Joy of Life Episode 30 Recap
> Joy of Life Recap
Guo Baokun knew it was because he had revealed himself at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests that his father was arrested and imprisoned. He was filled with regret and hatred. Before leaving, Guo Youzhi publicly severed his father-son relationship with Guo Baokun. Guo Baokun watched his father's determined retreating figure, crying uncontrollably. Guo Youzhi had already been imprisoned. Emperor Qing asked the Eldest Princess what she planned to do.
The Eldest Princess reluctantly said she was willing to hand over control of the Ministry of Revenue's finances. Emperor Qing angrily retorted that it wasn't hers to begin with. Chen Pingping saw the two had reached a stalemate and reminded Emperor Qing that treason could not be easily forgiven.
The Eldest Princess remained stubborn, insisting that her meeting with Zhuang Mohan was merely to discuss ancient texts and classics, and the act of treason was absurd, especially since there was no evidence for this matter. Chen Pingping pointed out that Yan Bingyun's undercover mission in Northern Qi was top secret, but shortly after the Eldest Princess met Zhuang Mohan, Yan Bingyun was arrested. This was too much of a coincidence.
The Eldest Princess took the opportunity to say that there was another person who knew about Yan Bingyun's undercover mission in Northern Qi, and that was Fan Xian. Emperor Qing listened silently as the two argued. The Eldest Princess saw Chen Pingping's expression change slightly when Fan Xian was mentioned and smugly stated that Fan Xian had met Yan Bingyun on his way into the capital, so he was also a suspect.
Emperor Qing was somewhat surprised and asked Chen Pingping if this was true. Chen Pingping said he would go back and investigate immediately, but he believed Fan Xian could never betray the country. The Eldest Princess immediately retorted, asking why, if Fan Xian was impossible, she would be possible. Emperor Qing saw that neither could convince the other, so he handed the matter over to Chen Pingping, instructing him to investigate thoroughly and uncover the truth.
Wang Qinian told Fan Xian about this turn of events. Fan Xian admitted that he had met Yan Bingyun when he entered the capital and had also learned about his undercover mission in Northern Qi from Fei Jie. Wang Qinian sighed repeatedly. Now that Fan Xian was also a suspect, it would likely be difficult to convict the Eldest Princess. Just then, there was a commotion outside.
The two went out to see, and it turned out to be Guo Baokun making a scene, demanding to see Fan Xian. Upon meeting, Guo Baokun knelt down and begged Fan Xian to spare his father. Fan Xian felt a pang of emotion seeing him like this, but Guo Youzhi had brought it upon himself; his collusion with the palace was a serious crime.
Furthermore, all of this was the Eldest Princess's act of cutting off her tail like a gecko. He didn't want to get involved and couldn't help much anyway. Guo Baokun had lost his reason by this point. He wanted to continue pestering him, but Fan Xian didn't want to say more to him. Seeing him leave, Guo Baokun's last glimmer of hope vanished, and all his hatred surged into his heart.
He roared that one day, he would personally kill Fan Xian. Fan Xian went to see Chen Pingping. He hadn't expected that Li Yunrui would use him as a shield this time. Given the current situation, even if he had personally overheard Li Yunrui and Zhuang Mohan's secret conversation, without other solid evidence, it seemed difficult to drive her out of the capital this time. To his surprise, Chen Pingping smiled and told him that Li Yunrui had lost.
Actually, even with solid evidence, even if His Majesty knew that Li Yunrui had colluded with Northern Qi and betrayed Yan Bingyun, she would not be driven out of the capital. Because she was, after all, the Eldest Princess. Although not a direct blood relation, she was still of the imperial family. No matter how great the crime, it would only result in a reprimand. Fan Xian scoffed, asking if everything he had done was in vain.
Chen Pingping smugly told him that he had promised to help him drive Li Yunrui out of the capital, and he would definitely keep his promise. Today before the Emperor, he had deliberately led Li Yunrui to say that she knew Fan Xian had met Yan Bingyun on his way into the capital. This was what truly stung Emperor Qing.
The matter of Fan Xian meeting Yan Bingyun upon entering the capital was top secret, known to only a few people in the Investigator's Office. But Li Yunrui had obtained the information, indicating there must be an insider within the Investigator's Office. The Investigator's Office was under the direct jurisdiction of Emperor Qing. Li Yunrui interfering with the Investigator's Office was a test of imperial authority, and this was Emperor Qing's true sore spot. Shadow came to find Yan Ruohai.
After a secret discussion, Yan Ruohai went to find Zhu Ge. He told Zhu Ge that Shadow suspected he was behind the previous assassination attempt on the Director, and fortunately, he pretended not to know and avoided detection. Zhu Ge took the opportunity to question whether he was responsible for this matter. Yan Bingyun implicitly admitted it, because he didn't want the Director to hand over the Investigator's Office to Fan Xian.
