An Oriental Odyssey Episode 35 Recap
> An Oriental Odyssey Recap
The Empress summoned the members of Prince Yu Mansion to Zhenguan Hall, reminding them that she had made it clear that if the Divine Beads were not found, everyone would die. She expressed surprise that they managed to convince the Emperor to ask for leniency on their behalf. Prince Yu quickly reported that the loss of the beads had nothing to do with them, asserting that the Divine Beads were lost due to Zhao Lanzhi's negligence.
He claimed that while Zhao Lanzhi and Minghui were married in name, they were strangers in reality, and asked the Empress to do justice for Minghui, indicating their desire to dissociate from Zhao Lanzhi. The Empress understood their intention to seek favor for the Prince Yu Mansion but not for Zhao Lanzhi. She then questioned Minghui directly. Minghui's brother urged her to detail Zhao Lanzhi's cruel indifference.
Minghui confirmed her brother's words, admitting that since their marriage, they had never performed any marital deeds and were like strangers. The Empress recalled Minghui's past determination to marry Zhao Lanzhi and asked if she now regretted it and wished to leave him. Minghui confessed her mistake, acknowledging her naivety in thinking marriage alone would bring happiness and admitting that she should have followed the Empress's advice.
Impressed that the proud Princess Minghui admitted her error, and considering the Emperor's intervention, the Empress announced that the noble titles of the House of Prince Yu and Princess Minghui would be restored. However, Minghui immediately refused to reclaim her title and earnestly pleaded with the Empress to pardon Zhao Lanzhi and reinstate him to the Court of Judicature and Revision. Her brother was shocked, calling her insane.
The Empress was angered by Minghui treating the palace as a place for childish play, but agreed that reinstating Zhao Lanzhi was not impossible. As a condition, she ordered Minghui to stand in the freezing Xuanwu Pond for six hours. Minghui's brother pleaded for mercy, citing the pond's year-round icy water, but Minghui bravely accepted the punishment. The Empress dismissed them, telling Minghui she was on her own.
Prince Yu, frustrated, confronted Zhao Lanzhi, demanding to know what spell he had cast on Minghui, mentioning her sudden change of heart after initially agreeing to their family's plan. Zhao Lanzhi was confused, unaware of Minghui's sacrifice. Meanwhile, palace maids by the Xuanwu Pond remarked on the freezing water and Minghui's touching display of love for Zhao Lanzhi, enduring the punishment on his behalf. Zhao Lanzhi, now informed, rushed to the pond and found Minghui.
He urged her to leave, stating he would rather remain unemployed than have her sacrifice her health. Minghui insisted it was her choice, claiming the Empress wanted her to cool down, and the chill might "damp down her affection" towards him. Seeing he couldn't persuade her, Zhao Lanzhi joined Minghui in the icy water, choosing to suffer with her.
The Emperor witnessed their shared ordeal and, feeling his age, reminisced to the Empress about their own past, recalling how he once braved a chilly February rain just to keep an appointment to see her, noting that only true love possessed such magical power. The Empress retorted that Minghui refused to listen to her advice that lasting romance requires equal affection and had married the wrong man, implying Minghui needed to learn her lesson alone.
The Emperor, however, advised the Empress that finding the Divine Beads was a matter of fate and karma, and practicing good deeds and forgiving wrongdoers might aid their recovery. Moved by his words, the Empress finally relented. The Empress immediately issued an order for Minghui and Zhao Lanzhi to return home. Minghui's title was restored, and Zhao Lanzhi was reinstated to the Court of Judicature and Revision, assisting in case investigations under close watch.
Upon hearing the news, Minghui, weak from the cold, collapsed. A doctor diagnosed her with cold current stagnation, a wind-cold attacking her heart, and prescribed warming medicine. Zhao Lanzhi cared for Minghui, offering her pear cream candy to lessen the bitterness of her medicine, a practice his mother used when he was a child. Minghui, however, gently rejected his kindness, saying she wasn't worth it.
