A League of Nobleman Episode 26 Recap
> A League of Nobleman Recap
Two months later, Zhang Ping returned to the Capital City but was immediately spotted by the Imperial Guards upon arrival. Fortunately, Chen Chou helped him conceal his tracks and avoid capture. Zhang Ping wanted to seek out Lan Jue to discuss avenging those they had lost, but Chen Chou was solely concerned about Zhang Ping's safety. He insisted Zhang Ping stay hidden until daybreak so he could help him leave the city, urging him never to return.
Chen Chou declared Zhang Ping's survival was paramount and he would not let him leave unless it was over his dead body. Zhang Ping told Chen Chou he understood his reasoning but felt there were things he had to do. To himself, he whispered about the awful world where good people suffer, questioning if one could only respond to evil with evil. Meanwhile, Lan Jue was troubled by a dream.
He dreamt of his desire for revenge leading him to kill the Empress Dowager, but in the same dream, he witnessed her death plunge the nation into chaos, causing even more people to become displaced. Startled awake, Lan Jue remembered his father's teachings: "A gentleman does not pursue mean goals; his pursuits are always just. A gentleman does not act falsely; his actions are always righteous."
In the dream, his father had shown him this chaotic world as the result of meeting evil with evil. Troubled by the potential consequences of violent revenge, Lan Jue spent the night reflecting before his father's memorial tablet, pondering the right path to avenge his father. Zhang Ping, while Chen Chou was asleep, quietly left the house.
On the street, he discreetly passed a note to someone to deliver to Lan Jue, arranging to meet the following day at noon in the Guiyi Community. When Chen Chou woke up, he discovered Zhang Ping had left but found some of his favorite food prepared for him along with a note. In the note, Zhang Ping expressed gratitude for Chen Chou's constant care, acknowledging that he had done little in return.
He explained that some things he had to do, hoped the food was a small repayment, and urged Chen Chou to eat well and take care of himself, especially if they were not to meet again. Chen Chou was deeply touched, realizing Zhang Ping still remembered his preferences. The next day, Lan Jue arrived at the Guiyi Community, where many displaced people had gathered, some receiving money distributed by the Ministry of Rites.
Zhang Ping was hiding among the crowd to avoid detection by the authorities who were searching the area. Lan Jue and Zhang Ping managed to find a private room to talk. Zhang Ping revealed he had uncovered the truth: Gu Qingzhang was the real prince, who had been switched thirty years prior at the Resurrection Array.
Lan Jue confirmed this, stating Gu Qingzhang had confessed everything to him, including being Mr. Jinghu, and was now serving as a doctor in the palace. Gu Qingzhang planned to cause widespread chaos at the upcoming Qianqiu Ceremony to make the Empress Dowager fall from the peak of her power and had invited Lan Jue to join him in seeking revenge against her. Lan Jue acknowledged the Empress Dowager's numerous crimes and their shared deep-seated hatred for her.
However, he described Shulin (Gu Qingzhang) as being consumed by his desperate desire for revenge, acting like "gunpowder" without regard for innocent lives. He warned that if Gu Qingzhang triggered instability at the ceremony, the consequences could be severe, ranging from turmoil in the central government to chaos throughout the world. Given Gu Qingzhang's meticulous planning over many years, Lan Jue believed it would be difficult to stop him entirely, even if they managed to control him.
He concluded there was only one path left: go to Hanyuan Hall and tell the Empress Dowager the truth, urging her to cancel the ceremony to prevent Gu Qingzhang's plan. He was aware that after learning everything, the Empress Dowager would almost certainly kill them both to cover her crimes, meaning there would be no chance to clear his father's name or avenge Zhang Ping's clansmen.
Weighing the options, Lan Jue decided they must choose the lesser of two evils, prioritize defusing the immediate threat ("the gunpowder") to stabilize the situation, and hope they might survive until the Emperor's return to find a way to punish the Empress Dowager. As soldiers approached their location, Lan Jue told Zhang Ping that the decision was made and he should leave first, reflecting that he might not be able to clear his father's name after all.
