Episode 23 recap: Xue Fang Fei pleaded for her father's case in the imperial court.
Wan Ning reported Xue Fang Fei's identity to the Emperor, who then ordered Xiao Heng to interrogate Xue Fang Fei. Xiao Heng, unwilling to do so, secretly imprisoned them together. Li Zhongnan had a meticulous plan to lure Xue Fang Fei into a trap, wanting Jiang Yunbai to abandon her, telling him that she was not Jiang Li.
The Emperor personally questioned Xue Fang Fei, and Wan Ning publicly claimed that Xue Fang Fei and Jiang Li looked alike, causing Jiang Yunbai to become suspicious. The Emperor's decree was announced, and he wanted to personally preside over the trial.
Jiang Laoru was worried about being criticized, so Ji Shuran suggested bringing Xue Fang Fei back home to manage her, as she had some knowledge of the law. As long as she was not a murderer, she could be supervised at home. She decided to talk to the Minister of Justice.
Xiao Heng visited Xue Fang Fei in the prison, sitting on the ground with her despite the filth, and they chatted for a long time. Xiao Heng was reminded of his own youthful efforts to clear his father General Xiao's name, and he couldn't bear to interrogate Xue Fang Fei.
Ji Shuran met with the Minister of Justice, Zhou Gong, to request taking Xue Fang Fei back home, but Zhou Gong refused. Ji Shuran cited the laws of the Great Yan, and Zhou Gong had no choice but to allow Xue Fang Fei to be handed over to the Jiang family.
Jiang Laoru was puzzled by Xue Fang Fei's involvement in the Xue family case, worrying that it would impact the Jiang family's future. Xue Fang Fei lied that she had been cared for by Jiang Li at the Chastity Hall and planned to visit her benefactor in Huaizhou, but the local people there had unjustly killed someone.
Jiang Laoru was pleased by Xue Fang Fei's integrity and suggested she tell Jiang Yunbai about the matter. Xue Fang Fei mentioned that it was a plot by the Li family, and she had stepped forward to help Xue Huaiyuan for the sake of the Jiang family. Jiang Laoru informed Jiang Yunbai, and they discussed how to deal with the Li family.
Li Zhongnan saw Xue Fangfei and proactively greeted her. He was very confident that this trial would not implicate him, and reminded Xue Fangfei about the importance of encircling the city. Xue Fangfei remained calm and told him not to push too hard.
Xiao Heng appeared from behind and helped Xue Fangfei. Xue Fangfei knew that Li Zhongnan had come prepared, and Xiao Heng had informed her in advance, allowing her to relax. Xue Fangfei mended the handkerchief and returned it to Xiao Heng, mentioning his origins.
At this time, Jiang Yuanbai appeared and told Xue Fangfei not to be afraid, saying he would speak up for her. In the court, since the commoners of Huaizhou had jointly filed a case to vindicate the Xue family, the case was reopened, and the Emperor personally oversaw it. Zhou Gong questioned Xue Fangfei, and Xue Fangfei explained the whole story, hoping the Emperor would give justice to the Xue family.
The Judicial Minister Wei, who had initially handled the case, stated that the witness and physical evidence all pointed to Xue Huaiyuan. Zhou Gong believed Xue Fangfei had new evidence, but Xue Fangfei could not present any new evidence. Li Zhongnan seized the opportunity to distort the facts, claiming that Xue Fangfei had incited the commoners to gather and cause trouble in the capital.
Xue Fangfei requested the Emperor to convict Xue Huaiyuan, pointing out that the corruption case against him was full of loopholes, and it was unreasonable to convict him based solely on 5,000 taels of silver. She was deeply concerned about the conspiracy behind it.
Xue Fangfei requested the commoners to testify, but Minister Wei believed the commoners had been bought off and their testimonies could not be relied upon. Li Zhongnan also mentioned the corruption case in Qingzhou, arguing that corrupt officials would use part of the money to buy people's hearts and the rest to purchase properties.
However, the Grand Censor publicly announced Xue Huaiyuan's assets, which only amounted to 5,000 taels of silver, while County Magistrate Feng had 20 million taels. Xue Huaiyuan's former subordinates also risked their lives to testify for him, but Minister Wei hastily came out to argue, insisting that Xue Huaiyuan was guilty.
Hong Xiaodi saw Xue Huaiyuan's foolish and deranged appearance, and everyone present felt uneasy. He publicly ordered a reinvestigation of the case, acknowledging that it was his own mistake to have an honest official framed in this way. He greatly admired Xue Fangfei's courage and strategy.
Xiao Heng proposed to investigate Xue Fangfei's prison break case, and Jiang Yunbai stood up to speak, expressing his father's shame. Others also voiced their agreement.
Hong Xiaodi asked about Xue Huaiyuan's family members and learned that Xue Zhao had been killed, and that Xue Fangfei was the late wife of Shen Yurong. Xiao Heng mocked this as a typical framing scheme found in novels, and Hong Xiaodi assigned him to investigate the truth of the Xue family case.
Wanning suddenly appeared and said that Hong Xiaodi had been played, pointing out that Xue Fangfei and Jiang Li looked the same.
Comments(Episode 23)