A Dream Within A Dream Episode 17 Recap
> A Dream Within A Dream Recap
A fight breaks out at the marketplace. A troublemaker known as Thriver is causing a disturbance and harassing Song Yiting. When Song Yiting grabs a wine jar and hits him on the head, Thriver’s group tries to grab her. Shangguan, known as the Moon Immortal and the group's Second Chief, who is disguised as Li Shiliu, intervenes.
His subordinate, Shanhu, demands payment for the damage to their stage from Thriver and for a broken wine jar from Song Yiting, but Shangguan/Li Shiliu declares Thriver will cover Song Yiting's fine and tells Thriver and his group to kneel and apologize. After they comply, Shangguan/Li Shiliu offers Song Yiting a piece of bamboo, calling it a gift for a beauty, and asks for her name.
When Song Yiting reveals her identity, stating she is from the residence of the Duke of Guangping, Left Vice Minister of the Imperial Secretariat and concurrently Minister of War, and is named Song Yiting, Shangguan/Li Shiliu is visibly surprised. Inside the palace, the Emperor sternly questions Chu Guihong about the incident at the stables where he shot Nan Heng, criticizing his inability to handle the aftermath.
Nan Rui, the Eighteenth Prince, interjects, claiming Nan Heng faked his injury and deliberately provoked Chu Guihong to get him banished from the capital. The Emperor silences Nan Rui. Meanwhile, outside the palace gates, officials led by Chancellor Gao and Yao Qian kneel and demand severe punishment for Chu Guihong, accusing Nan Heng of treacherous ambition by gathering support and controlling the Xuanjia Army while also seeking a marriage alliance with the Song family.
Chancellor Gao attempts to appear conciliatory, urging the group not to anger the Emperor. In his chambers, Nan Heng is recovering from the arrow wound. Song Yimeng visits him and roughly pulls him up, causing his wound to bleed again. She mocks his tactic of injuring himself, calling it excessive, but Nan Heng defends it as necessary to make Chu Guihong err and enable her engagement to be broken.
He reminds her that they are in a precarious situation together and she must be careful with her words when others arrive. Song Yimeng asserts that breaking the engagement is not the same as marrying him and tells him not to use underhanded tactics. The Emperor and the Noble Consort arrive. Song Yimeng immediately feigns deep concern for Nan Heng's injury, and the Noble Consort is also distressed by the sight of his bleeding wound.
Song Yimeng apologizes to the Noble Consort for causing her alarm. Nan Heng is helped to his feet to greet the Emperor. Despite his injury, Nan Heng stands to greet the Emperor, who remains cold and dismissive. The Emperor accuses Nan Heng of instigating his uncle, Chancellor Gao, to gather officials and pressure him, questioning if Nan Heng is now openly defying him. Nan Heng denies this and is asked how he plans to handle Chu Guihong.
Nan Heng explains that while Chu Guihong is a valuable official, the law mandates execution for harming royalty, leaving him conflicted, just like the Emperor. The Emperor responds with sarcasm, noting Nan Heng's apparent concern for the Emperor's difficulties despite his injury.
Nan Heng states that if the Emperor were to annul the marriage between Song Yimeng and Chu Guihong, his heart would be eased, and his wound would heal faster, proposing they could declare the stable incident a simple misunderstanding from rough play. The Emperor then asks Song Yimeng if she has feelings for Chu Guihong, to which she replies she has none. The Emperor declares that since there is no affection, he will annul the 18-year-old betrothal decree.
However, citing his concern for Song Yude's age and desire for his daughter to be settled, the Emperor decrees that another marriage must take its place. He orders his eunuch, Liu Mingxi, to bring the jade seal and announces that Song Yimeng will be betrothed to Nan Heng as his principal consort. Song Yimeng protests that their arrangement was only to break the "previous" engagement, but Nan Heng swiftly accepts the betrothal, thanking the Emperor.
The Emperor then adds that according to an old custom, a prince must go to his fief upon marriage and orders Nan Heng to depart for his fief after recovering from his injury. Nan Heng is displeased with this additional condition. Unable to sleep, Song Yimeng finds Song Yiting drinking alone in the yard and joins her. Song Yimeng expresses her disillusionment with the complexity of the world, feeling that her previous black-and-white view of people was wrong.
Song Yiting agrees, stating that everyone is bound by inescapable responsibilities. Song Yimeng praises Song Yiting's seemingly open-minded perspective, and Song Yiting complements Song Yimeng's persistence in refusing marriage. Song Yiting then reveals her own distress, explaining she likes someone who does not like her, she has hurt someone she dislikes, and she is fatefully tied to someone she wishes to escape. Song Yimeng admits she now understands what liking someone feels like.
Song Yiting reveals she likes someone, prompting Song Yimeng to immediately ask if it is Nan Heng. Song Yiting denies this, to Song Yimeng's relief. Song Yimeng vehemently warns Song Yiting never to get involved with Nan Heng, listing scenarios like being rescued by water or being alone in a room, which she herself experienced with him.
Song Yiting notes this fact and suggests Song Yimeng should worry about herself, pointing out that spending time with Nan Heng despite not liking him will likely lead to feelings. Song Yiting states she knows her own feelings but questions if Song Yimeng truly knows who she likes.
Song Yiting observes that Song Yimeng appears to like everyone but seems to lack deep connections, suggesting she needs to truly engage with the people in this world rather than treating it as separate if she wants to live well. Nan Heng is told that Song Yimeng accepted the marriage decree. He finds it difficult to believe she agreed, wondering if she has developed deep feelings or if she is acting for Li Shiliu.
His subordinate expresses concern that Nan Heng must now depart for his fief. Nan Heng, however, suspects Song Yude will resist the marriage. He then learns from his subordinate that Song Yude indeed defied the Emperor and has been confined, possibly resisting the decree further. Shangguan, the Chief, arrives and informs Nan Heng that trouble is brewing at the palace.
Meanwhile, Chu Guihong arrives and addresses Nan Heng as his cousin, stating that their shared purpose is to save Song Yude – Chu Guihong for Song Yimeng, and Nan Heng for Song Yiting. Nan Heng suggests they cooperate to help the Song family, noting Song Yude's historical connection to Chu Guihong's family. At the Imperial Study, Song Yude is being sentenced to 30 lashes for his defiance.
As the punishment is about to be carried out, Nan Heng and Chu Guihong arrive and plead with the Emperor to stop. The Emperor questions their defiance. Nan Heng argues that Song Yude is elderly and the punishment is severe, and that it is close to the Emperor's birthday, making bloodshed inauspicious. Chu Guihong also pleads for leniency, suggesting it would preserve the Emperor's reputation in history.
Seeing both his son and his nephew intervening for an outsider, the Emperor offers a deal: whoever is willing to give up 10,000 soldiers and be garrisoned at the border in Dongshuo may take Song Yude's punishment. After a moment, Nan Heng agrees to the condition. The Emperor confirms that the 10,000 Xuanjia Army troops will not return to Nan Heng's command, but Nan Heng affirms his decision.
He explains that Song Yimeng is now his principal consort, making Song Yude his father-in-law, and it is only right for him to bear the punishment for him. The Emperor accepts his offer and orders the punishment to commence.
