Episode 10 recap: Jiang Xue Ning was framed.
The Emperor asked Xie Wei in a cryptic manner, saying that he heard there was a girl named Jiang Xue Ning among the companions, and her relationship with him was unusual. Xie Wei quickly explained that he and Jiang Xue Ning were only teacher and student. Wang Gonggong cryptically stated that Jiang Xue Ning dared to have an illicit relationship with rebels, and they were about to capture her. Jiang Xue Ning suddenly used a hairpin to press against her own neck. Upon seeing this scene, the Empress Dowager decided to find someone to deal with her, and Jiang Xue Ning was surprised to find that the person was Zhang Zhe.
Jiang Xue Ning worried that Mr. Wang still had ill intentions towards her, so Xie Wei came up with an idea. He took out a poem he had just written and asked Jiang Xue Ning to memorize it and then copy it down. Jiang Xue Ning wanted to copy it at Xie Wei's place, but he reminded her that each person's paper in their rooms was different and accounted for. If she used paper from Xie Wei's room, Mr. Wang would see through it at a glance. Helpless, Jiang Xue Ning had no choice but to memorize the poem.
The next day during class, Jiang Xue Ning showed the copied poem to Mr. Wang. After reading it, Mr. Wang said it was nonsensical and started criticizing it while shaking his head. Suddenly, Xie Wei walked in and explicitly told Mr. Wang that he was the one who wrote the poem, intentionally accusing Jiang Xue Ning of stealing his poem.
When Jiang Xue Ning returned to her class, she overheard people discussing that Mr. Wang had unexpectedly retired and returned home. Xue Shu glanced at Jiang Xue Ning and immediately guessed that it was related to her. Shen Lang angrily said to Xie Wei that he never expected Mr. Wang to be all talk and no substance, and he never expected him to collude with Duke Dingguo. Many of the top scholars' examination papers were manipulated by him. They deceived their superiors and subordinates and even inserted numerous officials by his side. Two officials had already been dismissed by Shen Lang. Regarding the two vacancies, Shen Lang sought Xie Wei's opinion. When Xie Wei suggested appointing Jiang Tianyou as the Minister of Revenue, Shen Lang cryptically asked Xie Wei if it was true that there was a girl named Jiang Xue Ning among the companions, and her relationship with him was unusual. Xie Wei hurriedly explained that he and Jiang Xue Ning were only teacher and student.
Jiang Tianyou did not expect that as a retiree, he would suddenly be promoted. While the family was happy for him, Meng Shi was worried that Jiang Xue Ning would not restrain herself in the palace and would affect Jiang Tianyou's official career. She even wrote a letter to him concerning Jiang Xue Ning.
Jiang Xue Ning received a letter from her father and knew that Xie Wei had helped. She was glad for her father's sake when Huang Gonggong suddenly approached with a group of people, stating that they were going to search for rebels within the academy.
After the search, a young eunuch approached Jiang Xue Ning with half a sheet of paper, claiming that it was found in her room. The paper contained verses related to the Three Hundred Heroes, and Huang Gonggong insinuated that Jiang Xue Ning was colluding with rebels. He intended to have her captured and beaten to death, but Jiang Xue Ning firmly told him that she was not a palace maid and that he, as the chief of the Imperial Household Department, had no authority to dispose of her.
Acknowledging Jiang Xue Ning's logical arguments, Huang Gonggong reluctantly took her to see the Empress Dowager. It was the Empress Dowager's idea from the beginning. When she intended to torture Jiang Xue Ning, the latter brought up the current laws and regulations, stating that the harem should not interfere in politics. She then unexpectedly pressed a hairpin against her own neck. Witnessing this scene, the Empress Dowager decided to find someone to deal with her and ordered the Ministry of Justice to be summoned. This was exactly what Jiang Xue Ning had hoped for because the Empress Dowager mentioned her relationship with Yan Lin. If the Ministry of Justice intervened, at least it wouldn't implicate the Yan family.
Under the command of Yan Mu's subordinate, Yan Ning, it was discovered that the private army of the Xue family was using weapons sold to them by a person named Zhao Xin from the Yan family's military. After capturing Zhao Xin, Yan Mu and Yan Lin brought him back to the capital for an audience with the emperor. However, they were ambushed on the way, and Zhao Xin was shot dead on the spot while Yan Mu was injured and fell unconscious. Yan Lin wanted to seek medical help for his father, but the Xingwu Guard surrounded their home under the pretext of capturing rebels. Upon learning of the situation, Xie Wei took Shen Lang's token and rushed there with a doctor to detoxify Yan Mu.
After learning about Jiang Xue Ning's situation, Xie Wei sent the official from the Ministry of Justice, Mr. Chen, into the palace to rescue her. Mr. Chen was worried about the Empress Dowager's blame, so he brought the straightforward Zhang Zhe along. During the investigation, Zhang Zhe, just like in his previous life, fearlessly confronted the powerful. When he stood before the Empress, he said a few simple words that made her extremely uneasy. Jiang Xue Ning thought that Zhang Zhe would surely clear her name, but she soon realized that his investigative methods were somewhat questionable. He ordered someone to inspect the paper, and indeed, someone went to Jiang Xue Ning's room and found that half a sheet of paper was missing. Upon hearing the report, Jiang Xue Ning looked at Zhang Zhe in confusion, doubting whether he was still the upright and incorruptible magistrate from her previous life.
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