Court Lady Episode 52 Recap, Plot

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After the Emperor suddenly collapsed, Consort Yan summoned Imperial Physician Fu Shui for treatment. Fu Shui reported that the Emperor had suffered from wind illness for many years and had recently been angered by matters concerning the Crown Prince and Prince Han, which had damaged his internal organs. He advised against using powerful medicine to force the Emperor awake, instead recommending moderate medicine to supplement his vital energy, which would keep the Emperor in a deep slumber for a while.

Consort Yan agreed and dismissed other imperial physicians who suggested using acupuncture, as they could not guarantee the Emperor's safety. With Consort Yan in control of the inner palace, she prevented other royal harem members from visiting the Emperor, claiming their commotion would disturb his recovery and that she was merely fulfilling her duty as entrusted by the Emperor.

Lady of Treasure Li, suspecting foul play, instructed her maid, Guihua, to find a eunuch with a palace permit to discreetly send a message to the Duke of Lu Manor. The message was for them to send a fast rider to Ci'en Temple, warning Fu Rou to remain there by any means necessary and under no circumstances to return to the palace.

Meanwhile, Eunuch Cao intercepted several imperial decrees that the Master of Seal Yu Minggong had just stamped, falsely claiming the Emperor wished to review and modify them, thereby preventing their issuance. Prince Zhou, upon learning of his father's sudden illness, inquired with the eunuchs attending the Emperor and discovered that Consort Yan was present when the Emperor collapsed.

Consort Yan, after receiving the intercepted decrees from Eunuch Cao, realized the Emperor had planned to deploy imperial guards to strip Prince Zhou of his power and send him back to his fiefdom. She attributed this to treacherous ministers and Sheng Chumu deluding Prince Qin, stating that the Emperor's unconsciousness now inadvertently gave Sheng Chumu an advantage.

When Prince Zhou confronted Consort Yan, accusing her of involvement in his father's sudden illness, she feigned deep sorrow and denied any wrongdoing, emphasizing her decades-long companionship with the Emperor as his wife and his father's mother. As Fu Rou's group, including Sheng Chumu and Prince Qin, neared Chang'an, they made camp for the night. Sheng Chumu, feigning to hunt wild game for the group, was playfully teased by Prince Qin, who noticed Fu Rou's fondness for him.

Fu Rou, though denying it, eventually praised Sheng Chumu's courage and intelligence, which he happily overheard. That night, Junhui arrived with an urgent message from Lady of Treasure Li, warning Fu Rou that the Emperor was comatose, the palace was dangerous, and she should not return. Sheng Chumu speculated that with the Emperor incapacitated, Prince Zhou was now the most powerful figure in Chang'an.

Fu Rou dismissed Junhui and insisted on returning to the palace to fulfill her duty, despite Sheng Chumu's fervent objections due to the danger. She reminded him of their past guilt from abandoning their responsibilities, using his own self-sacrificing actions in Anxi Gorge as an example. Moved by her unwavering resolve and his own principles, Sheng Chumu reluctantly agreed to her return.

General Dugu, also aware of the suspicious circumstances surrounding the Emperor's illness and still suffering from an untreated wound, supported Fu Rou's decision to investigate. He assured Sheng Chumu that as the commander of the imperial guards, he would protect Fu Rou and intervene if anyone in the palace dared to break rules or resort to violence.

To protect Prince Qin from potential danger in the palace, Fu Rou arranged for someone to impersonate him while the real Prince Qin was hidden. Upon reaching the palace gate, General Dugu attempted to enter with Fu Rou, but Eunuch Cao intercepted him with Prince Zhou's written order for General Dugu to surrender his authority.

General Dugu, however, produced an imperial decree, asserting his loyalty solely to the Emperor and declaring that only the Emperor's personal written command could move him. He firmly rejected any suggestion of serving a new master. Concurrently, Sheng Chuling, upon receiving Prince Zhou's directive to disband The Hundred Riders, similarly refused, stating that The Hundred Riders were loyal only to the Emperor and would require his direct command to disband.

He even punished Eunuch Guan Xiaoquan for delivering Prince Zhou's order. Inside the palace, Consort Yan, under the guise of increasing security due to a supposed theft, had changed palace entry rules, now requiring her personal written permission. She then publicly interrogated and sentenced Wei Song to a severe cane punishment, accusing him of imprisoning a eunuch who subsequently died. Lady of Treasure Li, alerted by Guihua about Wei Song's imminent execution, was on her way to intervene.

