A Dream Within A Dream Episode 1 Recap
> A Dream Within A Dream Recap
Song Yimeng, the legitimate daughter of the Minister of War, was about to be married when Chu Guihong, the Junior General of the Qianyu Army, intercepted her procession. He declared he would kill Nan Heng, the Seventh Prince, to avenge his father and reclaim his woman. Nan Heng dared him, questioning his capability. Song Yimeng emerged, pleading with Chu Guihong not to interfere with her wedding to Nan Heng, stating she was marrying him willingly.
Chu Guihong argued he couldn't watch her marry a murderous fiend and ruin her life. Song Yimeng insisted she would marry Nan Heng, even if it was a mistake. Nan Heng, seeing their interaction, called Chu Guihong a traitor and Song Yimeng his woman, accusing them of flirting on his wedding day. Song Yimeng denied it, claiming deep love for Nan Heng and offering to prove it.
She then turned and stabbed Chu Guihong, apologizing to him and promising to repay him in the next life. Nan Heng then stabbed Song Yimeng, referencing her promise to do anything for him. Finally, Chu Guihong stabbed Nan Heng, declaring that if they hurt her or him, they would all die. A strong wind began to spin around the three of them as a phone suddenly rang.
The scene cut to a production meeting for the drama "A Dream of Qingning." An agent criticized the previous scene and the script for making the male lead, Nan Heng, appear foolish and easily defeated. The screenwriter defended it as a classic dramatic moment popular with audiences. The agent insisted that the male lead, played by actor Nan Feng, needed more prominent scenes and heroic moments, especially given his status and limited dialogue in the key scene.
She presented a list of demands for Nan Feng, including ensuring he was central to all major plots and solved all problems, and outlined the extensive staff required for him. The agent also expressed concerns about the drama's title not focusing on Nan Heng and the potential bad luck associated with fake death scenes. Song Xiaoyu, the actress cast as the female lead Song Yimeng, admitted she was new and found the lines challenging.
Jokingly, she offered to simply faint upon exiting the palanquin to avoid lines. When the director and agent stressed the importance of the love triangle, Song Xiaoyu proposed fainting at Nan Feng's feet and having him kick her towards the second male lead, Chu Guihong, to form the triangle. The director agreed to revise the script based on her suggestion. Outside the meeting, Nan Feng was surrounded by his enthusiastic fans, the Pumpkins, cheering for him.
Song Xiaoyu watched, envying his popularity. Her manager criticized her for not making more effort to gain attention, pointing out her simple attire instead of something more eye-catching as suggested by the company. Song Xiaoyu insisted she wanted to rely on her acting, but the manager argued she was only cast as the female lead because the director had searched for actresses willing to play a supporting role to Nan Feng, and she was chosen from that limited pool.
The manager complained about Song Xiaoyu's lack of public relations efforts and stated her career performance impacted the manager's own metrics. Song Xiaoyu reiterated her belief in letting her work speak for itself. Later, at home, Song Xiaoyu studied the script for "A Dream of Qingning." She found the portrayal of Song Yimeng unrealistic, particularly her sudden deep love for Nan Heng after only one significant encounter where he saved her from a fire at a banquet.
She described the character as "love-addled" for being willing to abandon her family and her betrothal to Chu Guihong for Nan Heng. Reading further, she found a scene where Song Yimeng confronted Nan Heng and her sister, Song Yiting. Song Yiting claimed Nan Heng would be her husband, and when Song Yimeng objected, Nan Heng told her to leave and slapped her. Song Xiaoyu reacted with outrage, questioning the appeal of such violent scenes.
She continued reading to a later point in the story where Song Yimeng, dressed in red, was on a snowy night. Qianyu rebels had tied up Song Yimeng and Song Yiting, who were pregnant, and threatened Nan Heng to avenge General Chu. Nan Heng ordered arrows fired. Song Yimeng was hit by an arrow, but she saw that Nan Heng prioritized saving Song Yiting.
Heartbroken by his betrayal, Song Yimeng jumped from the city wall, survived the fall, but was turned into a living corpse. Song Xiaoyu was appalled by the plot, finding it illogical and deeming Nan Heng terrible and Song Yimeng foolish. Frustrated by the script, Song Xiaoyu opened a window for fresh air. A strong wind blew, causing her body to move uncontrollably. She woke up in a room filled with gold and treasure, wearing ancient clothes.
She initially thought she was dreaming or had arrived on set. Maids, including one named Yingqiu, entered to help her dress. Recognizing the name Yingqiu from the script, Song Xiaoyu asked where she was and who she was. The maids confirmed she was in the Song Residence, home of Song Yude, Duke of Guangping and Minister of War, and that she was Song Yimeng, the legitimate eldest daughter.
Song Xiaoyu realized she had transmigrated into the script as the character Song Yimeng. Terrified, Song Xiaoyu, now as Song Yimeng, tried to escape, not wanting to marry Nan Heng and be stabbed as in the script she had read. Her maids stopped her and informed her that General Chu Guihong's wedding procession was arriving. Song Xiaoyu was relieved, remembering that in the original script, Song Yimeng's first wedding attempt was to Chu Guihong.
She decided not to run, believing she could avoid her tragic fate by simply going through with the marriage. Her father, Song Yude, told her to live well with Chu Guihong, describing him as honest and caring. Her stepmother, Zhou Xueyi, made cutting remarks, telling Song Yimeng not to forget her sister, Song Yiting, after marrying into the prominent Chu family. Song Xiaoyu observed that her family was exactly as described in the script.
Chu Guihong's procession arrived, and Song Xiaoyu happily entered the bridal palanquin, feeling that her life was now on the right track. However, as the procession began, it was attacked by bandits. Chu Guihong ordered the Qianyu Army to protect the palanquin, but it was struck, and Song Yimeng was injured. Believing she was about to die on her first day in the new world, she suddenly found herself back in her room, before the wedding.
Determined to succeed, she ordered the palanquin reinforced. When the procession set off again, it was interrupted by a child hitting the palanquin, and Song Yimeng was injured once more, causing her to reset again. Song Xiaoyu, as Song Yimeng, refused to give up and prepared for the wedding repeatedly, adding more precautions to the palanquin each time.
Despite her efforts, trying so many times, each attempt to reach the wedding ceremony resulted in a different fatal mishap – including further bandit attacks and unforeseen incidents during the journey – causing her to die and reset back to the start of the day. In one attempt, she successfully reached the Chu Mansion and stepped out of the palanquin, only to trip and fall. Finally, after many failed attempts, she managed to reach the ceremony hall.
However, just before the wedding vows were exchanged, she drank a cup of poisoned wine offered as a welcome drink and collapsed. Servant questioned who had poisoned her, Song Yimeng stated that it didn't matter anymore, asking if she could simply die and be free from the script's loop.
