Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin Episode 8 Recap
> Nirvana in Fire 2: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin Recap
Xun Feizhan discovered a hidden fragrance on Duan Tongzhou's wrist. Through the identification by Master Wei of the Imperial Household Department, it was learned that this fragrance originated from the emperor's bestowed lamp oil, which was only available in Pu Yangying's Qiantian Court and Qinglian Temple. He first went to Qinglian Temple to investigate. He coincidentally met Meng Qianxue, who was returning to her residence after praying for blessings.
Through the abbot of Qinglian Temple, he learned that Meng Qianxue had come to pray for flourishing offspring, so he prayed before the Guanyin statue for Meng Qianxue to have her wish granted. Xun Feizhan found nothing at Qinglian Temple, so he concluded that Duan Tongzhou's only opportunity to access the lamp oil was at Pu Yangying's former Qiantian Court. At this moment, Duan Tongzhou indeed appeared in Pu Yangying's Qiantian Court.
He told Pu Yangying that Xun Feizhan would surely misunderstand that he had a connection with Xun Baishui. Pu Yangying saw that he had successfully instigated a rift between the Xun family uncle and nephew, and concluded that Xun Feizhan would definitely be drawn into the situation. However, unexpectedly, Xun Feizhan suddenly arrived with troops and surrounded the Qiantian Court. Pu Yangying quickly hid Duan Tongzhou in a secret room with a mechanism.
Xun Feizhan asserted that Duan Tongzhou must have hidden inside the Qiantian Court. He insisted on a large-scale search, which Pu Yangying could not well obstruct. Although Xun Feizhan discovered the location of the secret room through his investigation, Pu Yangying blocked him, claiming that the secret room required a mechanism to open, unknown to outsiders, and that insisting on searching the secret room would imply suspicion of his connection with Duan Tongzhou.
Xun Feizhan, however, remained unmoved and insisted on opening the secret room. But after a careful search, no trace of Duan Tongzhou was found. Xun Feizhan had no choice but to apologize to Pu Yangying and returned empty-handed. It turned out that Duan Tongzhou had long since used his qinggong to hide in a well, thus evading the search. Xun Baishui entered the palace to meet the Empress.
He spoke of Xun Feizhan's suspicion of his connection with Duan Tongzhou and reminded the Empress that Xun Feizhan would not act impulsively and go to extremes, so she need not worry too much. However, the Crown Prince would eventually grow up, and he advised her to make plans early so that the Crown Prince would not be controlled by the successor of the Changlin Royal Mansion, Xiao Pingzhang, in the future. Afterwards, he came to the imperial court.
The Emperor saw that most of the shipwreck case had been investigated, and although there were still fugitives, the year-end was approaching, so he decided to close the case for now and deal with the fugitives later once they were caught. Changlin King Xiao Tingsheng mentioned Xun Feizhan's search at Qiantian Court, expressing great puzzlement.
He couldn't understand why Pu Yangying, despite being known as a guru and enjoying the Empress's trust, yet holding no official court position and not interfering in court affairs, would also be implicated in this matter. Xiao Pingzhang knew that Xun Feizhan would not rashly search without any signs. Song Fu and Ji Chen's testimonies were seriously contradictory, implying that there must be other forces behind Duan Tongzhou.
He felt that this matter was not only far from over but seemed to be just the tip of the iceberg, perhaps only just beginning. Lin Xi concluded that the medicine hidden in the cosmetic box was East Sea Cinnabar Glue. Xiao Pingjing was furious, but he couldn't understand why Meng Qianxue, with her excellent martial arts, hadn't noticed the changes in her body. Lin Xi told him that this injury didn't have much connection with noticeable physical changes.
Although she would do her best to help her recover, she hoped that Xiao Pingjing would not tell Xiao Pingzhang and his wife about the possibility of treating such an injury until she was ready. When Xiao Pingzhang learned that the bestowed cosmetic box indeed contained poison, he felt a chill to his heart, and the entire capital seemed to grow cold.
