A Dream Within A Dream Episode 26 Recap
> A Dream Within A Dream Recap
Having had a bit too much to drink, Song Yude was being helped back to his room. Someone suggested going to get hangover soup while Song Yimeng stayed to look after him. Lying down, Song Yude spoke to his daughter, acknowledging that she intended to leave the capital and knew it was because she wanted to avoid Nan Heng. He felt that misunderstandings should be cleared up, but Song Yimeng explained that the issue was within her own heart.
She couldn't reconcile her feelings for the man who could be both good and bad, making her dislike the part of herself that could no longer trust him. Seeing her struggle, Song Yude agreed to send her to Jiangnan with escorts, assuring her she could return anytime she wished. As Song Yimeng prepared to leave, her maid, Yingqiu, expressed sadness and worry that Song Yimeng wasn't taking her or Zhixia with her, asking who would look after her.
Song Yimeng gently told her that they had their own paths to follow and shouldn't alter them for her. She asked Yingqiu instead to ensure her carriage was comfortable, pack plenty of clothes for all seasons, and prepare lots of delicious food. Suddenly, Nan Heng, injured, entered her room, asking where she was going. Song Yimeng, surprised by his intrusion, responded dismissively that where she went was none of his concern and she would go wherever she pleased.
When he asked if she was abandoning him, she retorted that he had hands and feet and didn't need her care. He insisted he wasn't talking about that and apologized for everything that had happened, pleading for another chance. Song Yimeng pushed him away, accidentally touching his back wound, but refused to give him a chance. She declared she would never again like a liar or be made a fool of.
She bitterly compared meeting him to an unlucky stumble on the road and bad luck she accepted. She sternly ordered the Seventh Prince to leave immediately and never return. When he refused, vowing not to leave no matter what she said, she grew more insistent, telling him to stop bothering her and leave her house immediately. He desperately asked what he needed to do for her to forgive him.
Her chilling reply was for him to disappear completely from her sight and life, and not let her hear his voice or see his face again. He questioned if she wouldn't marry him and wanted to be enemies instead, asking if this was her final answer and if she would never forgive him no matter what he did. Song Yimeng confirmed she would never forgive him, ever.
She challenged him to ask if she liked him (she didn't) or hated him (she did). She stated that if she had known earlier that his different identities belonged to the same person, it wouldn't have changed things for the better; in fact, she would have disliked and hated him even more, perhaps even killed him sooner. She then commanded him to leave. Heartbroken and tearful, Nan Heng turned and left. After Nan Heng left, Song Yimeng was visibly upset.
When Yingqiu entered, offering refreshments, she noticed Song Yimeng crying, who quickly dismissed it as the wind bothering her eyes. Meanwhile, outside the Song residence, Nan Heng, referred to as General, instructed one of his men, Fugui, to keep an eye on the Song Residence and ensure Song Yimeng's safety wherever she went. News reached Nan Heng that the Noble Consort was seeking an audience with the Emperor to plead for Chancellor Gao.
The Noble Consort, Rong Hua, arrived at the late Empress's palace and tearfully begged the Emperor for mercy for her brother, Gao Changyin, stating he was too old for the harsh conditions of exile in Liangzhou. She offered to relinquish her title and guard the imperial tomb if he would spare her brother's life. The Emperor stated he would spare Gao Changyin only if Nan Heng surrendered the Xuanjia Army's command token.
Rong Hua argued that without the token, the 'wolves' in court would harm Nan Heng. The Emperor countered that the true 'wolves' keeping him awake at night were Nan Heng and Gao Changyin. Rong Hua accepted the blame for everything, asking for death, just as Nan Heng suddenly entered, against the eunuch's attempts to stop him. He told his mother not to blame herself, taking all responsibility and urging the Emperor not to punish her.
The Emperor was furious at their audacity in the Empress's palace, blaming Nan Heng for the Empress's death and stating he would have killed him long ago if he weren't his son. Nan Heng accepted the rebuke, thanking the Emperor for his mercy.
The Emperor then explicitly stated that the Crown Prince position was reserved for Nan Rui and offered Nan Heng a deal: surrender the Xuanjia Army token, and he would ensure Rong Hua's safety for life, with no one daring to interfere with them again. Nan Heng refused, explaining that only the Xuanjia Army could protect his mother and they relied on their swords to survive.
The Emperor, angered by his defiance, declared he would keep Nan Heng soft-confined in the capital, where he would spend the rest of his life barely surviving under the Emperor's watch. Nan Heng accepted the confinement. After they left, the eunuch expressed worry to the Emperor about Nan Heng's power and potential for rebellion, but the Emperor dismissed his concern, stating his son was not his concern.
