Episode 6 recap: Fan Xian and Great Prince clashed.
Fan Xian deliberately refused to give way to Great Prince. He led his delegation to the outskirts of the North Gate, which greatly displeased Great Prince. Great Prince threatened him verbally, but Fan Xian showed no fear. Fan Xian reported the actions of Li Cheng Ze and Li Yun Rui to Emperor Qing, who became furious.
On Shen Zhong's deathbed, he revealed to Fan Xian the secret that the Northern Qi's Jinyiwei had been engaged in smuggling activities with Qingguo privately for years. To everyone's shock, it turned out that the Princess Chang and the Second Prince were involved in this matter. After safely returning to Qingguo, Fan Xian's primary task was to expose the truth about the collusion between the Second Prince and Northern Qi to Emperor Qing.
Before entering the city, Fan Xian had asked the Grand Princess whether they should make way for the oncoming procession of Great Prince. Considering the authority of Northern Qi, the Grand Princess decided not to yield. As they approached the city gate, three sharp swords descended from the sky and landed in front of Fan Xian, forcing the delegation to halt. In the distance, a cloud of dust rose as the procession led by Great Prince came into view.
Although Great Prince had long heard of Fan Xian's reputation, he did not expect him to dare to compete with the prince for the road. Fan Xian relied on the prestige of the Grand Princess to handle the situation, and the Grand Princess echoed her agreement, stating that it was her intention. In the midst of their dispute, the Crown Prince stepped forward, exchanged pleasantries with Great Prince, and began to mediate.
Inside the city, the Second Prince and the Third Prince were both observing to see who would enter the city first. However, the next moment they saw the Crown Prince holding hands with Fan Xian and Great Prince as they entered the city gate together. After entering the city, Emperor Qing summoned Fan Xian for a private audience, while the other three princes waited outside the hall.
Soon, Emperor Qing appeared, and with the support of Hou Gonggong, Fan Xian limped into the main hall and thanked Emperor Qing for the punishment of the court cane bestowed upon him. Fan Xian deliberately acted as if his injuries were severe, which caused the Second Prince to chuckle. However, the Second Prince knew deep down that this was just a disguise by Fan Xian.
Emperor Qing gathered many princes and specifically invited Fan Xian to recount his experiences in Northern Qi. Fan Xian provided a detailed account of his journey to Northern Qi, but what Emperor Qing was more interested in was the information about the divine temple. Xiao En had mentioned that the temple indeed existed, located in the snowy plains in the far north, and that it remained separated from Qingguo by Northern Qi.
Great Prince slowly revealed this information, and Emperor Qing listened with contemplation.
Next, Fan Xian exposed the fact that the Second Prince and Princess Chang had been engaged in smuggling activities with the Northern Qi's Jinyiwei for years. Emperor Qing was furious upon hearing this and the Second Prince hurriedly defended himself, claiming it was a misunderstanding and that he was loyal to Qingguo and had not been involved in smuggling.
He also attempted to shift the blame onto Fan Xian, suggesting that it might be a misunderstanding on Fan Xian's part. Fan Xian openly presented evidence accusing Princess Chang and the Second Prince, and Emperor Qing asked if he had solid evidence. Upon learning that Fan Xian had no concrete proof, Emperor Qing questioned his identity.
At this moment, Fan Xian displayed the waist token of the Surveillance Institute. However, Emperor Qing remained silent and threw the token directly into the water. Seeing this, the Second Prince took the opportunity to make a move and, using Fan Xian's achievements in Northern Qi, suggested a marriage proposal for Ruoruo, proposing that she marry the Crown Prince of the Jing Wang.
Despite Fan Xian's strong opposition, Emperor Qing agreed to the marriage. Then, unexpectedly, Emperor Qing bestowed a marriage on the Second Prince as well, ordering him to marry Ye Ling Er, the daughter of Ye Zhong. The Second Prince didn't expect to be involved in such a situation, but he had no choice but to accept Emperor Qing's command and express his gratitude.
As Emperor Qing was about to leave, Fan Xian didn't give up and hoped that Emperor Qing would thoroughly investigate the actions of Princess Chang and the Second Prince. However, Emperor Qing refused his request, citing "no evidence found, just empty words." Helpless, Fan Xian could only hope that future investigations would uncover the truth.
The Crown Prince comforted Fan Xian and advised him not to be discouraged. He explained that due to the special status of the Second Prince and Princess Chang, it was difficult to shake their positions without sufficient evidence. The only evidence that could prove the Second Prince's smuggling was in Shijia Town, but the Crown Prince revealed that Shijia Town had been burned down by the Second Prince, and the evidence had disappeared along with it.
Fan Xian was shocked by the Second Prince's decisive actions and felt helpless in the face of the power struggles within the royal family. Afterwards, the Crown Prince went to where the Empress was, and in front of him, the Empress angrily threw out a painting. The Crown Prince hurriedly knelt down to pick it up. The paintings depicted a young woman, but none of them had the head drawn. The Empress questioned who painted these, and the Crown Prince replied, "Just for leisure when I have nothing else to do."
It seemed that the Crown Prince also had someone he was interested in, but due to his status, he had to keep the identity of his love interest a secret.
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