Episode 20 recap: Zong Wei died protecting Yi Qin Wang.
Xu Cheng Feng, in order to prevent any leaks, hoped that Shen Dan Qing would not inform Shen Zi Shan about any future information, and both of them should take preventive measures. Yi Qin Wang deliberately used Shen Zi Shan's possessiveness towards Shen Dan Qing and told him that as long as Xu Cheng Feng was gone, Shen Dan Qing would naturally notice him. Shen Zi Shan, swayed by this, reached a cooperation agreement with Yi Qin Wang. Shen Dan Qing noticed a growing distance between herself and Du Ying Er, and she worried that Luo Xue Er's manipulation would affect their relationship. Shen Zi Shan, Shen Dan Qing, and Xu Cheng Feng once again studied the poems and paintings of Zhou You, speculating that the "revealing water" mentioned in the poem was related to a woman. Shen Dan Qing suggested going to the library to search for clues related to Zhou You's beloved woman.
Several people arrived at the library but found that Yi Qin Wang had ordered Zong Wei to block anyone from entering. Shen Zi Shan assured them that he had been cautious this time and had not leaked any information. Xu Cheng Feng naturally did not suspect Shen Zi Shan. It turned out that this incident was due to a threat to the life of a member of the Shen family's guards, causing the guard to divulge the information under Yi Qin Wang's coercion.
Xu Cheng Feng told Shen Dan Qing that he knew Shen Zi Shan did not intentionally leak the information, but since he had already become a target of Yi Qin Wang, it was inevitable that he would gain some clues through insinuations. Xu Cheng Feng proposed not to inform Shen Zi Shan about future actions in order to prevent any leaks.
Shen Zi Shan accidentally overheard the conversation between Xu Cheng Feng and Shen Dan Qing and couldn't help but feel disappointed. Due to Xu Cheng Feng and Shen Dan Qing's lack of trust, Shen Zi Shan couldn't help but feel melancholic and drowned his sorrows in alcohol.
Yi Qin Wang appeared and instigated the relationship between Shen Zi Shan and Xu Cheng Feng, urging Shen Zi Shan to actively pursue Shen Dan Qing's affection. Yi Qin Wang believed that a woman like Shen Dan Qing would definitely prefer a man stronger than her and would never like a man who clearly liked her but didn't even dare to fight for her.
Yi Qin Wang promised that as long as Shen Zi Shan helped him, he would not only receive the royal plaque but also obtain Shen Dan Qing. Yi Qin Wang believed that as long as Xu Cheng Feng was still around, Shen Dan Qing's eyes would not see any other man, and once Xu Cheng Feng was gone, all problems would be solved.
Shen Zi Shan asked Yi Qin Wang to spare Xu Cheng Feng's life and expressed his willingness to cooperate with him. Shen Zi Shan provided suggestions to Yi Qin Wang, deliberately leaving them with flaws, and indeed saw Xu Cheng Feng and Shen Dan Qing sneaking into the library.
As long as the two of them found clues about the revealing water, they would naturally reap the benefits. Shen Dan Qing and Xu Cheng Feng discovered the cousin of Zhou You, a girl with whom he had a close relationship, in the library. However, they were interrupted by her parents. The cousin turned out to be a wine brewer, and Shen Dan Qing deduced that Miss Fang, who was skilled in brewing plum wine, might be the girl of similar age mentioned in the poems.
Shen Dan Qing had heard in her childhood about a female wine brewer who had been searching for a thousand-year-old plum tree to use for wine storage. Xu Cheng Feng had previously investigated that Li City was famous for its plum trees, and at the border, there was a thousand-year-old plum tree. Shen Dan Qing and Xu Cheng Feng informed Shen Zi Shan that they had found out that the revealing water referred to plum wine. They also handed the plum wine they found to Shen Zi Shan, who happened to be going to Linqian to deliver goods. Xu Cheng Feng asked Shen Zi Shan to take a detour to the capital and deliver the wine to the senior officials.
Meanwhile, Xu Cheng Feng would pretend to send the plum wine to the capital with Tian Hao as a diversion, in order to attract Yi Qin Wang's attention.
