Episode 26 recap: Fan Xian went to Qing Yu Hall to learn about his mother's past.
On the day Fan Xian and Lin Wan Er got married, the long-missing Wu Zhu finally returned, which made Fan Xian very happy. After the marriage, Fan Xian took control of the inner treasury's finances, and it was at Qing Yu Hall that he first saw his mother Ye Qingmei's memorial tablet. The wedding ceremony officially began, with Fan Ruoruo presiding over their marriage.
Although Liu Ruyu was the lady of the Fan household, Fan Jian had never elevated her to the position of the principal wife. As a concubine, she could not kneel and kowtow together with Fan Jian, and could only stand aside. Fan Xian actively suggested that Liu Ruyu sit next to Fan Jian. Although Liu Ruyu felt this was not in accordance with propriety, in Fan Xian's heart, she was the matriarch of the Fan family. Liu Ruyu sat down to accept the kowtow from Fan Xian and Lin Wan Er, moved to tears, and Fan Jian was also deeply comforted.
The wedding was successfully completed amidst the blessings of the family. Emperor Qing sent Lord Gong, the imperial envoy, to present a plaque with the calligraphy "A Century of Harmony" as a wedding gift, an honor never before bestowed upon civil and military officials. Fan Jian led the entire family, young and old, to kneel and express their gratitude.
Ye Lingeer was grateful that Li Chengze did not reveal Lin Gong's matter at the wedding. Li Chengze hated Fan Xian deeply, but he did not want to ruin his sister Lin Wan Er's marriage, so Ye Lingeer took the initiative to send Li Chengze back home.
As Fan Xian and Lin Wan Er entered the bridal chamber, he just wanted to whisper something to Lin Wan Er when he heard movement under the bed. Fan Xian dragged out the hidden Fan Sizhe, and Lin Dapao was also hiding in front of the window, and it took much persuasion from Lin Wan Er to get him to leave.
Just as Fan Xian was about to close the window, he suddenly saw Wu Zhu standing on the opposite roof, waiting for him. Fan Xian briefly explained a few things to Lin Wan Er and hurriedly went to see Wu Zhu. Fan Xian was eager to tell Wu Zhu the news he had learned from Xiao En - that his mother Ye Qingmei and Wu Zhu both came from the Temple, and Fan Xian wanted to take Lin Wan Er and Wu Zhu to the Temple after the marriage to help Wu Zhu recover his lost memories.
Wu Zhu vaguely remembered that Ye Qingmei had once taken him to the Jiangnan region, and after his battle with Kuhe, he went to Jiangnan to search for his lost memories, but to no avail. However, many people died because of his appearance, but Wu Zhu did not take any action, as he discovered that the victims were killed by a grand master-level expert who intentionally did not use true qi, just to frame and implicate him. Fan Xian believed that Wu Zhu did not commit those murders.
Yingzi was eager to spar with Wu Zhu and learn the essence of his martial arts, but Wu Zhu had not shown himself. Yingzi thought Wu Zhu would surely attend Fan Xian's wedding, so he went to the Fan manor to wait. Fei Jie did not want Yingzi to disturb Fan Xian's wedding, so he stood guard at the Fan manor, and the two ended up in a fierce fight.
Chen Pingping learned of this and came to settle the score. Fei Jie reported the results of his investigation in Jiangnan, and since he had not reported to Chen Pingping immediately due to the wedding, Fei Jie suspected that the serial killer might be Wu Zhu, but lacked conclusive evidence.
After waiting for a long time, Lin Wan Er went out to look for Fan Xian and saw him from afar talking to Wu Zhu. Wu Zhu told Fan Xian to take the trunk left by Ye Qingmei and live on Mount Cang for a while, and then quietly departed.
Fan Xian placed the red veil over Lin Wan Er's head, then lifted it again. He then took her hand and led her to gaze at the stars, which Lin Wan Er loved to watch in the night sky. Fan Xian and Lin Wan Er sat in the courtyard together, looking at the stars. Fan Xian brought out a pair of rings he had handcrafted, and they placed them on each other's hands, letting the stars witness their happiness. Fan Xian and Lin Wan Er cuddled close together, exchanging endless sweet words of affection.
The next morning, Wang Qi Nian and Deng Zi Yue came with their colleagues to offer congratulations. Fan Xian saw their eyes were red from exhaustion, realizing that Wang Qi Nian had made them stand guard all night at the manor to prevent any disturbances. Fan Xian punished Wang Qi Nian by having his wages given to the colleagues for drinks, much to Wang Qi Nian's dismay.
Lin Wan Er quickly stepped in to stop Fan Xian, wanting to reward the colleagues and express gratitude on Fan Xian's behalf. She was especially thankful to Wang Qi Nian for his ongoing support and help for Fan Xian, leaving Wang Qi Nian pleasantly surprised.
Deng Zi Yue wanted to seize the assets of corrupt officials to refill the treasury's 20 million tael deficit, but Fan Xian firmly refused, telling them to just focus on their own duties.
Fan Xian opened the letter from Chen Ping Ping, which only contained the three characters "Qing Yu Hall". Qing Yu Hall was the business founded by the late Ye Qingmei, which had accumulated immense wealth. After Ye Qingmei's death, Qing Yu Hall became the property of the imperial family, and its senior staff had been recruited by major businesses in the capital as professional managers.
Wang Qi Nian accompanied Fan Xian to Qing Yu Hall, where the head manager Ye Da Zhang Gui personally greeted them, immediately recognizing Fan Xian as Ye Qingmei's son, their young master. Dozens of managers rushed to greet Fan Xian warmly.
Ye Da Zhang Gui led Fan Xian to the main hall, where Ye Qingmei's memorial tablet was displayed. Da Zhang Gui and the managers all knelt, mourning Ye Qingmei. Da Zhang Gui then sent the others away, sharing the past with Fan Xian, shocking Wang Qi Nian to learn that Ye Qingmei was Fan Xian's mother.
Ye Qingmei had told Da Zhang Gui that if she died, her son's name would be Fan Xian. After her death, the Emperor had people monitor the Ye family's old associates, forbidding them from leaving the capital. Da Zhang Gui did not want to cause trouble for Fan Xian, so he had not dared to acknowledge their relationship.
Da Zhang Gui eloquently recounted Ye Qingmei's story - her mastery of both scholarly and business pursuits. He even recited a "poem" she had written for him, which Fan Xian recognized was actually the theme song from the cartoon "Black Cat Detective".
Da Zhang Gui offered to help fill the treasury's deficit by having the managers at the capital's major businesses contribute the required funds, as they held the companies' trade secrets. But Fan Xian firmly declined, wanting to resolve this issue himself without resorting to coercion, unwilling to bring shame to Ye Qingmei's name. As he left, Fan Xian only asked Da Zhang Gui to provide him with a list of the owners of the capital's major businesses.
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