Dear readers, how are you today? Sorry for the long wait. I was glued to my screen because of The Early Spring. That drama is sooo good. I’ll be writing the review about it soon. But for now, let’s find out what happened to Fu Ting Yun and Zhao Ling in the ending explained of The Road to Splendor. Happy reading!
Read The Road to Splendor review here:
The Road to Splendor Ending Explained
What Happened to Zhao Ling and Fu Ting Yun on The Road to Splendor Ending?
Zhao Ling obtained evidence of the Yu faction’s corruption from Commander Wang and planned to take it to the court. But before he could step up, Yu Guo Dong confessed that Yu Jing Xiu has conspired with Zuo Jun Jie and Fan Ya Ke to ruin Fu Ting Yun’s reputation.
This was deliberate. By bringing up Fu Ting Yun’s name first, Yu Guo Dong made Zhao Ling’s accusation look like a personal grudge instead of an attempt to protect the country.
Yu Jing Xiu admitted this wrongdoing and begged the Emperor to stop investigating Li Mao’s letter because it would damage her reputation again. Zhao Ling is furious. Because of this plot, the evidence that he and Commander Wang had obtained became useless.
Things got even worse after Madam Wu’s death and Mo Yi was imprisoned. Fu Ting Yun tried to help. Wu You De secretly provided the detailed donation records Madam Wu had left behind. These records could clear Mo Yi and the Northwest Army from suspicion.
But the Anzhou merchants already protested over Madam Wu’s death, the Emperor ordered Zhao Ling to sacrifice Mo Yi to calm the situation and protect the Northwest Army. Zhao Ling had no choice. He personally killed Mo Yi, but it broke his heart.
Only then Zhao Ling understand how cold the heart of a sovereign could be. The Emperor wanted stability, a successful salt reform, and a healthy treasury. If one person had to be sacrificed to achieve that, so be it.
Fu Ting Yun became afraid of what they were becoming. She could play the role of Madam Zhao, but she feared eventually becoming Madam Yu while Zhao Ling became Yu Guo Dong.
Their relationship entered a cold war. Zhao Ling asked whether she regretted marrying him. Fu Ting Yun said she didn’t regret the marriage, but she regretted pushing him toward the army and politics because of her desire for wealth and status.
Terrified of losing her, Zhao Ling begged her not to leave. Fu Ting Yun finally told him that if being with her made him miserable, perhaps they should end their marriage. Shocked, Zhao Ling stayed at the yamen because he didn’t want to provoke more painful thoughts.
Then Yu Jing Xiu kidnapped Fu Ting Yun. Zhao Ling rushed to the courtyard where she was being held. On the way, he saw Fu Ting Yung running in the street. Fu Ting Yun was saved by Fan Ya Ke after she learned that Yu Jing Xiu keep a mistress from Wu You De. Zhao Ling pulled her into his carriage before taking her out of the city.
Zhao Ling told her that their marriage couldn’t simply be dissolved because it had been granted by the Emperor. But he could report that she had been kidnapped, giving her the freedom to go wherever she wanted. He had even prepared money and everything she would need.
He told her that what he feared was becoming a man who could eventually forsake everyone, including her. but Fu Ting Yun had already decided to stay. She reminded him that before he was General Zhao, he was a man, a brother, and a husband. They reconciled and went home together.
Zhao Ling then asked Grand Secretary Tian to help him purge corrupt officials and strengthen the salt reform. The old man (who is only 58 btw, NOT that old 😆) slyly declined because he wanted nothing to do with a power struggle and was happily waiting for retirement.
But what Zhao Ling couldn’t do, his wife could. Fu Ting Yun approached Tian Wan Yi and discovered that she wanted to pave the way for her daughter. After Fu Ting Yun managed to invite the Grand Empress Dowager to her gathering, Tian Wan Yi agreed to persuade her father to help Zhao Ling.
