Episode 10 recap: Fan Xian exposed corrupt officials in the court.
Fan Xian arrived at a place and immediately initiated comprehensive reforms. Unexpectedly, he was accused of embezzlement and misconduct. Emperor Qing wanted to punish Fan Xian for his crimes, but Fan Xian defended himself on the spot. Qin Ye, the Chief Minister of the Secretariat and the one with great military power in the Southern Qing army, was the most prominent figure in the court, and all civil and military officials were waiting to attend the court session. Emperor Qing prepared only two chairs, with Qin Ye sitting on one of them, closing his eyes to rest. The other chair was prepared for the current Prime Minister, Lin Ruo Fu, who was also the head of the officials. Crown Prince Li Cheng Qian and other princes could only stand aside.
Lin Ruo Fu swaggered into the court, and all the civil and military officials paid their respects to him, even Li Cheng Qian smiled at him. Fan Xian did not expect Lin Ruo Fu to have such great influence. Chen Ping Ping came to attend the court session, and Fan JianFan Xian suspected that Chen Ping Ping was supporting him behind the scenes, which gave Fan Xian the audacity to act recklessly. Chen Ping Ping denied it outright, but Fan Jian didn't believe him at all.
As soon as Left Censor Lai Ming Cheng saw Fan Xian, he became furious and started hurling insults at him. Li Cheng Qian added fuel to the fire, provoking Fan Xian. Fan Xian wanted to confront Lai Ming Cheng, but Li Cheng Qian quickly pulled him aside and urged them to clarify their positions in the court.
In front of the main hall, there was a small slope. Chen Ping Ping's wheelchair was too heavy, and despite several attempts, Fan Jian couldn't push the wheelchair up the slope. He was sweating profusely and suspected that Chen Ping Ping was hiding something in the wheelchair. Chen Ping Ping jokingly claimed that it contained an army of thousands of soldiers and horses, but Fan Jian didn't take it seriously. Despite his tremendous effort, Fan Jian couldn't push the wheelchair up the slope.
Li Chengru wanted to see how Fan Xian would respond to the accusations from the Censorate regarding the incident at the Ministry of Investigation's bathhouse. He came to the main hall to watch the spectacle. With little effort, Li Chengru pushed Chen Ping Ping into the main hall. Li Chengru wanted to see how Fan Xian would handle the entire Censorate's officials. However, Fan Xian was well-prepared, and Fan Jian reminded him not to let go under any circumstances.
Emperor Qing arrived shortly after and asked the court eunuch to present Fan Xian's self-defense letter, which accused him of being a treacherous official. Lai Ming Cheng was the first to stand up and accuse Fan Xian, alleging that he had accepted bribes and acted arrogantly and unlawfully. Fan Xian refused to plead guilty and proclaimed his innocence. Lai Ming Cheng presented witnesses and evidence. Emperor Qing sent someone to call Dai Gong Gong to the court for confrontation. First, Chen Ping Ping was asked to express his opinion on the accusations against Fan Xian. Chen Ping Ping suspected that Fan Xian was guilty of embezzlement and misconduct and claimed that he saw everyone as lawless individuals.
Emperor Qing deliberately brought up the matter concerning Lin Ruo Fu, and Chen Ping Ping felt that he resembled a corrupt official more. This caused an uproar among the civil and military officials. Emperor Qing asked Qin Ye to express his opinion. Qin Ye strongly supported Fan Xian and praised him openly for his influence over the Princess of Bei Qi, which enhanced the nation's power. The civil and military officials covered their mouths and snickered, while Fan Xian denied it repeatedly. Lin Ruo Fu's face turned pale, but he pretended to remain calm.
Dai Gong Gong was frightened and lost his composure, and the guards had to drag him into the court. He was so unaware that even his boots fell off, and Hong Zhu was worried that he would be held accountable for his lack of decorum in front of the court, so she personally helped him put on his boots.
Dai Gong Gong trembled as he entered the grand hall. Lai Ming Cheng presented witness testimonies accusing Dai Gong Gong. Fan Xian advised Dai Gong Gong to confess, as a bribe of three thousand taels of silver would not be considered a serious crime. However, the Censorate had already thoroughly investigated the matter. Lai Ming Cheng listed all of Dai Gong Gong's embezzlement and unlawful activities during his tenure at the Ministry of Investigation, presenting the collected evidence to Emperor Qing for examination.
