A Dream Within A Dream Episode 40 (Ending) Recap
> A Dream Within A Dream Recap
At the city's northwest, ambushes were set up by Yunlong's group, striking the Qianyu Army. In the chaos, Song Yude panicked and detonated explosives. Yan, a former Minister of War, arrived with others to aid the Emperor and the Crown Prince, declaring his conscience wouldn't allow him to stay away when they were in trouble. He employed a strategy he called "Close the gates, and release the dogs," although he admitted it wasn't from Sun Tzu's Art of War.
Meanwhile, in the South City, Duan Shanhu and the Nightwalkers were intercepted by the Qianyu Army. Members of the Axe Gang arrived to help, explaining they were doing so because someone named Li Shiliu admitted Duan Shanhu was more handsome than him, though Duan Shanhu doubted Li Shiliu would actually admit it. On Nansheng Street, Song Yiting and her husband, Shangguan He, created a diversion by employing the empty fort strategy, luring the Qianyu Army into a trap.
Song Yimeng had arranged for the Song family women to wait there with large nets, trapping the soldiers and beating them. Jia Ruru and others also joined, throwing itching powder at the soldiers. Inside Huanning Hall, Rong Hua confronted the Emperor with a sword, seeing an imperial edict as incorrect. Jixiang quickly intervened, blocking Rong Hua from the Emperor. Nan Rui arrived with Fugui and others to rescue the Emperor.
When Jixiang was wounded protecting Nan Rui, Nan Rui instantly recalled a previous scene and was determined not to see Jixiang die in front of him again. Rong Hua then demanded the Emperor write a new imperial edict, holding a sword to his neck. Encouraged by Jixiang, and seeing the Emperor threatened, Nan Rui bravely killed Rong Hua with a single sword thrust, earning a look of surprise and respect from the Emperor.
Nan Rui then comforted his father, the Emperor. Near Anhe Pier, Chu Guihong arrived with his Qianyu troops, declaring Nan Heng's death was imminent and boasting that Qianyu reinforcements would arrive immediately. Nan Heng's subordinate reported that the Qianyu rebels on the road, whom Chu Guihong expected as reinforcements, had already been dealt with.
Nan Heng believed victory was certain, but then received news that his 3,000 private soldiers, led by Chancellor Gao, had been ambushed outside the city at Yangui Gorge and incapacitated by anesthetic/poison. Song Yimeng, observing the Qianyu troops, noted their numbers were fewer than the 5,000 mobilized by Chu Guihong, suspecting they might have been divided for an ambush outside the city. Chu Guihong confirmed Nan Heng's reinforcements were trapped and poisoned at Yangui Gorge.
He then rallied his remaining Qianyu troops, declaring Nan Heng a traitor who poisoned the Emperor and planned rebellion, calling for them to act on Heaven's behalf to eradicate him. Suddenly, the Screenwriter appeared, claiming to be Lord Qianyu. He addressed the Qianyu warriors, stating that his son, Chu Guihong, had harmed the Emperor and plotted rebellion, ordering them to join him in eliminating the traitor.
The Qianyu Army was thrown into confusion, unsure whom to follow, with some soldiers choosing to obey the supposed Lord Qianyu. Chu Guihong immediately exposed the Screenwriter, pointing out the man's lack of martial skill compared to his father, the true Lord Qianyu who died in battle, and declaring him an impostor sent by Nan Heng. He appealed to the soldiers' loyalty to his real father and urged them to stand with him.
Meanwhile, outside Huanning Hall, a small group was confronting Chu Guihong's forces. More people began arriving, declaring their support for Nan Heng. Song Yimeng appeared with a large crowd of citizens who had come to help. The citizens stated they weren't there to repay favors but because anyone who brought war and suffering to Great Jing and made the people homeless was their enemy, regardless of who they were.
The Screenwriter, witnessing the large turnout of ordinary citizens and even minor characters, was touched and surprised. An elderly man, whose son and own father had served under the real Lord Qianyu against foreign enemies, stepped forward and questioned why the Qianyu soldiers were now pointing their weapons at their own people instead of external foes.
He reminded them of their past as loyal defenders and heroes and urged them not to follow someone scheming for power down a wrong path. Nan Heng then addressed the Qianyu soldiers, promising that he would only target the main culprits and spare the loyal, offering forgiveness to anyone who abandoned the wrong path and joined the righteous cause, treating them as innocent. Hearing this, a portion of the Qianyu soldiers chose to stand with the citizens.
