Stand By Me Episode 15 Recap
> Stand By Me Recap
A military strategist sent a message to Qi Yan, requesting a meeting at Yuzhen Workshop. Qi Chen and Cheng Ruoyu were already present. Cheng Ruoyu, fearing for Qi Yan's life, confronted the strategist, angrily calling him a traitor and demanding to know his identity, his connection to Zhenwu and the rebels like Wang Yang, and why he sought revenge against Qi Yan.
In response, the strategist instructed Qi Chen to recount the events of the Chaolu Rebellion from eight years prior, allowing Cheng Ruoyu to determine who the true traitor was. Eight years ago, the late emperor, much like Qi Yan now, was deeply troubled by Chou Ziliang's overwhelming power.
To combat this, the then-Prime Minister, Li Xu, conspired with Zheng Lu, the Military Governor of Fengyang, to lure Chou Ziliang to the Left Battle Formation Institute under the guise of "Chaolu" and execute him. However, Chou Ziliang received intelligence of the plot in advance. He swiftly turned the tables, murdering Li Xu and Zheng Lu, and then storming the late emperor's chambers to imprison him.
The records in the Ji Calendar were thus proven false, confirming that A-Wu's father was not a traitor, a revelation that deeply saddened Cheng Ruoyu for the late A-Wu. Knowing his end was near, the late emperor penned an imperial will, entrusting General Han Yue to deliver it to Prime Minister Wang Yang. During his escape, Han Yue was shot and injured by an arrow from Qi Yan, but he endured the pain and rode off.
Han Yue, despite his injuries, risked his life to reach Wang Yang's residence and deliver the imperial will. Unexpectedly, Chou Ziliang and his men stormed the manor, initiating a bloody massacre. Han Yue bravely shielded Wang Yang and his two granddaughters, including Wang Ruoqing, allowing them to escape through a secret passage. In the fierce struggle, Han Yue sustained severe injuries, losing an eye. Ultimately, Chou Ziliang intercepted Wang Yang and his granddaughters at the exit of the secret passage.
Cheng Ruoyu, eager to know the contents of the will, learned from the strategist that it designated Qi Chen as the successor to the throne. This truth moved Cheng Ruoyu to lament the injustice suffered by A-Wu. The strategist then encouraged Qi Chen to reclaim his rightful position as emperor. However, Qi Chen, unwilling to cause further suffering and bloodshed, revealed that the late emperor, before his death, had already tacitly approved Qi Yan's succession.
The strategist, frustrated, accused Qi Chen of cowardice, asserting that the eunuchs' power was too deeply entrenched to be overturned without decisive action. Meanwhile, Ziyuan and Zou Ma arrived to escort Qiu Yanzhi, acting on the strategist's orders. Qiu Yanzhi inquired about their next move, and Zou Ma disclosed that she was to be used as bait to draw Chou Ziliang into their trap.
Before Qiu Yanzhi could react, Zou Ma drugged her with Fo Jianxiao, causing her to fall unconscious. Upon learning that Qiu Yanzhi and others had been captured, Chou Ziliang was enraged. Qi Yan arrived punctually at Yuzhen Workshop. As he cautiously stepped into the Bagua formation, Zou Ma incapacitated him with a sedative and transported him, along with Qiu Yanzhi, to a hidden chamber.
Sensing a disturbance, the strategist immediately led Qi Chen and Cheng Ruoyu away through a secret passage. Chou Ziliang's forces soon arrived at the workshop, discovering numerous bodies with slit throats, indicating they had been sedated before being killed. Chou Ziliang ordered a search for Qi Yan's body among the deceased but found no trace. Once confined, Qi Yan questioned Zou Ma about Cheng Ruoyu's whereabouts. The strategist then appeared, threatening to kill Cheng Ruoyu.
Qi Yan, however, asserted that the strategist was not someone who killed indiscriminately, expressing his belief in his character. Qiu Yanzhi requested a private conversation with the strategist, invoking the name of the Commander of the Left Jinwu Guards to emphasize the importance of her words. The strategist then instructed Zou Ma to take Qi Yan outside, agreeing to speak with Qiu Yanzhi alone.
Zou Ma escorted Qi Yan to a prison cell, where he found Cheng Ruoyu and Qi Chen already incarcerated. Qi Yan observed Cheng Ruoyu's severe injuries and anxiously inquired about her well-being. Cheng Ruoyu, despite her condition, reassured him, expressing her gratitude that he had come to rescue her, even though he claimed to be there only to capture the mastermind. She also voiced her joy that they were one step closer to uncovering the truth.
In their private conversation, the strategist admitted he was Han Yue, the Commander of the Left Jinwu Guards, the very man entrusted with the imperial will during the Chaolu Rebellion. Overcome with emotion, Qiu Yanzhi confessed her true identity as Wang Ruoqing, Wang Yang's granddaughter, a person Han Yue had believed to be dead for eight years. She deeply thanked Han Yue for his life-saving efforts. Meanwhile, Yan Xiu regained consciousness, realizing he had been poisoned with Fo Jianxiao.
Zou Ma aggressively questioned him about Qiu Yanzhi's true identity, but Yan Xiu feigned ignorance. In the cell, Cheng Ruoyu realized that the strategist was Han Yue and suspected that his return was for revenge against both Qi Yan and Chou Ziliang. Qi Chen, reflecting on his past actions, confessed his faults to Qi Yan and solemnly swore to assist him in restoring the glory of Daxing, pledging unwavering loyalty for the rest of his life.
Qiu Yanzhi recounted her harrowing past to Han Yue. Eight years ago, after being struck by an arrow, she desperately searched for her sister amidst the bodies. She eventually collapsed outside a pharmacy, where the owner, skilled in medicine, treated her wound. Fearing she would implicate him, she left and eventually fell into the hands of human traffickers, ending up back in Heng'an. There, she was sold to a music house. One day, Chou Ziliang visited the music house.
Driven by an intense desire for revenge for her family's massacre, Qiu Yanzhi deliberately disfigured herself with oleander powder and presented herself before him, hoping to remain by his side. Although Chou Ziliang initially left without taking her, he later had her recruited into the Xiangqi Camp, which, to her shock, was located in her former home. Witnessing the ruined state of her ancestral home daily fueled her determination to survive and seek vengeance.
She offered to join forces with Han Yue in their common goal of revenge. When Qiu Yanzhi returned to the cell, Cheng Ruoyu eagerly asked if Han Yue had harmed her. Qiu Yanzhi assured her that she was safe as long as Chou Ziliang did not appear. Cheng Ruoyu expressed her gratitude to Qi Yan for risking his life to rescue her. In a separate development, Chou Ziliang captured Liu Misha and Sun Lie.
He presented a body displaying a wound from a Zhenwu-specific curved blade, demanding to know who Qi Yan had met at Yuzhen Workshop. Both Sun Lie and Liu Misha refused to cooperate. Chou Ziliang then used an hourglass as a menacing timer, threatening to execute ten Zhenwu officials for every grain of sand that fell, falsely claiming that assassins from Luchong had attempted to kill Qi Yan and then murdered Zhenwu officials. This cruel act enraged Liu Misha, who defiantly attempted to attack Chou Ziliang.
