Joy of Life Episode 36 Recap
> Joy of Life Recap
After Si Lili was injured protecting Fan Xian, Wang Qinian informed Fan Xian that Haitang Duoduo was waiting for him. Haitang Duoduo led Fan Xian to a river and confronted him, demanding the antidote for the "aphrodisiac" he had administered. Fan Xian clarified that it was not an aphrodisiac but a metabolism-boosting medicine. Initially angered, Haitang Duoduo threatened to kill him. However, Fan Xian, unconcerned, noted that if she were truly bloodthirsty, she would have already killed Xiao En.
He offered her a fruit, and they sat by the river. From a distance, Wang Qinian observed, concluding that Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo had likely become allies. Haitang Duoduo then requested Fan Xian's help in killing Xiao En, but Fan Xian decisively refused. Instead, he proposed an alliance, stating his intention to help Haitang Duoduo and the Empress Dowager seize power from the little emperor. Haitang Duoduo denied allegiance to the Empress Dowager.
Yet, Fan Xian, demonstrating an astute understanding of Beiqi's political landscape, outlined the three main factions: the little emperor's, the Empress Dowager's (to which Haitang, as Ku He's disciple, would naturally belong), and Shangshan Hu's neutral party. He highlighted that her desire to kill Xiao En contrasted with Shangshan Hu's efforts to save him, and her stance aligned with the Empress Dowager's interests in Si Lili's return to Beiqi.
Anticipating the difficulty of rescuing Yan Bingyun, Fan Xian saw a clear advantage in their mutual assistance. Haitang Duoduo neither explicitly accepted nor rejected the alliance, but she did warn Fan Xian to be wary of Shen Zhong, the Commander-in-chief of Embroidered Uniform Guards, who would be receiving the mission. As she departed, she reaffirmed her unwavering resolve to kill Xiao En.
Returning to the mission, Wang Qinian and Gao Da playfully teased Fan Xian about his presumed affection for Haitang Duoduo, prompting Fan Xian to humorously chase Wang Qinian. Inside the carriage, Si Lili pressed Fan Xian about his relationship with Haitang Duoduo, which he again denied. Fan Xian then asked why she had shielded him from an arrow. Si Lili dismissed it as an unconscious reaction and claimed she regretted it.
Accepting her explanation, Fan Xian gave her the antidote for the Red Sleeve Edict poison, declaring that their obligations to each other were now settled. The Nanqing mission, led by Fan Xian, soon reached the Beiqi border. Dressed in his official robes, Fan Xian made a final attempt to extract Xiao En's hidden secret. Xiao En remained silent, prompting Fan Xian to vow that he would continue to question him.
After bidding farewell to Si Lili, Fan Xian waited at the city gate. Wang Qinian loudly announced their arrival, but no one responded from the city walls. Shortly afterward, four elderly mammies, acting on the little emperor's orders to receive Si Lili, approached a carriage and roused a sleeping Shen Zhong. Shen Zhong, still disoriented, quickly emerged and offered Fan Xian a forced, ingratiating smile. Fan Xian then instructed Wang Qinian and Gao Da to handle the official handover procedures.
The mammies, upon discovering Si Lili's severe injuries, angrily confronted Fan Xian, holding him responsible. Fan Xian explained that she was wounded during an attack by bandits impersonating Shangshan Hu's men. However, the furious mammy refused to listen, verbally assailing him and insulting Nanqing. Shen Zhong quickly intervened, placating the mammy and sending her away. As Xiao En was brought forward, Shen Zhong initially feigned warmth and concern.
But then, without warning, he brutally attacked Xiao En, knocking him to the ground and dragging him to a sturdy cast-iron prison carriage, leaving a bloody trail. Fan Xian watched, horrified by Shen Zhong's chilling ruthlessness. Later, after Si Lili was settled, the furious mammy openly criticized Shen Zhong for being servile to a foreign envoy like Fan Xian while being cruel to a countryman like Xiao En. She threatened to report his behavior to the Empress Dowager.
Shen Zhong, maintaining his composure, led her into a nearby forest where he ruthlessly murdered her to silence her. He then returned, calmly wiping his hands, and falsely claimed that the mammy had committed suicide out of shame. He then urged Fan Xian to proceed quickly to Shangjing for an audience with the little emperor.
Separately, Shen Zhong pulled Fan Xian aside and, to Fan Xian's astonishment, revealed an accurate list of all Fan Xian's secret missions in Beiqi, including rescuing Yan Bingyun, potentially assassinating Xiao En, addressing the Red Sleeve Edict poison on Si Lili, and reorganizing the intelligence network. This shocking display of knowledge confirmed Shen Zhong's formidable nature, leading Fan Xian to silently vow to challenge him.
