Joy of Life Season 2 Episode 16 Recap, Plot

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> Joy of Life Season 2 Recap

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.

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