Episode 16 recap: Li Rong issued a military order to investigate the Qin family case.
During the investigation, all the people involved were killed by the murderer and their bodies were abandoned in the wilderness. When the Emperor learned of this, he was furious, believing that this group of aristocratic families had become lawless, and that they dared to defy his order to let Li Rong personally investigate the case, and even killed witnesses to cover it up, showing that they had no regard for the Supervision Bureau at all. Su Rong Qing told Li Rong that the Supervision Bureau had not yet been fully established and was not as powerful as Li Rong had imagined.
Li Rong decided to have Pei Wen Xuan take the Supervision Bureau's seal and follow the route where the military supplies were sent to Huangping Town, hoping to find some clues. However, during this process, Pei Wen Xuan was ambushed and pushed off a cliff. Li Rong suddenly realized that what she had thought was an alliance with Su Rong Qing was actually two completely different worlds.
Now, Pei's mother was making a fuss, trying to seize the inheritance, and the Pei family was at a loss on how to deal with her. Li Rong took this opportunity to uphold justice for Pei's mother, and as Pei Wen Xuan's wife, took control of the inheritance and arranged for people to come the next day to check the accounts, then moved into the Princess's Mansion. Although the second and third uncles were very unwilling, the rest of the Pei family had no objections, and Li Rong and Pei Wen Xuan successfully carried out their plan and left with Pei's mother.
Now that Tuoba Yan had become a person in the Princess's Mansion, Li Rong wanted to hand over the inheritance matter to him, and Pei Wen Xuan not only did not object, but was at ease with her arrangements. In Pei Wen Xuan's view, he and Li Rong were a couple, and he would never leave her in the future, which made Li Rong blush and feel a little shy.
Just as the two were immersed in their affection, Xun Chuan brought news that all the witnesses involved in the case had been killed and their bodies abandoned in the wilderness, with no survivors. The Emperor, hearing this, was also furious, believing that this group of aristocratic families had become lawless, and that they dared to defy his order to let Li Rong personally investigate the case, showing that they had no regard for the Supervision Bureau at all.
In fact, Pei Wen Xuan was not at all surprised by this, as if the Supervision Bureau were to be successfully established, it would pose a great threat to the aristocratic families, and they would surely use any means necessary to topple Li Rong at this juncture. This battle, Li Rong won, and the position of the Supervision Bureau would be secure in the future. But if she lost, no matter whether it was the Crown Prince, the Emperor, or even the Princess herself, it would be difficult to build another team to contend with the aristocratic families, and even Pei Wen Xuan's future would be ruined.
In this way, the existence of the Supervision Bureau not only affects whether the Qin family can overturn the case, but also affects the future of the Li clan and the humble families. The Emperor, fearing that Li Rong would lose this battle, made early preparations and summoned Rou Fei alone, wanting to know if she dared to take over the Supervision Bureau if Li Rong could not hold on. Rou Fei was overjoyed at the news and promised that she and the Xiao family troops would not let the Emperor down, and that she would become his sword.
That night, Li Rong sent a message to Crown Prince Li Chuan, deciding to go to the Ministry of Justice to see General Qin Lang in person. The Crown Prince made all the arrangements for Li Rong, until Li Rong, accompanied by Pei Wen Xuan and Xun Chuan, slowly appeared. The group directly entered the prison and finally saw the old man in prison clothes, still with his proud bearing.
Li Rong tried her best to maintain her composure, but she could not help feeling a sense of distress. She inquired about the truth behind the military defeat, only to learn that the food rations for the three thousand soldiers before the war had been mixed with sand. Even at the time of the battle, many soldiers were already weakened by illness and injuries, with less than two thousand fit for combat due to malnutrition.
During this time, Li Chuan noticed that Xun Chuan's emotions were unusual, and he began to suspect her.
After leaving the Ministry of Justice, Li Rong immediately ordered Xun Chuan to dispatch the Ningjie, no matter what, to remove the Qin family from the Ministry. Xun Chuan respectfully acknowledged the order and hurried to get the horses, disappearing into the night. Li Chuan was about to inquire about Xun Chuan's identity, but Li Rong interrupted him and urged him to return to the palace.
Afterwards, Li Rong and Pei Wen Xuan walked side by side, reminiscing about the past. After much deliberation, Li Rong decided to have Pei Wen Xuan take the tokens of the Censorate and the Princess, and follow the route of the military rations to Huangping Town, transcribing all the records of the county offices regarding the military rations. Pei Wen Xuan readily agreed, aware of the dangers ahead, and calmly departed, his figure gradually fading into the night.
The next day, Li Rong summoned Xun Chuan and entrusted her with two important tasks: to protect the Qin family and ensure that no one removes them from the Princess's Mansion, and to personally find Shang Guan Ya and obtain the witness testimonies of those involved in the embezzlement of military rations in Huangping County.
Su Rong Qing was well aware that the Qin family case was deeply entangled with the prominent families. If Li Rong insisted on a thorough investigation, it could put her in danger. Su Rong Qing hoped that Li Rong would hand over the Qin family members to the Ministry of Justice.
Li Rong did not understand Su Rong Qing's true intentions and mistook him for a threat. She had thought they were on the same side, but now realized they were on completely different paths. Li Rong was determined to never let the Qin family suffer the same fate as the Yang family, even if it meant going against the powerful families.
Li Rong pleaded with the Emperor for more time to investigate the case, and after a heated debate with the Minister of Justice, Xie Lan Qing, she even requested to be punished with thirty lashes and a month of Buddhist chanting at the Beiyantai, hoping the Emperor would grant her an additional twenty days to pursue the investigation. If she failed to uncover any leads within that time, she would willingly be exiled from the capital.
The Emperor, seeing Li Rong's unwavering determination, agreed to her request. Meanwhile, Pei Wen Xuan, who had left the city with his men, was being chased and pursued by assassins sent by Shang Guan Xu, and his fate remained uncertain as he teetered on the edge of a cliff.
Li Rong personally went to the Beiyantai, instructing Jing Lan to keep watch over the Princess's Mansion and immediately inform her if there was any news about her husband.
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