Episode 16 recap: The Yan family has been accused of treason.
Xie Wei bestowed a title upon Yan Lin. Just as he finished writing the character, Xue Yuan stormed in with his men. He accused Yan Mu of inciting mutiny within the army and plotting against the state, and demanded the arrest of all members of the Yan family. Yan Lin refused to surrender and threw the imperial decree to the ground. Jiang Xue Ning pleaded with Xie Wei to find a solution and save the Yan family. Gong Yi Cheng criticized Xie Wei for ruining the prince's good mood. Xie Wei sneered and told him not to worry anymore, then ordered the guards to take action.
The coronation ceremony continued. As Yan Lin's teacher, Xie Wei began arranging the ceremonial headdress for Yan Lin. Jiang Xue Ning watched and pondered silently. She remembered the tragedy that occurred during the previous coronation ceremony and wondered what had happened. But just now, Xie Wei had stopped Xue Ye, so nothing bad should happen this time. The princess, who was sitting nearby, noticed that Xie Wei's expression was different today. Jiang Xue Ning curiously asked what was different. The princess explained that Xie Wei looked at Yan Lin with the same expression an older brother would have for his younger brother.
The final part of the coronation ceremony was for Xie Wei to bestow a title upon Yan Lin. Just as Yan Lin finished writing the character, Xue Yuan burst in with his men. He accused Yan Mu of inciting mutiny within the army and plotting against the state, and declared that anyone who dared to resist would be executed. Upon hearing this, Yan Lin reached for his sword, but Xie Wei held him back, reminding him that the ceremony was not yet complete and urging him to remain calm. Jiang Xue Ning didn't want to see the Yan family suffer the same fate as in the previous life, so she stood up and told Xue Yuan that granting the title to Yan Lin was the emperor's decree, which had been issued earlier. Unable to do anything, Xue Yuan reluctantly allowed the ceremony to continue.
Meanwhile, inside the palace, the emperor was speaking to the empress. He made it clear that even if Xue Yuan obtained the military command token, as long as there was one person from the Yan family alive, Xue Yuan wouldn't be able to fully control the Yan family's army. However, if Yan Mu dared to resist when Xue Yuan arrived at the Yan residence, the charge of treason against the Yan family would likely be substantiated. If his guess was correct, Xue Yuan intended to exterminate the entire Yan family. The reason the emperor had given Xue Yuan the imperial decree with the jade seal was to make them fight each other. The empress was worried that with the decree, the Yan family wouldn't be able to resist Xue Yuan. The emperor smiled and reassured her that Xie Wei was also at the Yan residence that day, and he believed that Xie Wei would handle the situation well.
After the coronation ceremony, Xue Yuan was about to give orders to arrest people. However, Xie Wei insisted that he first read out the imperial decree. After Xue Yuan finished reading the decree, Zhang Zhe noticed that the timing of the decree seemed off. Under his questioning, Xue Yuan had to admit that due to the rushed nature of the situation, the decree had not been stamped with the seal of the Hanlin Academy. Nevertheless, the emperor's jade seal was genuine. Xie Wei seized on this point and advised him not to act too hastily since the Yan family had nowhere to run. He suggested waiting until the official seal of the Hanlin Academy was affixed before taking the people away. The princess and Shen Jie agreed with Xie Wei's reasoning. Helpless, Xue Yuan left the others under the guard of the Xingwu Guards and went alone to the Hanlin Garden.
After Xue Yuan left, Jiang Xue Ning pleaded with Xie Wei to find a solution and save the Yan family. From Xie Wei's calm demeanor, she guessed that he must have thought of a way to save them. Xie Wei didn't hide anything from Jiang Xue Ning and told her the crucial details. The imperial decree clearly stated that the Yan family was accused of treason because of the mutiny in Tongzhou's army. If there had been no mutiny in the army, the charge of treason would not have been established.
After suspecting that Gong Yi Cheng had planted spies in the Tongzhou army camp, Xie Wei realized that the situation was not good. Before Yan Lin's coronation ceremony, he sent Lv Xian to the Tongzhou army camp with Yan Mu's seal. Upon learning that Yan Mu had been falsely accused of treason, Yan Ning, influenced by the spy, was about to rebel. It was thanks to Lv Xian's timely arrival, showing him Yan Mu's seal and explaining the situation, that Yan Ning abandoned his rebellious thoughts.
After leaving the Tongzhou army camp, Lv Xian went to see Gong Yi Cheng. Gong Yi Cheng accused him of ruining the prince's good mood. Lv Xian coldly smiled and told him not to worry anymore, then ordered his subordinates to take action. Xue Yuan went to the Hanlin Academy but found that the official in charge of the seal was not present. So he went to find the emperor, hoping to force the Hanlin Academy to affix the seal. However, the emperor avoided him. Helpless, Xue Yuan went to see the empress instead.
Since news of the mutiny in Tongzhou hadn't arrived yet, the empress believed that they shouldn't give the Yan family any chance to breathe. So she supported Xue Yuan and instructed him to obtain the seal from the Hanlin Academy. Xie Wei and Jiang Xue Ning were waiting for news from Lv Xian when Xue Yuan suddenly walked in triumphantly. He showed them the imperial decree with the Hanlin Academy's seal and ordered the arrest of Yan Mu and Yan Lin.
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