Bloody Romance Episode 25 Recap
> Bloody Romance Recap
Ruan Niang, backed by her numerous forces, cornered Chang An and the Prince. Though Chang An appeared to be surrendering the Prince for the safety of others from Gui Hua City, he secretly intended to escape with the Prince. When Chang An tried to make their move, the Prince urged him, "Go."
Chang An whispered to the Prince that he had fulfilled his promise and offered the best deal, to which the Prince, feigning suspicion, asked if Chang An was "using me to get credits for yourself?" Chang An inquired if the Prince could still use his inner energy, and the Prince confirmed he could, but admitted he might never fully recover. Chang An then asked for the Prince's trust.
The Prince replied he found Chang An silly yet trustworthy, adding that if he didn't trust him, he wouldn't let Chang An make such decisions. This exchange revealed a deeper, pre-planned strategy between them. As Chang An tried to lead the Prince away, Ruan Niang reneged on her earlier agreement, ordering Chang An to "Leave the man, and you may go now." Chang An protested that she had promised he would stay with the Prince.
Ruan Niang callously replied that he had stayed long enough and would only witness the Prince's death if he lingered. Chang An insisted he had vowed to Wan Mei to keep His Highness safe, but Ruan Niang dismissed him, saying he had "more than one promise to keep," and ordered her men to seize the Prince. When Chang An resisted, Ruan Niang shouted "Shoot!" but then countermanded, "Stop. I want them alive."
She then redirected her commander to pursue and kill the remaining people from Gui Hua City, asserting that since they refused to follow rules, mercy was no longer an option. Ruan Niang herself went after Chang An and the Prince. Meanwhile, the King deliberated with an advisor about the Imperial Preceptor's unsanctioned mobilization of the royal guards against Gui Hua City. The advisor noted that if successful, the Preceptor's actions would eliminate the Prince, saving the King trouble.
However, the King expressed concern that the Prince, lacking military power and relying on assassins rather than rebels, wasn't a threat. Instead, he worried that the Preceptor's growing power, unchecked by the Prince, might lead to an overthrow of the throne. The King revealed that Wan Mei only possessed his handwritten royal command—a single word—and the guards might not believe it.
He saw the situation as a calculated risk: if Wan Mei succeeded, the Prince would be saved; if she failed, he could use the Preceptor's unauthorized actions as grounds for punishment. Back at Gui Hua City, a subordinate informed Yue Ying and Wan Mei that despite their efforts, Bi An Palace had fallen, and "Chang An made a deal with them, trading His Highness for our safety."
Wan Mei, determined, declared they had the King's royal command to save the city and urged Yue Ying to follow her. As Chang An faced off against Ruan Niang, Wan Mei and Yue Ying arrived. Ruan Niang, surprised by Wan Mei's return, challenged her audacity. Wan Mei, holding up her hand, revealed the King's royal command, ordering all imperial forces to withdraw.
Ruan Niang, seeing only a single word written on Wan Mei's hand, scoffed, accusing her of faking the command and ordering her capture. Wan Mei confronted the imperial commander, asking whose order he followed. He stated it was the Imperial Preceptor's, implying the King's.
When Wan Mei demanded his written royal command, he admitted it was only an oral instruction conveyed through a letter, prompting Wan Mei to highlight his lack of tangible proof compared to her authentic, albeit singular, handwritten command. She warned him that if her command was real and the Prince died, the guards would face severe punishment. Faced with this dilemma, the commander agreed to withdraw his soldiers.
Yue Ying then told Wan Mei to go after the Prince and Chang An, while she handled the remaining affairs. Ruan Niang continued to press Chang An, who was already weakened by a poisoned dart. She urged him to let the Prince go, emphasizing his impending collapse. Chang An insisted on protecting the Prince.
Ruan Niang questioned Chang An's loyalty, reminding him of his identity as the "master of No-word Edict" and "prince of Great Tang," and asking how he could betray his true identity "for a woman." Chang An steadfastly declared that regardless of his identity, he was a man of his word and would keep his promises.
He then offered Ruan Niang a new deal: if she spared the Prince, he would leave with her, kill Cha Luo, and retrieve the No-word Edict, freeing them both from reporting to the Preceptor. Ruan Niang agreed, instructing Chang An to leave the Prince behind and accompany her for the edict. Chang An confirmed the "deal." However, wary of Chang An's past deception, Ruan Niang immediately ordered her men to take the Prince away, effectively reneging on her new promise.
Wan Mei, witnessing the Prince being led away by Ruan Niang's men, furiously lashed out at Chang An, calling him a "coward and betrayer" and saying she was wrong about him. Chang An, trying to explain, pleaded that he made the deal to keep the Prince safe and promised to prove it to her. After the confrontation, Chang An returned to the city and found the No-word Edict in Cha Luo’s makeup box. As rumored, it was completely blank.
Before he could leave, he was ambushed by the Prince, who used a spell to incapacitate him and take the edict. Meanwhile, Wan Mei, still distraught by Chang An's perceived betrayal and fearing the Prince would punish him, went to the Listening Bamboo Courtyard. She first asked Yue Ying about the Prince's condition, expressing her relief that he was well. The Prince, alerted to her presence, asked Yue Ying to send her in.
Wan Mei reported on the city's condition, stating it was damaged but could be repaired. The Prince praised her for saving him, allowing him to live and enjoy the simple beauty of the world. He then asked if she risked her life for him or Gui Hua City.