Seeing that Zhu Ge had no intention of reporting him, Yan Bingyun asked him to lend him a few men. His own subordinates could no longer be trusted, and he needed to go outside the city to pick someone up. Zhu Ge insisted on knowing clearly who he was going to pick up.
Yan Ruohai told him that he absolutely must avenge his son, so he had sent men to capture a member of the Northern Qi diplomatic mission, someone who could prove the relationship between Zhuang Mohan and Li Yunrui. Zhu Ge's expression changed slightly. He hesitated repeatedly, then agreed to lend him three men. The next day, Yan Ruohai brought Zhu Ge's three subordinates to a bamboo grove in the suburbs of the capital.
As planned, they met with a man who was tightly bound. He sent the contact person away, then told his subordinates to go to the village ahead to find a vegetable cart to take the person back. To his surprise, the three men exchanged glances, and one of them actually stepped forward and killed the human witness with a sword. At the same time, many men in black emerged from around the bamboo grove.
They watched Yan Ruohai with predatory eyes. Yan Ruohai didn't understand at first, but soon, Zhu Ge, who was hidden behind them, also walked out. Zhu Ge lamented that they had been colleagues for so many years, and he hadn't expected it to end up like this. Yan Ruohai, however, said he couldn't kill him. Had he not considered that this might well be the Director's trap? Zhu Ge admitted that he had indeed considered it.
So he had sent out all his informants to keep a close watch on all forces in the capital. Therefore, he confirmed that up to this point, none of the experts from the Investigator's Office within the capital had been mobilized. And Shadow was still outside the Director's door, not having left by an inch. Before leaving the city, he had even deliberately spoken a few words with him, confirming it was Shadow himself.
So he was confident this could not be a trap set by the Director. Yan Ruohai being so calm now was just stalling for time, seeking a change of circumstances. Yan Ruohai didn't deny it, only saying that the change of circumstances might not be within the capital. Zhu Ge confidently told him that the Director's black knights' movements were also under his control.
Out of consideration for their years as colleagues, he asked Yan Ruohai if he had any last wishes. Yan Ruohai didn't understand why Zhu Ge, who was not a direct subordinate of Chen Pingping, would kill him. He had only captured this witness to seek the truth of Li Yunrui's treason, which had nothing to do with him. Before he finished speaking, Yan Ruohai suddenly stopped. He realized Zhu Ge's true purpose: he was protecting Li Yunrui.
Yan Ruohai became even more confused. He didn't understand why Zhu Ge, not for power or personal revenge, would side with the Eldest Princess. Unexpectedly, Zhu Ge said with a solemn expression that he was doing it for Qing Kingdom. Yan Ruohai didn't understand, but Zhu Ge didn't want to say more. Seeing Zhu Ge about to make a move, Yan Ruohai shouted loudly towards the surroundings.
Zhu Ge was completely taken aback; it was Fan Xian pushing Chen Pingping, who had walked out from the dense woods. Yan Ruohai said helplessly, "I told you this was the Director's trap." Zhu Ge still refused to admit defeat, saying that even with the two of them, they were no match for his many subordinates. Upon hearing this, Chen Pingping gave a cold snort.
With a gentle wave of his hand, dozens of arrows suddenly appeared, instantly wiping out Zhu Ge's subordinates. Those who arrived were the black knights. Zhu Ge didn't understand. Since Chen Pingping's return to the capital, the black knights had returned to their barracks and had not been mobilized again. Where did these black knights come from? Chen Pingping laughed, saying he was quite careful; even now, he couldn't confirm who his informants were among the black knights.
But before his return to the capital, when the black knights helped Fan Xian pursue Si Lili, a team of black knights, using the excuse of an official trip to the northern border, quietly infiltrated and lay in wait near the capital, just for today. Zhu Ge hadn't expected the Director to start suspecting him so long ago. Yan Ruohai, however, told him that it was actually even earlier.
After the assassination in Danzhou, Chen Pingping suspected there was an insider in the Investigator's Office. In fact, every section chief had been tested with traps, and after screening, Zhu Ge was finally confirmed to be the most suspicious. Yan Ruohai didn't understand why Zhu Ge had sided with the Eldest Princess. Zhu Ge confessed to Chen Pingping that he had been in the Investigator's Office for many years and was once proud of his position.
But gradually, he began to feel fear and worry. The Investigator's Office was not under the jurisdiction of the Six Ministries and gathered talented individuals. It could be said that most of Qing Kingdom's elites were under the command of the Investigator's Office. But if one day the Investigator's Office were to rebel, no one in the world could stop them.
