li Chengru. Li Chengze, unsure whether to take the pill, turned to Li Chengru for help. Li Chengru advised him to give in to Fan Xian. Li Chengze, holding the medicine, was indecisive. Ye Ling 'er suspected that this one was the poison, which made Li Chengze tremble even more.

Li Chengze ignored Ye Ling'er’s objections and directly swallowed the antidote Fan Xian gave him. Worried that he might be poisoned, he asked Ye Ling'er to escort him back home so she could collect his body in time if needed. Chen Pingping was concerned about Fan Xian’s injuries and wanted to see him. Wang Qinian drove the carriage, taking Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er to Chen Pingping’s residence in the suburbs—Chen Garden.

Along the way, Lin Wan'er kept silent out of anger, and Fan Xian tried hard to make conversation to ease the awkwardness. It wasn’t until he mentioned Chen Pingping that Lin Wan'er finally spoke. Fan Xian repeatedly explained that the rumors spread by Li Chengze about him and Haitang Duoduo were entirely false and even asked Wang Qinian to testify on his behalf. Lin Wan'er read aloud the poem about Haitang, and Fan Xian explained that he had copied it.

Lin Wan'er didn’t believe him at all. When Fan Xian was escorting Shawn to Northern Qi, Haitang, under her teacher Ku He’s orders, came to assassinate Shawn. In a desperate moment, Fan Xian recited the poem purely to save his own life. Lin Wan'er wouldn't let it go and brought up how Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo had danced together at the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet. Fan Xian swore it was just an act during a martial arts competition.

Lin Wan'er then asked him to write her a poem, putting Fan Xian in a difficult position—he had copied all his previous poems, but he had to write this one himself. Fan Xian took the opportunity to act cute in front of Lin Wan'er, making her laugh and cry in exasperation. Chen Pingping lived in the remote Chen Garden, a paradise-like place with extraordinary scenery.

As soon as Fan Xian entered, he saw many beautiful young women playing and laughing in the garden. Both Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er were startled by the sight—this place seemed to gather all the beautiful girls in the world, their laughter echoing throughout Chen Garden. A group of women in red danced gracefully in the garden. Chen Pingping reclined on a soft couch, enjoying the performance.

A young soldier accompanied him, occasionally stretching his sore back from sitting too long. From Lin Wan'er, Fan Xian learned that the man was Qin Heng, son of Qin Ye. The Qin family had led troops for generations, and Qin Heng was destined to become a pillar of the military. Qin Heng nodded politely to Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er.

Since Chen Pingping was enjoying the show, Fan Xian didn’t want to disturb him and sat with Lin Wan'er in a nearby pavilion. After the performance, an old man came onstage with a pipa and sang the poem Fan Xian had recited at the poetry gathering at Prince Jing’s mansion. Qin Heng approached to greet Fan Xian. Seeing this, Chen Pingping quickly called Lin Wan'er over, leaving Qin Heng to speak with Fan Xian himself.

Fan Xian mentioned seeing Qin Ye dozing off in the grand hall. Qin Heng revealed that Qin Ye couldn’t sleep at home and only attended court to catch up on sleep, which Fan Xian found amusing. After the song, the old man left, leaving Chen Pingping wanting more, but since he never forced the old man, he invited Lin Wan'er to join him for tea in his room. Ye Ling'er escorted Li Chengze back home.

Having survived after taking the antidote, Li Chengze felt mixed emotions and began to harbor suspicions about Fan Xian. Qin Heng explained his visit—though the Qin family had ties to Li Chengze, they never participated in the power struggles among the princes. He begged Fan Xian not to implicate the Qin family. Fan Xian promised that as long as the Qin family was not corrupt, they wouldn’t be harmed, which reassured Qin Heng.

Fan Xian had intended to use Li Chengze to thoroughly investigate corruption among court officials, but unexpectedly, it caused widespread panic among the ministers. He honestly shared his concerns with Chen Pingping. Chen Pingping told him to start by eliminating himself, a major corrupt figure, then gave Fan Xian a wheelchair so he could continue feigning illness, and gifted Lin Wan'er a box of priceless jewels.

After days of secret investigation, Deng Ziyue finally identified the three assailants involved in the incident at Baoyue Brothel and had them all arrested. He then sent someone to inform Chen Pingping. Fan Xian vowed to seek justice for the deceased Lao Jintou and Miss Jin. Chen Pingping was eager to know if Fan Xian had poisoned Li Chengze. Fan Xian originally intended to, but Ye Ling'er’s words changed his mind.

He decided instead to use the laws of Qing to punish Li Chengze and bring peace to the people, fulfilling Ye Qingmei’s wish etched in stone. Fan Xian wanted to honor her last wish. Fan Xian hurried back, only to find that the three assailants claimed he was the mastermind behind the attack. Fan Xian suspected they were Li Chengze’s trained death soldiers, deliberately getting caught to frame him.

The Capital Magistrate’s Office sent people to take the three into custody, and they named Fan Xian as the ringleader. Li Chengze, closely connected with the Magistrate’s Office, didn’t want to arouse suspicion, so he had the three transferred to the Ministry of Justice. Lin Ruofu, upon hearing the news, became worried for Fan Xian and summoned him home. Dabao was overjoyed to see Fan Xian again.

Lin Ruofu suggested Fan Xian shift the blame to Fan Sizhe, but Fan Xian firmly refused. If he sacrificed Fan Sizhe now to save himself, how could he protect Dabao in the future? Lin Ruofu didn’t press the issue. Fan Xian had already figured out a strategy—he discovered that the three assailants were all murderers with blood on their hands. As soon as the Ministry of Justice took the three suspects out of the capital, they were silenced.

The ministry’s men managed to capture only one—Li Chengze’s retainer, Fan Wujiao. When Li Chengze heard this, he was dumbfounded. Ye Ling'er suspected Li Chengze had not only framed Fan Xian but also murdered the three to cover his tracks.

Just as Fan Xian arranged for Fan Sizhe to escape to Northern Qi, Li Chengze sent Fan Wujiao to secretly follow him, planning to capture him later. Though Fan Wujiao was not a ninth-rank expert, he was still a top-level fighter. Before he could make a move, he was knocked out on the spot by the superior ninth-rank master Haitang Duoduo. The Imperial Inspectorate brought Fan Wujiao back to the capital.

Li Chengze had arranged for three death soldiers to kill Miss Jin at Baoyue Brothel, deliberately leaving clues to get caught and falsely accuse Fan Xian of being the mastermind. He hoped this case would completely destroy Fan Xian and Fan Sizhe. Unexpectedly, he fell into Fan Xian’s trap. Fan Xian played the Fan Wujiao card and forced Li Chengze into a desperate position.

Li Chengze dared not admit that he sent Fan Wujiao to pursue Fan Sizhe, nor that he ordered the death of the three soldiers to silence them. This round ended in a crushing defeat for Li Chengze. Lin Ruofu had long harbored suspicions about Fan Xian’s relationship with Haitang Duoduo. When Fan Xian had her capture Fan Wujiao, Lin Ruofu was both impressed by Fan Xian’s precise planning and increasingly uneasy, unsure about entrusting Lin Wan'er to him.

Fan Xian repeatedly explained that he and Haitang Duoduo were merely allies with no emotional entanglement. Only then did Lin Ruofu feel slightly reassured. Xie Bian visited the prison that night to see Fan Wujiao, warning him not to implicate Li Chengze. Fan Wujiao knew he was doomed and regretted only that he couldn’t take part in the upcoming civil exam. He didn’t want to give up on his studies.

Anticipating this, Li Chengze had Xie Bian bring him a book. Haitang Duoduo escorted Fan Sizhe to the Northern Qi capital. Fan Sizhe witnessed her unmatched martial arts skills and shamelessly tried to flatter her, even calling her “sister-in-law,” which enraged Haitang Duoduo, prompting her to give him a severe beating. Terrified, Fan Sizhe immediately shut up. Haitang Duoduo took him to an oil shop that served as Fan Xian’s intelligence outpost in Northern Qi.

Guo Baokun was on duty there and shamelessly boasted to Fan Sizhe about his contributions to the spy network. Fan Sizhe was uninterested and just wanted to take over the shop quickly. Guo Baokun eagerly asked when Fan Xian would rescue his imprisoned father, but Fan Sizhe knew nothing about it and told him to ask Fan Xian himself. Guo Baokun and Fan Sizhe packed up early the next morning and quietly left the capital in a carriage.

Northern Qi spies reported this to Langtao, who instructed Haitang Duoduo to send people to follow them secretly. The young emperor of Northern Qi, Zhan Doudou, was obsessed with Dream of the Red Chamber. She asked Haitang Duoduo to write to Fan Xian urging him to update his work, eager to read more. Haitang Duoduo was annoyed, and Fan Sizhe suspected she had feelings for Fan Xian—even Zhan Doudou misunderstood their relationship.

Fan Wujiao took all the blame upon himself, insisting he had no ties to Li Chengze. He revealed that Li Hongcheng and Yuan Meng were old acquaintances and that after Yuan Meng took over Baoyue Brothel, he had secretly signed several indenture contracts on her behalf without telling Li Chengze. When the matter was discovered, he hired killers, and when the assassins were caught, he silenced them and framed Fan Xian.

The Imperial Censorate received Fan Wujiao’s testimony and began separate investigations, but lacked solid evidence. Lai Mingcheng personally visited Fan Xian, asking to borrow files from the Imperial Inspectorate’s First Division. He brought red dates to help Fan Xian recover. Fan Xian agreed to cooperate and allowed him to consult the files. Seeing the luxurious Fan residence, Lai Mingcheng suspected Fan Jian and Fan Xian of corruption and decided to report them to Qing Di after finishing his research.

Fan Xian was both amused and impressed by Lai’s integrity. Two days later, Lai Mingcheng submitted a memorial accusing Fan Jian and Fan Xian of corruption. Civil and military officials gathered to watch the drama unfold. Qing Di summoned them all to the Imperial Study, where Fan Xian publicly accused Chen Pingping of corruption, presenting the priceless treasures Chen Pingping had given Lin Wan'er as evidence.

Chen Pingping faced Fan Xian’s accusations with composure. He stated that the jewelry he gave to Lin Wan'er and Fan Xian was all bestowed by Qing Di. Fan Xian exposed that Chen Pingping used money from embezzlement and bribery to make Chen Garden extravagantly luxurious, filled with rare treasures. Chen Pingping explained that the garden was not his private property but belonged to the royal family of Qing Kingdom; he merely had the right to use it.

Qing Di rejected Fan Xian’s accusations against Chen Pingping. Lai Mingcheng listed the crimes of Fan Jian and Fan Xian one by one. He accused the Fan family of opening a brothel privately, which was inappropriate, and claimed Fan Jian had failed in raising his son, tarnishing his official reputation. Qing Di heard that someone was beaten to death in the Bao Yue Brothel.

Lai Mingcheng found that Li Chengze was involved and wanted to report the issues one by one. Fan Jian admitted his failure in teaching his son. While it was improper for Fan Sizhe to open the brothel, it did not violate the law. He had already ordered Fan Sizhe to shut it down and sent him to a bitter and desolate place for reformation.

Lai Mingcheng insisted on a severe punishment for Fan Sizhe and demanded demotion and harsh rebukes for both Fan Jian and Fan Xian. Qing Di sought Lin Ruofu’s opinion. Lin Ruofu advised investigating the murder case at Bao Yue Brothel first, then holding Fan Jian accountable for poor family discipline. Qin Ye supported Lin Ruofu’s proposal. Lai Mingcheng accused Li Chengze of ordering Fan Wujiu to kill and silence a witness.

Li Chengze quickly knelt and confessed, claiming he was deceived by Fan Wujiu and that all the crimes were solely committed by Fan Wujiu. Lai Mingcheng discovered that fifteen court officials had large sums of money of unknown origin and were closely tied to Li Chengze. He pleaded with Qing Di to thoroughly investigate the smuggling involving Li Yunrui and Li Chengze.

The entire court was in an uproar at this news, but Qing Di refused the request on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Lai Mingcheng then asked for a retrial of Fan Wujiu. Meanwhile, Fan Wujiu opened the hidden compartment of the book Li Chengze had sent him, finding a packet of poison inside. Realizing everything, he took the poison and committed suicide on the spot.

Li Chengze agreed to the retrial of Fan Wujiu and instructed the Fan family to take responsibility for the girls and miscellaneous people at Bao Yue Brothel. Fan Xian readily agreed. Qing Di decreed that Li Chengze would be confined for six months and that Fan Jian and Fan Xian would forfeit six months of salary as a warning to others. Lai Mingcheng believed the punishment was too lenient and insisted on demotion for Fan Jian and Fan Xian.

Qing Di advised him not to be overly persistent. Lai Mingcheng then impeached the entire Imperial Inspectorate for having unclear laws and excessive power, proposing to distribute their dossiers to the Six Ministries and have Chen Pingping retire. The civil and military officials were all stunned. Qing Di, citing fatigue, rose to leave. Lai Mingcheng knelt and declared that he would impeach Qing Di himself, stating, “If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beams will be crooked.

” The officials rebuked Lai Mingcheng fiercely, prompting Qing Di to fly into a rage. Lai Mingcheng remained defiant and was beaten by the officials. Li Chengqian pinched his thigh hard, cried in pain, and berated Lai Mingcheng for not understanding Qing Di, loudly praising Qing Di’s virtues. Xin Qiwu also wept for Qing Di’s injustice. Fan Xian and Fan Jian spoke in Lai Mingcheng’s defense.

Qin Ye and Lin Ruofu believed Lai Mingcheng was also acting for the good of the country and pleaded with Qing Di for leniency. Qing Di, gritting his teeth, praised Lai Mingcheng’s actions and said he would reward him. Chen Pingping suggested giving the box of jewelry to Lai Mingcheng. On Qing Di’s order, Lai Mingcheng was beaten to death. Fan Xian pleaded for him, but Qing Di ordered Fan Xian to oversee the execution.

The heavens were enraged by Qing Di’s unjust verdict. Thunder and lightning erupted, and a torrential rain began. Fan Xian, now the execution supervisor, ran through the rain to the outskirts of the imperial city. Seeing Lai Mingcheng beaten and bloody, he couldn’t bear to watch him die unjustly. He wanted to plead with Qing Di, but it was too late—Lai Mingcheng had been beaten to death. Fan Xian returned home in silence.

As his carriage passed the Imperial Inspectorate, Chen Pingping was waiting at the gate. Fan Xian didn’t want to see anyone and ordered Wang Qinian to speed up. The Shadow forcibly stopped the carriage and brought Fan Xian to see Chen Pingping. Chen Pingping took Fan Xian to a secret room—the command center of the Imperial Inspectorate. Through hidden mechanisms, Chen Pingping issued orders to the divisions.

Fan Xian then learned that this room and its devices were left behind by his mother, Ye Qingmei. Fan Xian was bewildered and couldn’t understand why Qing Di had Lai Mingcheng, who was wholeheartedly loyal to the country, beaten to death. Chen Pingping explained that Lai Mingcheng had touched Qing Di’s reverse scale. The Imperial Inspectorate was independent of the Six Ministries and answered only to Qing Di.

Lai Mingcheng accessed their files to investigate the smuggling case, which undermined Qing Di’s authority. After Fan Xian took over the Inspectorate, the censors from the Censorate would treat him as an enemy. Fan Xian felt a chill and, for the first time, saw Qing Di’s cruelty and ruthlessness. He couldn’t help but recall the tragic death of his mother, Ye Qingmei. Chen Pingping advised him to tread carefully from now on. Fan Ruoruo was intelligent and studious.

Not only did she read extensively, but she also taught herself medicine. Fan Xian, feeling distressed, went to confide in her. She comforted him and vowed to protect him. Fan Xian began teaching her anatomy by dissecting a duck. Deng Ziyue, under Fan Xian’s orders, burned all the indenture contracts of the brothel girls, giving them the freedom to choose whether to stay or leave. Those who stayed would only perform and no longer sell their bodies. The girls cheered with joy. Sang Wen wished to stay at the brothel, and the others also asked to remain.

Third Prince Li Chengping and Fan Sizhe, cousins, jointly opened Bao Yue Brothel, attracting many sons of nobles and officials in the capital for entertainment. After a death occurred at the brothel, Fan Xian, furious, shut it down. Lai Mingcheng from the Censorate investigated thoroughly and confirmed that Li Chengze was the mastermind behind the murder. Qing Di punished Li Chengze with six months of confinement. Li Chengze deliberately dumped the mess of the brothel on Fan Xian.

