Stand By Me Episode 34 Recap
> Stand By Me Recap
Chou Ziliang sensed his internal meridians were in disarray, desperately needing to enter seclusion for cultivation to avoid a life-threatening situation. However, the rapidly changing political landscape made it impossible for him to calm his mind. He silently vowed to swiftly uncover the mastermind behind the recent coup. Yan Xiu reported to Yan Zhi how effortlessly Chou Ziliang had quashed the Divine Talent Army's coup.
Yan Xiu observed that in situations of vastly unequal strength, absolute domination was the answer, likening Chou Ziliang's power to a single whisk stroke. He recalled the Chaos of Morning Dew, where even numerous ambushing soldiers couldn't defeat him. Yan Zhi, concluding that Chou Ziliang's martial arts must first be crippled before he could be eliminated, agreed with Yan Xiu.
Reflecting on her own past, Yan Zhi lamented her mediocre skills, wishing she hadn't been wounded by an arrow years ago. When she asked Yan Xiu who possessed the greatest martial arts talent he had ever seen, Yan Xiu responded by referring to Cheng Ruoyu as "little petty fish," startling Yan Zhi. Yan Zhi realized that since Cheng Ruoyu's martial arts had recovered so quickly after her injuries, Chou Ziliang would surely investigate how she healed.
Meanwhile, Cheng Ruoyu was imprisoned, loudly demanding to be released and heard. When Chou Ziliang arrived, she vehemently denied any knowledge of military tokens, arguing that he, despite his power, could not unjustly accuse her. Chou Ziliang pressed her about who among his people was her informant. He highlighted her astonishing recovery from the broken bone torture in less than two months, questioning Right Official if he had been lenient.
Right Official denied it, and Chou Ziliang then demanded Cheng Ruoyu explain how her broken bones had mended so perfectly. Cheng Ruoyu sarcastically replied that he wouldn't believe her claims of medicine or extraordinary talent. She then provoked him, calling him a eunuch who lacked true popular support. Enraged, Chou Ziliang declared he would make her life a living hell before breaking her wrist.
Yan Zhi, having decided to save Cheng Ruoyu, arranged for a false report that Qi Yan was in critical condition. An aide then reported this to Chou Ziliang, who, visibly concerned, instructed Right Official to remain and guard Cheng Ruoyu, then immediately left for the palace.
Seeing Chou Ziliang depart, Yan Zhi decided it was time to save Cheng Ruoyu, confessing to her companion that she had been feeling uneasy since her earlier decision not to intervene, and was now relieved to act. She arrived at Cheng Ruoyu's cell, where Right Official faked being unconscious to facilitate their escape. Yan Zhi tried once more to persuade Cheng Ruoyu to join her, arguing that it would benefit Qi Yan and save Cheng Ruoyu's life.
She asserted that she could still become empress even without Cheng Ruoyu, and that Qi Yan would accept her more easily if Cheng Ruoyu, his beloved, were gone. She also claimed she had her own reasons to save Cheng Ruoyu, seeing her as a friend. Cheng Ruoyu, however, resolutely refused, pledging eternal loyalty to Qi Yan.
She described Qi Yan as a proud, untactful, and ambitious emperor who awkwardly tried to feign incompetence, yet this very vulnerability made her want to protect him and walk alongside him, no matter the obstacles. Yan Zhi, sorrowfully, warned that if Cheng Ruoyu persisted, both she and Qi Yan would perish, but Cheng Ruoyu maintained she had no regrets. Yan Zhi then compared Cheng Ruoyu to her own grandfather, explaining this resemblance was why she couldn't abandon her.
She promised that Yan Xiu would come to lead Cheng Ruoyu to safety and urged her to find a way to heal her hand. After the rescue, Yan Zhi grew suspicious. She realized that Chou Ziliang, being cunning and distrustful, would surely suspect Right Official given Cheng Ruoyu's swift recovery from severe injuries. Yet, Chou Ziliang had deliberately left Right Official to guard her, leading Yan Zhi to conclude it was a trap designed to lure her into action.
She immediately attempted to warn Yan Xiu, but it was too late. Chou Ziliang’s men had already recaptured Yan Xiu and Cheng Ruoyu and brought them back. Yan Xiu immediately confessed, taking full responsibility. He falsely claimed that Cheng Ruoyu, whom he called "little petty fish," had bribed him with the Ziyi Bureau's martial arts manual to allow her to see Qi Yan one last time.
He emphasized that this was his own folly and cleared Yan Zhi of any involvement. Chou Ziliang, skeptical, questioned what a "discarded commoner" could offer. Yan Xiu elaborated that Cheng Ruoyu's rapid recovery and martial arts proficiency, combined with his own stagnation, made the promise of the manual irresistible. He pleaded for punishment from both Chou Ziliang and the Chess Master. Chou Ziliang then asked Yan Zhi if she believed Yan Xiu, who he referred to as the Left Guard.
Yan Zhi defended Yan Xiu, suggesting he was temporarily blinded by his obsession with martial arts. While Chou Ziliang acknowledged the temptation of such a technique, he declared that betrayal and feigned obedience were punishable by death in the Xiangqi Camp. He then shockingly ordered Yan Zhi to personally execute Yan Xiu. Yan Xiu accepted his fate, stating he would die without regret at the Chess Master's hand.
