Resumen del episodio 22 de Unveil: Jadewind
> Resúmenes de Unveil: Jadewind
Du Zhixing engaged in a fierce battle with a black-clad assailant. Having used tactics to discern the assailant's moves, Du Zhixing already knew his identity. The assailant injured Du Zhixing with a hidden weapon. Li Peiyi attempted to intervene, but Xiao Huaijin forcefully covered her mouth, reminding her that Du Zhixing's sole wish was for her to live safely.
This action triggered Li Peiyi's memory of a boy covering her eyes fifteen years ago during the incident at Prince of Duan's manor, recognizing the identical movement. Du Zhixing, aware that the assailant's blade was poisoned, revealed that he had further enhanced the poison, ensuring it had reached the assailant's eyes. He grimly stated that without an antidote, they would both die.
Du Zhixing internally reflected that he had prevented Li Peiyi from investigating the 15-year-old case for her safety, as the culprits were too well-hidden. He then declared his intention to unmask his "old acquaintance." Suddenly, Du Zhixing was ambushed again, struck by an arrow. As the black-clad man closed in, Du Zhixing spat poisoned saliva into the assailant's face, temporarily blinding him.
Du Zhixing seized the opportunity to unmask him, but the assailant, always prepared, used a hidden wrist blade to slash Du Zhixing's neck. Du Zhixing succumbed to the wound, vomiting blood as he died. Li Peiyi, witnessing the horrific scene while being held back by Xiao Huaijin, cried out for the "old man," begging him to wake up and reveal the antidote, heartbroken that he was leaving her.
Overwhelmed by grief, she questioned why she was the one still alive before fainting. Xiao Huaijin quickly carried her back to the inn. After the black-clad man fled, Xiao Huaijin allowed Li Peiyi to approach Du Zhixing's body. Overcome with sorrow, she longed for Du Zhixing to scold her like a father again, remembering his two decades of care. Later that night, Li Peiyi, having regained some strength, confronted Xiao Huaijin.
She knew he was the one who had taken her from Prince of Duan's mansion fifteen years ago. She pressed him, asking what he had seen behind the rockery that night. He admitted he hadn't seen much, as he was focused on covering her eyes to protect her, a similar action to when he had covered her mouth earlier. He also confessed he wished he had seen more.
As a subordinate arrived to handle Du Zhixing's body, Li Peiyi pressed for details about her escape and who took her to the palace. Xiao Huaijin recounted carrying her on his back and climbing the manor walls, but then he passed out and truly could not recall what happened next. Desperate for answers about her father's killer, Li Peiyi pleaded with Xiao Huaijin to remember any detail, no matter how small.
He apologized, stating he knew no more than she did. His inability to provide answers, combined with her renewed despair, led her to ask him to leave her alone. Li Peiyi chose not to send Du Zhixing's body back to Western Capital, believing he disliked the city and would prefer a quiet rest. She instructed her subordinates to bury him in a scenic, elevated spot facing the capital, so he could oversee her revenge.
At his graveside, she mourned, lamenting that she was a "cursed lone star" who had not only failed to find the killer but had also caused her master's death. She spoke to him, accepting his departure but vowing to return to the capital for vengeance. She affirmed that even with a cold trail, she possessed infinite patience and time, and asked for his spiritual blessing.
As she left, a wine jar toppled, which she interpreted as Du Zhixing's silent assent to her mission. As Li Peiyi and Xiao Huaijin rode back to Western Capital, Xiao Wenyuan met them outside the city. He instructed Xiao Huaijin to return home to his mother, as he needed to speak with Li Peiyi privately. Li Peiyi, though wary, understood that Xiao Wenyuan was not her enemy and pressed him for new information.
Xiao Wenyuan, without seeking anything in return, promised to reveal everything. He explained that fifteen years ago, on the night of the Lantern Festival, he had heard that Prince of Duan's Jianning Iron Army, numbering in the tens of thousands, had entered Western Capital without orders. This was not, as rumored, due to the Prince going mad, but a serious military transgression that could not be faked.
Xiao Wenyuan, hearing this, immediately sought the Crown Prince's military tally from Wu Siping. He then rode swiftly to Prince of Duan's manor, but upon arrival, found the mansion already surrounded by Imperial Guards, preventing any entry or exit. He encountered Xiao Huaijin carrying Li Peiyi out, and quickly hid them in a carriage. He continued to explain that with the Imperial Guards patrolling, Li Peiyi was still in great danger.
Despite his subordinate's warnings about the risk to the Xiao family and the Crown Prince, Xiao Wenyuan, desperate, appealed to Du Zhixing, who happened to pass by. He pleaded with Du Zhixing to take Li Peiyi into the palace for safety, reasoning that as the sole heir of Prince of Duan, she could only be protected there.
Du Zhixing, after a moment of feigned indifference, agreed, but stipulated that after that night, they would be strangers, and the credit for saving Li Peiyi would fall to Xiao Wenyuan and his son. Xiao Wenyuan gratefully entrusted Li Peiyi to him. He then recounted how Du Zhixing had reported to the Emperor that Li Peiyi was found unconscious in a woodshed, implying she had fainted from shock. The entire court awaited her testimony, each with their own agenda.
