Joy of Life Episode 45 Recap
> Joy of Life Recap
Fan Xian saw Lang Tao sitting not far away, poured a cup of wine and gestured towards him. Haitang Duoduo suddenly rushed over, called Fan Xian away, and asked him to chat with Si Lili, even if it was just to leave her with a good memory before she entered the palace. Fan Xian felt that Si Lili was the young Emperor's woman and didn't dare get tangled with her.
Haitang Duoduo bitterly advised Fan Xian, and a sense of loneliness welled up in his heart. The birthday banquet officially began. All the civil and military officials together offered birthday wishes to the Empress Dowager. Fan Xian devoured the delicious food and delicacies. Lang Tao requested permission from the Empress Dowager to have a martial arts match with Fan Xian to liven things up.
Fan Xian was willing to concede defeat, and the young Emperor agreed that he didn't need to compete. Lang Tao was relentless and spoke arrogantly, forcing Fan Xian to admit that martial artists in Southern Qing were weak and bullied the soft while fearing the strong. Forced into a corner, Fan Xian had no choice but to accept the challenge. Haitang Duoduo suddenly stood out and offered to compete with Fan Xian on behalf of Lang Tao.
The Empress Dowager granted her permission on the spot, so Lang Tao had to give up. Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo each chose a long sword. They struck poses very seriously, but the two of them didn't actually fight. After pretending to exchange a few moves, two strips of red cloth were thrown down from the roof. The two of them each pulled a strip and danced gracefully. They cooperated perfectly, and the Empress Dowager was stunned.
The officials of Great Qi were very displeased and publicly accused them of deceiving the ruler. Fan Xian split the minister's dining table in half with a sword. All the soup and dishes on the table splashed onto the minister, causing everyone to burst into laughter. Fan Xian took the opportunity to concede defeat. The Empress Dowager was very happy.
Wang Qinian, however, quietly reminded Gao Da to tell Lin Wan'er that the match was fought with bloodied faces and neither side giving way. Gao Da greatly admired Wang Qinian and felt that he had become smarter by following Wang Qinian. The Empress Dowager publicly announced that Great Qi would do business with Fan Xian and ordered the Jinyiwei guards to discuss the matter with Southern Qing foreign ministers.
Shen Zhong immediately stood up to oppose, but the Empress Dowager's mind was made up. Shangshuhu seized the opportunity to impeach Shen Zhong for colluding with the Southern Qing Investigator's Office and betraying military intelligence, pointing out that Shen Zhong's sister had an affair with Yan Bingyun and had also secretly informed him. Shen Zhong defended himself in every possible way, denying having told his sister any information.
The Empress Dowager sought the young Emperor's opinion, and the young Emperor let her handle it entirely. The Empress Dowager dismissed Shen Zhong from his official posts and stripped him of his dragon-patterned official robe on the spot. Shen Zhong desperately tried to stop the Empress Dowager from doing business with Fan Xian. In a fit of anger, the Empress Dowager ordered Shen Zhong to be driven out of the main hall.
Feeling indignant, Shen Zhong shouted angrily, claiming everything he did was for Northern Qi. Before leaving, the young Emperor instructed Fan Xian to update the chapters of Red Mansions promptly. Shangshuhu proactively came to see Fan Xian and demanded the remains of his adoptive father, Xiao En. Fan Xian explained that Xiao En's dying wish was not to be buried underground; he wanted to always sit in the sun.
Shangshuhu took the address and threatened that he would definitely go to Southern Qing to take Fan Xian's life after the mourning period ended. Fan Xian sent Gao Da to call for Haitang Duoduo. He entrusted the Shangjing intelligence network to He Dao Ren, instructing him to hide well. Lang Tao reported He Dao Ren's whereabouts to the young Emperor.
The young Emperor had long anticipated that Guo Bokun was just a facade and that He Dao Ren would be the future head of the secret agents in Shangjing. Lang Tao suggested eliminating He Dao Ren. The young Emperor wanted to use He Dao Ren to carry out counterintelligence against Southern Qing, and also noted that Shangshuhu would no longer be heavily relied upon by the Empress Dowager.
Lang Tao worried that Fan Xian would be Great Qi's biggest threat, but the young Emperor believed that Fan Xian's enemies were not Great Qi, but rather the several princes of Southern Qing who were Fan Xian's major trouble. Haitang Duoduo arrived on time to see Fan Xian. Fan Xian wanted to meet Zhuang Mohan before leaving and asked Haitang Duoduo for help, promising that he would not harm Great Qi. Only then did Haitang Duoduo reluctantly agree.
Fan Xian came to Zhuang Mohan's residence. Zhuang Mohan had long wanted to meet Fan Xian, but he had fallen seriously ill after returning from Southern Qing. His servants worried that seeing Fan Xian would excite him and worsen his condition. Unexpectedly, Fan Xian came to see him secretly. Zhuang Mohan was eager to ask him about the allusions in those poems.
Fan Xian claimed they were traces left by a civilization from another era and were not recorded in the historical records of this time. Only then did Zhuang Mohan gradually feel relieved. He apologized for falsely accusing Fan Xian earlier. Fan Xian then told him the news of Xiao En's death.
Zhuang Mohan felt a pang of sadness and advised Fan Xian not to engage in widespread killing like Xiao En, and even more so not to let those quatrains gather dust. Fan Xian agreed to each point. Zhuang Mohan continued annotating Fan Xian's poetry collection on his own, and Fan Xian left with tears in his eyes. Today was the day for the Southern Qing envoy delegation to return home.
Shen Zhong's subordinates were eager to replace him and forced him to leave the garrison. Unexpectedly, Shen Zhong had already assembled a group of assassins to intercept and kill the Southern Qing envoy delegation, making it clear that without the Emperor's decree, they would surely die if the mission failed. Shen Zhong's subordinates called the Jinyiwei guards to stop them, but they did not dare to act. The assassins followed Shen Zhong without hesitation.
Fan Xian led the Southern Qing envoy delegation away from Shangjing. Guo Bokun watched their receding figures, feeling a deep sense of loneliness in his heart. Haitang Duoduo was waiting for Fan Xian in the woods and brought a cart full of things. Fan Xian hurried over to say goodbye to her. Haitang Duoduo then told him the news of Zhuang Mohan's death.
