In the last episode, Fan Xian embarked on his journey down south with a particular goal of taking back the 3 great workshops that his mother created back in the day. These 3 great workshops are currently being managed by the extravagantly wealthy Ming family. Except, the Ming family does not readily want to give up ownership. The episode begins with the matriarch of the Ming family and her son, the head of the Ming family having a private conversation where the matriarch is severely punishing her son. Why? Someone on behalf of the Ming family has partnered with none other than the second prince in turning around and harming Fan Xian. In a brutal punishment where Ming Qing Da, the son, has to stab himself in the finger with needles, Ming Qing Da finally appeases his mother by saying he’ll figure out how to keep ownership of the 3 great workshops while the 2nd prince, the princess royal and Fan xian compete with each other.
[Karen]
At first, you think, ok this is simple. Ming family needs to work together against the oppressive powers that be. Great. But then in the next breath when Ming Qing Da returns back to the courtyard to meet the 2nd prince, we learn that it was HE who was partnering with the 2nd prince all along with the express aim of trying to take true ownership of the Ming family, one without his oppressive mother. He is willing to go so far as to want her dead, though he doesn’t want to do it himself. So I’m scratching my head like…which side is he actually on because I totally see why he DOESN”T want his mother around. She is…CRAZY. Well, they all are. Ming Qing Da is literally going to sacrifice one of his brothers to take the blame for his actions here in order to appease both his mother and perhaps Fan Xian. That’s insane.
Funnily enough. When Ming Qing Da asks the 2nd prince, what happens if I lose to Fan Xian? The 2nd prince is like. Totally normal. It’s expected. And do your best. I mean. Damn. Once again, that just shows you how ruthless these people are with human lives. All of this is just a game to people like the 2nd prince.
[Cathy]
Turning back to Fan Xian. He is currently on his official boat and it is being raided by a bunch of senior civilians. They are refugees of natural disasters from the north. One elderly refugee explains that the Ming family gave them food and drink. They are here basically on a suicide mission so that their families on shore can earn money to return back to their home town. By agreeing to attack Fan Xian, they’re sacrificing themselves so that their families have a better chance to live. Wang Qi Nian and the rest of Fan Xian’s crew are dumbfounded by the inhumanity of this all but the senior citizen doesn’t think anyone is at fault. After all, it was a natural disaster that caused them to lose their homes. No one is technically responsible for them.
The most devastating truth he utters is that, even if the Ming family, weren’t here, it doesn’t make a difference because there will be a Zhang family, or a Li family or a Zhao family. Whoever controls the 3 great workshops, they own a treasure trove and will take over as the next Ming family. This is the important gut punch truth that he needed to hear. The moment he returns back to the capital? Someone will take over and nothing will change from this current environment.
By now, Fan Xian’s boat is approaching the dock at Su Zhou. Throngs of people have arrived to welcome him including Ming Qing Da and a bunch of various record keepers or employees of various counties who apparently have taken to Fan Xian as their idol! They all arrived because they idolize Fan Xian and want to meet him in person! The rest of the people waiting in the crowd include the various government officials of the region. They are all wearing their official court attire and pretty much every single one of them showed up with some type of gift for the illustrious Fan Xian.
[Karen]
Fan Xian and company arrive shortly afterwards and he immediately exudes a powerful aura. He doesn’t say anything but just has wagons full of cases be wheeled out in front of both him and the crowd. Inside the cases are the fabulous jewels and riches that the various magistrates and court officials gave to Fan Xian while they were on their way south. Fan Xian documented every single one of them for this specific purpose. He is here to expose all of their crimes for bribery. He, Fan Xian, has plenty of money, which he showed to the crowd. He doesn’t need those bribes. The moment he uttered words that gifts were evidence of crimes, every single official who brought a gift, stuffed it behind their backs. Fan Xian cannot understand why all of these officials cannot see the refugees from Jiang Bei while in their own homes.
But, this is all according to plan. Record keeper Xu, who we meet very briefly, steps forward to greet Fan Xian. He works for Yang Wan Li who has been appointed as a county magistrate and dutifully adheres to Fan Xian’s teachings of being a good person and being a good official. Fan Xian is pleased to hear this and turns to the crowd. All of the money he brought and all of the gifts that were sent to him, plus the gifts each official brought today, will be used as funds to help send the refugees back to their home. He, Fan Xian, invited all the record keepers from the various counties to help with disbursement of these funds. That is why all of these men have shown up to the port to welcome Fan Xian as well.
[Cathy]
In one fell swoop, Fan Xian established exactly what type of person he is. He is not going to be swayed by the gifts that people bring him and instead, he has found a way to ensure that much needed relief funds actually make their way to those who need it. As he explains, the record keepers are not “officials”, and are closer to the every day civilian. They are likely to take better care of the fund disbursement than the actual corrupt officials because this is an opportunity for them to maybe get a head professionally.
