An Oriental Odyssey Episode 33 Recap
> An Oriental Odyssey Recap
Zhao Lanzhi and Ming Hui detained all the jewelers and antique dealers in the city, but none of them knew anything about the Nine Divine Beads. Ming Hui grew impatient, reminding Zhao Lanzhi that only three days remained and everyone would face death if the beads weren't found. She urged him to resort to torture to extract information, brushing aside his concerns about legal propriety. Under immense pressure, Zhao Lanzhi reluctantly agreed.
Meanwhile, Ye Yuanan sat alone at a restaurant, eating a chicken leg and reminiscing about her time with Mu Le. The memories brought her immense pain, as she struggled to comprehend that Mu Le had truly abandoned her. Ming Hui discovered Ye Yuanan there and angrily confronted her, calling her a "calamity star" and criticizing her for wallowing in self-pity while others were frantically searching for the beads.
Ye Yuanan retorted that she had been tricked and betrayed, calling herself "stupid." When Ye Yuanan refused to join the search, stating she was tired and not afraid of death, Ming Hui slapped her. Ming Hui declared she was trying to "wake up" Ye Yuanan, chastising her as a "trouble-maker and good-for-nothing" who caused problems and then expected others to clean up her mess.
Ming Hui passionately urged Ye Yuanan to channel her anger over Mu Le's deception into action, reminding her that if the Nine Divine Beads weren't found, everyone, including Ming Hui and Zhao Lanzhi, would perish. Ming Hui's words finally resonated with Ye Yuanan, stirring her resolve to find Mu Le and make him regret his actions. Zhao Lanzhi, Ming Hui, and Ye Yuanan then went to the prison to interrogate Li Gui, the slave trader who had sold Mu Le.
Li Gui, recognizing Ye Yuanan from her past disguise, recalled picking up Mu Le outside the Annan Region. With Ming Hui’s menacing presence and Zhao Lanzhi's offer of leniency, Li Gui remembered the exact location: a dangerous road in the southwest area of Annan Region, often used for smuggling opium. He recounted finding a disoriented and speechless Mu Le along that road. Zhao Lanzhi then asked where the other end of that road led.
Li Gui mentioned "Xiuluo or Tuoluo Kingdom," which Zhao Lanzhi corrected to "Suoluo Kingdom," explaining his prior experience working on the Annan borders. Ye Yuanan suddenly recalled Mu Le often muttering the phrase "Huole De Tuotuo." Zhao Lanzhi immediately dispatched officers with a note bearing these words to inquire among the Suoluo people in the city. A Suoluo merchant named Ling Xi recognized the phrase and revealed that "Huole De Tuotuo" translated to "Nine Divine Beads."
Ling Xi was brought before Zhao Lanzhi, Ming Hui, and Ye Yuanan. He initially denied knowing the person in Mu Le’s portrait. However, when Ye Yuanan threatened to roast his prized blue bat, Ling Xi confessed. He revealed that the Emperor and Empress of Suoluo had two sons, Eldest Prince Heng and Second Prince Ying, and the man in the portrait resembled Prince Ying. Ye Yuanan was stunned to hear Mu Le was a prince.
Zhao Lanzhi immediately concluded that Prince Ying had sinister intentions, disguising himself as a servant merely to steal the Nine Divine Beads. Ye Yuanan, still in disbelief that a commoner would know a prince, questioned Ling Xi. Ling Xi explained that as a merchant specializing in reselling servants, he occasionally visited the palace with high-ranking clients and had seen Prince Ying there.
Zhao Lanzhi reported Mu Le's true identity as Prince Ying of Suoluo to the Empress, detailing his cunning plan to disguise himself as a servant to steal the Nine Divine Beads. The Empress was enraged, intending to send an army to Suoluo, but Zhao Lanzhi urged caution, citing the suffering of civilians, Suoluo's fierce people, and the lack of concrete evidence that the theft was royally sanctioned.
He volunteered to go to Suoluo secretly to retrieve the beads, and Ming Hui also offered to accompany him. However, Ye Yuanan insisted that the task belonged to her since Mu Le had deceived her personally. Despite the Empress's initial concern about Ye Yuanan's relationship with Mu Le, Ye Yuanan declared their bond irreparable and asserted herself as the most suitable person to reclaim the beads.
The Empress then ordered Ye Yuanan, Zhao Lanzhi, and Ming Hui to go together and recover the beads within a month. Yet, Ye Yuanan pleaded to go alone, reasoning that if she died, it wouldn't be too late to send others. She only requested to see her father before departing. The Empress granted her wish, while Ming Hui privately scoffed at Ye Yuanan's audacity, believing it to be a suicide mission. Ye Yuanan visited her father in prison.
