Stand By Me Episode 39 Recap
> Stand By Me Recap
Cheng Ruoyu watched in sorrow as Li Rong was killed before her eyes. Filled with grief and rage, she fought fiercely against the assassins until Yan Zhi arrived, stopping the conflict. Cheng Ruoyu accused Yan Zhi of ordering Li Rong's death, demanding to know why she killed Li Rong, who only wished to reveal Cheng Ruoyu's true identity.
Yan Zhi acknowledged Cheng Ruoyu’s desire for answers but urged her to consider the greater cause and Emperor Qi Yan's dream to rebuild Da Xing, insisting that neither of them could afford to die. Unconvinced, Cheng Ruoyu ignored Yan Zhi’s pleas, leaving Yan Zhi with no choice but to have her arrested. Later, Yan Xiu expressed regret to Yan Zhi for killing Li Rong in haste, asking if the act could be undone.
Yan Zhi replied that while Li Rong was dead, Cheng Xi would never give up, and their priority should be to prevent Cheng Xi from ever meeting Wang Ruoling again. She instructed Yan Xiu to handle the situation properly. Meanwhile, Cheng Ruoyu, now imprisoned in Xiangqi Camp, reflected on Li Rong’s lifelong care and kindness towards her, feeling immense guilt for her death.
She asked Cheng Huaizhi to relay a message to Qi Yan, requesting to meet him at Ziyu Pavilion the following night. Upon hearing the news, Qi Yan was deeply moved, coughing up blood and remarking that even though he repeatedly sent her away, she always returned. He instructed his guards not to stop Cheng Ruoyu if she came to meet him.
Yan Zhi visited Cheng Ruoyu in her cell, offering her a drink, but Cheng Ruoyu angrily rejected it, wanting her to leave. Yan Zhi explained that she understood Cheng Ruoyu's attachment to Li Rong, who had treated her like a daughter for years in the Ziyi Bureau. She knew Cheng Ruoyu would hold her responsible for Li Rong’s death and declared she would not defend herself, inviting Cheng Ruoyu to seek revenge if she wished.
However, Yan Zhi added that in her current state, Cheng Ruoyu would not succeed. Yan Zhi reminisced about when they first met, and how Cheng Ruoyu had secretly helped her, despite their opposing roles, making her grateful. Cheng Ruoyu retorted that she had once believed Yan Zhi was different from Chou Ziliang, but now saw her as equally cold, ruthless, selfish, and indifferent to human life.
She vowed never to become Yan Zhi’s pawn, declaring that as Cheng Ruoyu, she followed the aspirations of Senior Shangguan, upheld Lady Gongsun’s path, protected the Qi dynasty, and safeguarded the true emperor. Yan Zhi, deeply hurt, left in tears. Overcome with grief, Yan Zhi fell ill. Yan Xiu cared for her, advising her not to see Cheng Ruoyu for a few days to let her calm down.
Yan Zhi confessed that she was not sad, but proud of Wang Ruoling, who reminded her so much of their grandfather. Yan Xiu comforted her, saying that both she and Wang Ruoling were good people, and that it was merely fate's cruel hand. He believed Wang Ruoling would eventually understand Yan Zhi’s difficult choices. After Yan Zhi drifted to sleep from her medicine, Yan Xiu took out a withered flower and placed it in her hand.
He vowed that once Yan Zhi achieved her great revenge, he would offer his own life to Cheng Ruoyu, ensuring no rift would divide the two sisters. Separately, Cheng Xi learned of Li Rong’s death.
After being informed that the person known as Ling Ling had admitted to being Cheng Ruoyu and that Li Rong was killed by Qiu Yanzhi as she was about to reveal Cheng Ruoyu's identity, Cheng Xi calmly gave orders for the next phase of her plan.
She chose not to retrieve Li Rong's body for burial, instead instructing her subordinates to take Li Rong’s favorite clothes, burn them along with the Cai Tavern, and let them be cremated with Li Rong. Cheng Xi then swore to avenge Li Rong's death, promising that Yan Zhi would pay with her blood. Cheng Ruoyu dreamed of Li Rong, alive and well, offering her food. She awoke with a start to find it was merely a dream.
She then retrieved a secret letter that Li Rong had given her before her death. The letter, written by Cheng Xi, detailed Cheng Ruoyu's true lineage. In the letter, Cheng Xi revealed that Cheng Ruoyu's real name was Wang Ruoling, the youngest granddaughter of Prime Minister Wang Yang. During the Chao Lu Incident, Qiu Ziliang and Qi Yan had eradicated the Wang family.
Qi Yan had personally killed Wang Yang and shot both Wang Ruoling and her elder sister, Wang Ruoqing, with a single arrow, leaving Wang Ruoling with the scar on her chest. Cheng Xi recounted how Wang Ruoling had survived the ordeal thanks to Prince Guang's rescue and how Cheng Xi herself had changed Wang Ruoling's name and raised her to protect her from Chou Ziliang's pursuit, lamenting Wang Ruoling's solitary existence in the vast, indifferent world.