After taking over the brothel, Fan Xian reformed it entirely, burned all the girls’ indenture contracts, and made sure they only performed arts and were no longer subject to sexual exploitation. Their rights and safety were protected, and they all chose to stay. The sons of nobles cornered Fan Xian, demanding he return the brothel to Li Chengping, and insulted him before resorting to violence. Wang Qinian advised Fan Xian not to provoke them, as their fathers were powerful officials.

Fan Xian suspected these young men were instigated by Li Chengze to stir trouble and drive a wedge between him and Li Chengping. Effortlessly, he knocked the pampered noble sons to the ground. Deng Ziyue arrived upon hearing the commotion and detained them all. Li Chengze was secretly pleased upon hearing this and wanted to push Fan Xian into ruin. However, since he was confined, he sent Xie Bian to summon Ye Ling'er.

Li Chengze didn’t want anyone overhearing their conversation, so he waited for Ye Ling'er on the rooftop and poured out his heart. He never intended to oppose Fan Xian—it was Qing Di who forced him into this position. Qing Di treated him as a whetstone for Crown Prince Li Chengqian, granting him endless favor, giving him a mansion outside the palace, and letting him build connections with officials. As his power grew, so did his ambition.

Though he knew the fight for the throne was a path of no return, he could no longer back out. Ye Ling'er was surprised by the sorrow and helplessness in his heart and felt sympathy for him. Li Chengze asked Ye Ling'er to deliver a memorial to Qing Di, recommending Fan Xian as an examiner for the upcoming Spring Imperial Examination.

During these exams, candidates tried every means to curry favor with officials, who in turn used the opportunity to expand their influence through bribery. Li Chengze deliberately handed this “hot potato” to Fan Xian, hoping to catch him committing corruption and destroy him. Fan Xian, fearing that the nobles’ fathers might complain to Qing Di, rushed to seek help from Imperial Consort Yi. Upon learning that Li Chengping secretly opened a brothel, she gave him a severe beating.

Only after that did Fan Xian plead for mercy and reveal everything Li Chengze had done. Imperial Consort Yi then realized that Li Chengze had framed Fan Sizhe and Li Chengping using the brothel and asked Fan Xian to properly discipline Li Chengping. Chen Pingping, fearing the nobles’ fathers would complain to the Imperial Inspectorate, went to the palace to lay low. He told Qing Di about the beating of Li Chengping.

Qing Di was infuriated that Chen Pingping knew the palace affairs before he did and began to worry about the Inspectorate’s power. Chen Pingping could only laugh and smooth things over. Ye Ling'er, representing the Ye family and Li Chengze, jointly recommended Fan Xian for the examiner role. Qing Di received the memorial and first consulted Chen Pingping. Knowing the significance of the Spring Exams, Chen Pingping did not give a clear stance and deliberately diverted the topic.

Qing Di conducted an explosives experiment, accidentally blowing up his own face. Chen Pingping couldn’t help but laugh. For years, Qing Di had been developing indestructible armor and explosive weapons, haunted by the memory of Ye Qingmei using a sniper rifle to kill two princes and helping him ascend the throne. Since her death, the whereabouts of the sniper rifle remained unknown, which was his greatest concern. He was determined to develop a weapon that could counter it.

Just as Fan Xian was about to leave the palace, Eunuch Hou summoned him. Qing Di appointed him as a fourth-rank Central Gentleman, fully in charge of this Spring Imperial Examination. Fan Ruoruo, studying medicine under Fan Xian, was gifted, bold, and meticulous. She quickly mastered dissection and stitching, becoming even more skilled than Fan Xian, who admired her greatly. Fan Xian visited Lin Wan'er late at night.

She heard about his fight with the noble sons and advised him not to take it to heart, offering to apologize on his behalf. Fan Xian was deeply moved. Lin Wan'er knew that Li Chengze had sent those young men, hoping Fan Xian would think his revenge stopped there. In reality, the Spring Exam was his true weapon for revenge. The Spring Exams were a grand event for scholars across the land.

They studied for years in hardship, hoping to transform into dragons and rise through the ranks. Lin Wan'er warned Fan Xian to be cautious and not fall into Li Chengze’s trap. If Fan Xian lost, she was willing to travel the world with him. Fan Xian had already prepared for everything and was waiting for Li Chengze to strike. Lin Wan'er wanted to give him a handkerchief she embroidered herself for their wedding.

Though clumsy at needlework, she sewed the mandarin ducks to look like teal ducks. Fan Xian, touched by her love, promised to take her to see the world’s beauty after they married. Lin Wan'er was overjoyed. As the Spring Exams approached, scholars gathered in the capital. Inns were overcrowded. Candidate Shi Chanli, after much effort, found a room shared with three others, but he had spent all his money.

The innkeeper verified his identity and introduced a way for him to earn money. He Zongwei, hoping to succeed in the exams, personally went to Fan Xian and asked to be his student. Fan Xian remembered He Zongwei once helped Guo Baokun sue him and was frightened, quickly fleeing. He Zongwei knelt and begged, claiming he was forced by the Guo family. Wang Qinian reported on Shi Chanli, the sole survivor of Shijia Town.

It was an important smuggling route for Li Yunrui and Li Chengze. Li Chengqian had the town burned and blamed Li Chengze, trying to deepen the enmity between him and Fan Xian. Fan Xian knew nothing and believed Li Chengze had ordered the massacre. Hearing that Shi Chanli was the only survivor, Xie Bian wanted to kill him to silence him, but Li Chengze firmly refused. He hadn’t ordered the massacre and also wanted to find out who destroyed the town.

Wang Qinian, upon hearing that Shi Chanli was staying at the Tongfu Inn, sent Deng Ziyue with others to protect Shi Chanli, fearing someone might try to silence him. He Zongwei knelt at the Fan residence, refusing to get up, begging Fan Xian to take him as a disciple, but was rejected. Shamelessly, he insisted on recognizing Fan Xian as his godfather, just to gain fame in the upcoming Spring Examination.

Disgusted by his obsequious behavior, Fan Xian forcibly drove him away. Fan Xian took Wang Qinian to the Tongfu Inn to find Shi Chanli. Deng Ziyue reported Shi Chanli’s every move in detail and had even investigated the other three examinees sharing the room—Yang Wanli, Cheng Jialin, and Hou Jichang. The four of them were now building walls at the Examination Institute.

Curious about the wall construction, Fan Xian took Wang Qinian and Deng Ziyue to see what was going on. Guo Zheng, the Minister of Rites, had assigned the renovation of the courtyard walls to the examinees, wanting the poor candidates to earn some money. He even supervised the work personally, striking various poses with lumber for a painter to sketch him. Pretending to be an examinee, Fan Xian joined the construction.

He greeted Shi Chanli, who introduced Hou Jichang to him and revealed that the new bricks were of poor quality, inferior to the old ones. Yang Wanli wanted to report the substandard materials, but Hou Jichang urged him to consider the bigger picture and not ruin his future over this. Yang Wanli had no choice but to carry on working. Hou Jichang and Shi Chanli told Fan Xian that all the examinees working here were registered.

They hoped to leave a good impression on Guo Zheng, which might earn their papers priority in the grading process. Hou Jichang even exposed the corruption of the Spring Examination—high-ranking officials, the palace, and the Imperial Academy each recommended their favorite students. Examinees with money and influence pulled strings to become protégés of these figures, while literary elites were also given preferential treatment. The number of spots left for the thousands of ordinary candidates was very limited.

The Spring Examination had become a mere formality, and the majority of candidates were just filler. Learning the inside story from Hou Jichang, Yang Wanli, and Shi Chanli, Fan Xian went straight to Guo Zheng to question the issue of inferior bricks. Guo Zheng claimed he was an honest official who hadn’t embezzled a penny. All the replaced wood and stone materials had been documented and stored in the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse.

He only wanted to use the renovation to gain some merit. As for the examinees working today, they were trying to take shortcuts and had no chance of succeeding in the exams. Fan Xian wanted to ensure fair competition for every candidate and burned the list of those working on the site. This year, a large number of examinees came to the capital for the Spring Examination.

The inns couldn’t accommodate them all, so many had to sit along the streets, studying diligently. Seeing this pained Fan Xian. No matter how hard these examinees tried, it was all in vain—they were just sacrifices to the system. Li Chengze ordered Xie Bian to send someone to follow Fan Xian.

Learning that he had gone to the inn to find Shi Chanli and then visited the examination site, and found nothing suspicious, Li Chengze still remained cautious and had Xie Bian arrange for someone to monitor Shi Chanli. Officials in the court sent their trusted aides to bring gifts and lists of examinees to Fan Xian, asking him to look after their protégés. Gift boxes blocked the gate of the Fan residence, and more people continued arriving.

The household staff was overwhelmed. Seeing this from a distance, Fan Xian and Wang Qinian got out of their carriage midway. Fan Xian immediately recognized Xin Qiwu, who came in plain clothes to deliver a list. Not wanting to be seen, Fan Xian quickly pulled Wang Qinian aside to hide. Fan Jian guessed the intentions of those officials and ignored them. Left with no choice, the officials deposited their gifts and lists before leaving.

Li Chengqian entered the Fan residence through the back door with lavish gifts. Fan Xian wasn’t home, but Li Chengqian became very interested in the waterwheel Fan Xian had developed and squatted down to tinker with it, accidentally breaking it apart. Fan Xian returned just in time. Li Chengqian took out a list of protégés and asked Fan Xian to give them special treatment during the exam.

Later, Lin Ruofu sent someone to summon Fan Xian to pluck his beard and pick red berries for Dabao. Fan Xian was puzzled by these requests. Lin Ruofu warned Fan Xian to be cautious during the Spring Examination or face dire consequences. He too had received many examinee lists from civil and military officials and had strategist Yuan Hongdao rigorously filter them, finally selecting a few outstanding candidates for Fan Xian to give extra attention.

Lin Ruofu handed the carefully selected list of examinees to Fan Xian, asking him to provide special treatment. Fan Xian strongly resisted, wanting to give all candidates a fair chance to succeed through merit. Lin Ruofu advised him not to stand out, lest he become a target. If he simply followed the usual unwritten rules of the Spring Examination and ensured the recommended candidates succeeded, his future would be boundless.

Knowing Fan Xian disdained Guo Zheng, Lin Ruofu urged him to learn from Guo Zheng. After former Minister Guo Youzhi was arrested, Guo Zheng emerged from among many censors to become the acting Minister of Rites. Lin Ruofu advised Fan Xian to assess the situation carefully and explained the hidden rules of officialdom. Though Fan Xian knew Lin Ruofu meant well, he was repulsed by the political games.

Li Chengze also had several loyal examinees, but he wasn’t ready to hand them over to Fan Xian. He planned to set a trap during the Spring Examination. If Fan Xian followed precedent and engaged in corruption, Li Chengze would impeach him, bringing about his downfall. Fan Xian was caught in a dilemma. He didn’t want to accept the lists from Li Chengqian or Lin Ruofu, but he had no choice. To defeat Li Chengze, he needed their support.

Moreover, he was to marry Lin Wan'er after the examination—Lin Ruofu was his future father-in-law, and he couldn’t let down his family. Fan Xian poured out his frustrations to Wang Qinian, who didn’t know how to comfort him. Fan Xian didn’t want to be complicit in corruption, but couldn’t offend Lin Ruofu and Li Chengqian. That night, he went to the inn to visit Shi Chanli and others.

He saw Yang Wanli eating cold buns at the restaurant entrance, studying under the dim light. Feeling deeply moved, Fan Xian bought him some meat and vegetables. Yang Wanli hadn’t eaten a proper meal in a long time, let alone meat. As he feasted, he opened up about his grand ambitions. Touched, Fan Xian rushed to the Imperial Inspectorate to reflect once more on the inscription left behind by his mother, Ye Qingmei.

Shi Chanli had run out of money and had to wash dishes at the restaurant to make ends meet. Carrying a lantern, Fan Xian read the inscription outside the Imperial Inspectorate again, thinking of the ambitious examinees participating in the Spring Examination. He wanted to fulfill his mother’s dream of changing the world, but knew he couldn’t do it alone. Chen Pingping arrived and encouraged Fan Xian to follow his heart, giving him a boost of confidence.

Fan Xian decided to visit Qing Di that night for support. Although ministers weren’t allowed into the palace at night, Chen Pingping, despite knowing Fan Xian was inviting trouble, supported him wholeheartedly. Even if Fan Xian made an irreparable mistake, Chen Pingping would still help him. Qing Di agreed to receive Fan Xian. Eunuch Hou escorted him into the palace but was stopped by Deputy Commander Gong Dian of the imperial guards.

Only after confirming that Qing Di had granted permission did Gong Dian let him through. Fan Xian had heard that Qing Di had been injured during a failed gunpowder experiment, so he brought burn medicine and a calming tonic. Qing Di knew he wouldn’t come so late just out of concern, so Fan Xian confessed everything—how officials had given him lists of names hoping he would cheat in the exams.

Fan Xian wanted to make the examination fair, but felt powerless, and came seeking Qing Di’s support. Qing Di agreed to shield him and even asked Fan Xian to apply the ointment. Gong Dian immediately reported Fan Xian’s late-night visit to Li Chengze. As they spoke privately, no one knew what was said. Unable to guess, Li Chengze told Xie Bian to instruct Gong Dian not to inquire further, lest their identities be exposed.

With Qing Di’s backing, Fan Xian returned the list to Li Chengqian, refusing to help his protégés. Li Chengqian had no choice but to tear up the list on the spot. Qin Heng approached Fan Xian with a list of examinees, also seeking special treatment, but was flatly rejected. Fan Xian returned Lin Ruofu’s list untouched.

Lin Ruofu warned him not to be too stubborn, as it could provoke widespread anger, and Qing Di wouldn’t protect him if he offended all the officials. But Fan Xian only wanted this Spring Examination to be fair and just—he wasn’t thinking about the consequences. Infuriated, Lin Ruofu scolded Fan Xian harshly and threatened not to let Lin Wan'er marry him.

Fan Xian hurried to appease him with a smile, insisting that he only wanted to give all examinees a fair chance to change their fate. Moved by Fan Xian’s sincerity, Lin Ruofu agreed to support him this time and suggested he consult Guo Zheng about the rules and taboos of the Spring Examination to avoid any oversight. Fan Xian visited Guo Zheng for guidance. Guo Zheng gave him a compiled manual of the exam regulations and shared some insider advice.

Fan Xian felt grateful. Meanwhile, Xie Bian, acting on Li Chengze’s orders, came to see Guo Zheng. He hid to eavesdrop on Guo Zheng and Fan Xian’s conversation. After Fan Xian left, he revealed himself. Li Chengze held evidence of Guo Zheng’s past misconduct in previous exams and promised to destroy it if Guo Zheng helped ruin Fan Xian in this year’s exam. Guo Zheng assured him that he would make Fan Xian commit an unforgivable error in the exam.

Only then did Xie Bian return, reassured. Fan Sizhe and Guo Baokun rushed back from Northern Qi to Southern Qing’s capital. As soon as Fan Sizhe saw Fan Xian, he eagerly recounted their journey evading spies. Wang Qinian pulled Fan Sizhe aside. Guo Baokun handed Fan Xian a diary of his time undercover in Northern Qi. Fan Xian, worried about discrepancies in Guo Zheng’s exam regulations, planned to consult former Minister Guo Youzhi, now imprisoned, about exam taboos.

Fearing Guo Youzhi wouldn’t trust him, he decided to bring Guo Baokun to the prison. Guo Baokun pleaded with Fan Xian to rescue his father quickly. However, since Guo Youzhi had committed serious crimes like factionalism and abuse of power, Fan Xian couldn’t free him directly. He planned to first transfer him to the Imperial Inspectorate prison and then find a way to secure his release.

Fan Sizhe came to visit his mother Liu Ruyu, who was praying before his memorial tablet. She thought she was dreaming. Fan Sizhe repeatedly told her that he was truly back, but Liu Ruyu still couldn’t believe it. She gave Fan Sizhe a hard slap in the face, thinking that if he felt pain, it must be real. Fan Sizhe cried out in pain, and only then did Liu Ruyu realize she wasn’t dreaming.