That night, as Fan Xian, Gao Da, and Wang Qinian chatted outside their tent, a masked assassin suddenly infiltrated the Beiqi camp, attempting to kill Xiao En. The assassin was quickly surrounded by Beiqi soldiers and forced to retreat. Gao Da, eager to help, was held back by Fan Xian, who, along with Wang Qinian, calmly observed the chaotic scene from their campfire. Fan Xian had recognized the masked assassin as Haitang Duoduo.
As she retreated towards the Nanqing camp, Fan Xian subtly directed her to his empty tent, where she concealed herself. Soon after, Shen Zhong arrived with his soldiers, inquiring about the assassin's whereabouts. Fan Xian, feigning cooperation, indicated his tent and even invited Shen Zhong to search, daring him to implicate the Nanqing mission. However, Shen Zhong chose not to search. Instead, he sat down with Fan Xian and shared roasted sweet potatoes.
He revealed his allegiance to the Empress Dowager's faction and disclosed that Shangshan Hu's recent recall to Shangjing was a deceptive promotion, stripping him of his military authority and leaving him with only a hundred private soldiers. Shen Zhong further asserted that both the Empress Dowager and the little emperor were desperate to uncover Xiao En's secret, a fact that also explained Chen Pingping's prolonged preservation of Xiao En's life.
He emphasized that just as many people in Beiqi wanted Xiao En dead as in Nanqing. Before leaving, Shen Zhong delivered a pointed warning to Fan Xian to understand the political realities. After Shen Zhong departed, Fan Xian spoke with Haitang Duoduo, who was still hiding in his tent. She explained that her teacher wanted to kill Xiao En. He proposed a joint effort to "bring chaos to the world" in Beiqi, leveraging their respective positions.
Haitang Duoduo, while not explicitly agreeing, did not reject the idea. She, however, expressed concern that Shen Zhong's presence in Shangjing would make it impossible for her to kill Xiao En. Later, Fan Xian approached Wang Qinian to borrow silver, specifically cash, not banknotes. Wang Qinian, initially reluctant, agreed after Fan Xian promised to repay him double upon their return to the capital.
Fan Xian then gave this silver to Guo Baokun, instructing him to secretly leave the mission that very night and take residence at the Tiaowang Inn in the southern part of Shangjing, promising further instructions later, and explaining that this was the only way to save Guo Baokun's father. Unbeknownst to Fan Xian, Shen Zhong received intelligence about Guo Baokun's stealthy departure the following morning.
Intrigued, Shen Zhong instructed his men to simply monitor Guo Baokun, eager to observe Fan Xian's unfolding strategy. The mission soon arrived outside Shangjing City, led by Shen Zhong. Their path was immediately blocked at the city gate by Shangshan Hu, who was mounted on horseback, brandishing a spear. Shangshan Hu demanded to see his adoptive father, Xiao En. Shen Zhong, with a chilling nonchalance, opened the iron prison carriage, casually admitting that he had broken Xiao En's tendons.
Enraged by his adoptive father's condition, Shangshan Hu bristled with anger. Shen Zhong, however, calmly reiterated that both the little emperor and the Empress Dowager had issued decrees for Xiao En to be held under the jurisdiction of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, making it an imperial command that could not be defied. As Shangshan Hu prepared to forcibly rescue Xiao En, Xiao En subtly shook his head, signaling him to stand down. Shangshan Hu, seething with suppressed fury, reluctantly departed.
Fan Xian immediately understood that Shen Zhong had intentionally provoked Shangshan Hu, aiming to entrap him in an act of rebellion by attacking the mission or the Embroidered Uniform Guards. Upon entering Shangjing, Shen Zhong arranged for Si Lili to stay outside the imperial palace, citing her "lack of formal status" as a reason, implying she would wait for an opportunity to gain recognition.
Meanwhile, Xiao En was led into Shangjing through the West Gate, taking a different route from the mission. Fan Xian then led the Nanqing mission into the city. As they proceeded, the streets were lined with Shangjing citizens who angrily pelted them with rotten eggs and vegetables. Fan Xian, unperturbed, not only endured the barrage but humorously instructed Wang Qinian to collect the projectiles, suggesting they would make good additions to their dinner.
Shen Zhong, observing with evident satisfaction, feigned concern and advised Fan Xian to hide in his carriage to preserve Nanqing's dignity. Fan Xian, recognizing Shen Zhong's manipulative tactic to humiliate him, calmly refused, declaring that hiding would only bring more disgrace. He then instructed Gao Da to retrieve a long cloth scroll from the baggage carriage.