However, he firmly stated that the Changlin Royal Mansion, having weathered many storms, would never fear any difficult circumstances. Xiao Pingzhang understood that things were very complicated now, so he went to the Imperial Prison to meet Song Fu. He wanted to know what Song Fu was really thinking. Song Fu was confined in the Imperial Prison, bound by chains, and looked much older.
Xiao Pingzhang took out a copy of Song Fu's resume, praising that in his youth, Song Fu still had passion and a heart for his country. Why would he now commit such treasonous acts? Song Fu excitedly declared that everything he did was for the Daliang empire. Although Xiao Tingsheng was indeed a brilliant strategist, asking the Emperor for a military tally based solely on intuition was too casual.
If this precedent were set, Daliang's military system would inevitably fall into chaos, which would be extremely detrimental to the stability of the court. Xiao Pingzhang questioned him, asking if he therefore intended to use the lives of the soldiers on the Ganzhou front and the fortunes of the people of the five prefectures as sacrifices to warn future generations. Song Fu expressed his shame, stating that he had not foreseen the seriousness of the situation.
He had not expected Dayu to truly launch a full-scale attack on Ganzhou, and he had only intended to delay the military rations for a few days, preventing the Changlin Army from taking the initiative to attack, suffering a minor defeat, and curbing the Changlin Royal Mansion's vigor. He hadn't expected the military rations to sink, leading to the bloody battle in Ganzhou, which almost resulted in a collapse of the entire front line.
But he still reminded Xiao Pingzhang that the Changlin Royal Mansion now wielded immense power, overshadowing the monarch, and the Changlin Army looked down upon all others, consolidating their military strength, which had become a fait accompli. Even if the current generation of Changlin King could still abide by their duty, how could one guarantee that future generations would not be corrupted by power and usurp the throne?
However, he insisted that although Duan Tongzhou worked for him, he had never sent anyone to contact Ji Chen, nor had he ever thought of silencing people in Datong Prefecture. Xiao Pingzhang pondered with a cold expression for a moment; he had come to believe Song Fu's words.
After leaving the prison, Xiao Pingzhang immediately rushed to the imperial palace to report to the Empress about the poison hidden in the cosmetic box, hoping that she would approve his thorough investigation of the matter. Empress Xun believed that Xiao Pingzhang dared to suspect her, and angrily defended herself, stating that it was absolutely not her doing.
Xiao Pingzhang, however, did not back down, declaring that he would not give up even if he had to report it to the Emperor. Empress Xun was angered by his use of the Emperor to threaten her. Xiao Pingzhang solemnly announced that his father, his brother, and his wife were his bottom line, and once someone touched it, he would never silently endure it.
Empress Xun saw that his old injury had recurred due to his anger, so she said that someone had manipulated things around her, and she would not tolerate such a breach either. She agreed to Xiao Pingzhang's thorough investigation of the matter. Xiao Pingjing, seeing his elder brother's unhealed injury and his continuous hard work, felt heartbroken. He proactively requested to follow up on this matter, to share his elder brother's burden, and help investigate the cosmetic box incident.
Northern Yan and Eastern Sea sent state letters, requesting to dispatch envoys to the court. Xun Baishui believed that Eastern Sea and Daliang were allied nations through marriage, so they should be immediately granted permission. As for Northern Yan, it was currently in a period of internal strife, so they should be told to come next year. The Emperor ordered him to draft a reply letter for submission.
Xiao Pingzhang noticed that the Crown Prince had already come of age, yet in the sacrificial rites, his father, the Changlin King, was still given precedence. He felt this was highly inappropriate, so he went to the Ministry of Rites and requested them to properly revise the sacrificial etiquette.
He had already learned from Song Fu about the danger of widespread rumors, and he absolutely dared not overstep his bounds in any minor detail to avoid giving others cause for gossip and inviting trouble.