Overcome with emotion, she burst into tears and held Fan Sizhe’s hands, asking him if he was cold or hungry. Fan Xian brought Guo Baokun to the Ministry of Justice prison. Guo Youzhi thought he was about to be executed. When he saw Guo Baokun, he was stunned, assuming Guo Baokun had also been arrested. Unexpectedly, Fan Xian was not there to send him off but to bring help. Guo Baokun was now working under Fan Xian.

Guo Youzhi was so moved that tears streamed down his face, and he thanked Fan Xian profusely. Guo Baokun bragged about how he gathered intelligence in Northern Qi, but Guo Youzhi didn’t believe he was capable of such things and assumed Northern Qi must be doomed. Guo Baokun was left speechless and amused. Fan Xian asked Guo Youzhi about the taboos and rules of the Spring Imperial Examination. Guo Youzhi read through the regulations written by Guo Zheng.

Guo Zheng only documented the taboos within the rules but said nothing about the unwritten ones. If Fan Xian was careless, he could fall into a trap with no way out. Guo Youzhi warned him not to approach any of the examinees. When Fan Xian went to see Yang Wanli, Shi Chanli, Cheng Jialin, and Hou Jichang, he didn’t reveal his identity. But in others’ eyes, those four were already considered his disciples.

If they passed the exams, it would confirm accusations of favoritism and corruption. Fan Xian gasped—only then did he realize the seriousness of the situation. Liu Ruyu waited until late at night before Fan Xian returned home. She begged him to let Fan Sizhe stay in the capital. Fan Sizhe no longer wanted to live idly under his parents' care and wished to make his own achievements. He volunteered to return to Northern Qi.

Now that Fan Xian had taken over the Internal Treasury, he would surely do business with Northern Qi. Fan Sizhe wanted to manage trade between Southern Qing and Northern Qi. Fan Xian told him to wait until after the Spring Imperial Examination and his wedding with Lin Wan’er before heading north. Fan Sizhe agreed eagerly. The Spring Imperial Examination lasted three days. The examinees had to bring enough food.

On the first day, they rushed across Longmen Bridge with large bags, hoping for good luck in making the honor roll. Fan Xian arrived early at the examination courtyard, followed by Guo Zheng, who struck dramatic poses for a painter to capture as a keepsake. When the examinees arrived, Fan Xian had already been waiting. He encouraged them and wished them success.

He reminded them to leave any prohibited books or cheat sheets outside, warning that anyone caught would be disqualified. Fan Xian presided over the examination site, where the staff verified each candidate’s identity and conducted body searches, with Guo Zheng supervising. One candidate was caught with cheat notes and was immediately expelled, leaving the others too frightened to make a sound.

Shi Chanli and Yang Wanli queued up to enter the examination site and instantly recognized Fan Xian sitting on the high platform as the one who had chatted with them. They waved at him. Li Chengze, upon hearing that Fan Xian had met with four people, concluded they were his disciples and ordered Guo Zheng to tamper with one of them. The staff verified Yang Wanli and Shi Chanli’s identities and then searched them.

In the middle of two pancakes Yang Wanli brought, they found a slip of paper. Guo Zheng insisted Yang Wanli was cheating and tried to expel him. Yang Wanli loudly protested, and Shi Chanli stepped forward to defend him. Guo Zheng didn’t believe them and forced Fan Xian to make a judgment on his own disciple. A guard stepped forward and confessed.

He had never attended school and envied the examinees, so he secretly slipped a note into Yang Wanli’s pancake. Guo Zheng still refused to back down and demanded Yang Wanli be disqualified. Fan Xian ordered him to read the note aloud—it was just a list of pancake prices. Guo Zheng was dumbfounded. He quickly helped Yang Wanli up and let him continue the exam. The guard willingly accepted punishment.

Guo Zheng's elaborate plan to frame Fan Xian’s disciples had failed, and he left dejected. Lin Ruofu suspected Li Chengze would try to frame Fan Xian during the Spring Exam and arranged for guards to be on standby. Wang Qinian instructed Deng Ziyue to secretly escort the four to the exam. They caught Xie Bi’an slipping a note into Yang Wanli’s pancake on Longmen Bridge.

Fortunately, they intercepted it in time and swapped it with the pancake price list, saving Yang Wanli. Fan Xian knew Li Chengze wouldn’t stop and anticipated more schemes from Guo Zheng over the next three days. He vowed to confront him head-on. Fan Xian rode around the exam courtyard to inspect the site. Seeing all examinees in place, he loudly announced the official start of the exam.

The vast site fell silent, and the sound of grinding ink and writing could be clearly heard. Fan Xian dismounted and inspected each exam room. He saw Hou Jichang, Yang Wanli, and Shi Chanli but couldn’t find Shi Chanli later. Wang Qinian quietly told him he was in another room. When staff delivered candles, Fan Xian recalled Guo Youzhi’s warning that fire prevention was critical. If anyone tampered with the candles, it could cause a fire.

He inspected the candles and noticed the smell of fuel. He and Wang Qinian checked all the remaining candles—they all smelled of fuel. Fortunately, Fan Xian had asked the Imperial Inspectorate to prepare backup candles. They replaced all tainted ones. Fan Xian then instructed someone to submit the receipt for reimbursement to Guo Zheng, intentionally inflating the price. Guo Zheng knew he was being taken advantage of but had no choice but to comply.

Following Guo Youzhi’s advice, Fan Xian checked the second crucial item—water. Several large vats were placed for examinees to drink from. Fan Xian tasted the water and found it stale. Fearing it might cause illness, he ordered the Imperial Inspectorate to bring clean water. Having removed hazards from water and fire, only toilet issues remained. Since the latrines were unavoidable, Fan Xian asked Wang Qinian to inspect them carefully.

The proctors escorted examinees to the latrine. Worried about tampering, Fan Xian sent Wang Qinian to check. Wang Qinian discovered fire oil inside. If an examinee took a candle into the latrine, a fire—or even explosion—could occur. Fan Xian ordered Guo Zheng to rebuild the latrine. Guo Zheng was furious. Fan Xian had already replaced the candles and water, and now he was targeting the latrines. Guo Zheng refused to cooperate.

Anticipating this, Fan Xian had Deng Ziyue bring members of the Imperial Inspectorate’s First Division to dig up the latrine. He also demanded Guo Zheng use high-quality nanmu wood and premium stone left over from the exam courtyard renovation. Under pressure, Guo Zheng reluctantly complied but was inwardly resentful and vowed to find another opportunity to frame Fan Xian.

To ensure the smooth running of the three-day exam, Fan Xian not only arranged food and facilities for examinees but also had the Imperial Inspectorate staff on standby at the exam site. Li Chengze, upon learning of Fan Xian’s thorough preparations, realized there was no opening to exploit. He told Xie Bi’an to order Guo Zheng to stop.

He couldn’t figure out how the newly arrived Fan Xian knew the exam rules so well and suspected someone in the Ministry of Rites was advising him. During his inspections, Fan Xian paid special attention to Shi Chanli, Yang Wanli, Cheng Jialin, and Hou Jichang. He found Yang Wanli’s writing elegant and articulate, better than his own. After three days, the Spring Imperial Examination concluded. The candidates handed in their papers, and the next step was name concealing and transcription.

Staff first covered the names, then recopied the papers to prevent graders from identifying handwriting. Fan Xian, worried about tampering, supervised the process. Due to the high number of candidates, the staff worked until nightfall. Guo Zheng advised Fan Xian to go home and rest. Fan Xian had heard from Guo Youzhi that some used the paper length to cheat or marked the papers during transcription. Guo Zheng pretended ignorance.

Fan Xian warned the staff that any cheating would result in death. Guo Zheng had planned to mark Li Chengze’s disciples’ papers, but Fan Xian’s strict orders scared the staff into completing the work properly. The grading was conducted under strict isolation, but Fan Xian remained on site until it was done. Except for Shi Chanli, who failed, the other three passed. Fan Xian finally breathed a sigh of relief. Having not slept for days, he was completely exhausted.

Wang Qinian drove him home in a carriage, and Fan Xian fell into a deep sleep from fatigue. After the exam, the candidates were also drained and went home to rest. Cheng Jialin slept for an entire day and night. Yang Wanli and Shi Chanli resumed studying once they awoke. Hou Jichang brought them roast chicken and suggested they relax and consider visiting Fan Xian. Fan Xian went straight to bed after returning home, too tired to eat.

Wang Qinian picked out the meat from the dishes to bring back to his daughter Wang Ba. Deng Ziyue came to deliver the exam results and saw Wang Qinian picking meat. Worried Deng would report him, Wang Qinian invited him to eat and drink. Fan Xian woke up, and Deng Ziyue quickly handed over the results. To Fan Xian’s surprise, the outstanding Yang Wanli had failed.

Sensing something was wrong, he took Wang Qinian and Deng Ziyue to the Ministry of Rites to investigate. At the Ministry, Fan Xian discovered that except for Yang Wanli, all other exam papers were normal. He clearly remembered Yang’s essay and realized someone had switched names—Yang was replaced by a disciple of Li Chengqian. Furious, Fan Xian vowed to investigate and clear Yang’s name.

Deng Ziyue warned him to reconsider, as he had already clashed with Li Chengze and would now offend Li Chengqian. But Fan Xian didn’t care—he wanted the exam to be fair. He ordered Deng Ziyue to seal the examination courtyard. Without his order, no results were to be released. Fan Xian and Wang Qinian rushed to the Eastern Palace to confront Li Chengqian. He stated his case bluntly.

Li Chengqian tried to show off women's clothing he had designed, but Fan Xian wasn’t interested and distractedly humored him, curious about whom the clothes were for. Li Chengqian dodged the question but admitted his disciple had impersonated Yang Wanli, claiming he was unaware. Fan Xian suspected Li Chengze’s manipulation to sow discord between them. Neither wanted to back down, so they went to the palace to report to Qing Di.

Li Chengze heard that Fan Xian had sealed the exam site and gone with Li Chengqian to the palace. He grew anxious, suspecting Fan Xian had tricked him. Fan Xian and Li Chengqian arrived at the palace. Chief Eunuch Hong Zhu, the new head of the vegetable inspection bureau, led the way.

Grateful to Fan Xian for toppling Eunuch Dai, Hong Zhu had been promoted after retrieving Dai’s shoes and guessed Fan Xian had come to seek justice for the examinees. Fan Xian was impressed by Hong Zhu’s cleverness and understanding. Fan Xian and Li Chengqian entered and saw Chen Pingping presenting past records of exam corruption to Qing Di. Impatient, Li Chengqian reported that someone had impersonated Yang Wanli and tried to frame him.

But Qing Di was more focused on rooting out systemic corruption in past exams. Fan Xian volunteered to investigate thoroughly, and Qing Di readily agreed. Fan Xian left the palace carrying a huge stack of files. Hong Zhu had been waiting outside and suddenly knelt to thank him profusely, leaving Fan Xian confused. It turned out Hong Zhu was from Yingzhou. The Yingzhou governor had killed his entire family—he only survived because he wasn’t home.

After entering the palace, he was cared for by Eunuch Hong and changed his surname. No one in the palace knew his past. The list of corrupt officials Fan Xian had given to the Censorate included the Yingzhou governor, who had since been executed. Grateful beyond words, Hong Zhu regarded Fan Xian as his benefactor and Fan Xian wanted to cultivate him into a trusted confidant.

The Empress heard that the person who impersonated Yang Wanli was a student of Li Chengqian, and that the foolish Li Chengqian had followed Fan Xian to lodge a complaint to the Emperor. She became anxious and sent someone to summon Li Chengqian to ask about the details. Only then did she learn that Li Chengqian had been framed.

Upon learning that Qing Di had handed over the investigation of past years' corruption in the Spring Imperial Examination to Fan Xian, she became wary of him but couldn't express it openly, while Li Chengqian considered Fan Xian his best partner. Fan Xian put Wang Qinian in charge of revising the list of successful candidates.

Wang Qinian thought he only needed to erase the imposter and replace him with Yang Wanli, but to his surprise, Fan Xian asked him to re-copy the entire list. Staring at the densely packed names, Wang Qinian silently cursed. Deng Ziyue made sarcastic remarks nearby, which made Wang Qinian grit his teeth in anger. But he didn't dare defy Fan Xian's orders and had to copy the list painstakingly, afraid that one mistake would mean starting over again.

Fan Xian had someone bring Guo Youzhi to the Imperial Inspectorate's prison. Guo Baokun accompanied Guo Youzhi there, worried that Fan Xian might silence Guo Youzhi after using him. Fan Xian came to the prison to consult Guo Youzhi about the Spring Exam corruption case and promised to release him soon. Guo Baokun finally relaxed. Guo Youzhi provided Fan Xian with important clues and suggested starting the investigation with those who had suffered injustices in past Spring Exams.

Lin Ruofu sent Yuan Hongdao to invite Fan Xian. Lin Dabao missed Fan Xian a lot and insisted on going with Yuan Hongdao. Lin Dabao cheered happily upon seeing Fan Xian. Yuan Hongdao made an excuse to leave for some errands and reminded Fan Xian before departing to protect Dabao well. Fan Xian readily agreed and went home with Lin Dabao without giving it much thought.

Lin Ruofu, upon hearing that Qing Di had assigned the corruption case to Fan Xian, realized Qing Di was grooming him for greater responsibilities and wanted him to earn political merit through this case in preparation to take over the Internal Treasury. But since the case involved many people, Fan Xian could easily become the target of public anger if things went wrong. After careful consideration, Lin Ruofu decided to make a sacrifice and let Fan Xian start with him.

Fan Xian was deeply grateful. Lin Ruofu wanted to play chess with Yuan Hongdao, only to learn that he hadn’t returned from his errand. He began to suspect Yuan Hongdao had a mistress and even brought up rumors about Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo. Fan Xian repeatedly denied it, insisting there was nothing between him and Haitang Duoduo. Wang Qinian, after great effort, finally finished copying the list.

He was so sore all over that Fan Xian couldn’t help teasing him. Fan Xian was puzzled as to why Qing Di had entrusted him with the corruption case. Wang Qinian believed Qing Di wanted to shape Fan Xian into the literary world’s leader. Chen Pingping used the power of the Imperial Inspectorate to find evidence and witnesses for the case. Qing Di told him to hand everything over to Fan Xian to facilitate the investigation.

Both Chen Pingping and Qing Di had high hopes for Fan Xian, but their intentions differed. Although Fan Xian was Qing Di’s biological son, Qing Di wanted to use him to find the Temple and secure imperial power. Chen Pingping, on the other hand, wanted to pass the Imperial Inspectorate left by Ye Qingmei to Fan Xian. Qing Di asked Chen Pingping to shoot arrows. Chen Pingping missed nine times in a row.

Qing Di then demanded a hit on the tenth try. Feeling helpless, Chen Pingping slyly placed the arrow into the tube while Qing Di was distracted and took the opportunity to express his loyalty. Qing Di was satisfied, wanting only to assert his supreme authority before Chen Pingping. After Chen Pingping left, Qing Di smashed the arrow tube with his palm. Today was the day the Spring Exam results were to be posted. Candidates gathered early outside the examination courtyard.

Unlike previous years when the Ministry of Rites announced the results, this year it was done by the Imperial Inspectorate. The candidates whispered among themselves, saying Yang Wanli had been impersonated and Fan Xian had gone to Qing Di to seek justice for him, causing the delay. The staff of the Imperial Inspectorate posted the list. Successful candidates cheered joyfully, while those who failed sighed and beat their chests in regret.

Yang Wanli, Hou Jichang, and Cheng Jialin made the list, while Shi Chanli failed. Feeling dejected, Shi Chanli was comforted by Yang Wanli and Hou Jichang, who encouraged him to try again next year. Hou Jichang and Yang Wanli planned to visit Fan Xian with Cheng Jialin, and Shi Chanli wanted to join them. Since Cheng Jialin was injured in the crowd and couldn’t walk, Yang Wanli, Hou Jichang, and Shi Chanli went to Fan Mansion together.

They asked to become Fan Xian’s disciples and were willing to serve him loyally. Fan Xian prepared a master’s gift for Hou Jichang and Yang Wanli, which read, “Be a good person, be a good official. ” The two of them left in high spirits. Fan Xian asked Shi Chanli to stay and showed him the government-issued notice declaring the destruction of Shijia Town.

