Episode 19 recap: Pei Xing Jian was furious when he learned about the assassination attempt on Liu Li.
Pei Xing Jian was listening to his subordinates' reports when he suddenly ordered all the citizens to pay taxes starting from today. The people felt that these officials had never considered their well-being. Unexpectedly, Pei Xing Jian ordered the guards to burn all the account books as a way to gain the people's approval. The people were delighted, and even Zhang Canjun, who was originally ill, now appeared spirited. Pei Xing Jian spoke about how the soldiers should have sufficient food. In Pei Xing Jian's eyes, comforting the people was more important than anything else. Now that the debts were burned, he hoped the villagers could live well and make more money. He only required them to contribute a small amount of food. The villagers realized that they had wrongly accused Pei Xing Jian and quickly knelt down to apologize.
At that moment, the commoners outside the Pei residence had already rushed in. Seeing the situation turning dire, the guards quickly took Liu Li and prepared to escape through the back door. The villagers pursued them, and soon they were surrounded in the middle. Someone rushed forward and stabbed Liu Li in the abdomen with a dagger. By the time Jing Niang arrived, Liu Li was already bleeding profusely.
Han Si hurriedly arrived to treat Liu Li's wounds, but the injury was too deep. Despite using high-quality medicine, Liu Li remained unconscious. Now it depended on Liu Li's own destiny. Bai San and the others didn't know how to explain the situation to Pei Xing Jian, as it had escalated significantly and even resulted in loss of life.
Pei Xing Jian's first action upon his return was to visit his wife. His eyes were filled with anger, and he knew that the incident was definitely related to the Ai family. He proceeded to the Ai residence alone. The entrance to the Ai residence was already crowded with soldiers. Pei Xing Jian shouted for Ai Chongyu to come out, and the members of the Ai family emerged from their rooms. Ai Chongyu ordered the guards to kill Pei Xing Jian. Pei Xing Jian fought back, but he was outnumbered and unable to defeat the group of guards on his own. The commoners watched the scene unfold at the entrance. Pei Xing Jian was pushed out of the gate. Ai Chongyu's father hypocritically stated that he knew Pei Xing Jian's wife was in trouble and that he must be very angry, so he wouldn't pursue the matter for now. Pei Xing Jian left in great anger.
Soon, a month later, news of this incident had reached Chang'an City. Ai Chongyu's wife and son were still at Princess Dachang's residence. Princess Dachang also learned that Liu Li's condition was uncertain. Princess Dachang wanted to confirm the situation and even wanted to see Liu Li in her half-dead state.
At the same time, the general was still worried about Liu Li's condition. Unexpectedly, Liu Li had actually returned. The general's wife was extremely excited upon seeing Liu Li because Liu Li was her adopted daughter. When she heard that Liu Li's fate was unknown, she couldn't even eat. But now, seeing her standing here in good health, she felt relieved.
Liu Li explained the situation to her adoptive mother and revealed that this time she had come back to take Ai Chongyu's wife and child back to the Western Prefecture. Before leaving, Liu Li even imitated Pei Xing Jian's handwriting to inform Empress Wu that she would assist her in the future and would not be an enemy of the Wu family. Initially, they were concerned that Pei Xing Jian would be angry due to Liu Li's presumptuous actions, but Liu Li's words had a profound impact on Pei Xing Jian, and he willingly accepted the arrangement.
After Liu Li's explanation, the Ai family eventually believed her, and both sides reached an agreement. Of course, everything that followed was orchestrated, and the so-called stabbing incident was staged. With everyone's cooperation, many people believed that Liu Li was genuinely unconscious. However, Liu Li's adoptive mother informed her that it might not be easy to release Ai Chongyu's wife and child because Princess Dachang was treating them well. This time, Liu Li personally brought a token from Ai Chongyu, and when his wife and child saw it, they would know that help had arrived.
Princess Dachang was still angry because she suspected that Empress Wu might take control of the entire court. Although she confirmed that Liu Li was currently unconscious, she still felt that something was amiss.
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