Stand By Me Episode 48 Recap
> Stand By Me Recap
Qi Yan sent Cheng Huaizhi to find Han Ding, but Han Ding was nowhere to be found. Cheng Huaizhi reported his failure to Qi Yan and then advised him to skip the morning court that day, expressing concern for his safety. However, Qi Yan was resolute, stating that he must attend the morning court as a fierce battle was imminent.
He confessed that he no longer had the strength to protect Cheng Ruoyu and believed she would be safer in a chaotic area with multiple escape routes, especially with Yan Xiu by her side. Qi Yan then instructed Cheng Huaizhi to take a resignation document and leave the palace on his own after the court session. Cheng Huaizhi was heartbroken and wept, asking what Qi Yan would do.
Qi Yan solemnly replied that he had no escape route and never had one. Meanwhile, Cheng Ruoyu and Yan Xiu were at a sacrificial altar, bidding farewell to Yan Zhi. As they prepared for her burial, Yuan Du, from the Xiangqi Camp, suddenly appeared with soldiers who surrounded them. Yuan Du questioned their return to this place and demanded the imperial edict, implying a peaceful resolution if they cooperated. Cheng Ruoyu refused, reminding him of her stubborn nature.
As soldiers advanced, Cheng Ruoyu activated a hidden mechanism that Yan Zhi had prepared, causing smoke to billow around the altar. Cheng Ruoyu, remembering playing in this secret passage with Yan Zhi as children, realized her sister had anticipated this. With Yan Xiu's help, she guided Yan Zhi's coffin into the secure secret passage beneath the altar, resolving to complete what their grandfather could not.
Back at the palace, the civil and military officials gathered promptly for the morning court, but Assistant Minister Li Deyun was conspicuously absent, prompting murmurs among the other ministers who wondered if he had fallen ill. Unknown to them, his daughter, Li Zening, had drugged him, leaving him bedridden and weak. Li Deyun confronted his daughter, expressing disbelief and warning her against a repeat of past mistakes.
Li Zening defiantly declared that she had made a mistake eight years ago by being a coward, and this time, she refused to cower. She was determined to go to the Golden Hall alone to see Qi Yan, while Han Ding, leading a large force, guarded the hall's exterior.
In the Golden Hall, the civil and military officials unanimously demanded severe punishment for Chou Ziliang's followers, whom they accused of numerous atrocities, including deceiving superiors, acting unlawfully, secretly hoarding weapons, raising soldiers, and assassinating two princes, one concubine, and four chancellors. They presented Qi Yan with a detailed list of Chou's faction, which he noted with a hint of sarcasm how quickly it had been produced. Only Qi Chen remained silent and still throughout this display.
Meanwhile, Cheng Ruoyu and Yan Xiu, emerging from the secret passage, were immediately confronted by Yuan Du. He had brought Yan Zhi's coffin as leverage and once again demanded the imperial edict, claiming it rightfully belonged to Prince Kuang and that Qi Yan was the true villain. He explained that the late emperor's will, meant for Prince Kuang, had been entrusted to Cheng Ruoyu's grandfather by Han Yue.
Seeing Yan Zhi's coffin used in such a manner, Cheng Ruoyu was heartbroken. She reluctantly handed over a painting, from which Yuan Du extracted the imperial edict. Yuan Du then left Yan Zhi's coffin behind and rode off. Cheng Ruoyu, feeling regret, apologized for her oversight, explaining to Yan Xiu that while the edict was meant for Prince Kuang, she had not been able to inform Yan Zhi.
She then instructed Yan Xiu to take Yan Zhi's body and quickly leave, while she remained to fulfill her duty as the Sword Bearer. At court, after a minister suggested appointing a new General-in-Chief for the Shen Cai Army and presented a list of candidates, Qi Yan approved and summoned Han Ding. He directly asked Han Ding if he wished to be the General-in-Chief.
Han Ding, however, replied that Qi Yan was forcing him, confirming Qi Yan's realization that Han Ding had betrayed him. Qi Yan then dismissed all the civil and military officials, but instructed Qi Chen to remain. With a sharp gaze, Qi Yan confronted Qi Chen, revealing his intricate network where Qi Chen had planted his loyalists within the Shen Cai Army through Han Ding, without Qi Yan's knowledge or promises.
He further exposed Qi Chen's control over the Xiangqi Camp, noting that after Yan Zhi eliminated Chou Ziliang's confidantes, only Yan Xiu remained from Yan Zhi’s trusted circle, leaving the rest to be Qi Chen's people. Qi Yan also pointed out that Yuniang in the Ziyi Bureau was loyal to Qi Chen, even with Cheng Ruoyu's departure. Qi Yan expressed his profound disappointment, having initially believed that with Chou Ziliang's demise, peace would return.
