Melody of Golden Age 长乐曲 Episode 30

When Lai Luofu returned, he reported to Lai Luo Zhi that the task had not been completed and that the Huomo Gate of Gannan Road had been destroyed. Lai Luozhi asked about the half-faced ghost, but Lai Luo told him that he had already used a poisonous plan. Talking about Mo Qian's relics, Lai Luofu took it out, but unexpectedly it was a collection of poems, which made Lai Luozhi furious and scolded him for being teased by Shen Du. It turned out that Shen Du had already peeked into the box, secretly transferred the package, and left the collection of poems as a joke. Lai Luozhi looked livid and expressed his extreme dissatisfaction with Shen Du's cunning behavior.

Shen Du and Yan Xing suddenly encounter an assassin on their way home. Shen Du fights bravely and protects Yan Xing well. Afterwards, the two rode into Beijing together and went straight to the palace. Just as Princess Yong'an and Princess Jia'an were about to leave, Princess Yong'an greeted her with a smile and praised Shen Du for returning home. The princess left first, and Shen Du and Yan Xing met with the Empress Dowager to report important matters. When the Empress Dowager asked about rewards, Zhang Baohuan said that Shen Du was a highly respected minister and it was difficult to reward him again. The Empress Dowager smiled and said that she was afraid that Shen Du would misunderstand his meaning, so she used Zhang Baohuan's words as a reminder. Shen Du humbly recommended Yan Xing for his merits and deserved a generous reward.

The Empress Dowager was pleased to see that Shen Du and Yan Xing were in love with each other, so she promoted Yan Xing to the sixth rank as a reward. After the two exited, Shen Du led Yan Xing to the Shen family ancestral hall, revealing his loneliness and perseverance, and vowed to clear up the family's grievances. Yan Xing confessed affectionately, saying that his original intention of becoming an official was just to help Shen Du and avenge the Shen family's grievances. Shen Du was so moved that he returned home with Yan Xing, and the housekeeper was beaming with joy. In the dead of night, Shen Du wanted to keep his face. The two couldn't help but hug each other and kissed each other affectionately.

The next day, Zhang Baohuan came to visit, bringing with him a reward and a marriage decree from the Empress Dowager, hoping to marry Princess Jia'an to Shendu. Yan Xing was shocked when he heard this, but Shen Du firmly refused to marry, saying that he already loved her. Zhang Baohuan had a profound meaning, implying that Shen Du knew the Queen Mother's intentions. Yan Xing was confused and urged Zhang Baohuan to explain the whole story.

Zhang Baohuan explained to Yan Xing that Shen Du was isolated and helpless in the court, and the Empress Dowager wanted to use the power of Princess Yong'an to help Shen Du consolidate his position by marrying Princess Jia'an instead of just being the wife of a minor official. Yan Xing recalled her mother's words that Shendu's network of people was thin, leaving only Mo Qian to rely on. Now that Mo Qian has passed away, Shendu is even more weak.

Shen Du decided to meet the Empress Dowager and plead to terminate the engagement, but the Empress Dowager was angry and refused to argue. At this time, Xu Wan hurriedly came to report that a shocking scandal broke out in Mingtang, involving a huge amount of Yin and Yang account books, and the amount of embezzlement amounted to more than 20 million taels, which made the Empress Dowager furious. Xu Wan strongly recommends Shen Du to take charge of the case. With his reputation for fairness and strictness, he will surely be able to find out the truth. The Empress Dowager then ordered Xu Wan to issue orders to the Imperial Investigation Department and the Internal Security Department respectively to investigate the matter thoroughly. At the same time, in the name of the Empress Dowager, Zhang Baohuan, who had neglected his duties, was demoted to another hospital for reflection.

When Shen Du and Yan Xing talked about this, they were both shocked. Shen Du never expected that he could touch such a major case in the court by himself. The two knew that there must be intricate entanglements behind the case. Although Shen Du felt the pressure doubled, it also aroused his determination to eliminate harm for the people and uphold justice. Yan Xing silently supported him and vowed to fight side by side with Shen Du to overcome the difficulties together.