Zhao Lanzhi, prompted by Minghui's brother, asked her why she suddenly changed her mind and sacrificed for him. Minghui replied that she simply did whatever pleased her. Zhao Lanzhi then opened up, admitting he didn't dare disobey the Empress's marriage order but also couldn't pretend their situation was fine. He questioned why, despite his coldness, she would risk her life to ask for his pardon.
Minghui confessed her selfishness and unscrupulousness, but also revealed herself as an ordinary girl who cared about certain things and people—first her family, and now him. She acknowledged his affection for Ye Yuanan and Yuanan's loyalty but asserted she could do everything Ye Yuanan did for him, and more. Zhao Lanzhi admitted he believed her efforts but disliked her methods.
He lamented that they could have been close friends, but too much had happened, creating a gap between them that even marriage couldn't bridge. Minghui, feeling pathetic that the only man she desired didn't love her, decided to let him go. She declared there was no point in swallowing her pride to please him and wished for him to be free.
She then asked him to leave, claiming a headache, and Zhao Lanzhi departed without looking back, leaving a tearful Minghui alone. Meanwhile, Ye Yuanan and Lingxi arrived in Suoluo. Ye Yuanan, seeing the tight security around the royal palace, wondered how to enter. Lingxi assured her that with him, she would easily enter and see "Prince Ying, who she misses so much." Ye Yuanan vehemently corrected him, stating she longed to kill Mu Le.
Prince Ying, while bathing, felt a persistent pain in his left arm, unable to recall how he got the wound. He dismissed the maids, stating he could dress himself. Queen Tuo Yue, arriving, chided the maids for being unruly and sent them away, then personally tended to Prince Ying. She noted his significant changes since his return and wondered what he experienced in the Tang Kingdom that made him less princely.
Zhenzhen revealed that Prince Ying had been taken in by an official's family and served as a slave, specifically a horse boy. Shocked and heartbroken, Queen Tuo Yue immediately ordered Zhenzhen to replace all the "unruly" maids with clever new ones, inadvertently creating an opportunity for Ye Yuanan. Lingxi leveraged a past favor from Eunuch Yingwa, a palace official in charge of maid and eunuch recruitment, to arrange Ye Yuanan's entry.
Ye Yuanan was to replace Miss Nana, Lord Shiwag's daughter, as palace maid, as Lord Shiwag was reluctant for his own daughter to serve in that capacity. Lingxi eased Ye Yuanan's concerns about getting caught, calling it a "win-win" situation. However, Lingxi worried about Ye Yuanan's lack of skills, as palace maids needed to be well-trained and talented, not just well-behaved. During the maid selection process, Ye Yuanan was first sent to the embroidery workshop.
Her embroidery was abysmal, but Eunuch Yingwa, having been bribed, secretly swapped it with a beautiful piece. When the Chief Steward admired the swapped embroidery, Ye Yuanan confidently claimed it as her own, stating her dedication to becoming a royal maiden. Next came the dancing assessment, where Ye Yuanan's performance was comically bad, drawing laughter. Fortunately, Lingxi had anticipated this and taught her some magic tricks. Ye Yuanan then presented her tricks, impressing the Chief Steward.
She cleverly argued that while other maidens could dance, she was the only one with unique tricks that could also please a master. Convinced, the Chief Steward included Ye Yuanan in the list of selected maids. Just as Ye Yuanan was celebrating her success, Zhenzhen arrived to inspect the new recruits. Zhenzhen found Ye Yuanan vaguely familiar, recalling "the girl on Huodu Mountain," but ultimately dismissed the resemblance, not realizing Ye Yuanan would be in Suoluo.
Ye Yuanan, as Nana, was successfully admitted but was quickly assigned to the linen room to learn laundry, with the palace official informing her that Prince Ying was not easily accessible.
