Joy of Life Episode 23 Recap
> Joy of Life Recap
Emperor Qing instructed Fan Xian not to come to the Taiping separate residence again in the future. He also told him that his marriage with Wan'er had been settled, and since Wan'er grew up in the palace, he should go to the palace tomorrow to meet the Empress Dowager and the various concubines. Although Fan Xian was reluctant, he could only take his leave.
As he left, Yan Xiaoyi stopped Fan Xian and questioned him about the expert archer on the opposite side of the river just now. Fan Xian pretended not to know and then cited Emperor Qing's verbal decree from just now, leaving boldly. Fan Xian found Ruoruo and saw the large tree on the ground that Yan Xiaoyi had shot down. Wu Zhu was already nowhere to be seen.
Fan Xian told Ruoruo that he hadn't found the key but had met Emperor Qing, who seemed to also know his mother, but was unwilling to say more. As soon as they returned, Wan'er told him that the Crown Prince had been captured by people from the Prime Minister's mansion. Seeing that she could no longer hide it, Wan'er confessed that her father wanted to test if there was a Grandmaster-level expert by Fan Xian's side.
Fan Xian hadn't expected Lin Ruofu to still suspect him. Wan'er quickly explained that the Crown Prince had just said the killer was not Fan Xian. Fan Xian didn't say anything, but Ruoruo was angry. She hadn't expected Wan'er to collude with Lin Ruofu to deceive her brother. Wan'er knew she was wrong, but there was no time to apologize at the moment.
Instead, she told Fan Xian to quickly take Dabao back to the Prime Minister's mansion and relay the Crown Prince's words to Lin Ruofu. On the other side, Lin Ruofu and Yuan Hongdao were playing chess, waiting for news. Soon, a servant came back with the message that the people they sent had returned to the mansion. As it was inconvenient for Lin Ruofu to show himself, he asked Yuan Hongdao to go and find out the situation.
When the killer saw Yuan Hongdao, he proactively reported that "Fan Xian" had been captured and was now being held in the city. Furthermore, "Fan Xian" had seen through them being subordinates of the Prime Minister's mansion and kept insisting on seeing the Prime Minister. Yuan Hongdao hadn't expected him to mess up such a simple task like this. He exasperatedly told him to quickly go and release Fan Xian. Just then, Dabao returned.
He loudly greeted Yuan Hongdao with a bow. Yuan Hongdao responded briefly. Who knew, right after, Fan Xian also came in and even waved to him. Only then did Yuan Hongdao realize that this group of idiots had probably captured the wrong person. As soon as Dabao saw Lin Ruofu, he excitedly told him about the outing.
Lin Ruofu patiently listened to him finish, wiped the sweat from him, and then cajoled Dabao into going to the front courtyard to kowtow to Lin Gong in the mourning hall. Dabao didn't understand what a funeral was but obediently went anyway. After Dabao left, Fan Xian took the initiative to talk about the assassins' test. He stated that he could understand Lin Ruofu and also relayed the Crown Prince's words to him.
Lin Ruofu insisted that only the Four Grandmasters in the world could kill Lin Gong. He had sent people to investigate, and at the time of the incident, Ye Liuyun, Ku He, and Si Gu Jian were not near the capital. Therefore, it was indeed someone from the palace who killed Lin Gong. However, who specifically ordered it could not be confirmed; the Emperor, the Empress Dowager, the Eldest Princess, the Crown Prince, or the Second Prince were all possibilities.
Just then, Yuan Hongdao rushed over and told Lin Ruofu about the assassins mistakenly capturing the Crown Prince. Moreover, for some reason, the Crown Prince insisted on seeing him and Fan Xian. Yuan Hongdao led the two of them to an inconspicuous courtyard. As soon as they met, the Crown Prince played the emotional card by mentioning Lin Gong. Lin Ruofu then asked him how he could be sure that the killer was a Grandmaster, and the Crown Prince explained.
The Investigator's Office had produced two copies of the document regarding the cause of Lin Gong's death; the one sent to the palace had explained things clearly. It was well-known that the Crown Prince was isolated in court, with many followers but not a single important minister from the Six Ministries. Therefore, he was using the matter of avenging Lin Gong to try and ally with Prime Minister Lin.
Lin Ruofu deliberately asked what if the person who ordered the killing was the current Emperor. The Crown Prince, without hesitation, stepped forward and whispered that no matter who it was, he would avenge Lin Gong. Lin Ruofu outwardly agreed and said that this matter should not be documented in any way, only understood between them. The Crown Prince naturally agreed. With the alliance settled, Lin Ruofu was curious why the Crown Prince wanted to see Fan Xian.
The Crown Prince stated frankly that the person Lin Ruofu would support in the future would definitely be Fan Xian, and although he had disagreements with Fan Xian, he believed there was no irreconcilable hatred between them, so why not turn conflict into friendship? The Crown Prince also promised never to compete with Fan Xian for the Imperial Treasury in the future.