Lin Ruo Fu stood up to oppose Lai Ming Cheng's action, accusing him of causing trouble by reporting directly to Emperor Qing. He expressed concern that if this continued, it would lead to negligence in the Six Ministries and disrupt the court's order. Emperor Qing found his argument reasonable, and Lai Ming Cheng and Lin Ruo Fu engaged in a heated debate. Lai Ming Cheng suggested that Lin Ruo Fu should avoid involvement due to his future relationship with Fan Xian. Lin Ruo Fu reluctantly made a concession. Emperor Qing allowed Dai Gong Gong to examine the evidence against himself. Realizing the situation was hopeless, Dai Gong Gong had no choice but to surrender, and Emperor Qing ordered his execution.
Lai Ming Cheng pleaded with Emperor Qing to punish Fan Xian. In response, Fan Xian accused him of framing Prince Li Cheng Ze. Fan Xian claimed that if Li Cheng Ze had witnessed him accepting the three thousand taels of silver from Dai Gong Gong on the day of the incident at the Ministry of Investigation, he would not have remained silent. Lai Ming Cheng's accusation against Fan Xian implied that Li Cheng Ze and Fan Xian were involved in the same corruption. Li Cheng Ze publicly admitted that he had personally witnessed Fan Xian accepting money and believed that Fan Xian had ulterior motives. Fan Xian explained that he accepted the money as part of a larger plan and had already handed the silver notes over to Chen Ping Ping on the same day. Chen Ping Ping came forward to testify in support of Fan Xian.
Fan Xian and Lai Ming Cheng engaged in a fierce verbal battle, each defending their positions. Fan Xian claimed that as a person of low status, he dared not continue to investigate further to avoid implicating more high-ranking court officials. Lai Ming Cheng took the bait, swearing that the Censorate would spare no effort in investigating corrupt officials. Fan Xian waited for him to say those words.
Chen Ping Ping produced a list of corrupt officials from various government offices and urged the Censorate to investigate each one. Qin Ye instructed the Investigation Bureau to continue gathering evidence, while Chen Ping Ping claimed that the bureau was understaffed and faced complex challenges, including implicating the prince. Chen Ping Ping handed the list to Qin Ye and Lin Ruo Fu, both of whom found excuses to delay the investigation. Lai Ming Cheng took the initiative to request the list, and upon seeing Li Cheng Ze's name on it, he disregarded the advice of his colleagues and insisted on a thorough investigation to root out the corrupt officials and bring peace and prosperity to the court. Several civil and military officials stood up in support of Lai Ming Cheng, and Fan Xian retracted his earlier statement comparing the Censorate to "barking dogs," praising Lai Ming Cheng without reservation.
Emperor Qing ordered the Censorate to investigate each name on the list. After the court session, Fan Xian waited outside the hall specifically for Lin Ruo Fu. Lin Ruo Fu realized that Fan Xian intended to use the Censorate to investigate Li Cheng Ze. Fan Xian suspected that those who had supported Lai Ming Cheng were arranged by Lin Ruo Fu, but Lin Ruo Fu denied it. Fan Xian couldn't figure out who was secretly helping him.
Li Cheng Qian pretended to show concern for Li Cheng Ze, but Li Cheng Ze didn't appreciate it and retorted sarcastically. Xin Qi Wu secretly revealed something to Li Cheng Qian—the officials who had cheered for Lai Ming Cheng were under his command. Li Cheng Qian was completely unaware of this and exclaimed that the situation was not good.
Lin Ruo Fu urged Fan Xian to visit Lin Wan Er. Fan Xian made excuses of being busy with official duties and claimed that he hadn't had the time. Lin Ruo Fu suspected that he had a secret relationship with Hai Tang Duo Duo, and Fan Xian was frightened and tried to explain himself, promising to visit Lin Wan Er that evening.
Emperor Qing was pleased with Fan Xian's performance that day. He asked Fan Jian and Chen Ping Ping to stay behind, suspecting that Chen Ping Ping was secretly supporting Fan Xian. Chen Ping Ping refused to admit it, and Fan Jian assured Emperor Qing that even if Fan Xian made mistakes, he would clean up the mess.
Comments(Episode 10)