Before Fan Xian and company can settle in, they meet one more group of people. That is, the Ming Family. Ming Qing Da and the Ming Matriarch both arrive to meet Fan Xian and immediately kneel to the ground. That is a great honor, especially coming from someone so elderly like the Ming Matriarch. However, this all must be done because, as Ming Qing Da explains, there are rumors that the Ming family sent out a bounty to attack Fan Xian. Fan Xian doesn’t play coy and says that per Qing law, there must be a culprit and a time limit. Ming Qing Da doesn’t refute this and says, by the end of the day, if Fan Xian comes to their residence, they will have an answer for Fan Xian. With that, both sides take their leave.
It is now time for some food. Wang Qi Nian finds a nice restaurant and clears out the 2nd floor for the group to eat. Queue product placement for the an mu xi yogurt that the cast enjoys while surveying the outside scenery. Immediately, Fan XIan clocks the fact that there are many fighters out in the crowd that are waiting to either attack or at least test him.
[Karen]
This is where we FINALLY return, slightly, back to martial arts territory. Plenty of 8th ranked fighters are out in the crowd but Fan Xian notices one particular individual that is not to be trifled with. A swordsman who is 9th ranked and a formidable foe. Yun Zhi Lan, whom we met briefly in season 1. He’s the student of Grandmaster Si Gu Jian and here to pick a fight with Fan Xian. Fan xian right now is extremely weak after his injuries and therefore, if they do fight, it is not going to be an easy match for Fan Xian. But just as they were trying to figure out exactly what kind of fight they were gonna have to face, another figure arrives. This one, is a much friendlier face – Hai tang Duo Duo. All of Fan Xian’s entourage turn to look at Fan Xian to see if there’s any gossip to glean from this but he doesn’t pay attention. Hahaha. Hai Tang Duo Duo and Yun Zhi Lan face off against each other by competing with their chi. But before any actual fighting happens, Shadow, Ying zi, bursts from the water canal and chases off Yun zhi Lan. That was entirely random and unexpected but hey. Now they can eat lunch in peace.
The episode ends on a lighter note. Hai Tang Duo DUo arrives and casually sits down to eat lunch with the group. Wang Qi Nian and company are all again, watching the gossip unfold in front of them, thinking whether or not Fan Xian is cheating on his wife Wan’Er with Hai Tang. Except they are so open about their interactions and even talks about the fact that he is married, it’s hard to see any underlying subtext. Anyways, Hai Tang brought Tian Yi Dao Xin Fa, a type of martial arts teaching that is exceptionally rare from her master. This will be crucial in helping Fan Xian regain his strength.
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[Cathy]
The Treasure Basin (Jùbǎo pén) is a mythical object in Chinese folklore symbolizing the endless multiplication of wealth. Ju Bao – also means acquiring riches. It’s basically a small gold pot that magically creates money. According to popular legend, it was originally a celestial treasure belonging to the Jade Emperor, ruler of heaven, and was accidentally knocked down to the mortal world when Sun Wukong was wreaking havoc in heaven.
The most famous stories link the Treasure Basin to the early Ming dynasty figure Shen Wansan (think 14th century), a legendary merchant widely regarded as a “commoner God of Wealth.” There are various stories and legends about Shen Wan San. One version has that Shen begins as a poor fisherman but gains immense riches after acquiring a humble clay basin with magical properties: anything placed inside—silver, gold, or even grain—would multiply endlessly. Another version includes that after he released a group of frogs, he discovered them gathered around a basin, which he brought home; when his wife accidentally dropped a silver hairpin into it, the basin replicated it infinitely, revealing its power. Some of these legends are recorded in compilations from the Ming Dynasty such as 周人龙的《挑灯集异》
Over time, Shen Wansan became a central figure in popular imagination, representing both immense wealth and benevolence. His story spread widely in Ming and Qing storytelling traditions, New Year prints, and oral folklore, often portraying him as richer than entire nations. The legends also have an antagonist in the form of Emperor Zhu Yuan Zhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty. Folk tales frequently depict tension between the two, with the emperor suspicious of Shen’s wealth and influence. In some versions, Zhu Yuanzhang exiles Shen or confiscates the Treasure Basin. In others, he borrows it under false pretenses or uses it to seal a supernatural spring beneath the city walls of Nanjing, specifically at the famous “聚宝门.”.
