A Dream Within A Dream Episode 15 Recap
> A Dream Within A Dream Recap
Song Yimeng was summoned to appear before the Emperor, who immediately ordered her to kneel. He sternly accused her of having a pre-arranged engagement yet becoming entangled with a prince, claiming she had instigated conflict between Nan Rui and Nan Heng, and demanded to know the Song family's true intentions.
Song Yimeng defended herself, explaining that her family strictly avoided political factions and that her engagement to Chu Guihong was settled years ago, while the rumors linking her to Nan Heng were baseless. The Emperor, referencing the book "Exceptional Love", remarked that as a woman, she should uphold virtues, stay home, and engage in embroidery and reading, rather than dressing up and attending banquets to attract attention.
When Song Yimeng responded that not all faults lay with women, the Emperor grew angry, calling her sharp-tongued and holding her solely responsible for the princes drawing swords at the banquet. He ordered her taken away to receive twenty strokes. As the guards moved to obey, Nan Heng suddenly entered the Imperial Study without being summoned.
He declared that all the blame was his alone, admitting he had pursued Song Yimeng despite her engagement, had the rumor-spreading books created, and had requested a marriage decree from his mother. He pleaded with the Emperor to punish him instead, insisting Song Yimeng was innocent. The Emperor was surprised that Nan Heng, who had always been faultless, would kneel and admit guilt for a mere woman, asking what made her special besides the Song family backing her.
Nan Heng dared to compare the Emperor's love for the late Empress, which wasn't for the Chu family behind her, to his own situation. The Emperor was angered by his words, reiterating that Song Yimeng's engagement to Chu Guihong could not be changed as it was agreed upon by the late Lord Qianyu and the Emperor himself. He demanded everyone follow rules.
Nan Heng claimed he did, but the Emperor pointed to his confrontation with Nan Rui at the banquet as proof otherwise. Nan Heng explained he acted because Nan Rui had insulted the Gao family and his mother. Citing the law against kin fighting, the Emperor declared he wouldn't kill Nan Heng today but ordered him to cut off the hand he used to dislocate Nan Rui's arm. He challenged Nan Heng's hesitation, calling disobedience treason.
Song Yimeng cried out, saying it was her fault and that Nan Rui had also wounded Nan Heng. The Emperor scoffed, questioning why Nan Heng, a prince, needed a woman to beg for him. Nan Heng agreed to obey and reached for a sword, but Song Yimeng quickly stepped in front of him. The Emperor then laughed, stating he was only joking and asking if Nan Heng wished him to be known as a tyrant who harmed his own officials.
Nan Heng replied that he wouldn't dare. A servant then announced that Noble Consort Gao had fainted in her chambers and was delirious, repeatedly calling for Nan Heng and Song Yimeng. Nan Heng immediately requested permission to visit his mother, promising to accept punishment later. The Emperor dismissed him. Nan Heng and Song Yimeng quickly went to Noble Consort Gao's palace.
A servant directed them into a room, telling them Her Ladyship instructed them to rest early, and then locked the door from the outside. The servant reported back to Noble Consort Gao that Nan Heng and Song Yimeng had walked together without letting go of each other's hands. Noble Consort Gao remarked that she had done all she could for Nan Heng, and the rest was up to him.
Meanwhile, outside the palace gates, Song Yude waited anxiously for news of his daughter. He inquired with palace attendants but was told Song Yimeng had already left. Knowing this was impossible, he grew worried that something had happened to her, but he was told no one could enter the palace at night without a decree.
Inside the locked room, Song Yimeng saw their predicament and recognized it as a common plot device in historical dramas where the male and female leads are forced together to develop feelings, accepting that they were stuck for the night. Nan Heng questioned her casual demeanor in being alone with a man. Song Yimeng dismissed his concern, saying she was just loosening her clothes because they were too tight.
She then pressed him for an explanation for Noble Consort Gao's marriage decree and why he took all the blame for her before the Emperor, asking if he would have truly cut off his hand. Nan Heng said he was gambling, something he'd done his whole life, hoping that obedience would spare him. Song Yimeng suggested he only saved her due to a "script mechanism" where the male lead must rescue the female lead in danger.
Nan Heng called her sharp and brilliant. When Nan Heng prepared to sleep on the bed, Song Yimeng objected, but he reminded her of her own words about going with the flow. He asked if she expected him to sleep on the floor. Song Yimeng ended up on the sofa, complaining about her situation. She felt cold. Nan Heng, on the bed, was kept awake by her restlessness.
He got up and offered her some ointment, saying he had treated his wound from Waning River Crescent already and this was for her. Song Yimeng found the ointment familiar and asked where he got it, speculating if he had any intentions concerning Waning River Crescent. Nan Heng scoffed at the idea but then asked if she had feelings for the martial artist Li Shiliu, given their apparent closeness.
Song Yimeng vehemently denied it, claiming a martial world person would never interest her, though she appeared flustered. She realized he was trying to get her to reveal who she liked and flatly stated that she would never marry him, regardless of Noble Consort Gao's efforts or any schemes. Nan Heng insisted his mother's actions were not part of his plan and questioned if she thought he orchestrated them being locked in the room.