Only then did Shi Chanli learn that his home had been burned down and all his family perished. He was devastated. He had left his hometown early to take the exam, never expecting such a tragedy. Now, he had no home to return to. He Zongwei brought a woman in mourning clothes to file a complaint with Fan Xian. This was the woman Yuan Hongdao had secretly met that day, unbeknownst to Fan Xian.

The woman accused Lin Ruofu of corruption and murder. Her husband had made the honors list but was impersonated by one of Lin Ruofu’s students. Later, Lin Ruofu had allegedly sent someone to kill him. He Zongwei claimed he gave up on the Spring Exam to seek justice for candidates. Fan Xian didn’t know what to do and called Yan Bingyun to discuss countermeasures.

Yan Bingyun feared Fan Xian might be biased and wanted to take over the investigation of Lin Ruofu. Fan Xian insisted on handling it personally and went straight to the Prime Minister’s residence to confront Lin Ruofu. Meanwhile, Yuan Hongdao went to a restaurant by the river and asked the waiter to open the riverside window.

When Fan Xian arrived, Lin Ruofu had already heard that He Zongwei accused him of corruption and murder related to last year’s Spring Exam. Fan Xian was in a dilemma: if Lin Ruofu was guilty, turning a blind eye would betray his conscience. But if he arrested Lin Ruofu, he would betray his fiancée Lin Wan'er. Lin Ruofu had served as Prime Minister of Qing for many years and had many students, most of whom he didn’t even know well.

He vaguely remembered an impersonation incident in last year’s exam but claimed he never ordered a murder. He wrote down the names of four people who handled the matter and told Fan Xian to ask them. As Lin Ruofu thought more, he sensed something wrong. Just as Fan Xian took over the case, someone accused him — it had to be a setup. Those four people might have already been bribed, so Lin Ruofu burned the list.

Yan Ruohai and Fan Jian went to negotiate with Chen Pingping, believing Fan Xian shouldn’t investigate Lin Ruofu’s case. But it was Qing Di’s order, which Chen Pingping couldn’t change. Yan Bingyun instructed He Zongwei to take the woman to the Court of Judicial Review and personally led the Imperial Inspectorate guards to escort them. Yuan Hongdao had set up an ambush at the restaurant on the way to the Court of Judicial Review.

The front of the restaurant faced the street, and the back faced the river. He had the waiter open the window for an easy escape. As Yan Bingyun’s group passed, Yuan Hongdao suddenly appeared and shouted at He Zongwei and the woman, claiming to seek justice for Lin Ruofu. He threw a dagger at the woman in the carriage, but it missed due to the distance. Yan Bingyun ordered the guards to capture him.

Yuan Hongdao escaped through the back window into the river. Yan Bingyun recognized Yuan Hongdao as Lin Ruofu’s retainer and realized he had been bribed to tarnish Lin Ruofu’s reputation. He secretly mocked the person behind the plot for using such a clumsy plan. Lin Ruofu was heartbroken when he heard about it. Yuan Hongdao had followed him for years, yet turned on him at a crucial moment. Fan Xian sympathized with Lin Ruofu deeply.

Lin Ruofu took Fan Xian to the palace to see Qing Di, warning him repeatedly along the way. After escaping, Yuan Hongdao headed by carriage toward Li Yunrui’s fiefdom in Xinyang. Fan Jian, surprised that Yuan Hongdao worked for Li Yunrui, asked Chen Pingping to send the Black Cavalry to capture him. Chen Pingping advised waiting for the outcome of Fan Xian and Lin Ruofu’s meeting with Qing Di.

When Lin Ruofu saw Qing Di, he knelt and admitted guilt, citing poor health to request retirement. Qing Di didn’t believe him and asked Fan Xian to take his pulse. Although Fan Xian found no fatal illness from the pulse, Lin Ruofu insisted on resigning. Qing Di pretended to persuade him to stay, but Lin Ruofu was determined. Qing Di praised his service but claimed he had no one to replace him.

Lin Ruofu, knowing he was irreplaceable, told Qing Di to take his time finding a successor. Qing Di asked him to recommend students, but Lin Ruofu saw through the intent to weaken his influence and refused. Claiming he had no suitable students, he declined. Qing Di asked him to wait until Lin Wan'er married Fan Xian, but Lin Ruofu refused and entrusted Lin Dabao to Fan Xian. Qing Di was finally relieved.

As Lin Ruofu left the palace with Fan Xian, he sighed to the heavens, realizing this was all part of Qing Di’s plan. Qing Di had long wanted him gone but lacked a good excuse. By putting Fan Xian in charge of the exam and its corruption case, Qing Di intended to use the incident to topple him. Unexpectedly, Li Chengze’s impersonation became the spark, giving Qing Di the opportunity to force his resignation.

Fan Xian witnessed the silent struggle between Qing Di and Lin Ruofu. Qing Di was aggressive, Lin Ruofu dignified yet unyielding. Though he lost, he preserved his bottom line by refusing to hand over his students' names, hoping to make a comeback someday. He also realized Qing Di's true motive was to remove him and make Fan Xian a solitary minister. Fan Xian felt Qing Di’s ruthlessness deeply.

Yan Bingyun’s group was escorting He Zongwei and the woman to the Court of Judicial Review when Eunuch Hou arrived with a decree: He Zongwei was exceptionally appointed as Censor of the Inspectorate and must take office immediately. Overjoyed, He Zongwei knelt and vowed loyalty to Qing Di. Yan Bingyun was stunned — He Zongwei had skipped the exam and was directly promoted. Urged to leave, He Zongwei gave up his accusation and dragged the woman away.

Yan Bingyun scoffed at him. He Zongwei claimed he was going to confess to Qing Di, but Yan Bingyun left in disgust. Chen Pingping asked Yan Ruohai to help replace the wheels on his wheelchair. Fan Jian came to discuss countermeasures for Fan Xian’s situation, but Chen Pingping insisted on doing it himself as something was hidden inside the chair. Since it was too heavy, Yan Ruohai asked Fan Jian to help.

When Fan Jian learned that Lin Ruofu had been forced to retire, he worried about his own standing and that Fan Xian would be left without support. But Chen Pingping remained optimistic, confident that Fan Xian could navigate the bureaucracy skillfully. Fan Jian couldn’t argue and left angrily. Before departing for retirement, Lin Ruofu called Lin Dabao to his side and told him to learn to protect himself. Apart from Lin Wan'er and Fan Xian, he shouldn’t trust anyone else.

If one day they no longer looked after him, he would always be there for Dabao. Lin Dabao, with a childlike mind, didn’t fully understand, but he remembered every word.

Fan Xian and Wang Qinian came to pick up Lin Dabao. Lin Dabao clung tightly to the dried hawthorn that Lin Ruofu had sun-dried for him, muttering “Father is an exception” repeatedly. Lin Ruofu hadn’t told Lin Dabao about his retirement from office, wanting him to live carefree. Watching Lin Dabao’s figure fading into the distance, Lin Ruofu felt a surge of complex emotions. The Shijia Town was destroyed, and all the civilians perished.

Only Shi Chanli, who had gone to take the imperial exam, survived. After failing the exam and having no home to return to, Fan Xian took him in. Shi Chanli was devastated over the death of his family in the fire. He didn’t believe the official report that the fire was caused by drought. He suspected someone had deliberately set the fire to destroy his hometown.

Fan Xian couldn’t reveal the truth, only hinting that the person behind it was of high rank and power. Shi Chanli knelt and begged Fan Xian to find the real culprit. Fan Xian agreed readily and even took him in as a retainer. Shi Chanli swore allegiance to Fan Xian. He Zongwei arrived to take up his post at the Censorate and brought snacks for his colleagues, but none of them appreciated the gesture and ignored him.

He Zongwei knelt before the seat of the late Lai Mingcheng, crying bitterly and even offering incense. His colleagues came forward to comfort him. Learning that Lai Mingcheng had been sentenced to death for impeaching Fan Xian, He Zongwei went straight to confront Fan Xian. Shi Chanli brought He Zongwei to meet Fan Xian.

He Zongwei knelt and begged Fan Xian for punishment, suggesting that being beaten by Fan Xian would help him gain the trust of his colleagues and allow him to serve as Fan Xian’s informant. Fan Xian was shocked at He Zongwei’s shamelessness and drove him out. Chen Pingping happened to arrive at that moment and, witnessing the scene, was equally disgusted by He Zongwei’s conduct. Shadow accompanied Chen Pingping to Fan’s residence, wanting to challenge Wu Zhu.

Fan Xian didn’t know Wu Zhu’s whereabouts, so Shadow proposed sparring with Fan Xian instead. Chen Pingping quickly stopped him and handed over command of the Black Knights to Fan Xian. The Black Knights were an independent force, not under the control of the Qing military. Each soldier was brave and unstoppable. Only Chen Pingping and Qing Di had authority over them.

Before leaving, Chen Pingping gave Fan Xian a manual on the logistics and troop movements of the Black Knights and advised him to pay attention to the officials recently retiring. Fan Xian pondered for a long time but couldn’t grasp the meaning of Chen Pingping’s words. He tried to find clues in the manual but found nothing. Early in the morning, Lin Ruofu left the capital.

Fan Xian specially took Lin Dabao and Lin Wan’er outside the city to bid him farewell. He didn’t tell Lin Dabao about Lin Ruofu’s retirement. Alone in the carriage, Lin Ruofu felt relieved knowing Lin Dabao was living well in Fan Xian’s residence. Lin Wan’er pulled Lin Dabao to kneel and bid farewell to Lin Ruofu in the carriage. Lin Ruofu was so moved that his eyes filled with tears.

Fan Xian got off the carriage and continued flower viewing with Lin Dabao and Lin Wan’er. Lin Dabao shared his favorite hawthorn with Fan Xian. Watching them happily chatting and laughing, Lin Ruofu felt comforted. Fan Xian flipped through the manual Chen Pingping had given him again but still found no clue, so he asked Lin Wan’er to help. Lin Wan’er casually mentioned that the movements of the Black Knights were top secret—this sentence awakened Fan Xian.

Fan Xian learned from Wang Qinian that when the prefect of the capital, Mei Zhi Li, retired, he was ambushed and killed by horse bandits. The manual recorded that the Black Knights had been dispatched on a mission that very day. Fan Xian broke into a cold sweat, fearing that Qing Di had sent the Black Knights to assassinate Lin Ruofu. Fan Xian summoned Wang Qinian to rescue Lin Ruofu.

On the way, they encountered Li Chengru leading the Imperial Guards in training. Fan Xian borrowed his troops to intercept the Black Knights. Black Knight deputy commander Jing Ge had received orders to ambush midway. As Lin Ruofu’s carriage passed, the Black Knights surrounded it. Using his exceptional agility, Wang Qinian leaped onto the carriage first. Fan Xian soon arrived with soldiers and ordered the Black Knights to retreat. They obediently complied.

Jing Ge, a loyal fan of Fan Xian, took out a poetry book and asked for an autograph. Fan Xian didn’t refuse, though his handwriting was terrible. Jing Ge smiled wryly and then galloped off with the signed book. Lin Ruofu thought Qing Di had sent the Black Knights to kill him, but he realized he was wrong. Qing Di only wanted to abolish the prime minister position—a rank second only to the emperor.

Lin Ruofu handed Fan Xian a list of all his protégés to deliver to Qing Di. He promised to write a letter once he returned home, requesting that Qing Di abolish the prime minister’s post. Fan Xian still felt uneasy and wanted to escort him back, but Lin Ruofu believed Qing Di wouldn’t let him die, as history wouldn’t be able to account for it. Despite serving Qing Di for many years, Lin Ruofu never truly understood him.

Qing Di was a master of hidden motives. He fueled the rivalry between Li Chengze and Li Chengqian, leading to the exam fraud scandal, which eventually implicated Lin Ruofu and forced his retirement. Then, Lin Ruofu would propose abolishing the prime ministership. Lin Ruofu reminded Fan Xian never to fully trust Qing Di and never believe he had figured him out until the very end.

Fan Xian took Lin Wan’er and Lin Dabao outside the city for an outing, so they could see Lin Ruofu off. Seeing that Lin Dabao was living carefree, Lin Ruofu felt at ease entrusting him to Fan Xian. Before leaving, Lin Ruofu shared some officialdom wisdom with Fan Xian and urged him to treat Lin Wan’er well.

After sending off Lin Ruofu, Fan Xian expressed his gratitude to the Crown Prince Li Chengru for lending him the Imperial Guards to intercept the Black Knights and rescue Lin Ruofu. Li Chengru denied helping Fan Xian intentionally, saying he just happened to be training troops when the incident occurred. Lin Wan’er realized from seeing Fan Xian with Li Chengru that Fan Xian had saved Lin Ruofu, and she felt deeply grateful to him.

Qing Di heard that Fan Xian had mobilized the Black Knights without permission and summoned both Fan Xian and Li Chengru to the palace. Li Chengru advised Fan Xian not to act rashly in front of Qing Di and offered to take full responsibility. Fan Xian and Li Chengru rushed to the palace, where they encountered Hong Zhu, Fan Xian’s spy in the palace, delivering pastries to Qing Di.

Hong Zhu secretly informed Fan Xian that Qing Di was not angry about the rescue and advised him to prepare accordingly. Fan Xian warned Hong Zhu to be extremely cautious and not to expose himself. Chen Pingping, upon hearing what Fan Xian and Wang Qinian had done, punished Wang Qinian by making him scrub the stone tablet at the entrance of the Imperial Inspectorate. Wang Qinian cleaned it thoroughly, but Chen Pingping, still angry, told him to keep scrubbing.

Wang Qinian cried out in protest. Qing Di summoned Li Chengru first. Li Chengru openly expressed his admiration for Fan Xian, saying he was the only official who valued emotions and loyalty. Knowing Li Chengru to be straightforward and unfamiliar with political intrigue, Qing Di praised him without further criticism. When Fan Jian heard that Fan Xian had been summoned to the palace, he rushed there to support him. Qing Di then summoned both Fan Jian and Fan Xian together.

Fan Xian handed over the list of Lin Ruofu’s protégés to Qing Di. Fan Jian brought out a ruler and pretended to beat Fan Xian in front of Qing Di. Qing Di didn’t stop him. Although Fan Jian scolded him harshly, he hit very lightly. Qing Di saw through the act and had to stop it. Chen Pingping received secret news from the palace that Fan Xian was safe, so he finally let Wang Qinian off the hook.

Wang Qinian wanted to return to Fan’s residence to wait for Fan Xian, but Chen Pingping sent him on another mission. Six agents from the Sixth Division of the Imperial Inspectorate had been killed 30 miles south of the capital. Chen Pingping dispatched Wang Qinian to investigate. Qing Di ordered Fan Xian to marry Lin Wan’er in three days. Fan Xian couldn’t be happier.

Fan Jian worried there wasn’t enough time to prepare, but Qing Di granted permission to take money from the Ministry of Rites first and settle the accounts later. Though Fan Jian found it improper, Qing Di insisted. Fan Xian cheered with joy, and Hong Zhu immediately went to announce the news. Back home, Fan Jian shared the marriage news, and the whole family rejoiced.

Fan Sizhe learned that the wedding would be funded by the palace and organized by the Ministry of Rites. Seeing it as a great business opportunity, he decided to charge for the invitations, believing the capital’s officials would fight to attend. Fan Jian was both amused and exasperated. Yuan Hongdao used He Zongwei to bring down Lin Ruofu and fled to Xinyang to seek refuge with Li Yunrui.

Li Yunrui planned to give Fan Xian the inner treasury’s ledgers as a wedding gift, but the accounts were complex and confidential. With not enough staff, she summoned all the bookkeepers from Xinyang shops to organize the records day and night. The bookkeepers were worked to exhaustion. When one collapsed from fatigue, Li Yunrui ordered him buried as fertilizer. She intended to kill them all once the work was done. Witnessing her ruthlessness, Yuan Hongdao was chilled to the bone.

Wang Qinian arrived at the southern outskirts to investigate. He examined the corpses of the Sixth Division agents carefully, with Jing Ge and the Black Knights providing protection. Ye Ling’er, worried that Li Chengze might cause trouble at Fan Xian and Lin Wan’er’s wedding, went to confront him that night. Li Chengze was selecting a gift for Lin Wan’er and swore not to cause a scene at the wedding.

