Episode 9 recap: The Ministry of Justice collectively impeached Fan Xian.
Fan Xian gathered evidence of wrongdoing by Li Cheng Ze and Li Yun Rui, revealing their involvement in smuggling and amassing a huge fortune. Fan Xian suspected that they were privately maintaining an army, and Yan Bing Yun also analyzed that they used the money to bribe officials and cultivate their own faction. Fan Xian started the investigation from the Ministry of Agriculture and entrusted Yan Bing Yun to help investigate Li Cheng Ze's associates outside the capital.
Li Cheng Ze left the Ministry of Agriculture with Xie Bi An and they walked back to the palace. To ensure Li Cheng Ze's safety, the streets were cleared wherever they went, and within moments, the streets were empty with scattered fruits and vegetables left behind by the hurried pedestrians and street vendors. Li Cheng Ze couldn't understand why Fan Xian had summoned him to the Ministry of Agriculture and openly accepted bribes from Dai Gong Gong right in front of him. Xie Bi An also couldn't fathom Fan Xian's intentions. Li Cheng Ze couldn't personally accuse Fan Xian, but he didn't want to miss this opportunity to suppress him either. Their conversation was overheard by Deng Zi Yue, who was hiding nearby.
Early the next morning, Emperor Qing received a joint impeachment letter from the Ministry of Justice accusing Fan Xian of embezzlement and accepting bribes. Emperor Qing instructed Duke Hou to deliver the impeachment letter directly to Fan Xian. Duke Hou reminded Fan Xian to submit a memorial explaining the matter, but Fan Xian didn't seem concerned. He delayed his response, causing a flurry of discussions among the officials of the Ministry of Justice.
Fan Xian had no choice but to send Wang Qi Nian to deliver a scroll to the officials of the Ministry of Justice. On it were written the four characters "rabid barking dogs," insulting the officials as noisy dogs. They were furious and collectively impeached Fan Xian and Dai Gong Gong, even suspecting that Dai Gong Gong was Fan Xian's benefactor.
Upon hearing about the incident, Dai Gong Gong lamented and poured out his grievances to Hong Zhu. Hong Zhu advised him kindly. Fan Xian intentionally escalated the situation, wanting to turn the political scene in the capital upside down. Fan Xian asked Yan Bing Yun to use his influence in various places to investigate officials outside the capital. Yan Bing Yun initially didn't want to get involved, but he couldn't resist the persistent requests from Wang Qi Nian and Gao Da.
Upon hearing that Fan Xian was impeached by the officials, Liu Ru Yu couldn't help but worry for him. She wanted to enter the palace to find her sister Yi Gui Pin and gather some information. However, Fan Xian had made careful arrangements and advised Liu Ru Yu not to get involved in this mess.
Fan Si Zhe headed north towards Bei Qi, with people closely following him on behalf of Li Cheng Ze. They were looking for an opportunity to capture Fan Si Zhe alive.
During an inspection, Fan Xian saw his colleagues eating meat while Deng Zi Yue was alone in the warehouse eating dry rations. Fan Xian learned that the money used to buy the meat was fifty taels of silver given to Deng Zi Yue by Wang Qi Nian. Deng Zi Yue was diligent in his duties, incorruptible, did not accept bribes, and did not falsify accounts. He also showed great respect to his colleagues, earning a good reputation. Fan Xian discovered that Deng Zi Yue used to be a person of integrity, but over the years, he had become submissive and obedient, which surprised Fan Xian.
Deng Zi Yue came from a humble background in Dingzhou. When he was young, he had lofty ambitions. In the past, there were false account books created by a captain in the border army, deceiving official funds under the guise of buying horse feed. Deng Zi Yue fought his way out of an encirclement and delivered the evidence to the inspection court. Chen Ping Ping, impressed by his courage and integrity, approved his entry into the inspection court. Over the years, Deng Zi Yue saw through the darkness and injustice of the officialdom. However, being insignificant, he could only temporarily suppress his edge and become a good person.
Fan Xian took the initiative to become Deng Zi Yue's support, encouraging him to stand tall and return to his original self. Deng Zi Yue had long been worn down and had no fighting spirit left. He only wished to do good for himself. Fan Xian berated him harshly, finally awakening Deng Zi Yue. He swore to assist Fan Xian in changing this corrupt officialdom. Fan Xian had him write a self-defense letter, which only contained the eight characters "corrupt officials dominate, what crime is there."
The number of impeachment memorials against Fan Xian kept increasing, overwhelming Emperor Qing. He decided to have Fan Xian confront the officials in court. Yan Bing Yun received the evidence collected by colleagues from various places and immediately handed it over to Chen Ping Ping. Chen Ping Ping quickly dispatched Ying Zi, a personal guard, to deliver a message to Fan Xian, asking him to defend himself confidently in court the next day.
Li Cheng Qian was worried that Fan Xian wouldn't be able to withstand the officials. He arrived early outside the main hall to wait for Fan Xian and repeatedly advised and instructed him. Fan Xian was already fully prepared, which slightly eased Li Cheng Qian's concerns. Fan Xian noticed that Xin Qi Wu was deliberately avoiding him, so he loudly called out to him. Xin Qi Wu had no choice but to greet Fan Xian with a forced smile. All the officials gathered and confronted Fan Xian, and Qin Ye, the envoy of the Privy Council, also arrived early.
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