He called her unreasonable, saying he had helped her repeatedly without seeking reward, even defending her at the banquet when she ended up siding with Chu Guihong against him.
Song Yimeng became upset, complaining about being forced to attend the banquet against her will, how he talked nonsense in front of everyone without considering her feelings, and how his father made her kneel all night for his fight with Nan Rui, leaving her knees red and swollen, aching all over, and feeling cold and hungry. Nan Heng apologized for dragging her into the situation and causing her suffering, promising that from then on, he wouldn't let her be wronged.
He told her to take the bed and he would sleep on the sofa, warning her not to wake him up again. The next morning, Fugui, disguised as a palace maid, rushed into the room, expressing extreme worry upon seeing Nan Heng on the sofa, thinking he had suffered some misfortune. Chu Guihong, disguised as a palace guard, also entered, searching for Song Yimeng, and confronted Nan Heng.
Song Yude, disguised as a eunuch, arrived as well, looking for Song Yimeng. Song Yimeng, seeing the chaotic scene, urged the three men to hide as the Emperor's arrival was announced and the courtyard was sealed off. The Emperor entered and approached Song Yimeng, commanding her to kneel. However, Noble Consort Gao arrived and forbade Song Yimeng from kneeling, declaring her to be her future daughter-in-law whom she would protect.
Noble Consort Gao then publicly challenged the Emperor, recounting how he had forced her marriage to him despite her prior engagement to Prince Pingyang, thereby ruining her life, and accused him of now trying to ruin Nan Heng's. She defiantly stated that she and the Gao family were determined to have Song Yimeng as their family. The Emperor, visibly angered by Noble Consort Gao's sudden assertiveness after decades of quietness, departed.
Shortly after, Song Yude appeared with the Emperor, commenting on the Emperor's fatigue and offering him a miraculous remedy for his worries. After returning home, Song Yimeng was met by her maid, Yingqiu, who tearfully expressed her fear that Song Yimeng had died in the palace. Song Yimeng comforted her.
Yingqiu commented that Nan Heng, who previously spread rumors about them without reason, had been silent after they spent the night together, expressing skepticism that a bad person could change so easily. Song Yimeng agreed that Yingqiu had good insight and saving her was worthwhile. Song Yiting arrived with tea, subtly suggesting Song Yimeng should thank her for helping to save her.
Song Yiting proceeded to critique Song Yimeng's lack of tea etiquette, calling her ignorant, and questioned how she could speak boldly at the banquet if she was so flustered by drinking tea properly, referencing Song Yimeng's dismissal of the rumors about "Exceptional Love" and "Illusory Dream". Song Yiting admitted she used to think Song Yimeng was like other women in the capital who just wanted to marry well, but after the banquet, she found her "not bad."
She had come to warn Song Yimeng that their father had returned from the palace and, following an imperial decree, had instructed their mother to prepare a dowry because Song Yimeng was to be married next month. Song Yimeng was shocked by this news. Upon learning about the impending wedding, Song Yimeng sought out Chu Guihong at Qianyu Mansion.
She apologized for not understanding her feelings earlier but now realized she could not marry him, returning the jade pendant that had been left to him by the late Empress. Chu Guihong reminded her of their eighteen-year engagement and how thinking of her waiting in the capital had helped him survive near-death experiences. He offered to wait longer if she was unsure.
Song Yimeng insisted he shouldn't wait, explaining that the Song Yimeng he loved was not the same person as her, and they were not from the same world. She referenced their interaction on the night of the Upper Lantern Festival as proof of their incompatibility. Chu Guihong showed her the numerous letters she had written to him, asking who else he could love if not her.
He mentioned the wedding was next month and cautioned her against defying the imperial decree and her father's wishes, stating it could cost countless lives, and promised he would treat her very well. Song Yimeng was unable to respond further and ran away, leaving Chu Guihong calling her name. Separately, Shangguan He presented Li Shiliu with some new songs, but Li Shiliu was unhappy and ordered him to burn the books, specifically all copies of "Exceptional Love" in the capital.
Members of the Nightwalkers organization voiced concern that Chu Guihong and the Noble Consort were attempting to marry their "sister-in-law," Song Yimeng, and asked Li Shiliu for instructions, but he simply told them to leave. Meanwhile, Nan Heng, looking agitated, was hammering something. Shangguan He arrived and brought up Song Yimeng's wedding next month, asking Nan Heng about his plans. Nan Heng initially claimed it had nothing to do with him but appeared flustered.
Shangguan He noted his reaction and suggested that the Emperor was arranging the marriage to favor Nan Rui in the matter of succession and that Nan Heng should give up on the Song family connection. Nan Heng refused, asserting that as long as the wedding had not happened, he still had a chance to bring the Song family back to his side.
Shangguan He teased that he was simply reluctant to let go of Song Yimeng, a claim Nan Heng denied, stating it was about their long-standing plans. Nan Heng then instructed Shangguan He to make arrangements for a secret meeting with Chancellor Gao at Waning River Crescent, citing the heavy surveillance around the prince's manor.
Elsewhere, some Nightwalkers complained about Song Yimeng choosing to marry Chu Guihong, calling her unreliable and suggesting she picked the general because he was wealthy, doubting they would see her at their base again despite their Chief's kindness to her.