He had long suspected that Ye Ling’er told Fan Xian that Lin Gong was behind the Niulan Street assassination plot. He promised to keep it secret, and only then did Ye Ling’er admit she had seen Lin Gong conspiring with a Northern Qi female spy to assassinate Fan Xian. Wang Qinian returned to the Imperial Inspectorate to report to Chen Pingping. The agents had been killed with sharp weapons, each by a single, deadly strike.

Chen Pingping recalled the recent serial killings in Jiangnan and had Fei Jie investigate, but the killer was highly skilled, and Fei Jie lost him. Based on Fei Jie’s pigeon-delivered intelligence, Chen Pingping deduced the killer had traveled north to the capital. The victims died similarly to Lin Gong. Suspecting Wu Zhu, he told Wang Qinian to inform Fan Xian. Li Chengze suspected that Fan Xian had killed Lin Gong but lacked solid proof.

Xie Bian suggested he tell Lin Wan’er. If she learned that Fan Xian had killed her brother, she would never marry him, and the inner treasury wouldn’t change hands. Wang Qinian informed Fan Xian that the serial killings in Jiangnan and Lin Gong’s death were Wu Zhu’s doing. Fan Xian wanted to ask Wu Zhu for answers, but he hadn’t seen him in a long time.

That night, hearing a disturbance in the yard, Fan Xian thought Wu Zhu had returned, but after searching, he found no sign of him. The next morning, Fan Xian was dragged by Fan Ruoruo and Liu Ruyu to try on wedding clothes. Faced with several large boxes of attire, he panicked and fled without eating. Lin Wan’er had already guessed he wouldn’t have the patience to try clothes, so she refused as well.

Hearing this, Fan Xian had no choice but to obediently return home to try on the clothes. Lin Wan’er tried on one outfit after another until she was sore and exhausted. Suddenly, Ye Ling’er rushed in to find her.

Ye Ling'er came to find Lin Wan'er, wanting to tell her that Lin Gong was the mastermind behind the Niulan Street assassination, hoping Lin Wan'er would leak it to Fan Xian. Due to her urgency, she kept coughing. Lin Wan'er hurried off to get medicine, but when she returned, Ye Ling'er was already gone. The room showed no signs of struggle—only the window was wide open.

Li Chengze felt the matter of Lin Gong wouldn't be enough to completely bring down Fan Xian. He worried Ye Ling'er might tell Lin Wan'er that Fan Xian killed Lin Gong, so he sent people to kidnap her. Ye Ling'er suspected Li Chengze would reveal this during the wedding, causing Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er to turn against each other in public. Li Chengze flatly denied it and repeatedly swore he wouldn't harm his own sister Lin Wan'er.

Fan Xian reluctantly tried on wedding clothes all day until nightfall and still wasn’t done. Fan Ruoruo and Liu Ruyu remained enthusiastic, while Fan Xian grew increasingly impatient. Fan Jian sent Fan Sizhe to summon Fan Xian. Taking the opportunity to escape, Fan Xian complained bitterly in front of Fan Jian—why did he have to try on so many clothes that all looked the same?

Fan Jian advised him that good things come with effort; when he got married, he also endured the same. Fan Sizhe comforted Fan Xian, saying ordinary people didn’t get such a grand wedding—Fan Xian’s trouble was a happiness others could only dream of. Fan Xian realized Fan Sizhe had matured overnight. After traveling north to Northern Qi, Fan Sizhe deeply felt the hardships of the people.

He vowed to open more shops and make more money to solve their basic needs. Fan Jian was touched that such a young boy had such aspirations. Fan Jian reminded Fan Xian to carefully screen the officials invited to the wedding banquet—one careless move could offend many. Feeling annoyed, Fan Xian decided to hold a family banquet only, inviting no outsiders.

Li Yunrui entered the capital in an oversized carriage adorned with flowers, instructing her maids to scatter petals from Xinyang all the way to the capital. Crowds lined the streets to watch, and Lin Dabao also ran up to see the commotion. The flower carriage slowly arrived at the Fan residence. Fan Xian had been waiting at the gate. Li Yunrui waved for him to come aboard and handed him a large box of inner treasury ledgers.

Knowing that returning to the capital without permission was a capital offense, she was confident Fan Xian wouldn’t dare report her to Qing Di. Li Yunrui wanted to see Lin Wan'er and agreed to a temporary truce with Fan Xian during the wedding. They could fight again afterward. Fan Xian took the box of ledgers straight to Chen Pingping, who was shocked after carefully reading them.

The Inner Treasury was the most profitable commercial network in the empire, with branches everywhere. Ye Qingmei had once used it to become the richest person in the world. Under Li Yunrui's control, it had accrued a deficit of over 20 million taels of silver. Fan Xian realized she had left him with a bottomless pit to fill.

Chen Pingping issued an order to the Imperial Inspectorate Eighth Division and asked Fan Xian to send it through the secret tunnel left by Ye Qingmei. He also gave Fan Xian a letter to open after the wedding. Li Yunrui had made a grand show of delivering the ledgers, and the news of the Inner Treasury’s deficit quickly spread throughout the capital and even to other nations.

The empress grew anxious for Fan Xian, fearing no one would dare do business with him anymore. If the deficit wasn’t covered within six months, Fan Xian would have to hand over the Inner Treasury. Li Chengqian offered to help. Today was the joyous wedding day of Lin Wan'er and Fan Xian. Fan Xian kept it simple, inviting only two princes and Prince Jing’s heir, Li Hongcheng. The civil and military officials could only sigh in envy.

Li Yunrui secretly came to see Lin Wan'er. Learning that she returned to the capital without permission, Lin Wan'er worried she would be punished. But Li Yunrui didn’t care—she only wanted to fulfill a final duty as a mother by helping Lin Wan'er get ready. Lin Wan'er begged her not to oppose Fan Xian anymore. Li Yunrui, having lost everything because of Fan Xian, refused to give in. She told Lin Wan'er to forget her as a mother.

Lin Wan'er watched her back with tears streaming down her face. Li Chengze released Ye Ling'er and took her to attend the wedding at the Fan residence. Li Hongcheng and Li Chengru arrived early to congratulate Fan Xian. Li Hongcheng asked Fan Xian to bless his marriage with Fan Ruoruo and swore he had nothing more to do with Yuan Meng. Fan Xian agreed to forgive him, but Fan Ruoruo still refused to marry him.

Li Chengqian brought lavish gifts to the Fan residence. The young emperor of Northern Qi, Zhan Doudou, sent a letter urgently from 800 li away. In it, she urged Fan Xian to update Dream of the Red Chamber and requested Fan Ruoruo become Great Grandmaster Ku He’s last disciple. Fan Xian asked Wang Qinian to let Qing Di read the letter. Li Hongcheng was dumbfounded—the four Great Grandmasters stood above all monarchs.

With Fan Ruoruo heading to Northern Qi to study under one of them, his marriage hopes were dashed. Fan Xian tried to comfort him and dragged him off to drink wedding wine. Li Chengze arrived with Ye Ling'er. She repeatedly warned him not to stir trouble at the wedding or she wouldn’t let it slide. Li Chengqian wanted to help Fan Xian but lacked the funds.

Seeing Fan Xian’s ties to Northern Qi, he reminded him not to use Northern Qi's money to fill the Inner Treasury deficit. Li Chengqian felt relieved Li Chengze had been grounded and wouldn't come to the wedding—only to be shocked when Li Chengze appeared with Ye Ling'er. Li Hongcheng quietly slipped away. Li Chengze offered 500,000 taels in silver notes as a wedding gift to help Fan Xian in his hour of need.

Li Chengqian, unwilling to be outdone, also sought to win Fan Xian over. Both brothers fought to recruit him, while Li Chengru silently watched. Fan Xian accepted only one silver note, thanked Li Chengze for his generosity, and politely declined Li Chengqian’s invitation, instead asking them to witness the ceremony together. The wedding officially began. Fan Ruoruo accompanied Lin Wan'er into the hall, handing one end of the red embroidered ball to Fan Xian.

Together, they bowed to Fan Jian and Liu Ruyu. Li Chengze came up to watch. Worried he’d cause trouble, Ye Ling'er quickly tugged his sleeve. Suddenly, Lin Dabao appeared and pulled Lin Wan'er aside to say something. Everyone was stunned. Lin Dabao conveyed Lin Ruofu's message: “Lin Wan'er, take good care of Lin Dabao. ” Lin Wan'er agreed readily, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The wedding ceremony began in earnest, with Fan Ruoruo officiating. Although Liu Ruyu was the mistress of the Fan household, Fan Jian had never made her his official wife. As a concubine, she couldn’t receive the bows with Fan Jian and had to stand aside. Fan Xian insisted she sit next to Fan Jian, despite her reservations about propriety. In Fan Xian’s heart, she was the true matron of the house. Liu Ruyu was deeply moved and tearful.

Fan Jian also felt gratified. The wedding went smoothly amid blessings from family. Qing Di sent Eunuch Hou to deliver a plaque he personally inscribed with “A Happy Union for a Hundred Years” as a gift. No civil or military official had ever received such an honor. Fan Jian led the entire family to kneel and give thanks. Ye Ling'er thanked Li Chengze for not revealing the truth about Lin Gong during the wedding.

Though Li Chengze hated Fan Xian to the core, he didn’t want to ruin his sister Lin Wan'er’s wedding. Ye Ling'er offered to escort him home. Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er entered the bridal chamber. Just as he was about to whisper sweet words, he heard movement under the bed. Fan Xian dragged out Fan Sizhe hiding underneath. Lin Dabao was eavesdropping by the window. Lin Wan'er coaxed him away after much persuasion.

Fan Xian went to close the window and saw Wu Zhu waiting on the opposite rooftop. He briefly explained to Lin Wan'er and rushed out to meet Wu Zhu. Fan Xian couldn’t wait to tell Wu Zhu what he had learned from Xiao En: both Ye Qingmei and Wu Zhu came from the Temple. Fan Xian wanted to visit the Temple with Lin Wan'er and Wu Zhu after the wedding to help Wu Zhu recover his memories.

Wu Zhu vaguely recalled Ye Qingmei once taking him to Jiangnan. After fighting Ku He, he went to Jiangnan to retrieve his lost memories but found nothing. However, many died due to his appearance. Wu Zhu didn’t kill them—he realized they were slain by a Grandmaster-level person who deliberately avoided using true qi to frame him. Fan Xian believed Wu Zhu. Shadow had long wanted to spar with Wu Zhu and ask about martial arts, but Wu Zhu never showed up.

Shadow guessed he would attend Fan Xian’s wedding, so he went to the Fan residence to wait. Fei Jie didn’t want Shadow disturbing the wedding and stood guard. The two ended up fighting. Chen Pingping, upon learning this, came to deal with them. Fei Jie reported on his investigation in Jiangnan. Because of the wedding, he hadn’t reported back immediately. He suspected Wu Zhu might be behind the serial murders but lacked evidence.

Lin Wan'er waited a long time for Fan Xian, then removed her red veil and went out to look for him. From afar, she saw him talking to Wu Zhu. Wu Zhu asked Fan Xian to bring the box left by Ye Qingmei to Cangshan and stay there for a while. Then he disappeared. Fan Xian returned to Lin Wan'er, placed the red veil back on her, then lifted it again. Finally, he took her to stargaze.

Lin Wan'er loved watching the stars. The two sat in the courtyard under the night sky. Fan Xian brought out the matching rings he had made. They put them on each other and let the stars witness their happiness, whispering sweet nothings into the night. The next morning, Wang Qinian and Deng Ziyue arrived with their colleagues from the First Division to congratulate the couple.

Fan Xian noticed their bloodshot eyes and learned Wang Qinian had them stand guard late into the night to prevent outsiders from disturbing the wedding night. Fan Xian punished Wang Qinian by docking his salary and giving it to the colleagues for drinks. Wang Qinian wailed in protest. Lin Wan'er quickly stepped in to stop Fan Xian. She gave rewards to the First Division members and thanked them on Fan Xian’s behalf.

Lin Wan'er especially thanked Wang Qinian for his continued support and help. Wang Qinian was overwhelmed by the appreciation. Deng Ziyue proposed taking the team to confiscate corrupt officials’ properties to help cover the 20 million tael deficit, but Fan Xian firmly declined, instructing them to just do their assigned duties. Fan Xian opened the letter from Chen Pingping. It contained only three words: “Qing Yu Hall.

” Qing Yu Hall was the business Ye Qingmei had founded—it had gathered wealth from all over the empire. After her death, it became royal property. Its veteran managers had all been hired by the top firms in the capital as general managers. Wang Qinian accompanied Fan Xian to Qing Yu Hall. Shopkeeper Ye opened the door himself and immediately recognized Fan Xian as Ye Qingmei’s son—their young master.

Dozens of shopkeepers came rushing upon hearing the news and warmly greeted Fan Xian. Shopkeeper Ye brought Fan Xian to the main hall and pulled back a curtain to reveal Ye Qingmei’s memorial tablet. He and the other shopkeepers knelt down, expressing their grief and respect. After dismissing the others, Shopkeeper Ye began telling Fan Xian about the past. Wang Qinian was shocked to learn Ye Qingmei was Fan Xian’s mother.

She had told him long ago that if she died, her son would be named Fan Xian. After her death, Qing Di sent people to monitor Ye Qingmei’s old followers, not allowing them to leave the capital. Shopkeeper Ye, not wanting to cause trouble, never dared to approach Fan Xian. Shopkeeper Ye talked endlessly about Ye Qingmei—how she was knowledgeable in astronomy and geography, excellent in business, and also a poet. He said she once wrote him a poem.

As he recited it, Fan Xian almost burst out laughing—it was actually the theme song to the cartoon “Black Cat Detective. ”Shopkeeper Ye wanted to help Fan Xian cover the Inner Treasury deficit, saying the veteran managers could raise the money within ten days. They knew all the secrets of the capital’s firms, and the owners would willingly hand over the money. But Fan Xian firmly refused.

He didn’t want to take money by force and preferred to solve the issue on his own to avoid disgracing Ye Qingmei. Before leaving, he only asked Shopkeeper Ye for a list of the capital’s business owners.

Li Chengze came to discuss a plan to deal with Fan Xian with Li Yunrui. Li Yunrui thanked him for not revealing Lin Gong’s murder during Lin Wan'er’s wedding. Li Chengze saw that Qing Di valued Fan Xian greatly—even if he disrupted the marriage between Lin Wan'er and Fan Xian, Fan Xian still managed to take over the treasury authority.

He intended to use the murder of Lin Gong as a bargaining chip at a crucial moment of life and death. Li Chengze suspected that Li Yunrui had deliberately falsified accounts, causing a deficit of over twenty million in the inner treasury, fearing that Fan Xian might not be willing to take on this mess. Li Yunrui decided not to return to Xinyang for the time being. If Fan Xian backed out, she would push him forward from behind.

Just as Fan Xian returned to the Fan Residence, Shopkeeper Ye sent someone to deliver a list of major merchants in the capital. Chen Pingping was also waiting for Fan Xian, reminding Wang Qinian to keep Fan Xian’s background a secret. Wang Qinian pretended to have vision and hearing problems, claiming he saw and heard nothing, then fled in a panic.

Qing Di wanted Fan Xian to use Qing Yu Hall to fill the treasury deficit, but to his surprise, Fan Xian refused. Chen Pingping blamed Fan Xian for being too impulsive. Fan Xian did not want to implicate the shopkeepers; he planned to take Lin Wan'er to Cangshan for their honeymoon first and find a way to fill the treasury after they returned. Chen Pingping had no choice but to report back to Qing Di.

Fan Xian asked Qing Di for leave to go on a honeymoon. Qing Di readily agreed, but he was worried that Fan Xian would not be able to gather twenty million taels of silver and considered taking back the treasury authority. After years of war between Qing and Northern Qi, the national treasury was depleted. With natural disasters across the land, silver was urgently needed for disaster relief.

Chen Pingping also advised Fan Xian not to take on this mess, but Fan Xian insisted and pledged himself to the task—he would not only fill the deficit but also raise money for disaster relief. If he failed, he would return with his head. Qing Di, unable to dissuade him, reluctantly agreed to let him try. Chen Pingping suspected that Ye Qingmei had left Fan Xian a vast fortune. Fan Xian took Lin Wan'er, Fan Ruoruo, and Fan Sizhe to Cangshan.

Chen Pingping sent Jing Ge and the Black Knights to escort them all the way. On the carriage, Fan Ruoruo practiced dissecting frogs, terrifying Fan Sizhe who dared not look. Lin Wan'er worried about Fan Xian being unable to fill the treasury deficit. Fan Xian called Fan Sizhe over, asking him to find a way to invite the owners of major shops in the capital to Cangshan.

