Guardians of the Dafeng Episode 4 Recap, Plot

> Guardians of the Dafeng
> Guardians of the Dafeng Recap

The son of the Ministry of Revenue’s Assistant Minister, Zhou Li, had already called for reinforcements. Xu Qi'an, now imprisoned, sensed that his chances of survival were slim. Desperate, he bribed Captain Wang to deliver a message to Chu Caiwei at the Directorate of Celestials, stating that he was in trouble and asking him to send this book along.

Xu Qi’an was confident that Chu Caiwei would not only come to his aid but would also offer substantial benefits in return. Tempted by the money, Captain Wang rushed to the Directorate of Celestials. There, he handed over the book, requesting to see Chu Caiwei. The guard on duty delivered the book to Song Qing. Song Qing, who was busy with his experiments as usual, had already endured thousands of failures.

His face, bruised and battered from explosions, lit up with excitement upon seeing the chemistry-filled booklet. However, just as he reached the most crucial part, he found the content missing. Upon inquiring about the book’s origin, Song Qing understood Xu Qi'an’s intention. Xu Pingzhi, upon hearing that his nephew was in trouble, immediately stood in the way of the escorting guards. However, outnumbered, he too was quickly detained and sent to prison.

Before being taken away, Xu Pingzhi urgently instructed his wife to go to Yunlu Academy and find their son, Xu Xinnian. Having become a student of two renowned scholars, Xu Xinnian might be able to save Xu Qi’an. Xu Xinnian, upon receiving the urgent letter from his mother, immediately reported the matter to his teachers.

Hearing that the imprisoned person was the author of the widely acclaimed poem, the two great scholars promptly went to find the local Minister of Personnel in charge. Song Qing and the two great scholars arrived at the Minister’s residence almost simultaneously. All three held prominent positions and were highly regarded by the Emperor, making it impossible for the Minister to offend them. Upon hearing the name of the person they wanted to rescue, the Minister immediately questioned his subordinates.

Since Xu Qi'an had been crying out for justice from the beginning, the officials in charge of the case, unable to withstand the Minister’s stern gaze, spilled the entire story. In the end, Xu Qi’an was acquitted and released. Before leaving, Xu Qi’an vented his anger by punching Zhou Li a few times. That evening, everyone celebrated the happy resolution with a reunion meal. As night fell, there was a knock on the door—Chu Caiwei had come to visit.

Having heard about Xu Qi'an’s predicament, she came to check on him and shared some critical information. There had been new developments in the tax silver case. The culprits behind the embezzlement were Zheng Xinhe and Lu Changzhi, and their backer was none other than Zhou Xianping, Zhou Li’s father. Xu Qi’an’s recent imprisonment, on the surface, appeared to be due to Zhou Li’s misconduct.

However, it was actually a retaliation by the Zhou family after Xu Qi’an uncovered the embezzlement. It was now clear that the Xu family’s fate was intertwined with the tax silver case. While they were operating in the open, Zhou Xianping, the sly Assistant Minister, was lurking in the shadows. Without taking Zhou Xianping down, the Xu family could not safely extricate themselves. Chu Caiwei asked Xu Qi’an if he had any plans.

They had already gathered evidence, but Zhou Xianping, being a wily official with numerous allies in the court, couldn’t be apprehended recklessly. Any rash actions might destabilize the court, so the Emperor had tasked Chu Caiwei with finding a way to bring him to justice discreetly. Chu Caiwei sought Xu Qi’an’s advice. Xu Qi’an believed that confronting a prominent fourth-rank official head-on was unwise.

Since the capital was under inspection, Zhou Xianping would likely be desperate to cover the financial shortfall. The key was to find Zhou Xianping’s weakness and ignite the fuse that would expose the truth about the tax silver case. Xu Qi’an assigned his uncle and Xu Xinnian to investigate Zhou Xianping’s vulnerabilities while he went to the Directorate of Celestials to help Song Qing with his chemical experiments.

As a modern man, completing one or two experiments was a breeze for Xu Qi’an. Under Song Qing’s admiring gaze, Xu Qi’an successfully assisted him in completing the experiments and was rewarded by the Directorate of Celestials with a precious sword.

Episode 3 Recap

Episode 5 Recap

Related Posts