But the victory was temporary. Under the influence of the Yu couple, Jin Yuan Bao accused Zhao Ling of corruption and illegal salt trading. Zhao Ling was suspended, his household was raided, and Fu Ting Yun was imprisoned. A Sen was the only one who escaped because Jin Yuan Bao had sent him to Yuzhou before filing the complaint.
When A Sen returned and learned that Jin Yuan Bao was responsible, he confronted him in anger. Jin Yuan Bao tried to explain that Zhao Ling had made too many enemies, and he only wanted to save himself.
He had sent A Sen away because he didn’t want to see him rot in prison. A Sen couldn’t accept the betrayal. He talked about killing Jin Yuan Bao, but in the end he couldn’t do it. The years long brotherhood was broken that day.
At the prison, Eunuch Lian came to see Zhao Ling. The handsome eunuch’s explanation was so roundabout that I honestly didn’t understand half of it. But the important part was clear. The Emperor wanted Zhao Ling to sacrifice Fu Ting Yun and shift the blame to her.
Zhao Ling went to Fu Ting Yun’s cell, followed by Eunuch Lian, who brought a cup of poison wine. Fu Ting Yun look at him in desperation. But it was Zhao Ling and she willing to sacrifice her life for him. He told her that he was fortunate to have met her, and she said she felt the same.
Zhao Ling took the cup and told her that he saved her form Biyun Nunnery not to let her end up in another one. Then he drank the wine himself. Zhao Ling begged the eunuch to tell the emperor that he was the one who did all the crime. Meanwhile, Fu Ting Yun also begged the eunuch to save Zhao Ling.
Fu Ting Yun was released. She looked so devastated and nearly took her own life before Madam Mo stopped her. At the funeral, Madam Yu tried to prove that Fu Ting Yun was acting. She even brought a chastity drug for Fu Ting Yun.
But when she saw Fu Ting Yun took the cup, Madam Yu said that she was only teasing Fu Ting Yun. Before leaving, Madam Yu warned Fu Ting Yu to stop stirring up trouble because the next punishment wouldn’t merely be a chastity bowl.
But Zhao Ling was actually alive. The so-called poison wine was nothing more than a tonic. The Emperor needed Zhao Ling to secretly investigate the death of Shen Cong Si and bring down the Yu family. But for that, they need to stage his death, so he could appear as Jiuweijiao.
In Anzhou, Zhao Ling appeared inside a store where the shopkeeper immediately gave him a letter from Shen Cong Si. The salt censor had investigated the corrupt salt trade and discovered that the official weights were fraudulent.
Their iron shells hid copper inside, creating a seven tael difference. Merchants thought they were delivering one catty (0,5 kg) but were actually giving one catty and seven taels (± 0,85 kg). The weights were called the Golden Weight.
That extra seven taels slowly ruined the merchants, forcing them to raise salt prices until ordinary people could no longer afford it. Shen Cong Si knew his life would not last after discovering the truth, and he really did die shortly afterward.
Meanwhile, Fu Ting Yun finally told Madam Mo that Zhou Ling was alive and explained why Mo Yi couldn’t be saved. Madam Mo was actually understood that. Her previous anger had come from guilt over pushing MO Yi to chase wealth and status, so she had been projecting that anger onto Fu Ting Yun and Zhao Ling.
The Anzhou, Zhao Ling worked with Qin Fei Yu. While he did everything openly, Qin Fei Yu and the imperial guards remained in the shadow. Back in the capital, Fu Ting Yun supported him in her own way. She changed the weights in the Xie shops using the Golden Weight.
They giving more to the consumers and because of the seven taels difference, it means more losses to them. But because of this, the people started to praise her and questioned the weight standard from the officials. Her action irked the Yus.
Wu You De later warned Fu Ting Yun that Zhao Ling might return to the capital within two days. But Yu Guo Dong has sent men to kill him. Fu Ting Yun went to Madam Wang and General Wang for help.
General Wang agreed to ask the Northwest Army for support. She then sent A Sen to Jin Yuan Bao and gave him a chance to redeem himself. When Jin Yuan Bao learned that Zhao Ling is still alive, he laughed and cried at the same time. it was an emotional release of all the guilt and regret he had been carrying.