Just as Fu Rou returned to the palace, she encountered Consort Yan publicly punishing Wei Song. Fu Rou immediately intervened, asserting her right as Court Lady of the six bureaus to question the accused before punishment. Wei Song maintained his innocence, claiming he acted under Dowager Consort Wang's verbal orders, a point Fu Rou cleverly highlighted, implying Consort Yan herself might operate similarly.

When Consort Yan demanded proof of Wei Song's innocence, which Fu Rou could not provide due to Dowager Consort Wang's death, Consort Yan escalated the punishment. Undeterred, Fu Rou invoked the "kindness and grace from superiors" and presented a handwritten edict from the Late Empress bearing the character "Pardon." Despite her anger and supreme power, Consort Yan could not openly defy the Late Empress's decree and was forced to accept it, thereby saving Wei Song.

Following this, Fu Rou returned to the Bureau of Imperial Etiquette and promptly stripped Division Chief He of his position. He Linghua protested, but Supervisor Xu provided irrefutable evidence of He Linghua's bribery. Fu Rou had He Linghua arrested and promoted Supervisor Xu to Division Chief of Meetings, tasking him with rectifying the palace's conduct. Soon after, Eunuch Yu discovered the fake Prince Qin was gone from the bedchamber.

Realizing the deception, Eunuch Yu then used the pretense of searching for Consort Yan's lost scepter to discreetly search for the real Prince Qin throughout the various palaces. To facilitate a wider search without arousing Consort Yan's suspicion, Eunuch Yu lied to her, claiming her beloved scepter, a personal gift from the Emperor, had gone missing from her buddha-worshipping room.

Consort Yan, unaware of the fake Prince Qin, furiously ordered a thorough search of the entire palace, offering a reward of one hundred gold to whoever found Prince Qin, whom she believed had simply disappeared. Eunuch Yu, leveraging this order, directed the search to focus on finding the real Prince Qin. When Eunuch Yu questioned Fu Rou about Prince Qin's whereabouts, she feigned ignorance. The extensive search by Consort Yan's people caused disruption throughout the palace, infuriating Princess Xin Nan.

She ordered Sheng Chuling to oversee the searchers and to punish anyone who carelessly damaged palace property, emphasizing that "every needle and every thread in this palace came from the people." Sheng Chuling, pleased with this task, flirted with the Princess, hinting at their future as husband and wife.

Meanwhile, when the search reached the Bureau of Imperial Etiquette, General Dugu's imperial guards arrived, ostensibly to assist the Directorate of Eunuchs in finding the scepter, but in reality, they were there to protect Fu Rou and ensure the search did not lead to unnecessary damage. Thanks to this coordinated effort, the overall damage to the various palaces was minimal. Sheng Chumu covertly brought Imperial Physician He to Prime Minister Fang late at night.

The following morning, after being informed that the palace search had concluded with minimal damage thanks to General Dugu's intervention, Fu Rou continued her vigilance. With the joint efforts of Prime Minister Fang and General Dugu, a cunning plan was executed to enable Imperial Physician He to treat the Emperor.

Before Consort Yan, when a physician initially expressed uncertainty about waking the Emperor, General Dugu then inquired if Consort Yan would agree to allow a physician to proceed if they could guarantee success with their life. Consort Yan, cornered, had no choice but to agree. Imperial Physician He successfully employed acupuncture, and the Emperor finally regained consciousness, much to Consort Yan's dismay, as she realized she had been outmaneuvered.

Meanwhile, Prince Zhou, reviewing state documents, was furious to discover that Eunuch Yu had been disrupting the Emperor's carefully established civilian official system, particularly by attempting to oust Prime Minister Fang. Prince Zhou sternly informed Eunuch Yu that while he would act when necessary, he also knew what he would not do. Elsewhere, Fu Shui instructed Yan Zifang to locate a person named Shu Ziqi.

Yan Zifang, still resentful over Fu Shui's murder of Lian Yan'er, cynically asked if Shu Ziqi would also be disposed of with "a cup of poisonous wine" after serving his purpose. Fu Shui acknowledged Yan Zifang's lingering anger. Yan Zifang demanded Fu Shui grant Ma Haihu a good position with a high salary after their plan succeeded, which Fu Shui promised. Ma Haihu, having secretly overheard this conversation, was shocked to learn that Fu Shui had killed Lian Yan'er.

Remembering Sheng Chumu's past warnings about Yan Zifang's true nature, Ma Haihu realized Yan Zifang was not to be trusted. After Fu Shui departed, Ma Haihu stealthily followed him, intent on avenging Lian Yan'er. However, he was discovered by Fu Shui's subordinates, who brutally murdered him.

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