An Oriental Odyssey Episode 48 Recap
> An Oriental Odyssey Recap
Empress Tuoyue summoned Prince Heng late at night, explaining that despite his release from the pagoda, she and the King still harbored doubts about his ambition. She recounted how they tested him with the Divine Beads, which he passed by controlling his greed, and how his benevolent treatment of Prince Ying finally eased their concerns, making them ready to entrust him with the Divine Beads and the kingdom.
She then handed him the beads and mentioned she had a secret to share. Before she could, a sound from his room startled her. Empress Tuoyue confronted Ling Xi, whom she had believed to be dead, referring to him as a "monster." Prince Heng attempted to dismiss Ling Xi as merely an old friend, but Empress Tuoyue realized the depth of Prince Heng's deception and his continuing alliance with Ling Xi, declaring her intent to inform the King.
Before she could leave, Ling Xi fatally stabbed her. Prince Heng then expressed his weariness of his parents' constant tests and his indifference to his mother's secret, wishing it to be buried with her. Ling Xi and Prince Heng celebrated their triumph, with Ling Xi attributing his solid physical form to his "blue bat."
They reminisced about their past alliance: Ling Xi had encouraged Prince Heng's desire for the throne, having even previously attempted to kill Prince Ying with the Red Dragon, an act Prince Heng had prevented. Ling Xi had once gouged out his own eyes, and Prince Heng later restored his sight.
Ling Xi reminded Prince Heng how he had advised feigning injury to the King, knowing Prince Ying would venture to the Tang Empire to find the Nine Divine Beads to save his father. Ling Xi noted that with the Divine Beads, Prince Heng now controlled the King's fate and had eliminated Empress Tuoyue, whose death could be blamed on Prince Ying. Prince Heng acknowledged Ling Xi's pivotal role and offered him "power beyond all other people."
As they proceeded to check the Divine Beads, they discovered one was missing. Ling Xi immediately dispatched Zhenzhen to apprehend Prince Ying and Ye Yuanan, suspecting Prince Ying's involvement with the missing bead. Meanwhile, Prince Ying and Ye Yuanan had stopped at an inn, discussing their impending journey to the Tang Empire. Officers arrived, carrying portraits resembling the two, and announced a palace murder committed by a male and female fugitive.
Prince Ying initially dismissed the news, but Ye Yuanan used her martial arts to deter the suspicious officers. She then reaffirmed her love for him, regardless of his identity as Mu Le or Prince Ying, asserting that his status did not matter. They shared a drink that Prince Ying declared to be "marriage wine," and he playfully insisted she call him "husband." As they were about to share a moment, a disturbance outside prompted Prince Ying to investigate.
He stepped out only to find himself surrounded by soldiers, while Zhenzhen held Ye Yuanan captive. Zhenzhen confronted Prince Ying, accusing him of colluding with Ye Yuanan to steal the Divine Beads, escaping prison, and murdering Empress Tuoyue. She added that he stole one of the Divine Beads and replaced it with a fake, committing "unforgivable crimes." She warned him that with his scapulae nailed, resistance was futile, urging him to surrender.
Prince Ying, realizing they had been "trapped by Heng," declared he wanted to confront his brother. Unexpectedly, Zhenzhen turned on her own men, killing them, and then implored Prince Ying and Ye Yuanan to escape to Chang'an. Prince Ying, already aware of his mother's death and determined to find her killer, refused to leave, and Ye Yuanan vowed to stay by his side.
Seeing their resolve, Zhenzhen confirmed that Prince Heng was the true killer, who, with the Divine Beads, had framed Prince Ying to trap him forever. Prince Ying expressed disbelief that his brother could murder their mother for power. Zhenzhen asked if he truly knew Prince Heng, revealing that "A man called Ling Xi is always with him."
Zhenzhen tearfully explained Ling Xi's sinister plan: Ling Xi had once threatened her ailing father, giving him a medicine that could either heal or poison him, forcing Zhenzhen into compliance. Ling Xi had ordered her to assist Prince Ying in finding the Divine Beads and then kill him before he could return to Suoluo. Zhenzhen recounted her reluctance to betray Prince Ying, whom she had happily reunited with after an injury on Huodu Mountain.
She described how Ling Xi, concerned by her silence, tracked her to the Tang Empire. There, Ling Xi discovered Prince Ying, now amnesiac and serving as a horse slave, and also learned that Princess Minghui was actively collecting the Divine Beads. Ling Xi had manipulated the situation, intending for Zhenzhen to give Prince Ying a memory-restoring medicine once all the Divine Beads were collected, thus enabling Prince Heng to easily acquire them.
Prince Ying now understood Ling Xi's grand scheme and asked Zhenzhen why she spared him despite orders to kill him. Zhenzhen explained that Ling Xi, upon realizing Prince Ying's love for Ye Yuanan, altered his plan to inflict greater suffering by making them "hurt each other, torture each other." Ye Yuanan deduced that Ling Xi intended for Prince Ying to regain his memories, but erase the memories about her, forcing them into mutual torment.
Zhenzhen expressed deep remorse for her past betrayals, apologizing to Prince Ying and asserting that she would rather have died than betray him, to which Prince Ying offered his understanding. To demonstrate her loyalty, Zhenzhen removed the scapular nails from Prince Ying, instantly restoring his martial arts abilities, explaining that she was the one who placed them.
Prince Ying, now empowered, declared Prince Heng a traitor who colluded with an evil man, forced him into exile, stole the Divine Beads, and murdered his mother. He vowed to return to Suoluo to confront his brother, asking about the missing Divine Bead. Ye Yuanan surprised him by revealing she had secretly kept one, initially as a memento, but now it served a greater purpose.
As more of Ling Xi's men attacked, Zhenzhen bravely intercepted a dagger meant for Prince Ying, fulfilling her wish to repay his past kindness before dying with a serene smile. Prince Ying, heartbroken, buried Zhenzhen. At her tomb, he confided in Ye Yuanan that despite his royal birth, he never yearned for the throne, only wishing for a simple life with her. However, with Suoluo in peril, he felt compelled to return and demand answers from his older brother.