The next day, Jin Yuan Bao struck the Dengwen drum and accused Yu Guo Dong of framing a loyal official. He confessed that he had falsely accused Zhao Ling and forged evidence under Yu Guoo Dong’s orders.
He also exposed the Yu family’s use of the fraudulent Golden Weights. For his false accusation, Jin Yuan Bao was sentenced to 80 strokes. He accepted the punishment and nearly lost his life.
Fu Ting Yun also received the Yu family’s bribery list from Fan Ya Ke. Now the evidence was solid.
Zhao Ling was later ambushed and badly outnumbered, but his brothers from Northwest Army arrived in time. Under General Wang’s command, they escort him back to the capital safely.
The Emperor then revealed that Zhao Ling had secretly investigated Shen Cong Si’s death. he brought Shen Cong Si’s letter and the Golden Weight from Anzhou. Qin Fei Yu arrived with even more evidence from other prefectures.
The evidence covered illegal salt permits, tax embezzlement, military provision, Shen Cong Si’s death, the Golden weights, and the Yu family’s bribery and network list. Yu Guo Dong’s arrogance finally collapsed.
The next day, Yu Guo Dong was found dead at his home. The Emperor issue an edict. Yu Guo Dong was convicted and his assets were confiscated. His wife and son were pardoned but reduced to commoners and banished from the capital.
The Emperor wanted to promote Zhao Ling. But this time, he refused and resigned from the court. He admitted that he never had a grand ambition. He only wanted to live with the people he loved and grow old in peace.
The Emperor wasn’t angry. He understood that Zhao Ling’s heart had never truly belonged to politics. Zhao Ling returned the lapis lazuli to its owner, kowtowed, and leave.
The capital became peaceful again. The salt reform has been settled, prices returned to normal. The salt business was no longer controlled by one family.
A Sen married General Wang’s daughter. Jin Yuan Bao, although limping, returned to business. The people respected him for eventually standing up for his brother.
Fu Ting Yun and Zhao Ling returned to the Ganlin town. They had a daughter who was as smart as her mother. Zhao Ling become a regional commander again. Their life wasn’t surrounded by wealth or high status. But they were happy. 💕
What Happened to Fan Ya Ke, Yu Jing Xiu, and Concubine Wu / Wu You De on The Road to Splendor Ending?
Fan Ya Ke and Yu Jing Xiu’s marriage became even worse after Yu Guo Dong sacrifice them to deal with Zhao Ling’s evidence. They argued after Yu Jing Xiu saw their son was under the care of his mother instead of Fan Ya Ke.
That is the time Fan Ya Ke realized that truth that she was never in his heart. She mocked that they looked like a real husband and wife because both of them were the pawns of the Yu family.
Meanwhile, Wu You De learned about Madam Wu’s death and suspected there was more behind it. She planned a way to speak with Fu Ting Yun. And coincidentally, Fu Ting Yun needed her too. Wu You De agreed to provide Madam Wu’s donation records to help Fu Ting Yun clear Mo Yi and the Northwest Army.
To deliver the book Wu You De tricked Yu Jing Xiu. She made him believe the book was a blessed Buddhist scripture meant for Fu Ting Yun. Yu Jing Xiu, eager to comfort Fu Ting Yun, did exactly that. Yu Jing Xiu was proven to be stupid. 😂
However, he did show a little courage by secretly applying for a seventh-rank clerk position in Ganlin Town. Surely Yu Guo Dong was furious because he saw the decision as humiliating the Yu family. Fan Ya Ke then asked him to take her to Ganlin Town.
She thought perhaps a change of place could make them happy again. But Yu Jing Xiu rejected her coldly and accuse her of wanting to use him for freedom, just as she had once used him for wealth and status. That rejection finally broke something in her.
Madam Yu also tried to stop her son from leaving the capital. When Yu Jing Xiu refused, she threatened him with Fu Ting Yun’s life. Now he could see clearly his parents. One used him. The other threatened him.