Shen Zi Shan handed the revealing water to Luo Biaoshi, and soon the item was given to Yi Qin Wang. At the same time, Shen Zi Shan appeared before Yi Qin Wang, reminding him to keep his promise. Yi Qin Wang believed that after this incident, Xu Cheng Feng would definitely be called back to the capital for questioning. As long as Shen Zi Shan remained loyal to him in the future, he guaranteed that Shen Dan Qing would belong to Shen Zi Shan. After Shen Zi Shan left, Yi Qin Wang instructed Zong Wei to quickly retrieve the treasure map so that they could verify the authenticity of the revealing water.
Zong Wei went alone to retrieve the treasure map but was intercepted by Xu Cheng Feng and Shen Zi Shan. Zong Wei realized that Shen Zi Shan had not truly pledged his allegiance to Yi Qin Wang. It turned out that Xu Cheng Feng had planned to use Shen Zi Shan's loyalty to his advantage. He knew that Yi Qin Wang had coerced Luo Biaoshi's younger brother and forced him to betray Shen Zi Shan. That's when Xu Cheng Feng suggested that Shen Zi Shan pretend to join Yi Qin Wang to entice him into revealing the treasure map.
Zong Wei was unwilling to hand over the treasure map and was even willing to destroy it rather than compromise. Xu Cheng Feng gave Zong Wei time to consider while arranging for his personal guard to bring Yi Qin Wang to the location. He hoped that Zong Wei would recognize Yi Qin Wang's true face and turn away from evil to do good by handing over the treasure map.
Yi Qin Wang reluctantly followed the guards to Zong Wei's hiding place. Xu Cheng Feng directly accused Yi Qin Wang of ordering Zong Wei to kill the Baitong and then using an antidote to coerce them into surrendering the evidence they had. Faced with Xu Cheng Feng's accusations, Yi Qin Wang denied everything and claimed that he had never seen the treasure map. He even showed complete disregard for Zong Wei's life, stating that everything Zong Wei did was unrelated to him.
Yi Qin Wang ordered Zong Wei to hand over the treasure map, and Zong Wei complied, taking full responsibility for the theft of the treasure map. Zong Wei revealed that he had lost his parents at a young age and was raised by his foster father. Now, his foster father was seriously ill and had no money for treatment, which drove him to take the risk of stealing the treasure map.
Seeing Yi Qin Wang successfully distancing himself from the case of the stolen treasure map, Xu Cheng Feng had no choice but to have his guards temporarily detain Zong Wei. Xu Cheng Feng tried to persuade Yi Qin Wang to confess and seek leniency from the emperor, mentioning that the emperor would consider their blood ties and give a lighter punishment. However, Yi Qin Wang insisted that Zong Wei was solely responsible for the theft of the treasure map.
Zong Wei, loyal to Yi Qin Wang, chose to take a poison he carried with him to protect Yi Qin Wang's life and died. Xu Cheng Feng didn't expect Yi Qin Wang to be so heartless and, upon learning of Zong Wei's death, he immediately turned and left.
With the loss of such a loyal comrade, Yi Qin Wang harbored deep resentment and was determined to make Xu Cheng Feng and Shen Zi Shan pay the price. Xu Cheng Feng entrusted the plum wine and the treasure map to the captain of his guard, instructing him to take them back to the capital and deliver them to the elder officials. He also reminded him to use the plum wine as the revealing water, as its effect would last only half a month.
Xu Cheng Feng and Shen Dan Qing enjoyed the moonlight together and made a promise that once Luo Xue Er's matter was resolved, Xu Cheng Feng would accompany Shen Dan Qing in the search for beautiful landscapes and starry skies. Throughout their journey, Shen Dan Qing was grateful that Xu Cheng Feng had always believed in her. He was like a guiding light in her life, allowing her to believe in the beauty of the world despite the hardships.
Xu Cheng Feng expressed that whether she was Shen Dan Qing or Luo Ai Lian, she was someone he wanted to protect. Under the moonlight, they confessed their feelings for each other and embraced in a kiss.
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