Joy of Life Season 2 Episode 19 Recap, Plot

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> Joy of Life Season 2 Recap

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.

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