A Dream Within A Dream Episode 27 Recap
> A Dream Within A Dream Recap
After finding shelter, Nan Heng confessed his love for Song Yimeng, seeking her forgiveness and proposing marriage. Song Yimeng retorted that he was dreaming, reminding him he had once considered killing her. Nan Heng admitted this but claimed his feelings changed after the Lantern Festival, and he no longer harbored killing intent. He expressed his distress over deceiving her but explained it stemmed from his fear of losing her.
He couldn't understand why she valued him as Li Shiliu but saw Nan Heng negatively. Song Yimeng, hiding her tears, stated a happy ending for them was impossible. Nan Heng was unsure of her hesitations, believing destiny was in his hands and achievable through effort. Song Yimeng's concern was that when Nan Heng achieved his goals, the Song family would suffer.
She revealed her parents died saving her in a fire when she was a child and she couldn't bear to lose the family she had in this world. Nan Heng didn't understand, thinking she was making excuses to reject him, and questioned why she had saved him if their outcome was predetermined. Fugui and Xuanjia Army soldiers searched through the night and found them beneath the cliff. Upon learning Song Yimeng had been pursued, Song Yude became extremely worried.
Nan Heng exaggerated the events, describing being chased by nearly a hundred skilled assassins, being forced to jump off a cliff to survive, and even showing a minor injury. Hearing this, Song Yude forbade Song Yimeng from traveling to Jiangnan and confined her to the Song Residence for her safety, ordering increased guards around her courtyard, Laiyi House. Song Yiting also urged Nan Heng to quickly find the culprits.
Song Yimeng accused Nan Heng of making a fuss and exaggerating to keep her confined, understanding his motives. Nan Heng insisted on investigating the assassins for her safety, which Song Yimeng dismissed as a necessary plot point from the "script."
Just then, Fugui arrived with urgent news: Gao Changyin's prison cart exploded, and Chu Guihong had taken his body to the capital prefecture's office and subsequently gone to the palace to report to the Emperor before the Ministry of Justice could intervene. Nan Heng immediately returned to his residence. His subordinates, including Yan Yi and Yao Qian, were waiting. Yao Qian explained the sudden appearance of Chu Guihong at the escort.
Nan Heng questioned why Yao Qian hadn't monitored the Qianyu Army more closely. Nan Heng then ordered Yao Qian to instruct the Gao family to retrieve the body from the capital prefecture's office as next of kin. Yan Yi expressed suspicion regarding Chu Guihong's actions and worried they could harm Nan Heng. Others suggested using Gao's death to accuse Chu Guihong and the Qianyu Army of negligence in escorting a high official to force the Emperor to punish Chu.
Yan Yi countered that stabilizing the political situation left by Gao was the immediate priority. Nan Heng ended the discussion, stating he would make his own decisions and dismissing them. After they left, Fugui commented on how quickly officials who had previously served Gao Changyin changed their loyalties. Nan Heng remarked this was typical in power struggles where life and death were secondary.
Fugui then reported that while they hadn't identified the assassins, the weapons and traps found in the cave where Nan Heng and Song Yimeng hid had been placed there two years prior under Nan Heng's orders as Li Shiliu by Alóng and Ahǔ to move weapons from the Residual River Moon when it was almost exposed. Alóng found the cave, and Ahǔ set the traps using Xuanjia Army methods potentially to implicate Nan Heng.
Nan Heng instructed Fugui to halt the assassin investigation for the moment and instead pressure Chu Guihong to release Shangguan He and others from the capital prefecture's prison. Meanwhile, Chu Guihong reported to the Emperor, accusing Nan Heng of assassinating Gao Changyin to silence him regarding Nan Heng's alleged manipulations during the Pingrong Battle. He requested the Emperor reopen the Pingrong Battle investigation to dismantle Nan Heng's power.
The Emperor stated Gao Changyin's dying words were insufficient evidence to reopen the case and ordered Chu Guihong to first focus on finding Gao's killer. Chu Guihong vowed to pursue both investigations to clear his father's and the Qianyu Army's name and remove Nan Heng's influence. Afterward, Chu Guihong instructed Rong Hua to investigate the backgrounds of the Nightwalkers from the Residual River Moon, suspecting fugitives from the Pingrong Battle might be hiding among them.
Chu Guihong then personally went to the capital prefecture's office to oversee the release of Shangguan He and the others. He advised Shangguan He against trusting Nan Heng and invited him to join his side when he was ready to abandon Nan Heng's path. Shangguan He politely refused. As Shangguan He was being processed for release, Song Yiting arrived, prompting Shangguan He to humorously wish he could return to prison.
Rong Hua began a detailed interrogation process for each Nightwalker, using an "electronic spreadsheet" method he credited to "Big Sister-in-law" (Song Yimeng), even selling the method to Poyunlong for ten taels of gold. Song Yiting interrupted, declaring she needed Shangguan He to accompany her to meet her parents regarding the Zijin Pavilion incident, framing it as a discussion about marriage. Shangguan He was visibly startled.
At his residence, Nan Heng discussed his suspicions with Fugui, believing Gao Changyin might have faked his death and was the mastermind behind the assassins. He also suspected Gao had people within the Xuanjia Army assisting his escape. Deciding to use the Nightwalkers to uncover Gao's hidden influence, but concerned about alerting Gao's potential spies within the Xuanjia Army, he chose to send Poyunlong and Duanshanhu for this task.
He assigned Shangguan He, whom he deemed unsuitable for the investigation, another task: staying at the Song Residence. Song Yiting, shrewdly deducing that Nan Heng had sent Shangguan He to monitor Song Yimeng, agreed to let him stay but on the condition that he be available whenever she summoned him, offering him lodging, maids, clothes, food, stipend, and days off in exchange for his "services."
Song Yimeng learned of Gao Changyin's death from Hu Da, her father's attendant, and was shocked, noting how easily the major villain from the original plot had died. Song Yude confirmed the news and warned her not to see Nan Heng due to capital rumors that Nan Heng was responsible. Song Yude mentioned the cause of death involved flammable oil and thunder bombs.
Hearing "flammable oil," Song Yimeng found it familiar and reviewed a border battle report, recalling Nan Heng used flammable oil to burn an enemy granary during a victory at Youcheng. Despite this connection, she insisted Nan Heng would not kill Gao Changyin. Song Yude worried about potential turmoil in Great Jing if the rumors were true. Separately, Nan Rui visited Chu Guihong, bringing a basket of red tangerines.
Inside the basket, Chu Guihong discovered a piece of fabric matching the material of the Qianyu Army's border winter uniforms. He inquired where Nan Rui bought the tangerines, and Nan Rui led him to the market. While there, Chu Guihong spotted a face that seemed familiar. Elsewhere, a character referred to as "Shaojiangjun" sent a message via Lu Yi towards Youcheng.
Meanwhile, Poyunlong identified a specific mark on one of the deceased assassins from the cliff as belonging to the Kou Gang. Posing as businessmen with Duanshanhu, they sought a meeting with the Kou Gang boss to propose a "big business" involving murder. After showing their "sincerity" with currency circulated among the powerful and noble, the Kou Gang agreed to a meeting that night in Jiangsong Forest.