The owners of the major shops in the capital received Fan Xian’s invitation and misunderstood that he was planning to split the twenty million silver among them, so they went to report Fan Xian to the Imperial Censorate. The shop owners agreed only to give wedding gifts. The censors at the Imperial Censorate were eager to go to Cangshan and arrest Fan Xian for corruption, while He Zongwei stayed silent in a corner.

He Zongwei gave Fan Sizhe a secret letter for Fan Xian, revealing the censors’ plan to arrest him. Fan Xian decided to issue treasury bonds and asked Fan Sizhe to explain it to the shop owners. Fan Sizhe, worried he couldn’t convince them, wanted to go home to get the plaque gifted by Qing Di and asked Fan Xian to speak to them first.

Fan Xian gathered the shop owners, first clarifying he would not accept wedding gifts, and then began to persuade them by explaining the value of wealth and the prospects of the treasury. He prepared twenty million in treasury bonds for the owners to purchase voluntarily. Meanwhile, Wu Zhu called Fan Ruoruo to his old residence, intending to teach her how to use a sniper rifle to help Fan Xian against the Great Grandmaster in the future.

Fan Xian spoke eloquently, but the shop owners thought he was finding new ways to impose levies and refused to cooperate, so Fan Xian let Fan Sizhe speak instead. Fan Sizhe explained the benefits and long-term value of treasury bonds in simple terms and brought out the plaque from Qing Di as a guarantee, yet the owners remained doubtful. As night fell, Fan Xian invited them to stay the night at Cangshan.

Wu Zhu brought out the box Ye Qingmei had left and showed Fan Ruoruo the sniper rifle inside. Knowing Fan Ruoruo cared most about Fan Xian, he wanted her to learn to use it to protect him at a critical moment. Wu Zhu asked her to keep this secret from Fan Xian. Fan Ruoruo agreed readily, and Wu Zhu said he would come teach her after repairing the rifle. Fan Ruoruo immediately began practicing her aim without delay.

Fan Xian and Fan Sizhe worked together to persuade the shop owners to buy treasury bonds and invited them to stay the night at Mount Dazhong. The owners couldn’t make decisions themselves and sent carrier pigeons overnight to inform their backers in the capital. Fan Sizhe intercepted one and learned they had reported the matter to the capital. He himself had only a vague understanding of treasury bonds and didn’t know if they were legal.

The news of Fan Xian issuing treasury bonds spread throughout the capital overnight. Qing Di heard about it late at night and summoned Fan Jian, Chen Pingping, Li Chengqian, and Li Chengze to the palace. Fan Jian believed that Fan Xian’s act of distributing the treasury deficit among the shops violated Southern Qing’s laws and asked Chen Pingping to send someone to bring Fan Xian back. Then he went to resign to Qing Di and retire to Danzhou.

Li Chengqian defended Fan Xian, saying he had never heard of treasury bonds and that Southern Qing’s laws had no explicit articles against them. Qing Di did not appear in person but had Eunuch Hou lead Fan Jian, Chen Pingping, Li Chengqian, and Li Chengze to the imperial garden to move flowers. Though confused, they dared not resist. The garden was filled with chrysanthemums, and Qing Di wanted them all potted for the triennial Chrysanthemum Appreciation Festival.

Li Chengqian, Li Chengze, and Fan Jian were all accustomed to comfort and were exhausted after moving just a few pots. Eunuch Hou revealed that this year’s Chrysanthemum Festival would be held earlier, after Fan Xian’s return from Cangshan. Li Chengze felt indignant that Qing Di cared more about Fan Xian than the festival. Chen Pingping, unable to work because of his wheelchair, kept them company and observed their surroundings.

He concluded that Qing Di was secretly watching them from behind a window. Sure enough, Qing Di was monitoring their every move. When Fan Xian returned to his residence, he discovered that the box he had hidden under the bed was missing. Few people knew about it, and he couldn’t guess who had stolen it. Suddenly, Wang Qinian saw someone eavesdropping outside and shouted. Fan Xian opened the door and saw a shadow leap onto the roof and flee.

Thinking it was the thief, he immediately gave chase. The man in black was highly skilled, and Fan Xian pursued him through the woods. Then he saw another person also chasing the man in black—Jing Ge and the Black Knights blocked all three of them. Fan Xian finally recognized the man in black as Shadow, and the pursuer was his teacher, Fei Jie. Fei Jie hadn’t seen Fan Xian in a long time and was overwhelmed with emotion.

They embraced tightly, unable to put their feelings into words. Shadow had followed Fan Xian to Cangshan, eager to spar with Wu Zhu. Suspecting that Wu Zhu had stolen the box, he also wanted to test Fan Xian, who had inherited Wu Zhu’s skills. Fei Jie firmly opposed this and said if Shadow dared hurt Fan Xian, he would poison him to death. Unable to defy Fei Jie, Shadow left disappointed.

Fei Jie had gone to Jiangnan to investigate a serial murder case. From various clues, he deduced that the killer was a Great Grandmaster-level figure who imitated Wu Zhu’s techniques to frame him. Fei Jie planned to return to the capital to investigate thoroughly. Before leaving, he gave Fan Xian pills he had developed to treat tuberculosis, hoping that Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er would soon have a child for him to teach. Fan Xian returned to find Wu Zhu waiting.

Wu Zhu took him to retrieve three bullets left by Ye Qingmei and revealed a secret: both he and Ye Qingmei came from the Temple, which sends agents to destroy anything that exceeds this world’s limits. Though Fan Xian lived in this era, he was a logical anomaly. Wu Zhu instructed him to go to Jiangnan to repair the gun at the Three Workshops and use the three bullets to protect his life.

The Three Workshops were the foundation of the treasury, where all novel and unique items originated. They were now controlled by the Ming family in Jiangnan, who had grown rich from them and were loyal to Li Yunrui. Fan Xian immediately decided to reclaim the Three Workshops for Ye Qingmei.

He was curious why she hadn’t stored the gun and bullets together, but Wu Zhu only cared about repairing the gun to deal with the Great Grandmaster and had no interest in anything else. Qing Di sent someone to summon Fan Xian back to the capital for the Chrysanthemum Festival. Seeing how much Qing Di valued Fan Xian, the shop owners believed his treasury bonds would be profitable and rushed to buy them.

The two million taels of treasury bonds quickly sold out. Yet Fan Xian didn’t feel happy—despite his careful preparations yielding no results, everything changed with just a word from Qing Di. The shop owners didn’t understand the benefits of the bonds; they simply had confidence in the state’s wealth. Fan Xian originally wanted to enjoy Cangshan with Lin Wan'er, but now had to return for the festival. He felt regretful, but Lin Wan'er consoled him.

Fan Xian planned to take Lin Wan'er to Jiangnan after the festival to trace Ye Qingmei’s legacy. Lin Wan'er agreed readily. Standing on the mountaintop, Fei Jie felt deeply gratified seeing Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er in love. Suddenly, someone attacked him from behind, knocking him to the ground. Seeing the treasury bonds sell out quickly, Fan Sizhe had a bold idea—to open a shop in Northern Qi specializing in silver exchange. Fan Xian supported his plan.

As the group left Cangshan for the capital, Jing Ge and the Black Knights escorted them. Palace attendant Gong Dian soon arrived with the imperial guards and declared he had orders to take Fan Xian alone. Fan Xian confirmed Qing Di’s verbal command and followed Gong Dian to the Hanging Temple. The Hanging Temple was built atop a mountain, accessible only by a winding, treacherous path. It was a strategically defensible royal retreat.

Gong Dian instructed the guards to unload the chrysanthemums from their horses so that Fan Xian could personally deliver them to the temple.

Fan Xian held a pot of chrysanthemums in his hands as he followed Gong Dian toward the Hanging Temple built between two mountains. The only path to the temple was constructed along the mountainside, a winding staircase leading straight to the mountaintop. Fan Xian and his party quickly climbed to the top. The Hanging Temple was within sight when they encountered a long procession of workers slowly descending the mountain. These were the craftsmen who had built the temple.

During the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Gathering, no unauthorized personnel were allowed to remain on the mountain. The craftsmen were chained together with long iron chains, their hands and feet bound. Fan Xian found it strange, and Gong Dian explained that this was royal territory concerning Qing Di's safety. These workers would never again see their families. After descending the mountain, they would be detained together and only return to work after the gathering concluded.

Qing Di had not only specified the pot of flowers for Fan Xian to deliver but also directed where it should be placed. Fan Xian had no choice but to comply. Just as he was about to leave with Gong Dian, he suddenly heard light footsteps on the roof. He leapt onto the rooftop, with Gong Dian quickly following. They scanned the area but found no one.

Standing on the roof, Fan Xian looked down at the breathtaking scenery and couldn’t help but admire it aloud, regretting that he hadn’t attended the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Gathering three years earlier. As he was about to leave, Fan Xian suddenly felt his inner energy running chaotically through his body. He lost balance and almost fell. Gong Dian caught him in time and urged him to seek his master's help to regulate his energy, or else he would suffer serious damage.

Fan Xian falsely claimed he had no master and was self-taught. Gong Dian didn’t believe him. Fan Sizhe returned home to bid farewell to his parents before leaving for Northern Qi. Fan Jian offered to play pai jiu with him and even prepared a large sum of money. Thanks to his superb skills, Fan Sizhe won a lot, while Fan Ruoruo quickly lost everything and let Lin Wan'er take over.

Due to her long-term illness, Lin Wan'er had rarely left the house and often played pai jiu alone. Her skills were impressive and nearly matched Fan Sizhe’s. He couldn’t stop praising her. Fei Jie woke up groggily and realized Chen Pingping had sent people to bring him back. When Fan Xian returned home and saw Fan Sizhe fully engrossed in the game, night was falling.

Fan Jian told Fan Sizhe to eat and continue playing, not to leave until he had won all his money back. Fan Xian could tell that Fan Jian was reluctant to let Fan Sizhe go to Northern Qi and was using pai jiu to delay him. Fan Sizhe, eager to pursue his dreams in Northern Qi, offered all his money for a final decisive round—if he lost, he would leave immediately; if he won, he would continue playing.

Fan Jian and Liu Ruyu were eliminated right after the first round. Lin Wan'er was torn, unsure whether to win or lose. Seeing Fan Sizhe's determination to leave for Northern Qi, she used her ultimate skill and won. Fan Sizhe accepted the loss wholeheartedly, said goodbye to his family, and left without looking back. As the Chrysanthemum Appreciation Gathering approached, Fan Xian took a carriage to the Hanging Temple, following the Forbidden Army’s instructions along the way.

Ye Zhong, commander of the Kyoto garrison, had been waiting in the forest. He wanted to spar with Fan Xian, who had no choice but to oblige him for a round. Ye Zhong pulled Fan Xian aside, saying he and the Forbidden Army were guarding the perimeter and asked Fan Xian to protect Qing Di closely, fearing an assassination attempt.

He also gave Fan Xian a banknote to help cover the inner treasury’s deficit, but Fan Xian, trusting in the temple's tight security, declined the money. Fan Xian soon arrived at the mountain base and happened to see Qin Heng on duty. He learned that Qin Ye hadn’t come to the gathering. Li Chengru, Li Chengqian, Li Chengze, and Li Chengping climbed the steps toward the Hanging Temple. Li Chengping was gasping for breath from exhaustion.

As Li Chengqian admired the view, Li Chengze suddenly pushed him, nearly causing him to fall off the mountain. Li Chengqian was terrified, but Li Chengze claimed he was just joking. Qing Di joined the four princes, and they went to admire the chrysanthemums together. Suddenly, thick smoke billowed from the Hanging Temple. Concerned for Qing Di’s safety, Fan Xian climbed up the cliff. Ye Zhong led the Forbidden Army to extinguish the fire, which was quickly put out.

Wang Qinian found a fire starter at the scene and suspected arson. Fan Xian rushed to protect Qing Di, who instead scolded him for overreacting. Qing Di mocked him for being frightened by a little fire. Fan Xian swore to protect Qing Di with his life, but Qing Di dismissed his concerns. Fan Xian then rallied the four princes to pledge their loyalty together.

Qing Di invited them to drink and appreciate the flowers, even asking Fan Xian to share a drink with Li Chengze to resolve their conflict. Fan Xian reluctantly complied. Suddenly, a man jumped out from among the Forbidden Army and drew his sword to stab Qing Di. Chaos erupted. Li Chengqian fell to the ground, and Fan Xian and Li Chengru rushed forward to fight the assailant.

Then, an assassin dressed in white descended from the sky, heading straight for Qing Di. Li Chengping was beside Qing Di; Fan Xian pushed him aside. A eunuch by Qing Di’s side pulled a dagger from under a tray and also attempted to assassinate him. As Fan Xian turned to help, he found the eunuch already dead—Qing Di was unharmed. Seeing things had gone awry, the white-clad assassin immediately fled.

Qing Di recognized him as the younger brother of the grandmaster Si Gujian and ordered Fan Xian to pursue him. Fan Xian gave chase with all his might. The assassin fought while retreating, but Fan Xian didn’t let up. They battled from the mountain-top temple all the way to the sea of flowers. Civil and military officials screamed in fear. Fan Jian, worried about Fan Xian's safety, confronted Qing Di, accusing him of endangering Fan Xian.

Qing Di claimed that with the mountain sealed by the imperial guards, Fan Xian’s life was not in danger. He invited Fan Jian to continue enjoying the flowers, but Fan Jian remained anxious, keeping an eye on Fan Xian’s whereabouts. Fan Xian and the white-clad swordsman chased each other through a forest of pagodas. Fan Xian felt the man seemed familiar and suspected he had been hiding in the capital. The man only smiled without answering.

The white-clad swordsman was Si Gujian’s younger brother and had reached the ninth rank in martial arts. Fan Xian used all his tricks—three crossbows from his senior brothers at the Imperial Inspectorate Forth Division, three canisters of poison smoke, and silver needles—just to barely match him. With only a dagger left, Fan Xian resolved to fight to the death. The two resumed fierce combat in the pagoda forest, neither yielding.

Fan Xian's inner energy became increasingly chaotic, while the white-clad swordsman grew stronger. He struck repeatedly, and Fan Xian, exhausted, was wounded several times. As he dodged, a sword embedded deeply into a stone pagoda. The assassin then pulled out a long poisoned dagger to continue the attack. Realizing something was wrong with Fan Xian, he hesitated, but it was too late—the dagger had pierced Fan Xian’s chest. Fan Xian spat blood and collapsed.

By the time Fan Xian was brought to the palace, he was on the brink of death. Qing Di placed him in Guangxin Palace, where Li Yunrui had once lived, and assigned Imperial Physician Li to treat him. Li had already noticed Fan Xian’s reversed inner flow during a previous visit. After this brutal battle, Fan Xian’s inner energy was completely depleted, and the dagger’s poison alone could have been fatal. With all three injuries combined, even Li was helpless.

The only chance of survival lay in finding someone with the same type of inner energy to help unblock his meridians—though it would severely harm the donor. Enraged, Qing Di ordered Li to find such a person or die with Fan Xian. Ye Qingmei had brought two martial arts manuals from the sacred temple, giving one to Ku He and the other to Qing Di. Both became peerless grandmasters, but Qing Di kept it a secret.

He possessed domineering inner energy but refused to use it to save Fan Xian, leaving his fate to chance. In his delirium, Fan Xian murmured for Fan Ruoruo. Qing Di immediately sent for her, and Lin Wan’er escorted her into the palace to save Fan Xian. Fan Ruoruo proposed awakening Fan Xian with acupuncture—it was her first time using the method. Imperial Physician Li was skeptical, but Lin Wan’er insisted that saving Fan Xian came first.

Fan Ruoruo applied treatment carefully, and Fan Xian finally awoke, asking for Brother Leng from the Imperial Inspectorate to detoxify him. Chen Pingping immediately summoned Brother Leng. Yan Bingyun searched all the records in the Inspectorate but found no trace of the white-clad swordsman. He suspected an insider, and Chen Pingping told him to keep investigating. In fact, the assassin was Shadow, Chen Pingping’s personal guard and Si Gujian’s younger brother.