If an ambitious person were to control the Investigator's Office, shield the Emperor, and manipulate court affairs, the consequences would be unimaginable. Chen Pingping hadn't expected Zhu Ge to betray him because of these unfounded fears. Zhu Ge said with a touch of madness, "The leash of the Investigator's Office, this giant beast, must be held by the imperial family. But if a prince takes power, there will inevitably be turmoil. The Eldest Princess is different.
She is imperial family but not a direct blood relation, and she is a woman. Her life can be decided by a single word from His Majesty. Therefore, having the Investigator's Office in her hands is the way to long-term peace and stability." Fan Xian sneered, saying the Eldest Princess could betray the country for personal gain, and he truly couldn't compare to such a person.
Zhu Ge said guiltily that he genuinely didn't know about this matter, but all he wanted was for the imperial family to control the Investigator's Office. Li Yunrui's character was irrelevant. Seeing that Zhu Ge's obsession was deep, Chen Pingping didn't want to talk further and planned to apprehend him and hand him over to His Majesty for disposition. To avoid implicating the Eldest Princess, Zhu Ge pulled out his personal dagger intending to commit suicide.
Just as he made his move, Hong Sixiang suddenly appeared and snatched his dagger away. Zhu Ge was crestfallen. He knew that with Hong Sixiang there, he couldn't even kill himself. Zhu Ge looked at Chen Pingping pleadingly. Chen Pingping ultimately softened. He told Hong Sixiang that since he had understood the beginning and end of the matter, Zhu Ge's life or death was no longer important.
At his level, being handed over to any party for interrogation would be no different from humiliation. Putting himself in his shoes, he hoped to leave Zhu Ge his last bit of dignity. Hong Sixiang was indeed moved. He handed the dagger back to Zhu Ge with a flick of his wrist. Zhu Ge accepted it with both hands and bowed deeply to Chen Pingping.
Before dying, he advised Chen Pingping, saying that Fan Xian was a man of extraordinary literary talent, intelligent and quick-witted. Whatever he did in the future, he would be a talent capable of helping the world. However, he was uniquely unsuitable to take over the Investigator's Office because he inherently lacked reverence for the imperial family. If he were to take charge of the Investigator's Office, there might be drastic changes. Chen Pingping's heart tightened upon hearing this.
Zhu Ge sighed, saying that he had served Qing Kingdom his whole life without any personal gain. Dying today, though regrettable, he had no regrets. With that, he plunged the dagger into his abdomen and died on the spot. Hong Sixiang saw that the matter was concluded, so he returned to the palace to report back to Emperor Qing. Chen Pingping motioned for the black knights to disperse and had Fan Xian push him over to Zhu Ge's corpse.
He looked at Zhu Ge, whose eyes were still open in death, and slowly reached out his hand, but after trembling for a while, he pulled it back. Fan Xian hadn't intended to force Zhu Ge to his death. Seeing this outcome, he felt uncomfortable. Chen Pingping told him, "In a lifetime, to choose a path, not retreat, not change, and walk it all the way, is a fortunate thing."
On the other side, Li Yunrui was still eagerly waiting for Zhu Ge to succeed. Once she controlled the Investigator's Office, she would become the most powerful woman in Qing Kingdom. However, she didn't wait for Zhu Ge, but instead waited for Yan Xiaoyi. Upon learning that Hong Sixiang had quietly left the palace, Li Yunrui's thoughts raced. She knew that she had probably fallen into Chen Pingping's trap.
After Hong Sixiang returned to the palace, he reported the events that happened in the suburbs of the capital to Emperor Qing, not missing a single word. Emperor Qing asked him what he thought of Zhu Ge's comments about Fan Xian. Hong Sixiang stated that he dared not speak presumptuously about court affairs. Emperor Qing snorted coldly, saying that each of those people claimed loyalty to Qing Kingdom, but they never considered what he wanted them to do.
Hong Sixiang felt there was a deep meaning in his words. Emperor Qing glanced at him and said coldly, "Those who pretend not to understand are the ones who truly understand." After saying that, he ordered him to summon Li Yunrui. Before Hong Sixiang even reached the door, he found that Li Yunrui was already kneeling before the palace hall, so he turned back to report to Emperor Qing.
Emperor Qing didn't speak, and waved his hand, signaling him to withdraw. Li Yunrui remained kneeling for several hours. Emperor Qing neither summoned her in nor told her to leave, and there was no movement in the hall the entire time. Yan Xiaoyi impulsively wanted to go and plead for her, but the maid knew that his going would only add fuel to the fire and would instead harm the Eldest Princess. Yan Xiaoyi felt this made sense.
He sent someone to inform Crown Prince Li Chengqian about the matter. Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian immediately hurried into the palace. After Fan Xian returned home, he was called to the study by Fan Jian. Fan Jian asked him what Lin Wan'er was to him, and whether he wanted to marry her for control of the Ministry of Revenue's finances or for her as a person. Fan Xian replied without hesitation that even if she were a maidservant, he would still only marry her.
