The reason Fan Xian did not plead was probably because the Eldest Princess did not want him to plead for her. Fan Xian had once pleaded for leniency on behalf of the Eldest Princess, hoping to use this method to resolve the estrangement between Fan Sizhe and Fan Jian and ease the tension in the relationship between father and son. However, the Eldest Princess did not want Fan Xian to plead on her behalf. This might be because Fan Xian had married the Eldest Princess 'daughter, Lin Wan' er. The Eldest Princess 'power had already threatened the Qing Emperor's imperial power. The Qing Emperor was worried that Fan Xian would rely on the Eldest Princess out of his feelings for Lin Wan 'er and the temptation of being able to peacefully take over the palace treasury. In addition, Fan Xian's pleading might cause his image in front of the Qing Emperor to be damaged. Therefore, Fan Xian might decide not to plead for mercy to avoid further trouble and conflict.
Fan Xian did not plead for mercy on Li Yunrui's behalf. In " Celebrating the Years," Fan Xian asked the Emperor to punish Li Yunrui severely and not plead for her. He expressed that he did not think too much about it. He just felt that he could not let Teng Zijing die in vain. The Qing Emperor was satisfied with Fan Xian's decision and believed that Fan Xian would manage the palace treasury and the Inspection Council in the future and would walk up to a higher position. Therefore, the plot where Fan Xian did not plead for Li Yunrui did not exist in the play.
Whether or not Fan Xian should plead for leniency was a controversial issue in " Celebrating Years." On the one hand, Fan Xian had once pleaded for leniency on behalf of the Eldest Princess in order to resolve the estrangement between Fan Sizhe and his father, Fan Jian, and resolve the tension in their relationship. He expressed his admiration and approval for Fan Sizhe and hoped that he could help him solve the problem. On the other hand, there were also people who believed that Fan Xian should not plead for leniency because the Eldest Princess was hostile to him. Furthermore, Fan Xian's plea for leniency might bring trouble to himself. Based on the information provided, it was impossible to determine whether Fan Xian should plead for leniency.
The reason Fan Jian asked Fan Xian to plead was to test Fan Xian's choice and ability. Fan Jian hoped that the Qing Emperor could see Fan Xian's benevolence and not just his vicious side. Fan Jian believed that only when the Qing Emperor saw Fan Xian's benevolence would he think that he was suitable to manage the palace treasury and not just a simple rich son. This was also Fan Jian's own plan. He wanted to pass this test to prove Fan Xian's ability and value. The Qing Emperor hoped that Fan Xian could come and plead for mercy and give him a good show to watch, but he also did not want him to really plead for the Eldest Princess. Thus, Fan Jian wanted Fan Xian to plead for mercy to satisfy the Qing Emperor's expectations and also to achieve his own goal.
Fan Xian did not plead for mercy for anyone. In " Celebrating Years," Fan Xian asked the Emperor to punish Li Yunrui severely and not plead for the Eldest Princess or Fan Sizhe. His decision was based on his own judgment. He believed that he could not let Teng Zijing die in vain. The Qing Emperor was satisfied with Fan Xian's decision and believed that Fan Xian would manage the palace treasury and the Inspection Council in the future.
Li Yunrui was worried that Fan Xian had pleaded for mercy because he had married the Eldest Princess 'daughter, Lin Wan' er. The Eldest Princess 'power had already threatened the Qing Emperor's imperial power. The Qing Emperor was worried that Fan Xian would rely on the Eldest Princess out of his feelings for Lin Wan 'er and the temptation of being able to peacefully take over the palace treasury. If the Qing Emperor followed Fan Xian's wishes and gave a light punishment, Fan Xian would win over a portion of the people in his camp. In the future, if he dug a hole for Fan Xian again, the ability of Li Yunrui's camp to carry out orders would be greatly reduced. Thus, Li Yunrui was worried that Fan Xian's plea for mercy might have an adverse effect on her power.
Li Yunrui was worried that Fan Xian had pleaded for mercy because he had married the Eldest Princess 'daughter, Lin Wan' er. The Eldest Princess 'power had already threatened the Qing Emperor's imperial power. The Qing Emperor was worried that Fan Xian would rely on the Eldest Princess out of his feelings for Lin Wan 'er and the temptation of being able to peacefully take over the palace treasury. In addition, Li Yunrui was also worried that Fan Xian's pleading would affect his ability to execute.
Li Yunrui was worried that Fan Xian had pleaded for mercy because he had married the Eldest Princess 'daughter, Lin Wan' er. The Eldest Princess 'power had already threatened the Qing Emperor's imperial power. The Qing Emperor was worried that Fan Xian would rely on the Eldest Princess out of his feelings for Lin Wan 'er and the temptation of being able to peacefully take over the palace treasury. In addition, Li Yunrui was also worried that Fan Xian's plea for mercy would cause him to win over more people in the camp and reduce the ability of his own camp to execute.
There were several reasons why Li Yunrui did not want Fan Xian to plead on her behalf. First, Fan Xian was the son of Ye Qingmei and the Qing Emperor. Li Yunrui knew the Qing Emperor, Fan Jian, and Chen Pingping's feelings for Ye Qingmei. In order to protect the Crown Prince and the Second Prince's positions, Li Yunrui had to take action against Fan Xian to prevent him from becoming a threat. Secondly, Li Yunrui was worried that Fan Xian pleading for her would be seen by the Qing Emperor as selling her a favor. This might cause the Qing Emperor to follow Fan Xian's wishes and be lenient. In turn, he would win over a portion of the hearts of Fan Xian's camp and weaken the execution power of Li Yunrui's camp. In addition, Fan Xian had married the Eldest Princess 'daughter, Lin Wan' er. The Eldest Princess 'power had already threatened the Qing Emperor's imperial power. The Qing Emperor was worried that Fan Xian would rely on the Eldest Princess out of his feelings for Lin Wan' er and the temptation of being able to peacefully take over the palace treasury. Thus, Li Yunrui was worried that Fan Xian pleading for her might negatively affect her interests.
Li Yunrui was worried that Fan Xian had pleaded for mercy because he had married the Eldest Princess 'daughter, Lin Wan' er. The Eldest Princess 'power had already threatened the Qing Emperor's imperial power. The Qing Emperor was worried that Fan Xian would rely on the Eldest Princess out of his feelings for Lin Wan 'er and the temptation of being able to peacefully take over the palace treasury. If the Qing Emperor followed Fan Xian's wishes and gave a light punishment, Fan Xian would win over a portion of the people in his camp. In the future, if he dug a hole for Fan Xian again, the ability of Li Yunrui's camp to carry out orders would be greatly reduced. Thus, Li Yunrui was worried that Fan Xian's plea for mercy might have an adverse effect on her power.
The Eldest Princess was worried that Fan Xian would plead for leniency because he had married the Eldest Princess 'daughter, Lin Wan' er. The Eldest Princess 'power had already threatened the Qing Emperor's imperial power. The Qing Emperor was worried that Fan Xian would rely on the Eldest Princess out of his feelings for Lin Wan 'er and the temptation of being able to peacefully take over the palace treasury. If the Qing Emperor followed Fan Xian's wishes and gave a light punishment, Fan Xian would win over a portion of the people in his camp. In the future, if he dug a hole for Fan Xian again, the ability of Li Yunrui's camp to carry out orders would be greatly reduced. Thus, the Eldest Princess was worried that Fan Xian's plea for mercy might have an adverse effect on her power.