Desperate to take Fu Ting Yun away, Yu Jing Xiu sent her a message under Wu You De’s name and even used Wu You De’s hairpin to make it believable. When they met, he offered to take Fu Ting Yun to Gablin Town because he knew she was unhappy.
He claimed that he had lost her because he cared too much about status. And now he has abandoned all worldly desire. Fu Ting Yun wasn’t buying it. She told him that his so-called love was obsession.
If he wanted to escape his family, he shouldn’t use her as an excuse. When she turned her back to leave, Yu Jing Xiu drugged her. He said he couldn’t leave her alone in the capital because she would never win against his parents.
Wu You De later told Fan Ya Ke that she had overheard Yu Jing Xiu taking a new concubine and settling her in a separate house. This was actually Wu You De’s plan to save Fu Ting Yun and stop Yu Jing Xiu from leaving the capital. She knew that if he really left, Madam Yu would send her away.
Fan Ya Ke went to investigate, expecting to find another woman. Instead she discovered that the supposed concubine was Fu Ting Yun. She went inside to see her. That night, Fan Ya Ke finally convinced that Fu Ting Yun never like Yu Jing Xiu, while Fu Ting Yun learned the truth behind her mother’s death.
Fan Ya Ke considered the information as a repayment for what she did in the past that nearly cost Fu Ting Yun’s life. Fu Ting Yun managed to escape after Fan Ya Ke threatened the guards with her own life.
When Yu Jing Xiu returned and found Fan Ya Ke instead of Fu Ting Yun, he exploded. But this time, Fan Ya Ke fought back. He had always called her a dull woman. She told him that she had become dull because she married a dull man.
His obsession with Fu Ting Yun was nothing but self-deception. She also told him that he didn’t deserve freedom. Furious, Yu Jing Xiu called her jealous, immoral, and reckless. He said that she shouldn’t go back to the Yu family. Fan Ya Ke sneered and admitted that she also has grown tired of the heartless family.
Yu Jing Xiu still thought that Fan Ya Ke was hungry for wealth and status. He really didn’t even care to read her, though.
Fan Ya Ke finally decided to leave the Yu family’ mansion with nothing but ten chests of her father’s books. Madam Yu threatened her with Yu Ji, but she was unfazed.
Fan Ya Ke told her mother-in-law that she didn’t want to be bound to her child. She didn’t care if she was called an unfit mother because she didn’t want Yu Ji to be burdened by her just like Yu Jing Xiu was burdened by Madam Yu. For once, Fan Ya Ke knew exactly what she wanted, freedom.
Wu You De watched her leave and told Fan Ya Ke that she wasn’t a bad person. She only wanted to earn everyone’s respect. When Wu You De address her as Miss Fan, Fan Ya Ke smiled. She wished Wu You De could also escape the confined world they lived in.
Later, Wu You De start to plan her departure. She had her maid to sell her jewelry and convert everything into banknotes. Money is always reliable when they leave.
After Zhao Ling was accused and the Xie residence was raided, Yu Jing Xiui tried to bribe the guards to save Fu Ting Yun. But Yu Guo Dong had already given orders regarding the Zhao family.
Yu Jing Xiu couldn’t do anything against his father. And even when Zhao Ling’s death reaches his ears, he could only stay at home even though he was worried about Fu Ting Yun.
Wu You De later overheard Yu Guo Dong’s plan to kill Zhao Ling. If her father-in-law feared Zhao Ling that much, then Zhao Ling must have something that could destroy the Yu family.
So, she must leave to save herself. But before she could, Yu Jing Xiu appeared. She thought he had discovered her plan, but he only wanted her to visit Fu Ting Yun on his behalf. 😜
Wu You De advised him that instead of thinking about Fu Ting Yun, he should spend more time with Yu Ji. She also mocked about his obsession with Fu Ting Yun, but didn’t explain anything and simply leave.
