Decreed by Fate Episode 11 Recap
> Decreed by Fate Recap
Lu Tingxiao's men identified that women would be covertly transported out of the city at midnight. They intercepted a convoy where guards claimed to be urgently transporting brocade for the palace, presenting a pass document. Lu Tingxiao ordered them to open the boxes, revealing a captured individual who confessed that Hong Yuanshan had orchestrated everything. Lu Tingxiao forced the person to swallow something before arresting him. Lu Tingxiao also found his cousin, Wanyi, among the abducted women.
She was traumatized and clung to him, distressed and crying not to be killed. Lu Tingxiao reassured her, and his subordinate, Yan Wu, saw to her care after a doctor confirmed she was mostly fine and just needed rest. Lu Tingxiao suspected these women were intended to be trained as assassins for the North Kingdom. He instructed Yan Wu to escort Wanyi back to the capital, while he continued his investigation.
Meanwhile, Fang Xianxun achieved his goal, killing Zhang Jiu to avenge Vice-general Wang. Wenren Jing, having observed Lu Tingxiao comforting Wanyi, initially tried to be understanding. Lu Tingxiao clarified that Wanyi was his cousin, whom his uncle had entrusted him to find, and assured Wenren Jing he held no romantic feelings for her, arranging for Yan Wu to send Wanyi back to the capital. He explained that his heart was truly with Wenren Jing.
While Wenren Jing was applying medicine to Lu Tingxiao's wounds, he noticed her hands were cold. She then confessed that her true name was not Wenren Jing, but Ye Rong'er, a princess of Lord Lian, who had fled an imperial marriage to open a matchmaker hall in Pingyang and pursue her own divorce case. She asked if Lu Tingxiao would mind her past marriage, promising to leave him alone if he did.
Lu Tingxiao stated he didn't mind, and she, in turn, promised never to hide anything from him again. Lu Tingxiao vowed his honesty and his exclusive trust in her. As Lu Tingxiao attempted to reveal his own true identity, Wenren Jing suddenly fainted. Wanyi recognized Wenren Jing's symptoms, identifying them as the "love poison," which she herself had been afflicted with at the Baihua Brothel.
She explained that the poison deepens with emotional arousal, causing coldness, paleness, frosted eyebrows, frequent fainting, and eventually death by freezing. Ling, Wenren Jing's attendant, confirmed Wenren Jing was in critical condition. Wanyi also revealed the Hong family's connection to this poison. After learning of Wenren Jing's predicament, Lu Tingxiao tasked Ling with caring for her and vowed to seek revenge on Hong Yuanshan. Hong Yuanshan, however, had disappeared.
Ling advised Lu Tingxiao that any emotional contact would worsen Wenren Jing's condition, making it critical for him to avoid her until an antidote was found. Faced with this grim reality, Lu Tingxiao decided to leave Boqing Hall to search for a cure. He sought out Fang Xianxun for a private conversation, acknowledging his absence would buy him more time to search for an antidote.
Lu Tingxiao disclosed that Qin Yiyi was from the West Kingdom and that he had dispatched people to scour exit records across all cities to find her. Fang Xianxun, in turn, announced his intention to infiltrate the Baihua Brothel to investigate Wang Yizhi. Lu Tingxiao then questioned Fang Xianxun's trustworthiness, presenting the Yugou Token that Wenren Jing had found among their clothes.
Fang Xianxun admitted it was his but pointed out that Lu Tingxiao also possessed tokens that could mobilize guards, yet he had never demanded an explanation. Lu Tingxiao accepted this, stating he would trust Fang Xianxun. He added a solemn warning that if any harm came to Wenren Jing, he would hold Fang Xianxun accountable. Fang Xianxun countered that if anything happened to his master (Wenren Jing), he would prepare a coffin for Lu Tingxiao.
Lu Tingxiao then entrusted Wenren Jing's care to Fang Xianxun, remarking on Fang Xianxun's seemingly righteous nature despite his pretense of being a villain. Lu Tingxiao journeyed to find the renowned physician Yue Liweng. Yue Liweng, having mentioned the deaths of Qin Yiyi and a scholar, asked if Lu Tingxiao sought a cure for the love poison.
Lu Tingxiao confirmed, expressing his resolve that even if he could not be with Wenren Jing, he would not abandon her to the poison's torment. Yue Liweng agreed to help, but only on the condition that Lu Tingxiao would test poisons for him. Lu Tingxiao accepted, stating he would die without regret if it meant saving Wenren Jing.
Meanwhile, Feng killed Hong Yuanshan and his son, later reporting to Fang Xianxun—who was disguised as General Lin Xie of the North Kingdom—that he had done so without proper interrogation or permission. Fang Xianxun, as Lin Xie, expressed displeasure at Feng's rash actions, further deepening the rift between them.
Wang Yizhi, having learned of Hong Yuanshan's capture, ordered him to be silenced to prevent the exposure of Chonglou's secret network of female assassins, fearing repercussions from both North and South Kingdoms. He also suspected that General Lin Xie's presence signaled a direct threat. Later, Fang Xianxun confronted Wang Yizhi at the Baihua Brothel, still in his disguise as General Lin Xie.
After compelling Wang Yizhi by having one of his associates brought in unconscious, the disguised Fang Xianxun pressed him. Wang Yizhi claimed loyalty to the North Kingdom, but Fang Xianxun accused him of using "flower tea"—the love poison—to control Chonglou's assassins and demanded to know if Wenren Jing had also been poisoned. Wang Yizhi confirmed she had. Seeking to clear Chonglou's name from suspicion of treason, Wang Yizhi offered a substantial reward for Lin Xie's assistance.
Fang Xianxun then demanded the antidote, insisting it be delivered within five days. Panicked, Wang Yizhi ordered his organization to prepare for evacuation, realizing that the general—also known as General Wuchang—would surely kill him upon discovering there was no antidote. Back at Boqing Hall, Wenren Jing, noticing her eyebrows were turning white, realized Lu Tingxiao was gone. She grew increasingly anxious, thinking that with his skills, he wouldn't have had an accident and must have "run away."
Ling and Wanyi discussed what to tell her. To prevent Wenren Jing from going to search for him, Wanyi lied, claiming that Lu Tingxiao had returned to the capital to marry her. Wenren Jing, however, suspected something was wrong and directly asked if Lu Tingxiao had met with an accident. Ling offered to go inquire about him, while Wanyi pondered if removing Wenren Jing from their current location could free her from the love poison's grasp.
