Joy of Life Episode 29 Recap
> Joy of Life Recap
Fan Xian didn't expect that his mother, after promising him the truth, would bring more puzzles. After much thought, he decided to put these aside for now. Since he had come to this era, he would live well in it and take care of the people around him. Wu Zhu naturally had no objection, only reminding him to tie up loose ends from when he infiltrated the palace.
Fan Xian was just confidently saying it was impossible to be discovered when the courtyard gate was suddenly knocked. Wang Qinian was outside frantically shouting that something had happened, that he had been discovered. This slap in the face came too quickly, catching him completely off guard. Wang Qinian tearfully said that when he was sending the locksmith out of the city, he was blocked by the Director and Shadow.
The Director immediately asked him if the person who broke into the palace last night was Fan Xian. Wang Qinian bit his teeth and refused to confess, but Shadow handed him a key, the key to the locksmith's house. It turned out that the locksmith was Chen Pingping's man.
This locksmith had been famous in the capital for a long time, yet Wang Qinian had never heard him mention the Director, which showed how many eyes and ears Chen Pingping had hidden in the capital. Fortunately, he was on Fan Xian's side. Chen Pingping told Wang Qinian to inform Fan Xian that no one would know about his intrusion into the imperial palace last night, allowing Fan Xian to do what he wanted with peace of mind.
He would cover for him and fill in the gaps. Although Fan Xian was a little surprised, he insisted on handling the subsequent matters himself first, and would seek his help if needed. The key now was to put the counterfeit back into the Empress Dowager's bedchamber in time, without letting anyone detect his true purpose. So, he needed to find someone who could enter the palace at any time and could be trusted.
This might be difficult for others, but coincidentally, he had such a person: his fiancée, who grew up in the palace and was mutually in love with him. Fan Xian told Lin Wan'er that he needed her to find a way to bring him into the Empress Dowager's bedchamber disguised as an accompanying eunuch. Although Lin Wan'er agreed, she deliberately made things difficult for Fan Xian, telling him to practice eunuch etiquette properly.
Only after Fan Xian was thoroughly exhausted did she smile and let him off. Lin Wan'er asked Fan Xian why he needed to sneak into the palace in disguise. Fan Xian told her directly that he had secretly broken into the palace last night and stolen a key from the Empress Dowager's bedchamber. This item was closely related to his mother, so he had to get it no matter what, and he had to return it today.
Lin Wan'er was startled, not expecting Fan Xian to casually tell her something so important. Fan Xian said seriously that it was because he had promised he would never lie to her. Soon, Lin Wan'er entered the palace with several accompanying eunuchs under the pretense of visiting the Empress Dowager. She saw that there were more guards than usual and casually inquired of the person leading the way.
To her surprise, the palace maid said that there had been a thief in the palace last night and that the flying thief was actually having a private meeting with a maid beside the Eldest Princess. Although Lin Wan'er knew this was unreliable, she still secretly glared at Fan Xian. Lin Wan'er had grown up in the palace, and the Empress Dowager was especially fond of her.
Hearing that she had specially brought homemade pastries and incense to repel insects, the Empress Dowager felt very comforted, saying that no amount of gold or silver could compare to Lin Wan'er's filial piety. Lin Wan'er felt a bit guilty upon hearing this. She quickly changed the subject and asked why Eunuch Hong was not present.
The Empress Dowager told her that there was a thief in the palace last night and she had sent Hong Sixiang to assist Emperor Qing. Fan Xian heard this and knew it was a great opportunity. Lin Wan'er then pulled the Empress Dowager's hand and, acting spoiled, said that the weather was good today and she wanted to take her to the garden to enjoy the flowers, which would also allow the servants to fumigate the palace for insects.
The Empress Dowager naturally agreed. Yan Xiaoyi reported to the Eldest Princess that the Northern Qi diplomatic mission had received the news and planned to leave within days. However, the Eldest Princess remained sullen. She still hadn't figured out why the assassin had entered the palace last night. Yan Xiaoyi informed her that Eunuch Hong had fought with one of the men last night and recognized it as the Sigujian technique. The Eldest Princess immediately seized upon a loophole.
