Joy of Life Episode 46 (Ending) Recap
> Joy of Life Recap
Haitang Duoduo delivered Zhuang Mohan’s dying wishes to Fan Xian, informing him that Master Zhuang had passed away that morning. On his deathbed, Zhuang Mohan had asked Haitang Duoduo to give Fan Xian all the books he had collected throughout his life, along with a catalog he personally compiled. Haitang Duoduo explained that this act represented Zhuang Mohan entrusting Fan Xian with the inheritance of literature, as he held extremely high expectations for him.
She relayed Zhuang Mohan’s last wishes for Fan Xian: to follow his own path and live a joyful life, as Zhuang Mohan himself had lived, without feeling wronged or deceiving himself. Fan Xian, despite having only met Zhuang Mohan twice, felt the weight of this responsibility and, with a heavy heart, deeply bowed to the cart filled with books. As Haitang Duoduo prepared to leave, she mentioned that Si Lili was also present, watching Fan Xian from a distance.
As Fan Xian prepared to depart, Lady Shen rushed to warn him, revealing that Shen Zhong had mobilized assassins to intercept the Nanqing mission in the wilderness. Before she could finish, Shen Zhong and his assassins arrived, initiating a fierce attack, shouting to kill all Nanqing people for their country. Fan Xian noticed Imperial Guards nearby, and Haitang Duoduo clarified they were there to protect Si Lili. Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo joined the fray.
Shen Zhong quickly located Yan Bingyun, who, still recovering from his injuries, was no match for Shen Zhong and was soon incapacitated. As Shen Zhong moved to deliver a fatal blow, Lady Shen bravely intervened, shielding Yan Bingyun and taking the sword wound herself, collapsing into his arms. Heartbroken, Yan Bingyun vowed to save her life. Fan Xian and Haitang Duoduo promptly arrived to confront Shen Zhong.
After a tense battle, Shen Zhong was overpowered, and his remaining assassins were subdued by the Imperial Guards. Realizing his cause was lost, Shen Zhong surrendered. He covertly revealed to Fan Xian that the vast sums of money from Neiku’s smuggling operations had flowed into the Ming family, Nanqing’s most powerful clan. The true masters behind the Ming family, he disclosed, were the Second Prince and Li Yunrui.
Fan Xian was stunned by this revelation, as he had always believed Li Yunrui was allied with the Crown Prince. Shen Zhong offered this intelligence in exchange for his sister’s life. With the Imperial Guards approaching, he made a calculated move, intentionally stabbing his sister again, though not fatally, to create the appearance of her having been harmed by him, thereby clearing her of suspicion.
He pleaded with Fan Xian to take his sister back to Nanqing, to which Fan Xian solemnly agreed. Shen Zhong knelt in gratitude, but when Fan Xian suggested he also return with them, Shen Zhong refused, citing the unyielding code of Beiqi’s Embroidered Uniform Guards. Haitang Duoduo then ordered Shen Zhong to be apprehended and instructed Fan Xian to conceal Lady Shen in a carriage and take her back to Nanqing.
As the Imperial Guards escorted Shen Zhong back to Shangjing, Shangshan Hu abruptly blocked their path. He declared his intent to kill Shen Zhong to avenge his fallen brothers and his adoptive father, Xiao En. Despite the Imperial Guard leader's warning that the little emperor had not yet decreed Shen Zhong’s punishment, Shangshan Hu, unmoved, charged forward and killed Shen Zhong on the spot, proclaiming his revenge.
The Nanqing mission continued its journey back, with Lady Shen slowly recuperating but still unconscious. Fan Xian updated Yan Bingyun on her condition, but Yan Bingyun feigned indifference, instead cautioning Fan Xian about the Second Prince. Fan Xian, noting Yan Bingyun’s hidden feelings for Lady Shen despite his outward denial, proposed an alliance and asked him to consider it during their journey. Throughout this exchange, Yan Bingyun’s mind replayed Lady Shen’s unwavering affection for him.
That night, as the Nanqing mission camped outdoors, Wang Qinian detected someone watching them, though Fan Xian dismissed his concerns. Suddenly, Xie Bi'an, the Second Prince's swordsman, arrived. He carried two letters from the Second Prince, one for Fan Xian and one for Yan Bingyun, with instructions that they be opened simultaneously. Fan Xian sent Xie Bi'an to rest and summoned Gao Da to bring Yan Bingyun, and together they opened the letters.
In his letter to Fan Xian, the Second Prince candidly admitted his alliance with Li Yunrui and took responsibility for all the difficulties Fan Xian had encountered in Shangjing. He explained that his actions were driven by a desperate struggle for survival within the royal family, where losing meant death.
The Second Prince, acknowledging Fan Xian’s value, sincerely asked him to set aside past grievances and join him in achieving his grand ambitions, promising to make Fan Xian Nanqing’s most powerful minister and the Fan family the nation’s foremost clan, thereby fulfilling Fan Xian’s dream of a life without worry. Fan Xian noted the letter's cunning lack of a signature, making it impossible to use as evidence, but affirmed his resolve not to compromise.
In his letter to Yan Bingyun, the Second Prince outlined the grave implications of his current situation and urged him to pledge allegiance. Xie Bi'an then presented the Second Prince’s gifts to Fan Xian: sugar-coated hawthorns, Teng Zijing’s son’s favorite treat, a letter from Fan Sizhe’s Danbo Bookstore, and a pair of medical gloves Fan Xian had given to Fei Jie. Fan Xian immediately understood these were thinly veiled threats against his loved ones.
He questioned how Fei Jie could possibly be captured, given his mastery of poisons. Xie Bi'an confirmed that Fei Jie, while not captured, was coerced by threatening Fan Xian, as Fan Xian was Fei Jie's soft spot. This revelation further exposed the Second Prince's ruthless cunning, drawing a sharp intake of breath from Fan Xian, who reaffirmed his refusal to yield.
Xie Bi'an then warned Fan Xian that a large private army of the Second Prince was en route to intercept them, urging him to reconsider his decision by morning, or face lethal consequences. Yan Bingyun advised Fan Xian to take a step back and compromise to save their lives and futures, but Fan Xian, unwavering, declared his intention to try and resist. The next morning, Fan Xian awoke from a troubling nightmare.
As he ordered Gao Da to prepare the mission to leave, Xie Bi'an and the Second Prince’s private army surrounded them, demanding Fan Xian’s final decision. Fan Xian and Yan Bingyun stood back-to-back, ready for battle. Fan Xian defiantly declared that harming Fan Sizhe, the legitimate first son of the Fan family, would incur the wrath of Fan Jian.
Similarly, any harm to Fei Jie, the Director of the Investigator’s Office's Third Division, would provoke a severe response from the entire Investigator's Office. He challenged Xie Bi'an, stating that massacring the entire mission would brand them all as traitors, bringing ruin upon their families. Finally, Fan Xian vowed that if anything happened to Teng Zijing’s son, he would make the Second Prince pay with his life.
Fan Xian's impassioned speech momentarily unnerved the private soldiers, and even Xie Bi'an hesitated, unsure of his ability to defeat Fan Xian. In that tense moment, Yan Bingyun suddenly drew his sword and plunged it into Fan Xian’s back. Fan Xian collapsed, gravely wounded and astonished by the betrayal.
