The Litchi Road Episode 9 Recap
> The Litchi Road Recap
Zheng Pingan was born into the renowned Zheng family in Xingyang. Because his father refused to side with the Right Chancellor, he was framed and killed, and also expelled from the Zheng family. To survive, Zheng Pingan had no choice but to go to taverns to dance for guests' entertainment. The shopkeeper made him wear a mask. Several old acquaintances came to the tavern. The shopkeeper asked Zheng Pingan to entertain these people.
Outside the door, Zheng Pingan heard them making fun of his expulsion from the family. Zheng Pingan put on the mask and forced himself to go in and perform his best Hu Xuan dance. His dance moves were graceful, and the guests gave him rewards one after another. Zheng Pingan picked up the money from the ground one by one, but his heart was filled with mixed feelings.
The Right Chancellor sent the envoy A Liang to Lingnan to deliver a letter to Ma Guiyun. Yun Qing, a confidante of the Left Chancellor, sent people to pursue and kill him all the way. A Liang was severely injured. By the time he arrived in Gaozhou, he was already on his last breath. Zheng Pingan worried that A Liang would expose him publicly for impersonating Ma Guiyun.
A Liang only said the words "Guiyun, come back" before he breathed his last. Zheng Pingan's anxious heart finally settled. He asked He Youguang for the letter of loyalty and also handed the secret letter found on A Liang to Yun Qing, wanting to leave Lingnan, this place of trouble, and return to Chang'an as soon as possible. Yun Qing thought about asking Zheng Pingan to stay and help.
So she revealed the truth that his father was killed by the Right Chancellor. Zheng Pingan swore to overthrow the Right Chancellor and avenge his father. However, the Right Chancellor held immense power throughout the court and engaged in factionalism for personal gain. The Left Chancellor, despite years of strategic planning, was unable to shake his foundation. Yun Qing suggested first bringing down He Youguang, and then using the letter of loyalty to undermine the Right Chancellor's foundation.
Zheng Pingan volunteered himself. Yun Qing took out the secret letter brought by A Liang, which only had the three characters "Qi Jing Lou" written on it. That was an old matter that happened in Lingnan ten years ago. Hai Hu, a major maritime merchant in Lingnan, created a "Sea Sail Fund". By purchasing a share, one effectively joined the Hai Hu fleet. When the goods were transported to the port, they could share the profits proportionally.
Merchants bought shares in the Sea Sail Fund one after another. Even foreign merchants participated, and they were stationed at Qi Jing Lou to handle incoming and outgoing merchants for the Sea Sail Fund. Qi Jing Lou suddenly caught fire. Hai Hu did not escape in time and was burned to death. Overnight, the Sea Sail Fund became worthless paper. The merchants in Lingnan were heartbroken and wept without tears. He Youguang was Hai Hu's subordinate.
After Hai Hu died, He Youguang went against the tide, not only defecting to the officials but also quickly consolidating his power. He transformed into the all-powerful Prefect of Lingnan. Zheng Pingan suspected that He Youguang started the fire at Qi Jing Lou. However, no one survived that fire. The Left Chancellor sent Song Wuji to Lingnan to investigate evidence of He Youguang's collusion with the Right Chancellor.
He traced it to Qi Jing Lou, but was killed on his way back to the capital. Yun Qing, operating in the shadows, found it inconvenient to intervene directly in the truth of the Qi Jing Lou fire. She asked Zheng Pingan to use his identity as the Right Chancellor's envoy to find out the truth of this matter. Zheng Pingan readily agreed. Yun Qing reminded him to find a legitimate reason to stay in Lingnan.
Zheng Pingan had already thought of a solution. Zheng Pingan returned to the post station very late. The postmaster had been waiting for him, urging him to settle the accommodation and meal fees, and also to pay Li Shande's fees along with his. Zheng Pingan didn't want to pay for Li Shande. Gou Er spoke up for Li Shande. Zheng Pingan had no choice but to pay the full accommodation and meal fees for both himself and Li Shande.
He went directly to Li Shande to ask for the money. Li Shande needed Su Liang's money to transport the lychees; he couldn't touch a single cent. Zheng Pingan was running out of money, and he still had to stay to seek revenge. Li Shande was curious as to why Zheng Pingan would impersonate Ma Guiyun. Zheng Pingan recounted the entire sequence of events.
When Li Shande heard that he wanted to stay and overthrow the Right Chancellor, he couldn't help but feel worried for him. Li Shande took out a sum of money and gave it to Zheng Pingan. A few days later, Li Shande received a reply letter from Xiuer, which contained a flatbread embroidered by Xiuer. Li Shande knew that Xiuer was looking forward to his early return to Chang'an, and his heart felt heavy.
A Tong and Yan Yazhuang selected four baskets of lychees and delivered them to the post station. Li Shande racked his brains but couldn't think of a way to preserve the lychees for a few more days. He decided to start with the transportation time, replacing the horses with good horses with strong legs.
Yan Yazhuang felt that shortening the time by a day or two wouldn't help much, but Li Shande wanted to give it a try with a real shipment. Li Shande went to the market to select horses. Good horses were too expensive, and Li Shande couldn't afford them. A Tong and Yan Yazhuang were sent to go with him. A Tong had a soft spot for Li Shande and admired the way he worked seriously.
Yan Yazhuang was very jealous and kept speaking ill of Li Shande. A Tong was greatly angered and severely reprimanded Yan Yazhuang. He Youguang heard that Zheng Pingan had not returned to Chang'an. He was completely puzzled, so he set up a banquet to invite Zheng Pingan. He specifically brought out this year's lychee wine to entertain him. He Youguang and Zhao Xinmin took turns plying Zheng Pingan with drinks. Zheng Pingan drank a lot of wine in one go.
Zhao Xinmin, emboldened by the alcohol, questioned why Zheng Pingan remained in Lingnan. He Youguang tried to probe him in every way from the side, believing that the Right Chancellor had given Zheng Pingan a new task. Zheng Pingan didn't want to explain and even turned hostile on the spot. He Youguang quickly apologized with a fawning smile. He Youguang kept telling people to bring more wine. The three of them drank over a dozen jars in one sitting.
Gou Er unintentionally overheard that what He Youguang was giving Zheng Pingan to drink was not lychee wine at all, but Bing Yu Shao, which had a strong kick. He couldn't help but feel worried for Zheng Pingan. Zheng Pingan quickly became drunk. He Youguang seized the opportunity to inquire about the content of the secret letter brought by A Liang, the envoy sent by the Right Chancellor. Zheng Pingan lied, claiming it only contained the two characters "Supervision".
Zheng Pingan stayed behind according to the Right Chancellor's orders. He Youguang thought that the Right Chancellor had asked Zheng Pingan to stay and supervise him, and he felt resentful inside. However, he still put on a forced smile and declared on the spot that he would be responsible for all of Zheng Pingan's daily expenses.