He had worn a mask for years, with only Fei Jie knowing his true face. Chen had arranged the assassination to help Fan Xian gain Qing Di’s trust but hadn’t anticipated Fan Xian’s inner energy going haywire and getting seriously injured. Brother Leng rushed to the palace. Fan Xian recognized the poison as a common type from Dongyi City’s saltpeter mines. Brother Leng tried internal and external remedies, but the poison had already reached Fan Xian’s organs.

Only surgery could completely remove it. Li, unfamiliar with surgery, was shocked. Fan Ruoruo volunteered to perform it. Fan Xian didn’t want Lin Wan’er to witness the bloodshed and asked her to leave, but she insisted on staying. Fan Xian asked Brother Leng and Li to sterilize the room. As he had to guide Fan Ruoruo, he couldn’t be anesthetized. Brother Leng gave him a mild sedative to keep him conscious. It was Fan Ruoruo’s first human surgery.

She hesitated for a long time. Qing Di arrived just in time and made the incision himself. Li Chengru, Li Chengqian, Consort Yi, and Li Chengping waited anxiously outside. Worried sick, Fan Jian had lost his voice. Liu Ruyu advised him to visit the palace, but he couldn’t. He paced around in distress. Inside, Fan Xian guided Fan Ruoruo through the operation. She carefully completed the procedure.

During the final stitching, the sedative caused Fan Xian to ramble—crying, laughing, and calling Qing Di “homeroom teacher. ” Everyone was too worried to care about his nonsense. Chen Pingping rushed to the palace to visit Fan Xian. Upon learning he had guided Fan Ruoruo through surgery, he suggested spreading this medical technique. Qing Di was curious how many secrets Fan Xian had, much like his mother, Ye Qingmei.

The operation was a success, and Fan Xian was finally out of danger. Lin Wan’er wept with joy. Fan Ruoruo, trembling with relief, had done her best. Imperial Physician Li wanted to preserve the technique, but with Fan Xian still unconscious, he had to leave. Fan Jian breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing that Fan Xian was stable. Liu Ruyu wanted to go to the palace to care for Fan Xian, but Fan Jian refused.

She insisted, saying she was Fan Xian’s mother, as he had bowed to her during his wedding. Fan Ruoruo and Lin Wan’er, exhausted from keeping vigil, finally went to rest. Chen Pingping took the opportunity to visit Fan Xian. Though he had survived the operation, Fan Xian’s inner energy was gone, and his meridians were in disarray. Chen Pingping advised him to use Ku He’s secret cultivation method “Tian Yi Dao Xin Fa” to restore his foundation.

Fan Xian was hesitant. Chen Pingping uncovered the backgrounds of the three assassins at the Hanging Temple. The guard was a barbarian spy who had remained in the capital after defeat. His sponsor had long since died. The eunuch who tried to kill Qing Di was a descendant of the noble who had murdered Ye Qingmei. After escaping Qing Di’s purge, he castrated himself and became a eunuch.

Three years ago, while cleaning the temple, he hid the dagger there, waiting for revenge. The white-clad swordsman, Si Gujian’s brother, was the only survivor after Si Gujian wiped out their clan. Despite Chen Pingping’s insistence that the three attackers were unconnected, Fan Xian still suspected the entire incident was a plot orchestrated by Chen Pingping—especially since the swordsman was Shadow. Though he hadn’t recognized him during the fight, he did after he dropped the sword.

Chen Pingping admitted arranging for Shadow, claiming he only pushed things along. He hadn’t expected Fan Xian’s sudden energy collapse. By the time Shadow tried to stop, it was too late. He urged Fan Xian not to reveal Shadow’s identity to Qing Di and confessed that the fire at the Hanging Temple had been set on Qing Di’s orders. Gong Dian, blamed for failing to protect the emperor, was demoted to Dingzhou. Ye Chong was Gong Dian's senior brother.

He submitted eight memorials in a row to intercede for Gong Dian, but was also exiled to Dingzhou. Fan Xian was so astonished that he was stunned. Emperor Qing carefully planned the assassination in the suspended temple, with the aim of driving the Ye family out of the capital.

Chen Pingping told Fan Xian the truth about the assassination at Xuankong Temple. Just after he left, Qing Di came to ask Fan Xian what Chen Pingping had said. Fan Xian concealed the fact that the man in white was Shadow, but told him everything else. Qing Di admitted that he had arranged for someone to set the fire and carry out the assassination at Xuankong Temple, not expecting that Chen Pingping would see through it.

His intention was not to drive away the Ye family but to force Ye Liuyun to appear. Qing Di had issued twelve edicts to Ye Liuyun, all of which were ignored, so he had no choice but to set up this trap. He also ordered Ye Zhong to keep Ye Ling'er in the capital as a hostage to restrain Ye Liuyun. There are four grandmasters in the world, and Ye Liuyun is one of them.

With powers beyond mortals, they stand above royal authority. Ku He is the pillar of the Northern Qi royal family and sent his disciples Haitang Duoduo and Lang Tao to protect the royal family. Si Gujian alone held up the entire Dongyi City, and Ye Liuyun roamed the world like a carefree wanderer. Qing Di was wary of them all and swore to eliminate them one by one to ensure his own rule.

Ye Zhong set out for Dingzhou, worrying about Ye Ling'er and repeatedly instructed her not to spar with others. He said she could marry Li Chengze but should never give him her true feelings. Ye Ling'er kept everything in her heart. The father and daughter tearfully said goodbye. Watching her father Ye Zhong’s lonely back, Ye Ling’er felt deeply conflicted.

Qing Di questioned Fan Xian about why he risked his life to save Li Chengping in a moment of crisis and ignored him. Fan Xian explained that the fatal sword aimed at Li Chengping was more dangerous. Qing Di was satisfied with his answer and promised to take him somewhere once he recovered. Li Yunrui secretly returned to the capital, avoiding public appearance to escape Qing Di's punishment, and temporarily stayed at Li Chengze’s residence.

After Ye Zhong was demoted to Dingzhou, Li Yunrui took the opportunity to sow discord, urging Li Chengze to kill Ye Ling’er and sever all ties with the Ye family. Otherwise, as long as the Ye family refused to return to the capital, he would never qualify to compete with Li Chengqian for the throne. Li Chengze believed that as long as the Ye family had Ye Liuyun, they wouldn’t collapse.

Not only did he want to marry Ye Ling’er, but also help the Ye family regain Qing Di's trust. Li Yunrui was extremely disappointed in him and angrily decided to return to Xinyang. Fan Jian woke up energetic and changed into a green hair crown. Liu Ruyu found it awkward and advised him to change it.

That night, many rumors about Fan Xian spread through the capital—saying he was the son of Qing Di and Ye Qingmei and had no relation to Fan Jian. Liu Ruyu thought Ye Qingmei had cuckolded Fan Jian and sympathized with him deeply. Fan Jian was bitter but couldn’t say anything. The mystery of Fan Xian’s background spread across the capital overnight. Chen Pingping did not let the Imperial Inspectorate refute the rumors. Li Chengze told Li Yunrui about it.

When Li Yunrui learned that Fan Xian was the son of Qing Di and Ye Qingmei, she became furious and swore to kill Fan Xian. Li Chengze tried to persuade her to calm down, but it was useless. Li Yunrui hated Ye Qingmei deeply and would never let her son live in this world. The more she spoke, the angrier she became. She had always been loyal to Qing Di, willing to bear infamy to act as his knife.

When Qing Di wanted to remove the Prime Minister, she instructed Yuan Hongdao to frame Lin Ruofu and force him into retirement. Unexpectedly, Qing Di allowed Fan Xian, Ye Qingmei’s son, to seize the royal treasury from her. Li Yunrui’s words left Li Chengze utterly stunned—he had known nothing of this. Fan Jian suspected that Chen Pingping leaked Fan Xian’s background and went to confront him. Chen Pingping revealed that Qing Di had released the information.

Fan Jian was anxious, having treated Fan Xian as his own son. Once his background was exposed, it would attract hatred and pursuit from all sides. Chen Pingping was also helpless. The Empress, upon learning that Fan Xian was also a prince, immediately went to Li Chengqian to discuss countermeasures. If Fan Xian gained control over the Imperial Inspectorate and the royal treasury, overshadowing Li Chengze, the Empress feared he would seize Li Chengqian’s position as crown prince.

However, Li Chengqian was indifferent. The Empress wanted Fan Xian dead because Ye Qingmei’s death was caused by her, and her entire clan was massacred. If Fan Xian discovered the truth, both she and Li Chengqian would be doomed. Li Chengze, having learned from Li Yunrui that Ye Qingmei was killed by the Empress's family, thought of using the Empress to kill Fan Xian.

Li Yunrui advised him to give up—since the Empress's clan was wiped out, she had no support left. Li Chengqian wanted to ally with Fan Xian against Li Chengze and urged the Empress to apologize to Fan Xian. But since she and Ye Qingmei were mortal enemies, she refused to bow. Li Chengqian planned to use Fan Xian to ascend the throne, then kill him. The Empress reluctantly agreed.

Noble Consort Yi brought Li Chengping to thank Fan Xian for saving his life. Li Chengping knelt and kowtowed until he fainted from blood loss. Noble Consort Yi, happy to learn Fan Xian was Qing Di’s son, saw the relationship between Fan Xian and Li Chengping grow closer and wished for Li Chengping to become Fan Xian’s apprentice. When he woke up, he formally bowed to become his student. A palace maid from Guangxin Palace brought medicine to Fan Xian.

He discovered it was poisoned. Noble Consort Yi quickly called the imperial guards to drag the maid out. Suddenly, a eunuch from Guangxin Palace tried to assassinate Fan Xian. Noble Consort Yi desperately protected him. Li Chengru arrived in time and ordered the guards to capture the eunuch.

Qing Di, upon learning that the assassins were a maid and eunuch from Guangxin Palace, suspected Li Yunrui was behind it and ordered Eunuch Hou to command Li Chengze to expel Li Yunrui from the capital. Li Yunrui was unwilling to give up but dared not disobey. Li Chengze urged her to return to Xinyang and swore he would ensure Fan Xian’s death.

Lin Wan’er returned to the Fan residence to pack her things, planning to go to the palace to care for Fan Xian. Liu Ruyu worried that once Fan Xian learned he was a prince, he would never come back. Lin Wan’er believed Fan Xian wouldn’t stay in the palace. On the way, Li Chengze intercepted Lin Wan’er and revealed that Fan Xian killed Lin Gong. She didn’t believe him.

Li Chengze swore it was true and told her to confirm with Ye Ling’er. Before leaving, he even gave her a dagger and told her to kill Fan Xian herself. Fan Xian’s injuries were gradually healing. He wrote a letter to Haitang Duoduo, hoping to use Ku He’s Tianyi Dao mental technique to rebuild his foundation. He asked Li Chengping to deliver the letter to the Imperial Inspectorate, and Lin Wan’er happened to witness the scene.

Lin Wan’er, after hearing from Li Chengze that Fan Xian killed her brother Lin Gong and seeing him write a letter to Haitang Duoduo, became even more furious. She used the dagger Li Chengze gave her to peel fruit, her hand trembling with rage. Fan Xian sensed that something was troubling her. Lin Wan’er questioned whether Fan Xian had long known that Lin Gong orchestrated the assassination on Niulan Street.

Fan Xian confessed that he had, but he didn’t kill Lin Gong. He knew it was Wu Zhu, but he didn’t say anything. Lin Wan’er was deeply conflicted—torn between her brother and the man she loved. She would rather Fan Xian lie to her so she’d never learn the truth. Fan Xian couldn’t bring himself to tell her, not wanting her to face such a painful choice. Years ago, the Empress’s clan killed Ye Qingmei.

Qing Di ordered Fan Jian and Chen Pingping to slaughter the entire clan. From that day, the Empress avoided Qing Di. After learning Fan Xian was the son of Ye Qingmei and Qing Di, she proactively went to confess, begging Qing Di to strip her title and punish her. Lin Wan’er suspected that Wu Zhu killed Lin Gong and wanted to avenge her brother.

Fan Xian advised her to give up—there was no way she could defeat a grandmaster like Wu Zhu. Lin Wan’er insisted on trying, even if it cost her life. She couldn’t bear to see Fan Xian framed by Li Chengze and warned him to beware. That’s when Fan Xian realized Li Chengze had told Lin Wan’er about Lin Gong. Unable to face him, Lin Wan’er left in anger, leaving Fan Xian heartbroken.

The Empress, before dying, wanted to admit her wrongs to Fan Xian. She suspected the assassination attempt at Guangxin Palace was orchestrated by Li Yunrui and pleaded with Qing Di to punish her. Without Li Yunrui, Li Chengze would lose his main backer, preserving Li Chengqian’s claim to the throne. Fan Ruoruo, who overheard the conversation between Lin Wan’er and Fan Xian outside the room, stayed by Fan Xian’s side without leaving.

Fan Xian worried about Lin Wan’er and prayed Wu Zhu wouldn’t hurt her. Qing Di refused to let the Empress see Fan Xian or strip her title. The Empress knelt and pleaded bitterly for Qing Di to punish Li Yunrui. Qing Di had already seen through her—she had orchestrated the Guangxin Palace assassination and framed Li Yunrui. The Empress stormed off in rage.

As she passed by the indestructible armor designed by Qing Di, he shot an arrow through it as a warning. Terrified, the Empress collapsed to the ground. Qing Di invited Fan Xian to Xuankong Temple to admire flowers and even had a dummy made in Fan Xian’s likeness accompany them, hoping to use it as bait to lure Wu Zhu.

Fan Jian, upon learning Fan Xian had left the city with Qing Di as bait, feared for his safety and rushed to confront Chen Pingping. Not wanting conflict, Chen Pingping went to Fei Jie’s Third Division to avoid him. As Qing Di expected, Wu Zhu had been secretly following Fan Xian’s convoy, protecting him. Suddenly, the Temple Messenger appeared, disguised like Wu Zhu and mimicking his movements. He had followed Wu Zhu from Jiangnan, creating a series of murders.

He intended to take both Wu Zhu and Ye Qingmei back to the temple. With Ye Qingmei dead, he wanted to take her son, Fan Xian, instead. Wu Zhu, seeking to recover his lost memories at the temple, would not let anyone harm Fan Xian. He fought fiercely with the messenger. Their battle led them to Xuankong Temple. Qing Di had laid a meticulous trap there.

As Wu Zhu and the messenger neared the temple, the imperial guards rained arrows on them, but they remained unharmed. After a fierce battle, both were severely injured. Wu Zhu stabbed the messenger and, despite his own wounds, managed to escape. Qing Di brought Fan Xian to Xuankong Temple, where the only portrait of Ye Qingmei was kept. In the painting, she carried the large box on her back—though it was a side profile, her determination and charm shone through.

She looked exactly like the radiant woman described by Fan Jian and Chen Pingping. It was Fan Xian’s first time seeing his mother’s face, and he was overwhelmed with emotion. The imperial guards brought back the Temple Messenger’s body. Qing Di found it was not human and ordered it burned. Then, he took Fan Xian to see the flower field Ye Qingmei had loved and spoke of her past.

Qing Di brought Fan Xian to the Hanging Temple, where he not only told him the story of Ye Qingmei but also admitted that Fan Xian was his and Ye Qingmei’s child. Back then, Ye Qingmei was brutally killed right after giving birth to Fan Xian. As Qing Di had just ascended the throne and his position was unstable, he had no choice but to send Fan Xian to Danzhou.

Fan Xian had long learned of his origin from Shawn, but he pretended to have just found out. He appeared both emotional and surprised—so much so that even the always-suspicious Qing Di couldn’t tell he was acting. Qing Di placed great hopes on Fan Xian, asking him to take over the three major workshops Ye Qingmei left behind in Jiangnan once he recovered. Though father and son were reunited, Fan Xian felt uneasy.

He clearly sensed that besides genuine affection, Qing Di also harbored wariness toward him, which sent chills down his spine. He confided his inner conflict to Fan Ruoruo. Since arriving in the capital, Fan Xian had survived countless life-or-death trials. This time, he moved Qing Di by risking his life to protect him at the Hanging Temple, prompting the emperor to acknowledge him. Fan Xian didn’t know whether Qing Di saw him as a son or a pawn.

Although Fan Jian was not his biological father, his love for Fan Xian was pure and sincere. Fan Ruoruo advised Fan Xian to return to Danzhou and live a peaceful life. But Fan Xian was unwilling to sit idly by waiting for death—he decided to go to Jiangnan. Wu Zhu returned to the Fan residence with injuries, repeatedly urging Fan Xian to go to the three major workshops in Jiangnan.