After today, with him and Prime Minister Lin supporting Fan Xian, it would surely ensure his rapid ascent to prominence. Fan Xian had not yet answered. Just then, there was a sudden commotion outside the door. Yuan Hongdao went out to check. As soon as he reached the doorway, he found blood splattered on the door. He cautiously opened the door, only to see corpses strewn everywhere outside.
Lin Ruofu thought it was the Crown Prince's guards who had come to rescue him. The Crown Prince quickly shook his head in denial. Fan Xian looked at the scene before him, filled with young and old, and could only sigh. He went out himself to investigate the situation. He went outside the door, casually picked up a long sword, and cautiously looked around.
He hadn't walked far when he suddenly felt the sound of a sharp blade cutting through the air behind him. Fan Xian turned around to counterattack, but the long sword in his hand was cut in half by the opponent's single move. The opponent turned out to be Xie Bi'an. Afterward, the Second Prince appeared unhurriedly. He reminded Fan Xian not to easily believe the Crown Prince's words. Fan Xian stated that he hadn't heard anything.
The Second Prince patted Fan Xian's arm kindly, stepped around the bodies on the ground, and walked into the room. After entering the room, the Second Prince performed a deep bow to the Crown Prince, saying that he had received news and come to rescue him, and that the kidnappers outside had all been killed by Xie Bi'an. The Crown Prince harbored resentment in his heart but still had to thank him outwardly.
Seeing this, Lin Ruofu said he was just passing by and then took his leave, departing with Yuan Hongdao. After Prime Minister Lin left, the Crown Prince finally stopped concealing his feelings. He pulled a long face and sneered at the Second Prince, saying he was keeping a close eye on him. The Second Prince replied calmly that it was his duty, and no matter what happened within the capital, it could not escape his eyes.
On the way back, Fan Xian curiously asked Lin Ruofu if he was really going to ally with the Crown Prince. Lin Ruofu smiled and said it was just a temporary measure. With the court currently in chaos, this was an opportunity to promote Fan Xian during his tenure.
Upon reaching the mansion gate, Yuan Hongdao arrived to report to Lin Ruofu that all the assassins who had kidnapped the Crown Prince had been killed, and their families were still outside the city. Lin Ruofu immediately instructed him not to collect the bodies, so as not to leave any evidence, but to properly settle the families. After Yuan Hongdao left, Lin Ruofu advised Fan Xian that sometimes one must be ruthless; being soft-hearted would harm oneself.
When Fan Xian returned home, his heart remained unsettled. He could see that the Crown Prince was genuinely trying to win him over today, which meant that the person who ordered Lin Gong to assassinate him was not the Crown Prince. Wu Zhu learned that Fan Xian had not found the key and concluded that the key was with the Empress Dowager. However, Grandmaster Hong Sixiang was guarding the Empress Dowager in the palace, making it difficult to act.
Moreover, in the palace, there was not only a Grandmaster but also the Ninth-Rank archer Yan Xiaoyi and the heavily guarded Imperial Army. Wu Zhu told Fan Xian to find an opportunity to investigate the palace. Coincidentally, Fan Xian was going to enter the palace tomorrow anyway. He decided to take Ruoruo with him and have her help him figure out the route. As the two were talking, Wu Zhu suddenly said someone was coming and then disappeared.
By the time Fan Xian reacted, he saw Wan'er pushing the door open and walking in. Lin Wan'er told him that Ruoruo had left the door open for her, and she had come tonight to invite Fan Xian to watch the stars with her. The two sat in the courtyard, looking at the stars in the sky.
Wan'er told Fan Xian that she had lived in the palace since she was little, and her father and mother found it inconvenient to visit. Every night, she would live alone in a very large room. From then on, the only company she had was the starry sky above her. Moreover, her health was sometimes good and sometimes bad, and she often felt that she could die at any moment, so she didn't dare to get close to others.
Therefore, all this time, she often felt lonely. It wasn't until she met Fan Xian that she knew how good it felt to have someone by her side. Wan'er apologized to Fan Xian for not telling him about her father's test, but she didn't know how to make it up to him, so she had secretly run out to watch the stars with him. Fan Xian felt both pity and love for Wan'er in his heart.
He himself felt guilty about the Lin Gong incident. The two promised each other that they would never deceive each other again in the future. After this incident, their relationship became even more harmonious. The next day, during breakfast, Fan Jian arranged for Liu Ruyu to accompany Fan Xian into the palace. Fan Xian specifically asked Ruoruo to go along as well, and Ruoruo naturally agreed.
After the meal, Fan Xian instructed Ruoruo to help him remember the route inside the palace, because he might have to sneak in once. Ruoruo had always been obedient to her brother. Without asking for the reason, she agreed without hesitation. Before entering the palace, Fan Sizhe specifically instructed Fan Xian that once inside, he must remember to ask a consort to write a piece of calligraphy for their bookshop.
The siblings found it both frustrating and amusing that Fan Sizhe was truly obsessed with making money. The person leading them into the palace this time was their old acquaintance Eunuch Hou. Eunuch Hou told them that the Empress Dowager and several consorts wanted to see Fan Xian this time, but they could only visit the Empress Dowager after lunch. Since Liu Ruyu was present, the first stop would naturally be her cousin Consort Yi.
