An Oriental Odyssey Episode 37 Recap
> An Oriental Odyssey Recap
Ye Yuanan, disguised as Nana, was put to work in the palace, doing numerous chores assigned by Prince Ying. The other palace maids were openly hostile towards her, even demanding she smile while washing clothes, which infuriated Nana. However, she endured the hardship, determined to stay and retrieve the Nine Stars Heavenly Beads. Lingxi secretly visited Nana, bringing her food.
Nana complained bitterly about her treatment in the Suoluo palace, feeling both tortured and enslaved, and still disgusted by whatever she was made to drink previously. Lingxi, with a smirk, revealed it was blue bat saliva. Nana was repulsed and expressed her desire to immediately get her belongings and return home, wishing she could strangle Mu Le. Lingxi, however, advised Nana not to let Prince Ying off easily, reminding her of the suffering he caused.
He suggested she should torture Prince Ying slowly, finding amusement in the process. Nana not only worked all day without food but was also denied sleep at night, forced by the palace rules to work an overnight shift. Realizing she couldn't sleep, Nana decided to use the opportunity to search Prince Ying's chambers for the Heavenly Beads. Her search inadvertently led her to Prince Ying's bathing area, where she found him taking a bath.
While bathing, Prince Ying experienced fleeting memories of his life in Chang'an but still couldn't recall Ye Yuanan. He then noticed Nana's suspicious presence. Convinced she was lying about her purpose, he demanded the truth. Nana offered a vague excuse, attempting to flee, but Prince Ying quickly threw her into the water. Soaked and furious, Nana retaliated by snatching away the cloth he was wrapped in, just as other palace maids arrived to serve Prince Ying.
The maids were astonished, leading to immediate speculation about an affair between Prince Ying and Nana. Word of Nana's supposed affair with Prince Ying spread like wildfire throughout the palace. The maids who had previously tormented Nana, fearing her potential rise to power and subsequent revenge, abruptly changed their attitude, becoming exceptionally polite and accommodating. Nana found this sudden shift in their behavior amusing, noting that snobbery truly knew no bounds, regardless of where one was.
Meanwhile, Empress Tuoyue, frustrated that her precious wuli flower had never bloomed, decided to send it to Prince Ying. She hoped this seemingly impossible task—the flower was said to bloom only at midnight when the moon was at its zenith, requiring three drops of rootless water (rain)—would occupy him and redirect his focus. Prince Ying, noticing the strange looks and whispers from everyone in the palace, suspected Nana was behind the rumors. Angry, he confronted her, though she feigned innocence.
He challenged her to make the wuli flower bloom by nightfall, stating that if she succeeded, she could remain in the palace, but if not, she would be expelled immediately. Nana pointed out the absurdity of the task, as a clear night (when the moon is at its zenith) meant no rain, and thus no "rootless water." Despite the impossible odds, Prince Ying's challenge spurred her to accept.
Later that night, as Nana waited in the courtyard with the wuli flower, complaining about the task and the thundering but rainless sky, Prince Heng was performing a magical ritual in a pagoda. He implored his "dear blue bat" to use its powerful magic to protect his dearest friend. At the same moment, Prince Ying, startled by the thunder, collapsed. Nana rushed to his chamber and saw a reddish glow on his arm, momentarily transforming.
She wondered if Zhao Lanzhi's previous warning about Prince Ying being a monster was true. The arm quickly reverted to normal, leaving her to ponder the strangeness of Suoluo. Nana helped Prince Ying to bed. He woke feeling as if he had been burned. To soothe him, Nana sang a lullaby, the same one she used to sing to her "horse servant" who was afraid of thunder.
Prince Ying remarked that the song sounded familiar and asked who taught it to her and if she had sung it to anyone else. Nana explained her mother taught it and she sang it to her horse servant, whom she now claimed to despise for lying and stealing, wishing to strangle him. Prince Ying, however, sensed no hatred in her words, only longing.
He then suggested, "you have him right here," sensing her deep connection despite her denials and questioning why she would sing a lullaby to a mere servant if she truly didn't care for him, or why his "careless words" about the horse servant stirred such emotion in her. Nana angrily denied his claims, threatening to strangle him if he continued to talk foolishly.
Nana then noticed that the bite mark on Prince Ying's arm, which she herself had inflicted, had not healed, despite his body's usual rapid recovery. As she thought of the past, tears welled up and fell onto the wuli flower. To her astonishment, the flower immediately bloomed. She realized that "rootless water" wasn't necessarily rain but could also be tears, and wondered if her tears were also why the scar hadn't healed.
Nana declared she had completed his challenge and was ready to sleep, but Prince Ying asked her to stay and finish the song. Meanwhile, Empress Tuoyue visited Prince Heng in the pagoda. She questioned his actions, reminding him that his recklessness had nearly cost their father his life. Prince Heng, unrepentant, accused his parents of favoritism towards Prince Ying and believed they would grant Prince Ying both the Nine Stars Heavenly Beads and the throne.
He questioned why his desires were always deemed wrong and provocatively asked his mother if a "monster" could inherit the throne of Suoluo, startling her. The next morning, Prince Ying woke to find Nana asleep beside him. He told her he had dreamed of her, that they knew each other and were friends, and asked her to stay in the palace as his friend.
Nana, knowing Prince Ying never lied, decided to test him, stating that he would lie for her. She then deliberately shattered the blooming wuli flower and stomped on the petals, fully aware of the consequences. News of Nana spending the night in Prince Ying's chambers and being seen hugging him quickly reached Empress Tuoyue via a palace official. Enraged, she confronted Prince Ying.
She spoke of her and the King's long struggle to have children, eventually receiving "a seed from an eminent monk" that unexpectedly resulted in twin princes, Prince Ying and Prince Heng. She lamented their differing fates—one a hero, the other a prisoner—and suggested Prince Heng had been led astray by "bad companions." She advised Prince Ying to be "more cautious in choosing friends." She then asked about the wuli flower, but he offered no immediate explanation.