Wan Mei admitted her initial concern for him but also confessed that after seeing the city's destruction, she realized Gui Hua City, despite its flaws, was her home, and her actions were ultimately for her own survival, as her life depended on both the Prince and the city thriving. The Prince then subtly questioned Wan Mei about Chang An's loyalty, claiming he had passed out and only remembered Chang An looking after him before he woke up captured by guards.
Wan Mei, believing Chang An had indeed sacrificed the Prince for his own safety, knelt and pleaded for Chang An's forgiveness, recounting the deal she had witnessed. The Prince, feigning understanding, granted forgiveness, stating that in this chaotic world, nothing was more important than staying alive. He then subtly suggested that if she was confused, she should ask Chang An directly, further solidifying her misunderstanding. Back in his chambers, the Prince examined the No-word Edict.
Yue Ying, marveling at its existence, expressed her belief it was merely a rumor. The Prince stated that most rumors were true, known only to a select few. He explained that Emperor Wu, hesitant to hand power to his "vicious" daughter, Princess Taiping, created the blank edict, sealing it with black iron, leaving her fate to heaven's will. Yue Ying pointedly asked if his actions were similar to what he had done to Wan Mei.
The Prince then inquired if Cha Luo had returned, to which Yue Ying confirmed her arrival. Later, Wan Mei confronted Chang An, informing him that she had pleaded with the Prince for his forgiveness. She recounted the Prince's words: that he wouldn't blame Chang An because survival was paramount. She then pressed Chang An, "Anything to explain?" Chang An, still unwilling to reveal his true motives, simply replied, "I got nothing to explain." Wan Mei, exasperated, just said, "Good."
Frustrated by Chang An's silence, Wan Mei ordered him to remove the swing and cut down the tree, declaring she couldn't bear to look at them. Chang An pleaded, "I had my reasons. Please believe me." Wan Mei bitterly responded that her trust had repeatedly led her to a dead end. She finally understood that while she trusted him completely, he never reciprocated. Chang An swore he had done nothing wrong to her.
Wan Mei challenged him to "show me your heart" if he was truly serious. Chang An offered to do anything to please her, but Wan Mei cried that he didn't understand what she truly wanted. She wished to face challenges with him, to fight alongside him, and to be his only focus. Chang An solemnly affirmed she was indeed the apple of his eye but explained he had "something I have to do."
Wan Mei, heartbroken, concluded that this was why they could never be together. She lamented that she trusted him unconditionally, yet he never shared his secrets. What hurt her most, she cried, was his failure to keep his promises. In a fit of grief and anger, Wan Mei cut the swing's rope, declaring herself only his master from that moment on, severing all personal affection. She commanded him to destroy the swing and cut down the tree.
Meanwhile, Xing Feng informed Cha Luo that Wan Mei had secured the royal command and the imperial guards had withdrawn. Cha Luo decided it was time to return to Gui Hua City. Xing Feng, concerned, suggested gathering more intelligence first, noting that the attack had inadvertently strengthened the Prince and Wan Mei's authority.
He warned Cha Luo that the Prince might accuse her of desertion, offering to take the blame himself if it came to that, claiming he forced her to leave. Cha Luo, confident in her power, dismissed his worries. Upon their return to Gui Hua City, Liu Guang greeted Cha Luo. Yue Ying immediately confronted Cha Luo, announcing she was there to punish the "traitor Cha Luo for running away from the city" by order of the chief.
Cha Luo scoffed at Yue Ying's authority, asserting herself as the rightful chief and questioning whose orders Yue Ying followed. Yue Ying retorted that Cha Luo's desertion during the crisis stripped her of the right to be chief and offered her a chance to plead guilty. Cha Luo defiantly challenged Yue Ying, a mere supreme killer, to take her on.
The Prince arrived and addressed Xing Feng, the head of Gui Hua City's punishments, asking him about the penalty for a chief who abandons the city in crisis. Cha Luo interjected, claiming her departure allowed Wan Mei and Yue Ying to secure the royal command. The Prince noted her acknowledgment of leaving and returning.
Xing Feng stepped forward, bravely accepting full responsibility, claiming he had forced Cha Luo to leave for her safety and that she had then insisted on returning immediately. The Prince then asked Xing Feng what his punishment should be for running away. Xing Feng, without hesitation, stated the penalty was death. Cha Luo angrily told the Prince not to go too far. Liu Guang pleaded for leniency, citing Xing Feng's loyalty and return to help in the fight.
The Prince then asked Xing Feng what a "lighter punishment" would be. Xing Feng proposed "whipped a hundred times in public as a warning to others." The Prince, acknowledging Xing Feng's apparent reflection, agreed to the lighter punishment, ordering him to appear at Bi An Palace the next noon.
The next day, at Bi An Palace, the Prince publicly praised Wan Mei for her significant contribution in defending Gui Hua City, declaring she "deserved to execute the whipping punishment so as to let others know good and evil have their own rewards." Cha Luo intervened, stating that Xing Feng was her shadow and only her whip could punish him, then handed her whip to Wan Mei.
Wan Mei began to whip Xing Feng, but after a few lashes, seeing the blood, she pleaded with the Prince to spare him, saying Xing Feng had learned his lesson. Liu Guang also begged for mercy, vouching for Xing Feng's loyalty. When Wan Mei hesitated further, the Prince took the whip himself, declaring that Xing Feng had disregarded his role, disrespected his master, and overruled the law, thus deserving no mercy. He continued to brutally whip Xing Feng as Cha Luo watched, pained. Xing Feng, barely conscious, quietly reassured Cha Luo, "I am fine. I really am."
