Choice Husband Episode 20 Recap
> Choice Husband Recap
Zhan Yue investigated Xiao Yiniang and Shen Zai's coffins and found them empty, confirming Pei Yanzhen's earlier prediction that all the Shen family members had faked their deaths. Zhan Yue mentioned hearing about a secret medicine from the Western Regions that could stop a person's breathing, concluding that this must have been what was used. He noted that Shen Miao seemed to be harboring more secrets. Meanwhile, Shen Miao was confined to her room.
Pei Yanzhen brought her fish congee, telling her she hadn't eaten or drunk for three days and urged her to eat. She coldly asked where he had taken Lvying. Pei Yanzhen then offered her a bowl of fish congee he had made, claiming it took him one hour to prepare. Shen Miao questioned his intentions, asking what he wanted from her.
Pei Yanzhen reminded her of her promise to never leave him, but Shen Miao dismissed it as a casual remark, calling him naive. She demanded Lvying's return, threatening to perish with him if he refused. Pei Yanzhen then revealed that the coffins at Shen's cemetery had been forced open, and Xiao Yiniang and Shen Zai's bodies, along with many valuables, were missing. He suggested this proved the Shen family had escaped.
Shen Miao countered that it was simply the work of tomb raiders, as everyone coveted the Shen family's fortune. She sarcastically noted that he, too, had kept her body for three days and three nights. Pei Yanzhen then threatened to find her father, Shen Qian, unless he had truly vanished without a trace, implying he could find any Shen family member if he wished. Shen Miao saw this as a direct threat.
Left alone, Shen Miao recalled her father's words from her childhood. He had cautioned her not to compare herself to the Shen and Lu families' wealth, as people would always prioritize money over her. She regretted falling for Pei Yanzhen, forgetting her father's warning, and now felt she had emptied her family's fortune. Pei Yanzhen returned with a fresh bowl of fish congee, promising to take her to see Lvying if she ate with him.
Separately, Ninth Princess learned that Pei Yanzhen was the Sixth Prince and had sent her mother to the imperial mausoleum. She swore to be his sworn enemy. Zhan Yue tried to dissuade her, explaining that Pei Yanzhen's entire biological family had been killed, and his foster parents had also been forced to their deaths by the Empress Dowager, urging her to let go of her hatred.
Ninth Princess questioned if the Shen family was also involved in Pei Yanzhen's family vendetta, remaining resolute in her opposition and warning Zhan Yue not to take Pei Yanzhen's side. Shen Miao finally saw Lvying and Song Xiyuan, which brought her a sense of relief. Song Xiyuan questioned her, asking if Pei Yanzhen had tortured her and expressing his desire to protect her.
Shen Miao revealed that she too had been deceived and asked if Pei Yanzhen had incited Song Xiyuan to marry her. Song Xiyuan asserted his genuine feelings for her, regardless of how their relationship began. Pei Yanzhen then pleaded with Shen Miao, speaking of the turmoil in court and his parents being forced to suicide, asking her not to leave him. To secure Song Xiyuan's release, Shen Miao agreed to stay by Pei Yanzhen's side.
Pei Yanzhen was disheartened, realizing her compliance was solely for Song Xiyuan. Shen Miao, angered by his reaction, produced a hairpin and tried to stab him, but he disarmed her, cutting his palm in the process. Pei Yanzhen pushed her away, causing her to fall.
She bitterly accused him of his actions, listing all the ways she believed he had manipulated her and her family for power and wealth, including feigning a proposal rejection to gain her family's seal, administering contraceptive medicine, and separating her from Xiao to protect his own offspring. She felt like a pitiful fool who had lost everything and still didn't even know his true name. Pei Yanzhen realized the depth of her misunderstanding.
Unable to explain himself, knowing she wouldn't believe him, he ordered her confined to her room. Song Xiyuan and Tie Niu were expelled from Shen's Residence. Song Xiyuan, acknowledging Pei Yanzhen's immense power, decided he needed a well-thought-out plan to rescue Shen Miao. He traveled to the capital to appeal to the Emperor, who was taking refuge in the ancestral hall and refusing to engage in state affairs.