Later, in the imperial prison, Gao Changyin was served what was presumably his last meal before exile. A messenger informed him that the Seventh Prince was too busy with official matters to see him off. Gao Changyin acknowledged this, noting that Nan Heng was decisive when needed, as expected of the prince he had trained.
As the prison cart prepared to depart, Chu Guihong stopped it, stating he had a matter to ask Gao Changyin before they parted ways, possibly forever. He questioned Gao Changyin about a handwritten letter sent by a scout to Youcheng during the critical Pingrong battle years ago, pleading with Nan Heng to send Xuanjia Army reinforcements to save Pingrong City. Chu Guihong stated the letter offered to resolve their past grievances if Nan Heng helped defend the borders and people.
Gao Changyin admitted to seeing the letter, explaining that such evidence had to be thoroughly destroyed to frame Chu Guihong for the battle's loss. He then remarked that he had raised Nan Heng for over twenty years, yet when his own interests were involved, Nan Heng abandoned him, showing his ambitious character. He suggested Chu Guihong was naive to still harbor illusions about him, implying that's why Chu Guihong lost.
Just after the prison cart departed, it exploded violently a short distance away. Meanwhile, under the cover of darkness, Song Yimeng's carriage set out from the Song residence, though the carriage had been secretly swapped. Masked assailants attacked, killing the Xuanjia guards escorting her. A surviving guard managed to report back to Nan Heng, conveying that Miss Song was in danger in Huyang Forest. Nan Heng immediately rushed to her aid. Song Yimeng's carriage stopped abruptly.
Realizing they were in the Huyang Bamboo Forest, she recalled this location from the original plot, where Nan Heng had staged an assassination attempt as a ploy to rescue her and win her back. She wondered what the situation was now. As masked figures closed in, deciding they meant to kill her, she decided to flee. She was chased but Nan Heng arrived, stating he was late. The attackers pursued them, and they were forced towards a cliff.
Nan Heng told her to take a smaller path and escape while he stayed to cover her. Song Yimeng initially ran, thinking to herself that Nan Heng, as the male lead with plot armor, wouldn't die and she would only be a hindrance. However, she became worried and returned, calling out to him to jump down with her.
Despite his hesitation, arguing they would die, she urged him to trust her, believing that in this script world, jumping off a cliff wouldn't kill them. They jumped together. Back at the explosion site, Chu Guihong examined the debris, noting the use of petroleum and concluding that Gao Changyin was surely dead, estimating it had been set up beforehand. The person with him remarked on Nan Heng's ruthlessness in killing his own uncle.
Chu Guihong acknowledged that this ruthless act, eliminating the problem at the root, fit Gao Changyin's earlier assessment of Nan Heng. He ordered his men to recover the body, vowing to investigate the matter thoroughly and ensure Nan Heng wouldn't have another opportunity to act. Song Yimeng and Nan Heng landed in the water at the bottom of the cliff. She managed to drag him onto the bank, but he was unresponsive.
Hitting his chest and crying, she desperately pleaded with him to wake up, telling him he couldn't die before she had even forgiven him, accusing him of being a liar and fake hero if he died. Nan Heng finally stirred, coughing up water and waking up. He noted the area was exposed and they needed to find shelter before the assassins caught up again. They found a cave.
Song Yimeng noticed his hand was bleeding and asked about it, accusing him of getting injured because of her. He dismissed her concern, commenting that maybe it would be better if he died, then she wouldn't cry and still refuse to forgive him. Inside the cave, Song Yimeng worried about the cold and his injuries, questioning if they could survive. Nan Heng assured her that Fugui and the Xuanjia Army would find them by dawn at the latest.
She suggested gathering branches and a thick stick to make a fire by drilling wood. When he understood what she meant, she questioned if he was capable. He challenged her to try if she didn't think so, which she declined. After trying for half an hour, he successfully started a fire. He seemed proud, but she teased him about how long it took compared to protagonists in other dramas who start fires instantly.
He retorted by asking if her script mentioned that jumping off a cliff could kill you. She replied she only got injured, which was due to the assassins, and besides, she'd never seen a protagonist in a costume drama die from a cliff jump, mentioning 'plot armor'. He didn't understand what she meant. She then asked if the assassins were sent by him, and he denied it. She simply said she knew he wasn't the culprit.
He then asked why she came back to save him. She replied that she had made a bet with herself, and he asked what the bet was and if she had won.
