Episode 29 recap: Cui Yu Lang particularly reminded Rou Fei that she had the backing of the Emperor and did not need to rely on the aristocratic families, but her ultimate destination wo
Rou Fei heeded Cui Yu Lang's advice and immediately sent someone to summon Princess Pinglehe, even though she detested Li Rong, Rou Fei wore an extremely sincere smile until Li Rong agreed to hand over the Inspectorate to her
After half a day passed, when night fell and people were quiet, Pei Wen Xuan scaled the wall to the Princess' residence and unexpectedly encountered Cui Yu Lang on the wall, angrily punching him. Coincidentally, Li Rong was bathing, and although she heard the noise behind her, she knew who the visitor was. The two spent a romantic night in the bathroom. The next morning at the court audience, Li Rong saw Pei Wen Xuan taking the risk to recommend him, and became angry that he had not considered his own safety first before doing so.
Su Rong Qing told Rou Fei that she and Su Wang had no foundation in the court, and even Li Rong avoided discussing this case, so if Rou Fei insisted on investigating thoroughly, she would inevitably invite trouble. Cui Yu Lang quietly told Rou Fei that she had the Emperor's backing and did not need to rely on those aristocratic families, but her final destination might be an ordinary household.
Hearing Cui Yu Lang's words, Rou Fei immediately summoned Princess Pinglehe Li Rong, even though she did not like Li Rong very much, she pretended to be very amiable.
Rou Fei first chatted with Li Rong for a while, then directly stated her purpose, falsely claiming that a relative had come to the capital to file a lawsuit, and she recommended them to the Inspectorate.
Although Li Rong appeared a bit flustered, she soon calmed down, which further convinced Rou Fei of Cui Yu Lang's words. Rou Fei also reminded Li Rong to have less contact with that former son-in-law.
Back at the princess' residence, Li Rong told her confidant to keep Pei Wen Xuan away for the next few days, and also adjusted the guard arrangement at home to facilitate Cui Yu Lang's visits.
The next day at the court audience, Wang Hou Wen accused Li Rong of concealing a civil service examination fraud case and killing the plaintiff. Since there was solid evidence, Li Rong had nothing to say.
The Emperor scolded Li Rong harshly in the Imperial Study, ordering her to write a resignation and hand over the Inspectorate to someone else. Crown Prince Li Chuan wrote a letter to Qin Zhen Zhen in the northwest, and Qin Zhen Zhen, upon seeing the letter, thought of Li Chuan.
As the Inspectorate was about to be taken away, Su Wang felt a little panicked, feeling that it was like a double-edged sword. But Rou Fei felt that as long as it was used well, this sword could help the Xiao family gain political influence. Cui Yu Lang told Li Rong that Rou Fei must be trusting her a lot now.
Hearing that the Inspectorate was about to change hands, Pei Wen Xuan scaled the wall into the princess' residence, but unexpectedly encountered Cui Yu Lang on the wall, and angrily punched him. Li Rong was bathing, and upon hearing the sound, also knew it was Pei Wen Xuan. After confirming that Li Rong was fine, Pei Wen Xuan heaved a sigh of relief, and the two spent a wonderful night in the bathroom.
The next day, Li Rong voluntarily resigned from the Inspectorate position and recommended Su Wang to take over.
Shang Guan Xu wanted to intervene but couldn't stop it, so the Emperor decided to have Rou Fei assist Su Wang. Suddenly, a palace servant reported that a group of scholars had surrounded the palace gates, demanding an investigation into the stolen civil service examination quotas.
All the officials in the court remained silent, as they knew investigating this case would offend many people. Seeing that no one dared to take on this case, Su Rong Qing proposed letting Crown Prince Li Chuan handle it. But when Li Rong heard this, he got anxious and was about to speak up, when Pei Wen Xuan stepped forward and said he was willing to seek justice for the students.
Rou Fei came in from outside the palace and requested that Su Wang be the one to handle this case, which the Emperor agreed to. Su Rong Qing cursed Rou Fei in his heart for being so stupid. Rou Fei and Su Wang went to the palace gate, putting on an air of righteousness, saying they would champion the students' cause.
A scholar named Wen Xingzhi stepped forward and said the court was controlled by powerful families, with many problems. He hoped the court would thoroughly investigate the stolen examination quotas, increase the number of candidates for the imperial examination this year with the Emperor overseeing it, and make the civil service exam the sole method of selecting officials. When he said this, the entire audience was shocked, and Rou Fei became flustered.
Rou Fei brought up his own humble background to appease the crowd, promising to handle the matter seriously. But after returning, Su Wang angrily scolded Cui Yu Lang. Cui Yu Lang reminded Rou Fei that this was the reform the Emperor had long desired, and as long as they handled it properly, they would gain the Emperor's support, even having a chance to undermine the Crown Prince.
After taking over the Supervisory Department, Rou Fei and Su Wang began processing the petitions from scholars from humble backgrounds, but they found it was not easy. Shang Guan Ya, the deputy department head, watched Rou Fei handle these matters and felt that Pei Wen Xuan was indeed very clever.
Now Lin Fei Bai had earned many military achievements on the borders and was about to return to the capital. Shang Guan Ya told Su Rong Hua about this, saying that if Lin Fei Bai took control of the Xie family, it would be defying fate. But Su Rong Hua felt that Xie Chun He, the legitimate son of the Xie family, although seeming harmless, had deep schemes and would surely seek revenge for Li Rong.
That night, Li Rong scaled the wall to come to Pei Wen Xuan's home. Pei Wen Xuan knew it was because of the morning's events and immediately knelt down to apologize. Although Li Rong knew Pei Wen Xuan was acting to shield the Crown Prince, he still warned him not to let it happen again, as Pei Wen Xuan was not only his brother-in-law, but also the future father of his children.
After making amends, Pei Wen Xuan helped Li Rong scale the wall back, only to find that Li Rong had already bought the neighboring property, making it easier for him to come visit frequently.
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