[Karen]
Surprisingly, there’s not much recorded on the historical figure Shen Wansan (real name 沈富) likely lived during the late Yuan period, not the early Ming, and was a wealthy landowner rather than a supernatural figure. He probably never interacted with the Ming Emperor but just amassed a lot of wealth. Over time, as his family’s prominence grew, his identity became mythologized, and he was transformed into a symbolic 财神 (God of Wealth) figure in popular culture.
The Treasure Basin itself also evolved in meaning. It became a common motif in feng shui and household symbolism, representing prosperity and abundance. Variations of the legend exist across regions, including stories of basins that multiply food during famine or serve as protective objects buried beneath important structures.
There’s a drama called Ju Bao Pen that came out 20 years ago starring Zhang Wei Jian
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[Cathy]
In the episode, Fan Xian orders for the 吏 Li Yuan or “Clerks” to be in charge of the financial and “gift” reviews. He mentioned that even though these Li aren’t formal officials, they’re still very important in the bureaucratic ecosystem. So let’s discuss these Li Yuan.
官 of Officials, were formally ranked, salaried, and directly appointed by the state. Li or clerks were subordinate positions responsible for carrying out practical administrative work. The roles of Guan and Li have existed for thousands of years.
Under the Qin dynasty, over 2000 years ago, all officials were appointed by the central government with the establishment of a centralized bureaucratic system. However, the administrative system was still underdeveloped, and only high-ranking positions were formally appointed. To manage local affairs, these officials relied on locally recruited assistants, who became known as clerks.
During the Hany Dynasty, the bureaucratic system matured, and the categories of “official” and “clerk” became more clearly defined. A key distinction was salary: those receiving higher stipends (like 200石) were considered officials or 官, while those below it were classified as clerks or 吏 but they were salaried and many appointed.
In the subsequent centuries, from the 4th century to the 7th centuries, the rise of aristocratic families and the Nine-Rank System meant that many officials were selected based on status rather than ability. As a result, much of the actual administrative work fell to clerks, who were often more practically skilled. At the same time, many educated but lower-born individuals, unable to enter officialdom, became clerks attached to powerful families. From this period onward, a defining feature of clerks was that they were often privately hired and paid by officials rather than receiving state salaries.
With the expansion of the Imperial Exams during the Tang dynasty, officials were now those who passed the exams and held formal rank, while clerks were excluded from the examination system and remained outside the official hierarchy, serving as unranked administrative staff.
[Karen]
Throughout history, there’s a tension and dependence between the Officials and the Clerks. The officials relied on the clerks to handle daily governance and affairs. Clerks depended on officials for employment and income. Interestingly, because clerks were usually locals, they often had close ties with regional elites and could engage in corruption, manipulating accounts, skimming taxes, or forming factional networks. Officials, who were typically appointed from outside the region and rotated frequently, often lacked the local knowledge to detect such abuses. This is brilliantly depicted in another Zhang Ruo Yun drama Under the Microscope or 显微镜下的大明 which focuses just on a small town and the fact that even clerks there have a lot of power in the local community.
There are plenty of well educated men who could not achieve success in the imperial exams and opt to become clerks. We’ve talked about just how difficult the exams are so it’s not that these clerks AREN’T intelligent or educated, sometimes it was about luck.
In different dramas, we see different varieties of clerks. Here, they are portrayed as the honest ones. In other dramas, they might be the true masterminds behind some crimes.
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[Cathy]
Let’s conclude with book differences! As I mentioned in last week’s episode, the drama really condenses and smartly dispenses with the long drawn out journey south for Fan Xian. I mean – it is a long journey from wherever the capital is (let’s assume maybe present Day Beijing) to Jiang Nan. In the book, Fan Xian is met with many assassination attempts, bandits, and the arrival of his old maid from Dan Zhou which thankfully the drama makes NO mention of. The maid Si Si becomes one of Fan Xian’s harem.
Fan Xian does not encounter the “assassination attempts” in the form of old desperate men, but with actual assassins or exiled Ming family members. The drama really wants to highlight Fan Xian as a “for the people” man. He does have the clerks manage the finances once he arrives at both Hang Zhou and Su Zhou.
Hai Tang Duo Duo meets them in Hang Zhou and does give Fan Xian the martial arts secrets from her master. They do encounter Yun Zhi Lan just “fishing”. Hai Tang Duo Duo accompanies the crew from Hang Zhou all the way to Su Zhou. It does get a bit more friendly between the two but at this point, Fan Xian has his “maid” to cozy up with.
Anyways, the drama skips through the journey for Fan Xian through Hang Zhou and goes directly to Su Zhu. Perhaps it’s because I didn’t read closely but I don’t understand on a map how Fan Xian ends up in Hang Zhou first before Su Zhou because Hang ZHou is southwest of Su Zhou. Regardless – those 2 cities in modern day are beautiful so please go visit.