Court Lady Episode 44 Recap, Plot

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Fu Yin quickly tried to dissuade Lu Qi from killing Du Ning, reminding him that Du Ning was sent by the Emperor. Lu Qi argued that casualties were inevitable in war and the Emperor wouldn't blame his father, Duke Cai. Fu Yin then appealed to him for the sake of their son, reminding Lu Qi of his promise to commit fewer acts of violence for their child's blessings.

Lu Qi conceded, agreeing not to target Du Ning unless he caused trouble. He also decided not to go on the expedition and stay home with Fu Yin. Meanwhile, Fu Rou had been promoted to Shanggong. After dismissing the other officials, she asked Division Chief He to stay. Fu Rou questioned Division Chief He about a list she had compiled, which prohibited certain maids from the Department of Servitude from participating in the selection for the twenty-four divisions.

Division Chief He explained that these were merely relatives of disgraced officials or maids who frequently made mistakes, deeming them suitable only for menial tasks and unworthy of selection. Fu Rou, describing herself as a "boring and strict" person who adhered strictly to palace rules for rewards, punishments, and promotions, reprimanded Division Chief He.

She explained that the six bureaus and twenty-four divisions were established for clear roles, and that the selection process for the twenty-four divisions should be managed by their respective chief officials, not by Division Chief He. Fu Rou warned her to diligently study the palace rules, especially the sections on abusing power and overstepping authority, and to simply do her job as the head of the Ritual Reception Division if she wished for things to go smoothly.

Division Chief He promised to review the palace rules. The Emperor, still grieving for the late Empress, spoke with Fu Rou in the former Empress's chambers. He noted the chaos in the harem since the Empress's passing and considered appointing Consort Yan to manage it, praising her seniority and kindness. However, Fu Rou cautiously intervened, reminding the Emperor of Consort Yan's delicate health.

She recalled how Consort Yan, despite her devotion, had fallen gravely ill after assisting the Empress in establishing new palace regulations. Fu Rou expressed concern that entrusting all harem affairs to Consort Yan would overwhelm her and further jeopardize her health. Instead, Fu Rou proposed recalling the venerable and experienced Dowager Consort Wang, who had efficiently managed the harem during the Grand Emperor's reign and had even guided the late Empress.

The Emperor, remembering Dowager Consort Wang's kindness to him and the late Empress when he was Prince Jin, and her personal tragedy of losing her son Shi Jun, agreed. He ordered Dowager Consort Wang to be brought back to preside over the harem, with Consort Yan assisting, to ease Consort Yan's burden and restore peace to the palace.

Consort Yan, upon learning that Fu Rou had thwarted her chance to lead the harem, grew furious, viewing Fu Rou as a "thorn" left by the late Empress and a "pawn" whose struggle she would watch with interest. Before his expedition, Du Ning spoke with Sheng Chumu.

Du Ning observed how much Sheng Chumu had changed since their first trip to Guangzhou and pondered how time flies, noting that if not for that trip, he wouldn't have met Fu Yin, and Sheng Chumu wouldn't have met Fu Rou. He then brought up Fu Rou, asking if Sheng Chumu, the former #1 wastrel of Chang'an, would have become the well-rounded General of the Baiqi Cavalry that the entire Duke of Lu's Manor was proud of today without her.

Sheng Chumu vehemently rejected the notion, claiming his achievements were earned with his life and had nothing to do with her. Sheng Chumu then left. Afterwards, Du Ning reflected, reminding himself as a civil official to stay within the camp, memorize military rules, and not allow Lu Yunj to manipulate him or use him to establish authority. Fu Rou later received the newly selected maids for the twenty-four divisions from the Department of Servitude.

She was pleased to see Xiao Lu among them, noting her scholarly answers during selection, and decided to keep Xiao Lu by her side. Fu Rou then took Xiao Lu to teach the King of Qin. The King of Qin, who had been missing Fu Rou's stories, showed great interest in Xiao Lu, inviting her to sit beside him during the lesson despite her status as a maid, emphasizing that in learning, status did not matter.

Meanwhile, in the Sheng nation, enemy forces, fearing the Great Tang's military might, had retreated to Xiangzhong Town. Their leader, Hong Ze, commanded significant influence, with many locals joining him with their own weapons and food. Lu Yunj proposed setting up checkpoints to apprehend suspicious individuals, those carrying three days' worth of food, or weapons. Du Ning disagreed, arguing that the rebellion stemmed from corrupt officials exploiting the populace.

He advised a strategy of appeasement, suggesting sending envoys to negotiate with Hong Ze to clarify misunderstandings and avert a full-scale war, especially since the Emperor had already exempted Sheng from three years of taxes. Lu Yunj, publicly agreeing to Du Ning's suggestion to save face, secretly planned to prolong the conflict.

He instructed his subordinate to "protract" the war for as long as possible, aiming to allow the "rabbit" rebels to grow into a "tiger" so his eventual victory would bring greater glory. Unexpectedly, Hong Ze expressed a desire to surrender and sent envoys to inquire about the terms. Lu Yunj, enraged by Hong Ze's "cowardice" and determined to prevent Du Ning from claiming credit for a peaceful resolution, met with the envoys in secret.