Wu You De then went to Fu Ting Yun and told her about the Yu family’s plan. In exchange, she wanted the household register and the future Fu Ting Yun had once promised her.
Fu Ting Yun later visited Fan Ya Ke and warned her that the Yu family was on the brink of collapse. She urged Fan Ya Ke to leave while she still could. Fan Ya Ke knew Fu Ting Yun wouldn’t come to her based on friendship alone. And she was right.
Fu Ting Yun needed more evidence about the Yu family’s crimes. If she could provide her, Fu Ting Yun promised to find a way for Fan Ya Ke and Yu Ji to survive.
Fan Ya Ke still didn’t fully trust her. But before leaving, she asked Fu Ting Yun to take a chest of her poems. It was all she could offer to honor the bond they once shared.
Fu Ting Yun was disappointed until she discovered what was hidden inside. It wasn’t only poems. Fan Ya Ke had slipped in a record of the Yu family’s bribes. It was legit evidence and from those records, Fu Ting Yun could identify members of the Yu faction. Later that night, Fan Ya Ke then left the country estate with her father.
After the Yu family’s downfall, Fan Ya Ke became a teacher at the girls’ school in Ganlin Town, the same school where Fu Ting Yun had once taught. The women in the capital mocked her, but Wu You De stood up for her. the two women now live peaceful lives.
As for Yu Jing Xiu, Madam Yu, and Yu Ji, they were sent to live in a small town far away from the capital. Yu Jing Xiu made a living writing letters for people. His background as a top scholar and son of a convicted criminal was known, but he no longer cared.
Madam Yu, however, had lost herself in a dream. She kept imagining Yu Ji becoming a top scholar, even though the Yu family had been banned from the imperial examinations for generations.
She also kept repeating the same lesson about marriage: that the Ninth Lady of the Fu family was virtuous, and a virtuous woman could bless three generations.
What Happened to Madam Yu and Yu Guo Dong on The Road to Splendor Ending?
Once Zhao Ling had evidence against the Yu faction, Yu Guo Dong immediately looked for a way to stop him. His first move was sacrificing his own son.
In front of the court and the Emperor, he confessed that he had failed to educate Yu Jing Xiu, allowing him to ruin Fu Ting Yun’s reputation. By doing this first, he made Zhao Ling’s accusation look like a personal grudge instead of a political investigation.
Meanwhile, Madam Yu was dealing with the Northwest. She gets help from Madam Wu to frame Mo Yi and the Northwest Army. Mo Yi and Madam Mo fall into the plot and even eventually signed the donation letter.
Madam Wu believed she had completed the deal and secured half of Anzhou’s salt permits from Madam Yu. She didn’t know that Nanny Shu was waiting to kill her.
Yu Guo Dong used Madam Wu’s death to shift the blame for both the murder and the missing Northwest provisions onto Mo Yi. With Mo Yi eventually executed, that particular problem was solved.
But the bigger problem was the salt reform. Fu Ting Yun had already spread rumors about the Yu family’s enormous wealth. Then Grand Secretary Tian submitted a memorial proposing the establishment of a Salt Tax Office, threatening the Yu family’s business. When the Emperor refused to appoint Yu Guo Dong to oversee it, he and Madam Yu turned to Jin Yuan Bao.
They pressured him into accusing Zhao Ling of corruption and illegal salt trading, offering wealth and the position of top salt merchant in return. Jin Yuan Bao initially refused because he considered Zhao his brother, but the Yu couple manipulated him until he made the accusation.
The plan worked. Zhao Ling was removed from the salt reform, his household was investigated, and Fu Ting Yun was imprisoned. But Jin Yuan Bao soon realized he had been deceived.
He thought Zhao Ling would merely be exiled, but the charges could lead to execution and property confiscation. He tried to reach Yu Guo Dong, but surely he refused to see Jin Yuan Bao.
When news of Zhao Ling’s death reached the Yu family, Yu Guo Dong was suspicious because everything had gone too smoothly. He feared the Emperor had secretly sent Zhao away to investigate. Madam Yu reassure him that all of Xie shops were under her supervision.
