Catch Up My Prince Episode 22 Recap
> Catch Up My Prince Recap
Lu Ranran and Zhao Chen Yi found themselves surrounded by Zhao Chenxuan's men as they attempted to leave. Zhao Chen Yi was injured by an arrow while protecting Lu Ranran during their escape. They sought refuge in a dilapidated temple, where Lu Ranran, with the help of Zhao Chen Yi's subordinate Xiao Kang, gathered medicinal herbs. Another subordinate, Xiao Bao, then helped remove the arrow, and Lu Ranran treated his wound.
Zhao Chen Yi, fearing Lu Ranran would leave him again, asked her not to, and she promised to stay by his side. Zhao Chenxuan's troops eventually caught up with them again. Zhao Chenxuan confronted them, accusing Zhao Chen Yi of defecting to Wazi. Lu Ranran firmly declared she would not return with Zhao Chenxuan. During this confrontation, Zhao Chenxuan fatally stabbed Zhao Chen Yi's subordinate, Xiao Kang.
Zhao Chen Yi cradled Xiao Kang, lamenting his failure to protect Xiao Kang, to whom he had promised Xin'er (Xiao Kang's sister) he would. With his dying breath, Xiao Kang urged Zhao Chen Yi to release his burden of hatred and pursue his own happiness. Witnessing Xiao Kang's sacrifice, Lu Ranran began to understand its profound meaning. Zhao Chenxuan's men then took Lu Ranran away. Zhao Chenxuan's old leg injury flared up, causing him pain, but he refused treatment.
Lu Ranran learned that Zhao Chenxuan had been diligently fighting bandits, which made her feel he had matured. To help him, she created a wheelchair, making his movement much easier despite his injury. Zhao Chenxuan took Lu Ranran to a riverside spot, reminiscing about his mother's hometown, Ji Mo City, and a special wine called Peach Blossom Brew, meant to be shared with someone significant.
He shared his childhood longing to bring his beloved one to Ji Mo City, where his parents had sworn their love, implying that he had brought her there as that significant person. Lu Ranran realized how pure he once was, regretting if her past actions had changed him. However, she firmly rejected Zhao Chenxuan, explaining that her heart belonged to Zhao Chen Yi, with whom she had endured many hardships, and they had promised to return home together.
Zhao Chenxuan, asserting her role as a Wazi princess in a marriage alliance, ordered his men to take her back. Confined to a room in Huitong Posthouse, Lu Ranran was determined to find Zhao Chen Yi, even attempting to jump out a window. Her Wazi subordinates intervened, revealing that her king had orchestrated a fake marriage alliance to assassinate Zhao Chenxuan during the wedding. The plan involved poisoning Zhao Chenxuan's wine and providing Lu Ranran with an escape route.
Lu Ranran vehemently opposed the plot, arguing that such an act would only worsen relations between New Ming and Wazi, and she refused to cause any more harm. Believing Lu Ranran was too soft-hearted, her subordinate, Shui Xin, knocked her unconscious to ensure the mission proceeded. Meanwhile, the Emperor informed Zhao Chenxuan that his wedding with Lu Ranran was scheduled for the next day.
Zhao Chenxuan confidently assured his father that everything was under his control, hinting at his awareness of the plot. On the wedding day, with Lu Ranran still locked away, someone impersonated her during the ceremony. Lu Ranran managed to escape her confinement and rushed to the ceremony just as Zhao Chenxuan was about to drink the poisoned wine. She burst in, warning him not to drink it. This caused a commotion, and Zhao Chenxuan's men attacked Lu Ranran's Wazi guards.
Lu Ranran's loyal subordinates, Shui Ming and Shui Xin, were killed in the ensuing conflict, with Shui Xin taking her own life with poison rather than being captured. Witnessing these events, Lu Ranran confronted Zhao Chenxuan, realizing how much he had changed and become a ruthless schemer. She acknowledged that the naive youth she once knew had truly "grown up" in a chilling way.
Soon after, a report arrived that Lu Ranran's elder brother's Wazi army had invaded New Ming's borders. The Emperor, enraged, initially hesitated but then entrusted Zhao Chenxuan with leading the troops to utterly defeat Wazi. Lu Ranran was thrown into the imperial prison. Refusing to eat, she was visited by Zhao Chenxuan. He offered to protect her and let her go if she would submit to being his consort.
Lu Ranran defiantly refused, stating that even death would not make her yield to him, and her heart belonged only to Zhao Chen Yi. She passionately defended Zhao Chen Yi, explaining that he had infiltrated Wazi disguised as Ji Huan to uncover the true traitor, never betraying New Ming. Zhao Chenxuan dismissed her words, emphasizing his newfound power and his intention to crush Wazi.
He vowed to return as a revered hero, confident that he could then easily dominate a defeated princess. In a separate conversation with his Second Brother at Tai Ji Palace, Zhao Chenxuan reminisced about his past, admitting to becoming jealous of Zhao Chen Yi and vaguely wanting to take back something important, though he couldn't recall what it was.
During her confrontation, Lu Ranran realized that Zhao Chenxuan had deliberately allowed the assassination plot to unfold to gain the Emperor's trust and command of the army. She scorned him for his manipulative schemes, asserting that such a person could never earn her love. Zhao Chenxuan, however, revealed that Zhao Chen Yi was still alive, suggesting this was all part of his elaborate plan.
