A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College Episode 25 Recap
> A Female Student Arrives at the Imperial College Recap
Following the exposure of Wei Zhan Hong's false accusations against Grand Commandant Sang, His Majesty ordered Wei Zhan Hong’s apprehension and transfer to the Prefecture Court for thorough investigation. Yan San Lang was given full authority to oversee the case, including the interrogation and custody of Wei Zhan Hong. Yan Yunzhi and Sang Qi then seized the opportunity to request that His Majesty revoke the imperial marriage bestowal.
However, His Majesty declared that the marriage was a grace bestowed upon Su Jieyu, and any alteration would first require her consent before he would consider it. After leaving the palace, Yan San Lang, still somewhat perplexed by the revelations concerning Wei Zhan Hong, immediately sought clarification from Yan Yunzhi and Sang Qi about the entire scheme.
Yan Yunzhi, seeing Sang Qi burdened with worry over her father’s predicament, promised her that he would find a way to save Grand Commandant Sang. He assured her that even if His Majesty insisted on the marriage bestowal, he would never separate from her. Sang Qi, unwilling to see Yan Yunzhi defy a royal decree and face punishment, suggested a risky strategy.
Yan Yunzhi initially expressed reluctance to put Sang Qi in harm's way, but she vowed to return safely, convinced that careful planning would ensure their success. Their immediate task was to locate Wei Zhan Hong, whose trail had vanished across Bianjing. They suspected he might be hidden within Zhuo Residence.
Sang Qi recalled her previous visit to Zhuo Wen Yuan’s mansion, where she had noticed an unusual number of highly skilled guards for a civil official’s home, leading her to believe they were either protecting someone important or guarding against something. Yan Yunzhi, ever cautious, speculated that Zhuo Wen Yuan might have deliberately orchestrated this observation to lure Sang Qi into a trap. With no other options, they decided to take the risk.
Thus, Yan Yunzhi and Sang Qi devised a meticulous plan to deceive Zhuo Wen Yuan, making him believe his schemes had succeeded and Sang Qi was cornered. Upon her second entry into Zhuo Residence, Sang Qi meticulously observed the courtyard layout, noting guards stationed at the back entrance and a maid delivering food, which led her to deduce that Wei Zhan Hong was likely concealed in the backyard.
She then sought out Song Jiayin, planning to exploit Song Jiayin's feelings for Zhuo Wen Yuan to facilitate a switch. Sang Qi shrewdly reminded Song Jiayin that in the pursuit of love, the means were secondary to the outcome. When Song Jiayin hesitated, Sang Qi provoked her, threatening to marry Zhuo Wen Yuan herself, which would relegate Song Jiayin to the status of a mere concubine. This infuriated the proud Song Jiayin, who quickly agreed to help.
Aware that Zhuo Wen Yuan was constantly monitoring them, Yan Yunzhi and Sang Qi orchestrated a dramatic farewell scene the night before the wedding. This served two purposes: it appeased Zhuo Wen Yuan’s suspicions, and it allowed Sang Qi to discreetly pass Yan Yunzhi a map of Zhuo Residence along with the evacuation routes for their operation.
On the wedding day, Yan Yunzhi directed Yan Yan to stage a feigned attack on Zhuo Residence, while Bai Shi pretended to infiltrate, distracting the guards. Yan Yunzhi himself intercepted the wedding procession, buying crucial time. As the bride's palanquin moved, no one noticed a woman, Sang Qi, sneaking into the mansion. Inside, with the help of an unknown accomplice, Sang Qi successfully extracted Wei Zhan Hong.
After hearing the detailed account, Yan San Lang applauded their cleverness, jokingly suggesting they could become famous actors. Just then, Zhuo Wen Yuan appeared. Yan Yunzhi, gripping Sang Qi’s hand, walked past him with composure. Zhuo Wen Yuan then openly confessed his fault to His Majesty, stating he had been misled by Wei Zhan Hong, whom he had trusted as a former schoolmate.
Noble Consort Zhuo seized the opportunity to plead for leniency for her nephew, emphasizing his youth and loyalty. His Majesty, moved by her plea, pardoned Zhuo Wen Yuan. Later, Noble Consort Zhuo sternly chastised Zhuo Wen Yuan for the trouble caused by "the daughter of the Sang family." She also noted that Song Jiayin's presence in Zhuo Residence could be leveraged to bind the Song family to them.
With things coming to this pass, Noble Consort Zhuo chillingly revealed the true circumstances of Sang Yu’s death. She explained that Sang Yu had accidentally seen something incriminating on a list from an apothecary. Concluding that "only dead men can keep secrets," she had him eliminated. Zhuo Wen Yuan was deeply shaken by this revelation, but with the irreversible turn of events, he felt he had no choice but to continue down his chosen path.
Yan San Lang successfully located the ledger, but a group of black-clad assassins suddenly emerged from the woods. Fortunately, Yan Yunzhi had anticipated this and had Yan Yan secretly stationed in the area. The attackers, being desperate men, committed suicide rather than be captured. Despite this, Yan San Lang, with the aid of the ledger, uncovered a suspicious land transaction involving an apothecary where Sang Yu had purchased medicine before his death.
The apothecary had changed hands multiple times, eventually falling under Wei Zhan Hong’s name. The ledger indicated a seller named Zhang Xiu Ping, who was nowhere to be found in official records. Yan Yunzhi and Sang Qi quickly went to the Archive to investigate, where Scholar Feng, after some reluctance, identified "Zhang Xiu Ping" as Madam Zhang, the proprietor of Qingfeng Restaurant, recalling an old acquaintance with the same name.
They discovered that Madam Zhang had recently moved into Zhuo Residence as an attendant to Qian Jiu, indicating a connection to Western Zhao. They decided to observe Madam Zhang closely, hoping she would make a move that would provide more evidence. Meanwhile, Qian Jiu expressed her frustrations to Zhuo Wen Yuan.
She recounted secretly escorting Wei Zhan Hong back, expecting Zhuo Wen Yuan to use him as a bargaining chip to secure Sang Qi's marriage and then facilitate Grand Commandant Sang's release. However, Zhuo Wen Yuan's failure to marry Sang Qi and Wei Zhan Hong's confession of the ledger had put their Western Zhao operatives in Bianjing at risk.
Qian Jiu felt that Zhuo Wen Yuan cared only for Sang Qi and had shown no genuine loyalty to their cause, suggesting he merely viewed Wei Zhan Hong as a means to his personal end. Separately, Qian Jiu reported to her superior that the attempt to retrieve the ledger had failed.
Her superior then expressed concern about Zhuo Wen Yuan's reliability, fearing that with his new position in the Ministry of Personnel and his alliance with the Song family, Western Zhao might become expendable. The superior also implicitly warned Qian Jiu about her growing personal attachment to Zhuo Wen Yuan. Separately, Yan Yunzhi faced personal pressure regarding his imperial marriage. His mother urged him to set a wedding date with Lan, the woman His Majesty intended him to marry.
While Lan politely stated she had no intention of rushing him, Yan Yunzhi firmly rejected the notion of marriage with her. He declared that he would only marry Sang Qi and urged Lan not to waste her time on him. He then quickly left, claiming an urgent matter in the case. Yan Yunzhi and Sang Qi reviewed the ledger. While it contained the record of the apothecary land transaction, it offered no other immediate useful clues.
However, they were relieved that the ledger did not implicate Grand Commandant Sang, suggesting his release was imminent. Despite the limited direct evidence, Yan Yunzhi expressed confidence that this single land transaction, combined with further strategic planning, could be used to expose Western Zhao by luring their leadership out into the open.