She tearfully apologized for the hardship her family was enduring and promised to return as soon as she retrieved the Nine Divine Beads so they could be reunited. Her father expressed worry and self-blame, urging her to take care of herself. Afterward, Zhao Lanzhi pulled Ye Yuanan aside, proposing an alternative plan: she should leave Luoyang with Ling Xi as instructed, but instead of going to Suoluo, she should wait at a courier station a hundred "li" away.
He would then bring her father, mother, and brother there, allowing them all to escape. Zhao Lanzhi believed the mission to Suoluo was impossible and wanted her to seize this chance to flee. Ye Yuanan was surprised by his willingness to break the law, but she refused his offer, declaring her firm resolve to not only save her family and retrieve the beads but also to confront Mu Le face-to-face about his deception.
She told Zhao Lanzhi that if he truly cared, he should prepare a bottle of good wine for her farewell. In Suoluo Kingdom, the King lay gravely ill. General Bokai, fearing the kingdom would be without a ruler, urged the council to immediately release Prince Heng from his pagoda imprisonment to inherit the throne. However, Queen Tuoyue fiercely opposed this, reminding everyone that Prince Heng was a sinner whom the King himself had confined.
She argued that Prince Heng was not the only heir and that they should await Prince Ying's return. General Bokai, accusing her of having ambitions for power, dismissed Prince Ying as possibly dead, given his prolonged absence. Just as General Bokai ordered his soldiers to forcibly bring Prince Heng to the palace, Prince Ying dramatically reappeared, thwarting the general's plans.
Prince Ying immediately presented the Nine Divine Beads to Master Fale, urging him to use their power to heal the ailing King. The mystical energy of the beads successfully restored the King's health, drawing cheers from the court and leaving General Bokai utterly defeated. From his imprisonment, Prince Heng observed a shining star, realizing that Prince Ying had returned.
Queen Tuoyue tearfully embraced Prince Ying, relieved at his safe return and grateful for him bringing back the Divine Beads, which saved both the King and the kingdom. Noticing a wound on his arm, she asked who had hurt him, to which Prince Ying coldly responded that he had forgotten "all the things and people in Tang." The next day, Zhao Lanzhi and Ming Hui came to see Ye Yuanan off.
Zhao Lanzhi cautioned her about the dangerous and unpredictable journey to Suoluo, while Ming Hui bluntly reminded her that many lives depended on her returning with the Divine Beads. Tianshu also appeared, heavily disguised, to bid her farewell. He warned her that Suoluo was a land of hot weather, noxious insects, and widespread witchcraft, advising her to always be cautious and avoid rash actions. He then presented her with three brocade pouches, labeled "Sky," "Earth," and "People."
The "Sky" and "Earth" pouches were to be opened when she was trapped or had run out of ideas, while the "People" pouch could only be opened after she retrieved the Nine Divine Beads. Ye Yuanan, though initially impatient, promised to follow his instructions. Zhao Lanzhi, fulfilling her request, brought a partially eaten chicken leg as a farewell gift, offering it to help her acclimatize.
Ye Yuanan gratefully accepted his care, reiterated her determination, and asked him to look after her family before finally departing. After Ye Yuanan left, Tianshu mused to Zhao Lanzhi and Ming Hui that Ye Yuanan was a lucky, brave, and intelligent girl who would surely return safely. He then casually mentioned that he never imagined such a situation would arise so quickly after Ye Yuanan and Mu Le got married and entered their bridal chamber.
Zhao Lanzhi was utterly shocked, asking when they had married. Tianshu revealed it was the very night Zhao Lanzhi himself had married, and he had even served as a witness. Ming Hui, though amused by the irony, wondered if Ye Yuanan would be able to deal ruthlessly with the "Divine Beads thief" given their past connection. Tianshu assured her not to worry, hinting at a trump card if Ye Yuanan faltered.
Ye Yuanan and Ling Xi began their journey to Suoluo. Ye Yuanan, being commanding and impatient, infuriated Ling Xi, who secretly plotted to get rid of her. He suggested they stop at a hostel for a rest, ostensibly for the horses. At the "Bamboo Forest Inn," the innkeeper, who knew Ling Xi, mistook Ye Yuanan for a female slave he intended to sell, commenting on her good looks and potential profit.
Ling Xi, claiming Ye Yuanan was a distant relative, ordered food and two rooms. While they drank, Ling Xi toasted Ye Yuanan, praising her as a heroine, before excusing himself. Ye Yuanan, who had been drugged, soon feigned unconsciousness. Ling Xi then conspired with the innkeeper to sell Ye Yuanan to local bandits for a profit. However, as they celebrated, the treacherous innkeeper also drugged Ling Xi, leaving him unconscious as well.