Lin Wan'er questioned Wu Zhu about whether he had killed Lin Gong. Wu Zhu admitted it openly. Lin Wan'er swore to kill Wu Zhu to avenge Lin Gong, but now was not the right time. She knew Li Chengze and Li Yunrui would certainly send assassins after Fan Xian on his journey to Jiangnan and hoped Wu Zhu would protect him. Wu Zhu promised that once Fan Xian no longer needed him, his life would be at Lin Wan'er’s disposal.

Fan Xian set out for Jiangnan today aboard a massive official ship. Li Chengru, Li Chengze, Li Chengqian, and Li Chengping boarded the ship to see him off. Fan Jian and Liu Ruyu arrived shortly after. Fan Xian declared that once he returned from Jiangnan, he would formally pay respects to his ancestors at the Fan family shrine, repeatedly emphasizing that he was a son of the Fan family. Everyone present was stunned.

Li Chengqian was overjoyed—once Fan Xian entered the Fan ancestral hall, he would no longer be a contender for the throne. Li Chengze sneered at Li Chengqian and reminded Fan Xian to be cautious on this journey. Qing Di assigned Li Chengping to accompany Fan Xian to Jiangnan. Li Chengping happily stayed on the ship. Fan Xian asked Hong Zhu to take good care of Qing Di.

Fan Jian reminded Fan Xian to act with caution—after all, the Ming family had managed the three major workshops for many years, and their interpersonal ties were extremely complicated. One misstep could lead to serious trouble. Fan Xian took it all to heart. Liu Ruyu repeatedly confirmed whether Fan Xian was truly going to enter the Fan ancestral hall—she was overjoyed. Fan Jian, moved to tears, expressed his hopes for Fan Xian's triumphant return.

Even if Fan Xian had nothing left in the future, he could still support him. Fan Xian was warmed by this and felt a deep sense of paternal love from Fan Jian. As the large ship was about to set sail, Fan Xian hadn’t seen Lin Wan'er and felt disappointed. Suddenly sensing her presence, he rushed to the deck and saw her from afar coming to see him off.

Their eyes met, and in that moment, all past grievances melted away. The two tearfully bid farewell. The official ship sailed southward and soon arrived at the waters of Shazhou. The Shazhou navy commander, Lord Xu, sent a small boat with gifts for Fan Xian. Wang Qinian ordered the gift boxes hoisted aboard. The Shazhou prefect also sent gifts, and Wang Qinian had Shi Chanli record everything.

Soon, officials from all parts of Shazhou came to present gifts, and Fan Xian accepted them all. Several small boats slowly approached Fan Xian's large ship, carrying mostly white-haired elders. Wang Qinian immediately sensed they weren’t there to offer gifts but rather to voice grievances. Fan Xian suspected they had ties to the Ming family. Meanwhile, Li Chengze and Xie Bian rushed toward Jiangnan to negotiate directly with the head of the Ming family, Ming Qingda.

Though immensely wealthy, Ming Qingda wore ragged clothes and adopted a humble demeanor. Li Chengze saw through the act, guessing the real authority, the Old Madam of the Ming family, was observing them from the next room. She was forced to come out and meet him. Li Chengze warned them to keep firm control over the three major workshops and not hand them over to Fan Xian. The Old Madam dared not disobey the imperial command.

Li Chengze furiously called the Ming family dogs of the court and revealed that he had already cut off all their escape routes. Ming Qingda was furious but dared not speak up. Li Chengze issued a bounty on Fan Xian under the Ming family’s name, drawing eager mercenaries from all corners. He also spent large sums to bribe the refugees from the north, sheltered by the Ming family, to attack Fan Xian’s ship.

The Old Madam, unwilling to hear more, used the excuse of a nap to dismiss Li Chengze. He left, gritting his teeth in anger and issuing further threats. Ming Qingda suspected someone in the family had defected to Li Chengze—otherwise, the bounty couldn’t have been issued. The Old Madam forbade such talk and punished him by ordering him to stab his own fingers with needles as penance.

Although Ming Qingda was the nominal head of the Ming family, real power lay with his mother, the Old Madam. He followed her every command and would be punished with needle pricks at the slightest mistake. Enduring the intense pain, Ming Qingda vowed to root out the traitor colluding with Li Chengze. He was unwilling to hand over the workshops he had built over many years.

Instead, he wanted to provoke a fight between Fan Xian and Li Chengze, allowing the Ming family to benefit as the fisherman profiting from a fight between the snipe and clam. The Old Madam was very satisfied and allowed him to remove the needles from his fingers. Li Chengze saw Ming Qingda’s bloodstained fingers and guessed that Ming Qingda didn’t truly hold power.

Ming Qingda agreed to cooperate with Li Chengze to deal with Fan Xian but said he must find someone among his own brothers to take the blame—otherwise, Fan Xian wouldn’t believe the bounty had been issued by mistake. Li Chengze left this task to Ming Qingda, concerned that Qing Di would find out he had secretly come to Jiangnan. He left Xie Bian behind to help assassinate Fan Xian while he rushed back to the capital.

Before leaving, Li Chengze offered to kill the Old Madam for Ming Qingda so that he could become the real head of the family, but Ming Qingda couldn’t bring himself to do it. Dozens of elderly refugees took small boats to attack Fan Xian’s official ship. Fan Xian not only bore no grudge but invited them aboard for a hearty meal.

He learned that the Ming family had issued a bounty: if the refugees attacked the ship, their families would receive food. Desperate, the refugees risked their lives. Ming family agents monitored the elders from across the river, knowing full well they would not return. The elders had no choice but to proceed. Fan Xian once again experienced the Ming family’s cruelty and vowed to destroy them. He promised to return the refugees to their hometowns, earning their deep gratitude.

Fan Xian’s ship neared Suzhou. The Suzhou prefect, having heard that Fan Xian received many gifts along the way, came to the dock with his entire staff to welcome him—with lavish gifts in hand. Ming Qingda also came to greet him. Officials from all counties in Jiangnan, being fans of Fan Xian, flocked to catch a glimpse of the famed “Poetry Immortal. ”The official ship slowly docked.

Fan Xian disembarked with Li Chengping and others, having all gifts recorded as evidence. The Suzhou officials were so frightened that they hid the gifts behind their backs. Fan Xian showed them the 130,000 taels of silver he had brought from the capital. With these funds and the gifted treasures, he would send the northern refugees home. He didn’t trust the officials and assigned the task to local clerks. Xu, a clerk from Fuchuan County, volunteered.

Fan Xian learned he had come on the orders of County Magistrate Yang Wanli, his former student. Surprised and pleased, Fan Xian asked the Suzhou officials to hand over all their prepared gifts—he would use them for disaster relief. The officials had no choice but to comply. Fan Xian declined the prefect’s banquet and sent everyone home. Ming Qingda and the Old Madam came to apologize, promising to identify the person behind the bounty before nightfall.

Fan Xian dined with Li Chengping and Shi Chanli at a restaurant. Curious, Shi Chanli asked why Fan Xian entrusted disaster relief to clerks. Fan Xian said he wanted to give them a chance to prove themselves, trusting they would do their jobs well. Wang Qinian had arrived early and ordered the meal. The restaurant was in the city center and overlooked the water.

From the second floor, Fan Xian spotted a fisherman by the river and instantly recognized him as a ninth-rank master. The man looked back—Fan Xian identified him as Yun Zhilán, the top disciple of Si Gujian. If not for his lost inner force, Fan Xian would have liked to challenge him. Wang Qinian urged him to flee or face certain death. As Yun Zhilán was about to leave, Haitang Duoduo pinned his fishing rod down with a flower basket.

Yun Zhilán retaliated, flipping the basket over. Both possessed immense inner strength, sending huge waves over the water, almost capsizing nearby boats. Yun Zhilán wanted to kill Fan Xian, but Haitang Duoduo refused to let him. Just then, Shadow leapt from the water and engaged Yun Zhilán in fierce combat. The two quickly vanished from sight. Haitang Duoduo then went upstairs to dine with Fan Xian and the others.

Li Chengping and Shi Chanli noticed that Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo seemed unusually close and assumed he had invited her. But Fan Xian knew nothing of it. Haitang Duoduo had received a letter from Fan Xian and came personally to deliver the “Heavenly Dao” cultivation manual. Fan Xian hoped to use the manual to restore his inner force. Unexpectedly, Ku He had entrusted him with a secret, forbidden technique. Fan Xian agreed to teach Haitang Duoduo the Domineering Qi in return.

Fan Xian learned from Haitang Duoduo that the “Tianyi Dao Heart Technique” was left behind by his mother, Ye Qingmei, and Ku He was merely returning it to its rightful owner. Haitang Duoduo casually asked about Fan Xian’s married life, and Fan Xian brushed it off, saying it was going well. Haitang Duoduo explained that she asked on behalf of Si Lili.

Li Chengping and Shi Chanli exchanged a knowing smile, surprised that in addition to Haitang Duoduo, Fan Xian also had Si Lili as a close confidante. Fan Xian didn’t offer an explanation. Fan Xian went to the Ming family to wait for the investigation results and happened to witness the Ming matriarch adopting Ming Qingda’s cousin and summoning his cousin’s four children to attend the ceremony.

After the ceremony, Ming Qingda accused his cousin of being a traitor bribed by others. He had privately issued a reward for the assassination of the imperial official Fan Xian and even asked Fan Xian to execute him personally. Fan Xian realized that Ming Qingda and his mother were putting on a show to intimidate him. He insisted on taking the adopted son back for interrogation.

The Ming matriarch advised her adopted son to cooperate and promised to take good care of his four children. Just as Fan Xian was about to take him away, the man suddenly rammed his head into a pillar and died on the spot. Once again, Fan Xian experienced the cunning and viciousness of the Ming matriarch and was filled with rage. Ming Qingda needed more than ten corpses.

Desperate villagers came to the Ming family voluntarily, willing to die for them. Ming Qingda publicly swore to take care of their families, watched them drink poisoned wine one by one, then had their bodies hauled away to cover up the truth from Fan Xian’s investigation. Ming Qingda secretly met with Xie Bian and swore eternal loyalty to Li Chengze and Li Yunrui. Xie Bian boasted that Fan Xian would be dead in two days.

Ming Qingda deliberately stalled for time, chatting idly with Xie Bian while drinking tea. The Ming matriarch hosted a banquet for Fan Xian, promising to donate 200,000 taels of silver for disaster relief. She claimed the Three Great Workshops were internal treasury consignment products for Li Yunrui, yet they lost money every year—implying that Li Yunrui was making illicit profits. Fan Xian saw through her act of pretending to be poor but did not expose her.

The Ming matriarch agreed to transfer the Three Great Workshops to the Internal Treasury Transport Division as soon as possible, on the condition that the Ming family retain their management rights. Fan Xian exposed her lie on the spot—if the workshops were losing money year after year, why would the Ming family still want to manage them? The Ming matriarch claimed it was to serve the country.

When a fire broke out at the Three Great Workshops' warehouse, Ming Qingda rushed to report to Fan Xian. Fan Xian suspected it was set by the Ming family, but both the Ming matriarch and Ming Qingda had alibis and denied involvement. Fan Xian was staying at the Jiangnan branch of the Baoyue House. Li Chengping was curious why he chose that location—it turned out Fan Xian was using Baoyue House to gather intelligence.

Wang Qinian went to investigate the fire; all goods were reduced to ashes, and all warehouse workers were found dead. Wang Qinian discovered the bodies were burned postmortem and sensed something suspicious. Fan Xian suspected the warehouse had long been emptied by the Ming family and the fire was set to cover it up. Shi Chanli was deeply saddened, recalling how his hometown Shijia Town had also been burned. Fan Xian comforted him.

Sure enough, just as Fan Xian suspected, the fire had been pre-arranged by Ming Qingda, who had also prepared an equal number of corpses to replace the workers. Ming Qingda planned to bring both the goods and workers back to the warehouse after Fan Xian returned to the capital. The Ming matriarch praised him to his face but secretly feared he would usurp her and take control of the Ming family.

Ming Qingda was determined to preserve the Three Great Workshops at all costs. To him, it was a treasure trove and the center of the world’s most profitable crafts—glassmaking, sugar refining, cotton weaving, and perfumery. Fan Xian wanted to make these technologies available to the entire nation. Li Chengping advised him to report to Qing Di first.

Li Chengping and Shi Chanli tried to persuade Fan Xian to make money through the Three Great Workshops instead of promoting labor-intensive and thankless craftsmanship. But Fan Xian had made up his mind—he wanted to spread advanced craftsmanship throughout the land. Knowing Fan Xian was doing something great for the country and the people, both expressed their full support. Fan Xian regarded Haitang Duoduo as his best friend and opened his heart to her.

Haitang Duoduo also told him the truth—Ku He had made alterations to the “Tianyi Dao Heart Technique,” and if Fan Xian continued practicing it as is, he would become a fool. Haitang Duoduo corrected the errors one by one. Fan Xian cursed Ku He for his sinister and malicious nature. It turned out Ku He had also removed several steps from the overbearing qi technique he gave Haitang Duoduo, making her speechless with anger.

Fan Xian sent Deng Ziyue to pose as a disaster victim and infiltrate the Ming family. The First and Fourth Divisions of the Imperial Inspectorate forged his identity and background. Deng Ziyue quickly earned the Ming family's trust and successfully went undercover at the Three Great Workshops, gathering a great deal of incriminating evidence. He reported everything to Fan Xian. Upon learning that Ming Qingda had used the fire to move goods and workers, Fan Xian decided to personally investigate.

Fan Xian brought Wang Qinian to the warehouse of the Three Great Workshops, escorted by the Black Knights. Shadow arrived shortly afterward with bad news—Ye Liuyun was coming to kill Fan Xian. Wang Qinian advised Fan Xian to return to the city, but Fan Xian refused to give up. He wanted to reclaim the Three Great Workshops left behind by his mother, Ye Qingmei. Shadow had no choice but to accompany him.

The group soon found the warehouse—it was huge and even had tracks and trolleys inside. Fan Xian guessed that this setup had also been left behind by his mother. Deng Ziyue and the workers were moving goods. He discreetly signaled Fan Xian, who then ordered the Black Knights to surround the warehouse. Xiao Jing, the supervisor of Workshop A, stepped forward to confront Fan Xian.

Wang Qinian immediately produced case files listing Xiao Jing’s crimes—accepting bribes, embezzling death pensions, and withholding workers' wages. Fan Xian executed him on the spot. Wang Qinian then read out the charges against Supervisor Ma Jianxiong, who was also beheaded. Supervisor Wu trembled in fear, offered to surrender the Three Great Workshops, and personally assisted Fan Xian with the handover. The Ming matriarch closely monitored Fan Xian’s every move.

After learning that Fan Xian had taken over the Three Great Workshops, Ming Qingda wanted Ye Liuyun to help kill Fan Xian. The Ming matriarch refused—she didn’t want to rely on outsiders. Ming Qingda feared that the Ming family would be punished by the court for seizing the workshops. The Ming matriarch told him to find a biological brother to take the blame. Helpless, Ming Qingda reluctantly agreed. However, he began to harbor murderous thoughts toward the Ming matriarch.

During a massage session, he strangled her to death. When Fan Xian learned that Ye Liuyun was coming to Suzhou, he went directly to the pier to wait. Wang Qinian and Shadow followed closely behind. The river was calm, and boatmen were transporting goods in an orderly fashion, but Fan Xian sensed a powerful presence approaching from the sea and couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath. Ye Liuyun rowed a small boat toward them.

Suddenly, the boat flew into the air, and Ye Liuyun landed steadily on the dock. Fan Xian had no true qi left and didn’t draw his sniper rifle, believing that Ye Liuyun wouldn’t kill him—because Ye Liuyun cared about his family. Ye Liuyun flicked his sleeve and sent a dagger flying. Shadow caught it firmly, and Ye Liuyun drifted away. Moments after Ye Liuyun departed, the ground split open, and the archway and city tower were sliced in half.

Fan Xian witnessed Ye Liuyun cut down half a building with one sword stroke and was in awe. Fan Xian was surprised to find that his true qi had returned, realizing that Ye Liuyun was helping him. This season's story comes to a temporary close. Audiences and readers are left wanting more, eagerly anticipating Zhang Qing’s updates for Season 3.

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