Xu Qi’an, enjoying a rare day off at home, took the opportunity to showcase his value to his family by cooking a delicious meal and volunteering to do household chores.
His leisure time was cut short when Song Tingfeng and Zhu Guangxiao invited him to join them on a lucrative mission to confiscate property from a criminal’s estate. Enticed by the prospect of personal gain, Xu Qi’an eagerly accompanied them.
Upon arriving at the estate, they encountered hostility from another group. A member of the opposing team, a copper gong, slapped Zhu Guangxiao twice. Xu Qi’an instinctively drew his sword, but Song Tingfeng warned him to remain patient and avoid escalating the situation. Before tensions could settle, a silver gong named Zhu Chengzhu arrived and kicked Zhu Guangxiao repeatedly before turning his attention to Xu Qi’an, striking him several times. Despite his anger, Xu Qi’an restrained himself, knowing the hierarchy forbade him from retaliating against a superior.
At the confiscation site, Zhu Chengzhu continued to target Chunfeng Hall. His men secretly pocketed gold and silver ingots while berating Song Tingfeng and his team for merely taking a couple of pearl necklaces. To humiliate them further, Zhu Chengzhu ordered them to clean up the trash on-site and remain stationary.
While Xu Qi’an and his colleagues endured the humiliation, they heard a woman’s cries and pleas for help from inside the hall. Despite repeated warnings to stay out of trouble, Xu Qi’an could not ignore the distress. He stormed into the room and dragged a man off the bed, interrupting an act of violence against the woman.
Zhu Chengzhu, furious and embarrassed, retaliated by dragging the woman into the courtyard, pressing her head to the ground with his foot, and taunting Xu Qi’an. Seeing the woman’s bloodied face and Zhu Chengzhu’s continued brutality, Xu Qi’an could no longer contain his rage. He drew his blade, reciting the techniques from the martial manual he had chosen earlier. With a single strike, he sent Zhu Chengzhu flying several meters, splitting the silver mirror emblem on Zhu Chengzhu’s chest in half.
Zhu Chengzhu lay on the ground, coughing blood and barely conscious. The onlookers were stunned, and Xu Qi’an himself was shocked by the power of his attack. Zhu Guangxiao urged Xu Qi’an to flee, but Xu Qi’an refused, worrying about the consequences for his colleagues and family if he ran.
Zhu Chengzhu’s arrogance stemmed from his influential father, a senior golden gong. When Zhu Chengzhu was brought home, battered and bloodied, his father was enraged and vowed to kill Xu Qi’an on sight. However, Song Tingfeng raced ahead to alert Li Yuchun and Yang Yan.
As Zhu Chengzhu’s father approached Xu Qi’an with murderous intent, Yang Yan intervened, reminding him that private executions were forbidden. Yang Yan took Xu Qi’an to Wei Yuan, leaving the decision in his hands.
Li Yuchun gathered witnesses to support Xu Qi’an, but Zhu Chengzhu’s father remained aggressive. Wei Yuan, after piecing together the events, made his judgment: Zhu Chengzhu, for his blatant misconduct, was to be dismissed, but Xu Qi’an, for defying hierarchy and attacking a superior, was sentenced to death by waist severing.
Hearing the verdict, Xu Qi’an’s eyes reddened. He had endured countless humiliations and injuries at Zhu Chengzhu’s hands, but the man’s cruelty toward the defenseless woman had forced him to act. Betrayed by the mentor he deeply respected, Xu Qi’an questioned Wei Yuan’s commitment to justice and the public good. Wei Yuan turned away in silence, offering no response.
Xu Qi’an was imprisoned, and his colleagues, devastated, pleaded for his life. Even Xu Qi’an’s aunt, who had always looked down on him, humbled herself to ask the influential Lady Wang Xiuhua for help. She offered her priceless jade bracelet as a bribe, hoping Lady Wang would intercede with the emperor.
As the execution drew near, golden gongs, except for those surnamed Zhu, gathered at Wei Yuan’s residence, imploring him to reconsider. Li Yuchun, unable to bear the injustice, donned mourning clothes and stood outside Wei Yuan’s quarters, holding Xu Qi’an’s uniform and crying out his name, begging Wei Yuan to act justly and save Xu Qi’an.