Song Xiyuan used metaphors about a dragon in a pond to subtly warn the Emperor about his diminished power, but an official interrupted him, calling him impudent, and the Emperor dismissed him. Observing the imperial guards wearing the same military uniforms as Pei Yanzhen's men, Song Xiyuan suspected that Pei Yanzhen also controlled the palace. He decided to exploit Pei Yanzhen's absence from the capital to rally disgruntled officials.
Meanwhile, Shen Qian, traveling in the Western Regions, learned from merchants that Pei Yanzhen, now Regent, had imposed strict controls on the Southern Twenty Passes, halting all trade. Back at Shen's Residence, Shen Miao found solace in a parrot. Pei Yanzhen, however, suspected the parrot might be a tool used by Song Xiyuan to convey messages and to deepen Shen Miao's misunderstanding of him, and ordered Zhan Yue to remove it.
Zhan Yue, following Pei Yanzhen's orders, took the parrot away. Shen Miao then requested Zhan Yue to buy some osmanthus cakes for her, citing the Mid-Autumn Festival tradition and a need for "sustenance in something." Lvying delivered the osmanthus cakes, secretly containing a message from Song Xiyuan. He informed Shen Miao that he had organized officials in the capital against Pei Yanzhen and asked her to find a way to reach the capital for rescue.
Shen Miao pondered whether Song Xiyuan was genuinely helping her or if he, too, was after the rumored Lu family fortune. She concluded that while the Lu family's wealth was a mere rumor, it could be a useful pretense to get her to the capital. Later that night, Shen Miao was immersed in a memory of a happier time with Pei Yanzhen, picking osmanthus flowers.
In the flashback, she promised to make him osmanthus cakes every year if he caught her when she jumped from a tree. Pei Yanzhen then appeared, wanting her to make osmanthus cakes as she had promised. He recalled how they had hastily divorced the following year. Shen Miao reminded him she had made them once, before he left for the capital.
He confessed he never opened the box because he feared he wouldn't have the heart to leave her and Xiao behind. Shen Miao confronted him about his shifting justifications, asking what was true and what was false in his actions toward her. Pei Yanzhen insisted that both his past and present reasons were true.
Shen Miao, with a softened tone, pleaded with Pei Yanzhen to relinquish his power and seek a simple, peaceful life free from suspicion, power, and wealth, promising to overlook the past and make osmanthus cakes for him every year for a family reunion. Pei Yanzhen explained that he had gone too far to simply let go of power. He believed that only by wielding power could he protect her and Xiao.
Shen Miao accused him of being too ambitious and greedy, but he countered that it was simply the reality of the situation and urged her to stay by his side and trust him. Unconvinced, Shen Miao asserted that he would never obtain the Shen and Lu families' wealth, as she had already given it away. Pei Yanzhen was crestfallen, asking if she meant Song Xiyuan. Shen Miao retorted, "Does it matter?" . He then left, telling her to rest.
He later reflected on his own greed, admitting that a few osmanthus cakes could not compare to the immense wealth of the Shen and Lu families, let alone the entire nation. Pei Yanzhen implemented new policies aimed at reducing taxes, promoting agriculture, and expanding the imperial examination system. These policies, however, harmed the interests of many.
Ministers voiced their concerns in court, arguing that the empty treasury could not sustain tax cuts and that expanding exams without caution could lead to bureaucratic bloat. The Emperor, however, was weary and dismissed their concerns, telling them to defer all decisions to Regent Pei Yanzhen. Outside court, Song Xiyuan engaged other officials who were wary of Pei Yanzhen's reforms.
He outlined his strategy to counter Pei Yanzhen: to disarm his bodyguards, lower his guard, and lure him into a trap. He confidently stated that he had a plan to achieve this by exploiting Pei Yanzhen's feelings for Shen Miao. Shen Miao, now adopting a gentle demeanor, told Pei Yanzhen she felt lonely on Mid-Autumn Festival and wanted to go out to purchase ingredients for traditional osmanthus cakes, as servants wouldn't know her specific requirements.
Though she feigned a sprained ankle initially, she quickly demonstrated her recovery. Pei Yanzhen, pleased by her softened attitude, agreed to let her leave Shen's Residence for shopping, but insisted that Zhan Yue accompany her for her safety. He also asked if he could have some of the osmanthus cakes, hinting at a reunion.