Li Peiyi remembered only making lanterns with her father before waking up an orphan. Xiao Wenyuan warned that even this limited memory put her life at risk, and that he and Du Zhixing had always been vigilant.
He revealed that her "accidental" fall into the Moonlit Pond was a deliberate act, a terrifying warning to him (Xiao Wenyuan) not to interfere with the Prince of Duan's case, made in front of both Li Peiyi and Xiao Huaijin, and for Li Peiyi never to remember that night. He had desperately hoped she would forget, for everyone's safety, and expressed his regret that she had remembered everything anyway.
Li Peiyi, feeling responsible for the troubles inflicted upon the Xiao family and the death of her master, declared her intention to sever ties with them. However, Xiao Wenyuan reassured her that Xiao Huaijin, though gentle, was as stubborn as she was and was determined to investigate the case regardless.
He confessed his own compromises made for the stability of his family, the Crown Prince, and the court, but emphasized Xiao Huaijin's pure motives: he only ever wanted to protect Li Peiyi. He had spent fifteen years trying to forget that night but, upon learning of Li Peiyi's resolve for truth, forced himself to relive the nightmare repeatedly, hoping to recall any detail to aid her.
Remembering Jin Niang, a close friend of Du Zhixing, Li Peiyi sought her out at a tavern. Jin Niang, after recognizing Li Peiyi, recounted her history with Du Zhixing. They had been childhood sweethearts, but their paths diverged when his father's conviction forced him into the Palace Investigation Bureau. Despite this, they maintained contact, and Du Zhixing, even as he faced his own struggles, dedicated himself to protecting Li Peiyi, treating her like his own daughter.
Jin Niang offered Li Peiyi a sachet, a gift Du Zhixing had bought for her, but Li Peiyi insisted she keep it. Jin Niang, offering her help in avenging Du Zhixing, revealed her unofficial channels for information, and confirmed she was already aware of Du Zhixing's death. She had also heard rumors of someone inquiring about individuals with sudden eye illnesses, piecing together Li Peiyi's hunt for the killer. Li Peiyi gratefully accepted her help, urging her to stay safe.
Meanwhile, the black-clad assailant, whose eyes were poisoned by Du Zhixing, reported his failure to his superior. He admitted Du Zhixing's unexpected appearance led to Li Peiyi's escape, but believed Du Zhixing's death would hinder Li Peiyi's investigation. When questioned about his eye injury, the assailant vowed to treat it and disappear to avoid exposure.
The official then instructed another subordinate to investigate who Li Peiyi had secretly met "before" her return to Western Capital, noting that someone else was also watching her. The official chillingly implied that the injured assailant's death might prevent Li Peiyi from tracing them. Back in Western Capital, Li Peiyi remained despondent in her room for a month. Wu Ren, grappling with a case involving Brilliant Lady Dou's destroyed magnolia trees near Penglai Pond, sought Li Peiyi's help.
Wu Ren explained that despite constant vigilance, the trees were inexplicably dying, one even toppling over in front of her, and the soil was disturbed. Brilliant Lady Dou, convinced of sabotage and curses, was furious. Li Peiyi, though disinterested in cases, was eventually forced to help when Brilliant Lady Dou personally arrived at the Palace Investigation Bureau.
Brilliant Lady Dou, who attributed her influence in the inner palace solely to her "persistence" with the Emperor, threatened to sit at the Bureau indefinitely until Li Peiyi investigated, implicitly warning that failure to act would lead her to appeal to the Emperor, thus implicating Consort Shu. Li Peiyi, realizing the threat to Consort Shu's precarious position, agreed to take the case.
She learned that Consort Shu had indeed recently lost favor with the Emperor due to an issue involving the Right Chancellor. Li Peiyi understood that the magnolia sabotage was an attack targeting Consort Shu. She rejected Wu Ren's offer to discreetly investigate the court matter, explaining that any action by her team would be seen as Consort Shu meddling, further damaging her.
Instead, Li Peiyi instructed Wu Ren and her team to diligently fertilize and guard every inch of the flowerbeds around Penglai Pond, publicly stating her commitment to saving Brilliant Lady Dou's magnolias. A week later, Li Peiyi joined the vigil, anticipating the culprit's next move. Indeed, another magnolia tree was destroyed. Li Peiyi noticed fresh footprints and disturbed soil. She devised a plan, ordering all soldiers, including Secretary Pan, to warm their feet by a fire.
The flowerbeds had been treated with fertilizer containing actinolite and alum clay, which would react with heat. Secretary Pan's boots immediately reacted. He tried to claim it was an accident, but Li Peiyi, seeing through his excuse, ordered his hands to be heated. Under the heat, Pan Changshi confessed. Li Peiyi then revealed ginseng seeds found in his hand, a royal item usually reserved for the Emperor.
She demanded to know how he obtained them and why they were buried beneath the magnolia tree. Li Peiyi then sternly outlined the severe penalties for stealing royal property: high treason, strangulation, and collective punishment for at least three, and potentially up to nine, clans.