At this point, Cheng Ruoyu defiantly yelled that she had bribed all the pawns in Chou Ziliang's Xiangqi Camp and dared him to kill them all. Yan Zhi knelt, pleading for Yan Xiu's life, reminding Chou Ziliang of Yan Xiu's long service and past merits, and even his act of saving her own life. She begged for Yan Xiu to be given a chance to atone. Chou Ziliang initially dismissed her plea, questioning her sudden softheartedness.
However, he eventually granted Yan Xiu a reprieve from death. But he then turned to Cheng Ruoyu, declaring that the one who started it all could not be spared. He demanded that Yan Zhi kill Cheng Ruoyu. Yan Zhi initially argued to keep Cheng Ruoyu to restrain Qi Yan, but Chou Ziliang dismissed it, stating that Qi Yan was already in his grasp and Cheng Ruoyu was only a nuisance who constantly ruined his plans.
He forced Yan Zhi to choose between Yan Xiu and Cheng Ruoyu. Torn, Yan Zhi requested to return to her room to retrieve her ring, intending to buy herself time. In her room, Yan Zhi was in agony. She realized that not killing Cheng Ruoyu would not only lead to Yan Xiu's death but also raise Chou Ziliang's suspicion of herself. She saw Chou Ziliang's demand as a test to sever her attachments and secure her absolute loyalty.
She desperately didn't want to kill Cheng Ruoyu and considered abandoning her entire eight-year plan to eliminate Chou Ziliang, but ultimately resolved that she could not give up, as she was the last surviving member of the Wang family. With a heavy heart, she chose a bottle of poison, regretting what she had to do and stating that if they met in the afterlife, Cheng Ruoyu could do what she wished with her.
She took her ring, declaring it was either Cheng Ruoyu's life or her own. Before Yan Zhi could return, Cheng Ruoyu lunged at Chou Ziliang in an attempt to assassinate him, but Yan Xiu quickly knocked her out. Chou Ziliang sent a guard to hasten Yan Zhi.
As Yan Zhi was about to leave, Qi Chen intercepted her, urging her not to kill Cheng Ruoyu, arguing that Chou Ziliang suspected Yan Zhi herself and intended to break her spirit, not merely punish Yan Xiu. Yan Zhi insisted she had no choice, but Qi Chen revealed a shocking secret: Cheng Ruoyu was none other than Yan Zhi's younger sister, Wang Ruoling. Yan Zhi was stunned, having believed her entire family, including Ruoling, had perished.
Qi Chen explained that he had found Ruoling barely alive amidst the dead bodies, and with Yan Zhi absent and Ruoling in critical condition, he had taken her for treatment. Ruoling recovered after six months but had lost all her memories from the trauma. To conceal her identity, Qi Chen had arranged for Cheng Xi to adopt her, rename her Cheng Ruoyu, and place her in the Ziyi Bureau.
He expressed his surprise that Cheng Xi then brought her to serve by Qi Yan's side. Yan Zhi questioned why Qi Chen was only revealing this now, to which he replied that he feared exposing the truth, especially that Qi Yan had personally killed their family and grandfather, would shatter Cheng Ruoyu's deep affection for the Emperor. Distraught, Yan Zhi declared she would rather die herself than harm her sister.
She even offered to sacrifice herself in Cheng Ruoyu's place, but Qi Chen stopped her, telling her that her emotional state would only lead to a disastrous attempt, and that she "must" follow Chou Ziliang's order. Returning to Chou Ziliang, Yan Zhi feigned a heart condition, apologizing for her delay. Chou Ziliang, accepting her excuse, urged her to proceed. With a poisoned ring, Yan Zhi stabbed Cheng Ruoyu in the throat.
Cheng Ruoyu, with a faint smile, said she felt no pain and made a final request: for Yan Zhi to send her body back to the palace so she could be with His Majesty. Chou Ziliang, however, scoffed, vowing that he would not grant her a peaceful end after the trouble she had caused. Cheng Ruoyu then died, bleeding from seven orifices. Far away, Qi Yan, having sensed Cheng Ruoyu's peril, was overcome with grief.
He violently tore open his already grievous wound and collapsed unconscious. Chou Ziliang confirmed Cheng Ruoyu's death, but still, in a fit of lingering suspicion, struck her chest with his whisk. A heartbroken Yan Zhi asked if the body should be sent to Qi Yan, but Chou Ziliang vehemently refused, ordering it discarded in a mass grave. Just then, a messenger reported that Qi Yan's wounds had worsened, resulting in severe bleeding, and the imperial physicians were helpless.
Chou Ziliang immediately ordered Prince Guang to be brought and confined to the Xiangqi Camp. Before departing, he sternly warned Yan Zhi to behave, reminding her that he had entrusted her with immense power as the person closest to him, and he expected her not to disappoint her adopted father. Inside the palace, the Divine doctor frantically instructed guards to forcibly administer a powerful medicine to Qi Yan to keep him alive.
Chou Ziliang's officials subtly suggested making plans for a new crown prince, but Chou Ziliang angrily rebuked them, accusing them of trying to distract him to continue their embezzlement. He dismissed them, then ordered the entire area around Qi Yan to be sealed off, with no news to escape.