The following day, Zhang Ping proceeded with the risky plan. Since the Empress Dowager had stopped meeting people after being burned and only Shulin could enter Hanyuan Hall daily to apply medicine, Zhang Ping decided to pose as Dr. Gu's apprentice during Shulin's scheduled time to infiltrate the hall. Lan Jue had arranged for someone to obtain a copy of the burn medicine prescription Shulin used to help Zhang Ping gain credibility with the guards.
Zhang Ping successfully entered Hanyuan Hall. There, he revealed his identity as Zhang Ping to the Empress Dowager and disclosed that Gu Qingzhang was her own son, the one she had tried to kill years ago, and that he was now lurking near her, waiting to take revenge. Meanwhile, Lan Jue found Gu Qingzhang (Shulin) to delay him and attempt to learn more about his plan.
Lan Jue spoke with Shulin, reminiscing about their past friendship formed through calligraphy and painting, calling it the "freest time" of his life and wishing they could return to those days. He then asked Shulin directly if he had indeed drunk the poisoned wine meant for him ten years ago.
Shulin confirmed he did, explaining that at that very moment, he had just learned the person who wanted to kill him was his own mother, leaving him feeling utterly hopeless and tired of life. He recounted that by some providence he had survived, and from that moment on, his sole purpose in living was revenge. Lan Jue expressed regret for not knowing the depth of his suffering.
Lan Jue then presented Shulin with a calligraphy piece he had written after Shulin left without saying goodbye, reciting the lines about the pain of parting and how his old friend visited his dreams, showing he was always remembered. Lan Jue offered to join Shulin in his revenge, assuring him that his father's name would be cleared after the Qianqiu Ceremony. Knowing Shulin had planned meticulously but hadn't shared details, Lan Jue asked what he could do to help.
Their conversation was interrupted by a report that someone claiming to be Dr. Gu's apprentice had entered Hanyuan Hall. Shulin immediately left for the hall. Upon entering Hanyuan Hall, Shulin saw Zhang Ping with the Empress Dowager. Recognizing him by his childhood name, Kuruo, Shulin reminisced about their time together in Moluo Village, speaking of the Sacred Lake, the apricot trees, and bookmarks Zhang Ping's mother made.
He then declared that all that beauty was destroyed because the Empress Dowager, in her thirst for power, was willing to kill her own son and wipe out their peaceful village. He vowed to dismantle everything she had worked for and ensure she received the most severe punishment. Zhang Ping (Kuruo) refused to stand with him, arguing that his path would only create more misery and that he would not seek revenge for their mother and clansmen in this way.
Shulin challenged Zhang Ping, asking if he understood true misery, having had a good mother and master and living a carefree life for years. He recounted his own traumatic past: sleeping on the hill behind the Sacred Lake, being woken by an explosion and seeing a scarlet mist over the village, rushing back to find all the villagers "fixed in death," overhearing the search for a ten-year-old boy with a night-blooming cereus headdress, realizing they were sent to kill him.
He described using the clan whistle to make the lake water boil, temporarily scaring them away, and then sneaking back to hide the headdress on a dead boy his age to ensure his survival. He spoke of enduring ten years of hardship, scorn, and ridicule, returning to the Capital City only to discover his own mother had ordered his death.
He questioned why she brought him into the world only to send him to suffering, wishing he had died peacefully in the mist or from the poisoned wine given to Lan Jue, feeling that would have been a blessing compared to his life. He urged Zhang Ping to give up the fight to end his suffering.
He asked if Zhang Ping could truly feel his pain, then claimed he could not, suggesting that if Zhang Ping had returned just ten days earlier, he would have seen his master's body exposed on the city gate tower, a final act of filial duty he missed. Shulin then produced a dagger and handed it to Zhang Ping, commanding him to kill the Empress Dowager to avenge their mother, clansmen, and his master.
Zhang Ping refused the command, stating that he could feel Shulin's pain and hate, but hate could not cure hate, and now that the Empress Dowager knew the truth, it should be over. Shulin scornfully asked if it was truly over. He then controlled Zhang Ping and forced him towards the Empress Dowager, killing her using Zhang Ping. Just then, Lan Jue arrived. The Empress Dowager lay dead. Shulin asked Lan Jue who had killed her. To Shulin's apparent surprise, Lan Jue declared that Zhang Ping had assassinated the Empress Dowager and ordered the guards to take him down.