Hong Sixiang encountered the assassin at midnight, while Yan Xiaoyi only discovered the assassin at around 2 AM. If they were truly there to assassinate her, where did the assassin go during that entire hour in between? She concluded that the assassin must have had another purpose.
Just in case, the Eldest Princess asked Yan Xiaoyi to obtain an imperial decree from the Empress Dowager, ordering a check of all areas in the palace, including her own residence, for any abnormalities. While Lin Wan'er kept the old lady happy in the garden, Fan Xian quietly slipped in after the servants finished fumigating the palace and put the key back. Just then, Yan Xiaoyi came to request the imperial decree.
A palace maid told him that the Empress Dowager had gone to the Imperial Garden, but he sensed someone else's breathing in the Empress Dowager's bedchamber. He wanted to go in and investigate but was stopped by the palace maid guarding the door. The palace maid warned him that this was the Empress Dowager's bedchamber, after all. Yan Xiaoyi could only leave reluctantly and went to the Imperial Garden.
The Empress Dowager found the Eldest Princess's request reasonable and readily agreed. At this moment, she suddenly remembered the hidden compartment under her bed and rushed back in a hurry. She left everyone outside and went to the bed alone, opened the hidden compartment, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the key was still completely intact inside. Yan Xiaoyi reported the matter of a hidden expert in the Empress Dowager's palace to the Eldest Princess.
The Eldest Princess thought of an unusual point: Hong Sixiang, a Grandmaster, chased an assassin but lost him. Logically, this was absolutely impossible. She speculated that Hong Sixiang was deliberately led away, and the fact that this assassin could freely move about in the palace and disappear without a trace afterwards meant there was only one explanation: the two assassins were the Empress Dowager's people.
Although Fan Xian's poems written at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests were astonishing, many of the names, places, and allusions could not be traced. Xuan Jiu, head of the Eighth Bureau of the Investigator's Office, reported this to Chen Pingping. Chen Pingping told him not to investigate further and to print the poems as quickly as possible. Qing Kingdom's literary world had been weak for a long time; it was time for a poetry god to emerge.
Soon, literati on the street were reading Fan Xian's collection of poems, and Fan Xian's fame soared. On this day, Xin Qiwu was bragging to someone on the street about having worked with Fan Xian before, when suddenly, many papers were scattered from the sky. The entire capital street was instantly covered in a flurry of paper snow. The papers were neatly written, denouncing Eldest Princess Li Yunrui for treason and for privately trading with Northern Qi.
The Eldest Princess quickly received the news. She realized that the person behind this wanted to use public opinion to force her to her death. The maid beside her worriedly said that others were not important; the key was how Emperor Qing viewed this matter. Emperor Qing was currently discussing this article with Chen Pingping. Chen Pingping softly said that everyone was now discussing the illicit affair between the Eldest Princess and Zhuang Mohan.
Emperor Qing was angered to laughter, wondering who would believe such absurd talk. However, since the matter was causing such a stir, there had to be an outcome to account for it. Chen Pingping countered by asking if he wanted an outcome or the truth. Emperor Qing did not answer directly and dismissed him. Yan Ruohai received the news and immediately sought out Zhu Ge.
He angrily said that if Yan Bingyun was captured due to intelligence leaks, he would have nothing to say, but if someone within the court truly used a trick, he would never let it go. Zhu Ge asked him why he didn't tell the Director. Yan Ruohai stated directly that he did not trust Chen Pingping; he wanted to promote Fan Xian, and among the younger generation, his son was Fan Xian's biggest rival.
Fan Xian was at home sharing his joy with Wu Zhu. Thanks to Wu Zhu, no one else could have scattered the flyers all over the city so silently. His proudest point, and the cleverest part of this method, was that no one could trace it back to him. He could stay out of it and watch the show with peace of mind. To his surprise, just as he said this, the door knocked again.