Yu Guo Dong then taught Yu Jing Xiu how the Yu family controlled the salt trade and prices. He told his son that they were the one who decides on price. And if he said that a catty is not a catty but one catty and seven taels, the world would do as he says. And by manipulating price and weight, is how the Yu family earn their wealth.
Yu Guo Dong was oblivious that Zhao Ling had already discovered the truth. He even managed to tricked underling in Anzhou, Prefect Liu. The officer realized that the mysterious Jiuweijiao was actually Zhao Ling, who had also taken the Golden Weight from the Anzhou office. After learned about the news, Yu Guo Dong panicked and ordered his men to kill Zhao, unaware that Wu You De overheard him.
Thing get worse after Jin Yuan Bao confessed. Yu Guo Dong became more anxious. What he feared finally happened when Zhao Ling returned to the capital with the Northwest Army, Shen Cong Si’s letter, and the Golden Weight.
Yu Guo Dong tried blaming General Wang for the unauthorized military deployment, but General Wang countered by bringing up Mo Yi’s wrongful death. Then Qin Fei Yu arrived with Golden Weights from Minzhou, Yuzhou, Qianzhou, and Langzhou.
The evidence piled up. Qin Fei Yu accused Yu Guo Dong of illegal salt permits, tax embezzlement, and taking the confiscated Yan family property. General Wang accused him of embezzling military provisions through Li Mao and framing Mo Yi.
Other officials joined the impeachment, and Master Zheng He presented the bribery records obtained from Fu Ting Yun. There was nowhere left to hide.
Yu Guo Dong pleaded for mercy, but the Emperor ordered the Three Judicial Offices to investigate. General Wang lost his position for the unauthorized deployment but was allowed to participate the investigation as a commoner.
Yu Guo Dong’s final plan was to sacrifice Yu Jing Xiu. He wanted his son to bear the crimes while the family wealth survived. Madam Yu begged him to keep their son alive. But when he came to Yu Jing Xiu, his son fought back. Yu Jing Xiu refused to sign the confession. And during their struggle, Yu Guo Dong fell, hit his head on a table, and died.
Yu Jing Xiu wrote the confession under Yu Guo Dong’s name and signed it using his father’s hand. Madam Yu had no choice but helped him stage the death as a suicide. When Qin Fei Yu arrived, Yu Guo Dong was already hanging from the beam.
The next day, Madam Yu and Yu Jing Xiu sought help from the Grand Empress Dowager, shifting the blame entirely onto Yu Guo Dong. The Empress Dowager seemed unconvinced but reminded them that the Emperor valued both reward and punishment. The Emperor, of course, was listening from the side room.
The Grand Empress Dowager advised sparing Madam Yu and her son. This way, she would willingly given away her money. The Emperor agreed. Yu Guo Dong was convicted and his assets confiscated. Madam Yu and Yu Jing Xiu were pardoned for helping expose the crimes but reduced to commoners and banished from the capital.
Fu Ting Yun came to visit Madam Yu. She said that she knew Madam Yu wasn’t afraid of death but was afraid of losing the last shred of her pride. For Madam Yu, living with nothing was worse than dying.
Madam Yu called them kindred spirits. However, Fu Ting Yun disagreed. She told Madam Yu that she had given her a valuable lesson and stopped her from repeating the same mistakes. Only after Fu Ting Yun left did Madam Yu finally break down and wail.
My Two Cents
Dear readers, my favorite part of this The Road to Splendor drama is when Zhao Ling turned into Jiuweijiao once again. He finally drops the carefully maintained façade of Lord Zhao, along with the beard and moustache (thank goodness!), and returns to the laid back and arrogant Zhao Ling.
Well, what do you think about this The Road to Splendor drama, dear readers? I really enjoyed rewatching the whole episodes just to write this article. How about you? Did you enjoy it as well? I hope so. I’ll see you again in another article about new drama. Until then, goodbye!