After hearing their plea for mercy, describing how they were forced into rebellion due to exploitation and being framed for murder, Lu Yunj callously told them they would wait "until their next life" and ordered his men to kill them. Du Ning, witnessing this atrocity, confronted Lu Yunj, questioning why he killed the unarmed envoys.

Lu Yunj fabricated a story, claiming they were assassins sent by Hong Ze, and had his loyal soldiers corroborate the lie, dismissing Du Ning's attempts at interrogation. Later, Fu Yin asked Lu Qi about someone named Du Hai in his father's army, claiming he was her former painting teacher and expressing concern for his safety. Lu Qi, relieved she wasn't thinking of another man, promised to write a letter to his father's lieutenant to ensure "Du Hai's" well-being.

Meanwhile, Du Ning, recognizing Lu Yunj's sinister intentions, secretly penned a letter to the Emperor, requesting a new general and outlining a plan to seize control of the army if a replacement arrived swiftly. He entrusted the letter to a subordinate for immediate delivery to Chang'an. However, his subordinate was intercepted and killed by Lu Yunj's men almost immediately after leaving. Lu Yunj then confronted Du Ning, showing him a memorial to the court.

Du Ning was horrified to discover his own name listed among the fallen soldiers, realizing Lu Yunj planned to assassinate him and frame it as a rebel attack. Lu Yunj mockingly affirmed Du Ning's "wish" to die for the country. Du Ning defiantly declared his unwavering loyalty to the Great Tang, refusing to yield. Lu Yunj then ordered his men to kill Du Ning, who faced his death with dignity.

Fu Yin later overheard Lu Qi and his subordinate discussing Du Ning's death, learning that Lu Yunj had killed him and framed it as a rebel attack. Overwhelmed by grief and rage, Fu Yin lashed out at Lu Qi, denouncing him and his father as cold-blooded murderers.

She confessed her true identity as Fu Yin, the Third Young Miss of the Fu family, revealing that she had been with Du Ning before Lu Qi and that her true purpose in coming to the Lu family was to seek revenge for her mother, who perished in the fire set by Lu Hanxing.

She further confessed to killing Lu Hanxing and burning the letter that landed Lu Qi in prison, expressing her desire to see the Duke of Cai's Manor suffer retribution. Lu Qi, horrified, repeatedly tried to silence her. At the Forbidden Court, while inspecting the fruit and vegetable gardens with other Bureau of Catering officials, Fu Rou encountered Sheng Chumu training the Baiqi Cavalry. Sheng Chumu offered a sarcastic congratulation on her promotion.

When Fu Rou asked why he was angry, she accused him of finding a new lover. Sheng Chumu, in turn, bitterly accused Fu Rou of being "hypocritical" and "vain" for currying favor with the late Empress, clinging to Prince Zhou, and indifferently allowing Princess Consort Han (his sister) to be executed. Fu Rou explained she was powerless to intervene, but Sheng Chumu dismissed her, convinced she prioritized her own gain over his sister's life and his love.

Enraged, Fu Rou slapped him. As she turned to leave, she stumbled on a stone and fell. Sheng Chumu instinctively reached out to help but withdrew his hand. Prince Zhou then appeared, offering assistance, but Fu Rou rejected him too, rising to her feet and walking away. Later, Lady of Treasure Li applied medicine to Fu Rou's hand, advising her to forget Sheng Chumu.

Fu Rou admitted she wanted to forget him but couldn't, recalling how every flower or tree reminded her of him, and how her heart still raced for him despite his hateful words and new affections. At Prince Liang's residence, he deliberately feigned pain to attract Lu Yingying's attention. She changed his dressing, and he secretly admired her. Yan Zifang arrived and saw Lu Yingying attending to Prince Liang but refrained from interrupting. After changing the dressing, Lu Yingying politely left.

Yan Zifang then informed Prince Liang of Imperial Censor You Jianming's plan to petition the Emperor to send him to Liangzhou. Prince Liang was furious, accusing You Jianming of meddling unnecessarily. Meanwhile, Fushui presented the Crown Prince with a fierce horse. Despite his guards' warnings about his injured leg, the Crown Prince insisted on taming it himself. The horse eventually bolted, charging towards the Crown Princess Consort (Sun Lingshu).

Fortunately, Sheng Chujun, now a guard in the East Palace, intervened and saved her. The Crown Prince, grateful for Sheng Chujun's bravery, rewarded him. Later, the Crown Princess Consort recognized Sheng Chujun as the man her sister Lingwei loved. She later approached Sheng Chujun, noticing the purple finch hairpin, a cherished item of her late sister Lingwei, in his hand. Sheng Chujun confirmed that he and Lingwei loved each other.

The Crown Princess Consort expressed her comfort that Lingwei, before her death, had at least experienced true love, and thanked Sheng Chujun for saving her, noting that Lingwei had been happy knowing the Crown Princess Consort promised to help her avoid marrying Lu Qi. Sheng Chujun, who had been unable to protect Lingwei in the past, vowed to protect the Crown Princess Consort, even at the cost of his own life, from those who had harmed her sister.

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