This time, it was Chen Pingping. Chen Pingping entered the room and looked around, asking Fan Xian if Wu Zhu was there. Fan Xian evaded the question. Chen Pingping directly handed him a flyer, asserting that this matter was Fan Xian's doing. Fan Xian naturally denied it, but Chen Pingping said the flyer was proof. He had Xuan Jiu investigate. Xuan Jiu determined from the paper's material, processing level, and thickness that it was from the Hexi region.
Such a large quantity of paper sufficient to cover the entire city was only stocked by one place: Fan Xian's Danbo Bookstore. Fan Xian hadn't expected that his seemingly flawless plan had such a major oversight. Chen Pingping teased him, asking if he was short on money, which was why he bought so much cheap stock. Fan Xian said helplessly that it was Fan Sizhe who managed this.
Of the eight bureaus of the Investigator's Office, the one he paid the least attention to was the Eighth Bureau, and he didn't expect to fall so hard this time. Chen Pingping said proudly that the Investigator's Office was built by Ye Qingmei, and he shouldn't underestimate it. Chen Pingping asked Fan Xian if the content on the paper was true or false and why he targeted the Eldest Princess.
Fan Xian said seriously that the illicit affair was false, but betraying Yan Bingyun was true; he had heard it with his own ears. Moreover, the Eldest Princess was the first one who wanted to kill him, so he couldn't just wait to be killed. Chen Pingping believed that inciting public opinion without solid evidence was not enough. Fan Xian agreed; he had planned a second step, intending to make a breakthrough with Guo Youzhi, the Minister of Rites.
According to Guo Baokun, he knew about Zhuang Mohan framing Fan Xian beforehand. For the Eldest Princess to contact Zhuang Mohan, there must be an intermediary within the court. Guo Baokun was not sufficient, so it could only be his father, Guo Youzhi, the Minister of Rites. Zhuang Mohan had disappeared once when he first arrived in the capital.
If he did meet with the Eldest Princess, then one of the people who met Zhuang Mohan must have been a cover-up, and Guo Youzhi happened to be among them. Chen Pingping sent someone to arrest Guo Youzhi's carriage driver, confirming that he had indeed secretly taken Zhuang Mohan away that night, and then someone in the palace had received him. Chen Pingping asked Fan Xian what he ultimately wanted.
Fan Xian firmly stated that he wanted Li Yunrui to get out of the capital. Chen Pingping wrote a memorial about this matter and presented it to Emperor Qing. The Eldest Princess could only admit after seeing the memorial that Guo Youzhi was indeed one of her people, and that she had indeed met with Zhuang Mohan that night. However, she denied betraying Yan Bingyun, claiming she invited him only to discuss ancient texts.
Emperor Qing was skeptical of her explanation and asked Chen Pingping if he had anything else to ask. Chen Pingping smiled and said that discussing ancient texts or not was secondary, but engaging in politics in the palace was forbidden. The Eldest Princess's private recruitment of Guo Youzhi was already a crime of forming factions. At this point, the Eldest Princess could only admit guilt. Emperor Qing did not get angry, only asking her how the matter should be handled.
The Eldest Princess said without hesitation that Guo Youzhi had colluded with the palace and, according to the law, should be handed over to the Ministry of Justice for handle. Emperor Qing pressed her, asking if she wouldn't even protect her own people? The Eldest Princess said coldly that the law was merciless, and Guo Youzhi brought this upon himself. Emperor Qing laughed heartily and sighed that the Eldest Princess was indeed worthy of being a royal descendant.
Soon, the Guo family residence was sealed. Guo Baokun shouted that his father was a second-rank official and still wanted to report the matter to the Emperor. Guo Youzhi saw that the people confiscating the house included not only those from the Ministry of Justice but also the Imperial Guards, and he knew in his heart that this was Emperor Qing's intention.
He was completely disheartened, only worried about Guo Baokun, so he instructed him that after today, he must submit a memorial to sever their father-son relationship. Only this way could he protect himself.