Cheng Xi explained that she could no longer bear to watch Wang Ruoling become Qi Yan's weapon and revealed that Qi Yan was Wang Ruoling's sworn enemy. After reading the shocking letter, Cheng Ruoyu, in a desperate need for confirmation, loudly demanded to be released to see Cheng Xi.
Yan Zhi, informed of Cheng Ruoyu's demands, chose to confront her despite Yan Xiu's concerns about her heart condition, believing it was a good sign that Cheng Ruoyu was seeking her out. Cheng Ruoyu confronted Yan Zhi, asking if the contents of the letter were true, and if Yan Zhi had known her true identity all along, which explained why she killed Li Rong to silence her.
Yan Zhi denied it, claiming Cheng Xi was lying and that the letter was absurd. Cheng Ruoyu challenged her, asking why she then killed Li Rong. Yan Zhi explained that when training a pawn, anything that distracts them should not exist. Professing her intent to prove the letter false, Cheng Ruoyu suddenly took Yan Zhi hostage, demanding to be let out.
Yan Xiu intervened, telling Cheng Ruoyu to release Yan Zhi, citing her heart condition, and promising to let her go. Cheng Ruoyu, reaffirming that she would verify the truth herself and stating that her name was not Ling Ling, then pushed Yan Zhi aside and fled. Yan Xiu immediately ordered his guards to capture Cheng Ruoyu, but strictly forbade them from harming her. Cheng Ruoyu, on the streets, enlisted a Ziyi Bureau attendant to lead her to Cheng Xi.
Upon meeting Cheng Xi, Cheng Ruoyu cut straight to the point, asking if the information in the letter was true. Cheng Xi confirmed the story and presented physical evidence: a bloodied garment that Cheng Ruoyu had worn when she was shot, a jade pendant gifted to her by Concubine Yang, and the arrowhead retrieved from her body, which Cheng Xi explicitly identified as Qi Yan's.
Cheng Xi invited Cheng Ruoyu to compare the items with the scar on her chest and the tears on the garment, explaining that her elder sister had shielded her, allowing the arrow to lose force before it struck her, thus saving her life while costing her sister's. Cheng Xi urged Cheng Ruoyu to take the arrowhead and confront Qi Yan if she still disbelieved.
Cheng Ruoyu, clutching the evidence, set off to confront Qi Yan, but was ambushed by a group of attackers. She single-handedly fought them off. Yan Xiu, who arrived shortly after, learned from the defeated assassins that Cheng Ruoyu was heading to the rain pavilion to meet Qi Yan and rushed back to inform Yan Zhi. Meanwhile, Qi Chen vehemently chastised Cheng Xi for her cruel manipulation of Cheng Ruoyu against Qi Yan.
Cheng Xi defended her actions, claiming they were all to ensure Qi Chen's speedy ascension to the throne. Qi Chen rejected her ambition, stating that if he were to become emperor, it would be through honorable means, not by schemes or plunder. He asserted that the identity of the emperor mattered little as long as the realm was peaceful and prosperous.
Cheng Xi angrily denounced Qi Chen as a coward, just like their mother, who bore a child for their enemy instead of avenging their father. She labeled him a "beast" and a "pathetic waste," daring him to kill her, as she would never relent. Infuriated, Qi Chen ordered his subordinate to escort Cheng Xi far away to the Western Regions, forbidding her return without his command.
He then entrusted Yu Niang with the management of the Ziyi Bureau, expressing his trust in her. At the Ziyu Pavilion, Qi Yan patiently awaited Cheng Ruoyu's arrival. She eventually appeared, presenting the arrowhead and questioning its origin. Qi Yan admitted it was his, dating back to the Chao Lu Incident in the ninth year of Tai'an.
Cheng Ruoyu then showed him the jade pendant and the bloodied garment, which Qi Yan recognized as belonging to Wang Yang's granddaughter, worn before her death. Cheng Ruoyu revealed that she knew everything, including Qi Yan's nightmares, and had hoped he had some compelling reasons for his actions, believing his remorse was enough for her. However, she now realized it was "not nearly enough" and that those outside the situation could never truly understand her pain.
With a heavy heart, Cheng Ruoyu removed her mask, finally revealing her true identity: "I am Wang Yang's granddaughter, Wang Ruoling." Qi Yan was stunned, realizing that the young girl he had killed back then was indeed her. Cheng Ruoyu asked him to explain his reasons, hoping it would bring them some peace, but Qi Yan refused, stating that to Cheng Ruoyu, he could offer explanations, but to Wang Ruoling, he could only offer his life. He handed her his Qingguang sword, leaving her to decide his fate. Cheng Ruoyu's final words were that wrong was wrong, and no matter the reason, it was still wrong.