Infuriated, Chu Guihong charged forward to kill Nan Heng. Shangguan He stopped others from interfering, observing that Nan Heng's backlash power had weakened and he was capable of handling Chu Guihong alone. Nan Heng defeated Chu Guihong, piercing him with his sword but deliberately leaving him alive to be judged by the Emperor. Chu Guihong laughed mockingly, calling Heaven unjust and accusing Nan Heng of hypocrisy, then killed himself.
Nan Heng looked on with regret, recalling a childhood memory of the two of them talking about protecting Great Jing together when they grew up. Later, the Screenwriter spoke with Song Yimeng, admitting he had been too shallow and wrong to try and dictate everyone's destiny, acknowledging that all people, regardless of their role, were living beings. When Song Yimeng asked about the script mechanism, the Screenwriter explained that many things had already changed.
The mechanism where 'when the heroine is in danger, the hero must rescue her' and 'iconic scenes must happen' became invalid when Nan Heng used the mechanism to defeat itself. Now that the "paper characters" had awakened, the backlash mechanism for changing iconic scenes had also ceased to function. He mused that he himself was no longer controlled by fate and might return to his own world soon. Song Yimeng gave him a hug.
Nan Heng was visibly annoyed and mentioned wanting to hit the Screenwriter, but Song Yimeng took his hand and led him away. A few days later, Song Yimeng received a letter from the Screenwriter, confirming he had indeed returned to modern times. He conveyed that any further significant changes in their world were now driven by the individuals themselves, as control had been handed over to everyone. Other characters began shaping their own destinies.
Yingqiu expressed her desire to control her own fate and wished to marry Nan Rui, discussing "pairing literature" and rejecting the idea of pre-determined pairings. Nan Rui found a suitable territory, became skilled at growing rice, and became the best rice farmer in the land. As he was describing his success, Yingqiu appeared, and they embraced, signifying the start of their relationship.
Zhixia became the Chief of the Waning River Crescent, efficiently managing the business and often criticizing the men for their lack of capability in handling tasks like finances and invitations. Shangguan He spent his time with Song Yiting and discussed wanting to have a child with her. Song Yiting revealed she had made a wish to the Screenwriter for men to be able to get pregnant, causing Shangguan He to worry as he felt he had gained weight recently.
The Consort and Zhou Xueyi became companions and decided to leave the palace and their loveless marriage to the Emperor and Song Yude, giving them '休书' (breakup/divorce letters) and seeking new adventures in the wider world. Fugui took on the responsibility of guarding the border gate of Great Jing, explaining that because Nan Heng's heart now held the entire nation, Fugui's home was wherever Nan Heng's responsibility lay, which was the border.
Yao Qian arrived with 3,000 private soldiers and joined Fugui's command, seeking a deputy position, which Fugui found annoying. The Emperor abdicated, and Nan Heng ascended to the throne, fulfilling his ideal of protecting all the people. Song Yimeng felt a sense of triumph, likening it to a top female celebrity walking the red carpet as the Empress. Months later, Nan Heng impatiently wondered what Song Yimeng was doing.
She finally returned, and he feigned illness to garner sympathy, but she quickly saw through his act. He expressed how much he missed her, noting she had been gone for three months. She teased him, saying she would have stayed filming with an actor named Nan Feng for three months if she knew he was so clingy. Nan Heng became jealous and disparaged Nan Feng's appearance, comparing him to a compass.
Song Yimeng reassured him, stating she could never like someone like that and promising that from now on, he would be the only one she did scenes with, referencing their promise of "white head, same heart." He commented on her improved English and brought up their other code phrase, "Heng sweeps through domestic entertainment" (珩扫内娱), which she playfully interpreted as a type of "delicious fish," implying she was the delicious fish. In the modern world, Song Xiaoyu woke up abruptly.
Her agent rushed her to get ready for makeup and fitting, warning her not to be late. On set, Song Xiaoyu saw actor Nan Feng, who strongly resembled Nan Heng. She approached him, but he looked at her blankly, asking what she wanted. Disappointed, Song Xiaoyu turned to leave. As she walked away, the actor called out her character's name, "Song Yimeng," followed by the code phrase, "white head, same heart."
Song Xiaoyu's eyes widened, recognizing him and realizing he was Nan Heng. The screenwriter Zhuang Liu later commented that the screenwriter Bixiong was just a minor character whom she had written back to modern times, musing about the possibility that the entire story wasn't just "Dream of Qingning" but perhaps "A Dream Within A Dream," suggesting that if that were the case, they would continue changing their fate until their last breath.