Instead, he found himself facing "another Qi Ziliang." He challenged Qi Chen to reveal his true intentions, stating that his scheme had reached its limit and asked why he didn't "reveal the dagger." Qi Chen remained silent. Cheng Ruoyu rushed back to the palace and found Cheng Huaizhi packing his belongings, ready to depart. He explained that Qi Yan had ordered him to leave to avoid being a burden, but Cheng Huaizhi, deeply loyal, wished to repay Qi Yan's kindness.
Cheng Ruoyu pleaded with him to stay and help Qi Yan, who was in grave danger. Following Cheng Ruoyu’s lead, the Grand Dowager Empress attempted to enter the Golden Hall, but Han Ding, acting on orders, blocked her path. When Yuan Du arrived, he asserted that this was the opportune moment to formalize the succession.
He then publicly read aloud the late emperor's imperial will, which declared Qi Chen as the rightful heir, citing Qi Yan’s alleged incompetence and the eunuchs' undue influence. The decree was dated the twenty-first day of the eleventh month in the ninth year of Tai'an. The Grand Dowager Empress initially questioned the will's authenticity, but after Yuan Du insisted she inspect it carefully, she confirmed it was genuine.
Yuan Du then compelled the civil and military officials to sign the document. Qi Yan, observing the proceedings, grasped the depth of Qi Chen's long-held ambition and the historical context. He realized that the late emperor's original will, designating Qi Chen as successor, had remained unsigned by the Secretariat Department, thereby rendering his own ascension an act of usurpation.
With profound remorse, Qi Yan apologized to Qi Chen for ever comparing him to the "scoundrel" Chou Ziliang, praising Qi Chen's noble character and integrity. He then asked Qi Chen if he felt wronged by Qi Yan having taken the throne. Qi Chen admitted he "once thought so," but added that it no longer mattered, as he could now ascend to the throne honorably, making Qi Yan the true usurper.
As the ministers, led by Assistant Minister of the Secretariat Luo Mian, signed the will, many knelt in guilt, expressing their deep remorse to Qi Yan, who had promoted them. Qi Yan noted with a hint of solace that not all individuals could be bought. He admitted his defeat and implored Qi Chen to spare the loyal officials, begging him to grant them a path to live.
Qi Chen called Yuan Du back into the hall and, in an unexpected move, invited the Grand Dowager Empress and Cheng Ruoyu to join them. Cheng Ruoyu, who entered to protect Qi Yan, expressed her deep disappointment and contempt for Qi Chen, who she had always admired. Yuan Du, ignoring her outburst, presented the officially validated imperial edict to Qi Chen and urged him to immediately ascend the throne. However, Qi Chen firmly refused to accept it.
Qi Yan, calling himself a usurper, once again offered to return the throne to Qi Chen. Qi Chen then began to reveal his true feelings. He confessed that as a child, he often dreamed of riding a dragon, but his mother had strictly warned him against revealing such dreams, fearing deadly consequences. Qi Yan interpreted this as early signs of rebellious intent.
Qi Chen then recounted another childhood experience: a time when, recovering from illness, he spontaneously stood up and saluted as if he were an emperor addressing his court, terrifying his mother. His elder brother, Qi Yan's father, had witnessed this but, instead of being angry, had praised him as "a remarkable figure of our family." Qi Chen expressed his deep disdain for the Qi lineage's relentless ambition for power, which often led to patricide, banishment of mothers, and fratricide.
He admitted that he had indeed "thought about" becoming emperor and "had chances" to claim the throne. He detailed how he could have used Assistant Minister Thirteen of the Xiangqi Camp as a body double to kill Qi Yan through Chou Ziliang's schemes, or exposed Zheng Wu's true identity, or simply accepted the throne with the support of Han Yue and his half-sister Cheng Xi, who were fulfilling the late emperor's dying wish.
Cheng Ruoyu interjected, accusing Qi Chen of merely using Yan Zhi for his revenge, making her believe he felt guilt for the Wang family, when Yan Zhi was merely a descendant of an old friend of Qi Chen's. Qi Chen countered that even when Qi Yan was gravely ill multiple times and offered to abdicate, he had refused.
He explained his philosophy: while taking power is easy, choosing righteousness is hard, much like how his elder brother had shown him righteousness by praising him instead of punishing him for his childhood display. He rejected the notion that royalty was inherently heartless, declaring he would never harm his own family or his nephew. When Yuan Du attempted to object and persuade Qi Chen not to relinquish the hard-won throne, Qi Chen angrily silenced him and ordered him to leave.
Qi Chen then reaffirmed his unwavering loyalty to Qi Yan, proclaiming, "You will always be my emperor," and moved to tear the imperial edict. Qi Yan quickly stopped him. With this, the uncle and nephew resolved their misunderstandings and reconciled, shaking hands.
