Ever Night Episode 7 Recap
> Ever Night Recap
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Ning Que fought fiercely against the guards to protect Chaoxiao Shu, but his strength began to wane. Just as he struggled, Chaoxiao Shu's consciousness returned, and he unleashed his power, repelling all the guards. Victorious, the two men left the residence in heavy rain. As a carriage approached, Chaoxiao Shu suddenly collapsed, his body convulsing in pain. Ning Que instinctively fired an arrow at the carriage, but it was deflected.
He drew his saber and charged forward, but Chaoxiao Shu, though injured, managed to rise and, with a wave of his sword, sent Ning Que flying back a considerable distance to get him out of harm's way. Wangjing Lue emerged from the carriage, remarking that Chaoxiao Shu, a cultivator, had fought with the grand, iron-blooded style of a soldier. He declared his intention to finish Chaoxiao Shu, dismissing Ning Que as a mere mortal "unqualified to die" by his hands.
Chaoxiao Shu, recognizing Wangjing Lue as a formidable cultivator and knowing he was outmatched, urged Ning Que to leave. Undeterred, Ning Que charged again, but Wangjing Lue effortlessly repelled him with a flick of his finger. As Wangjing Lue prepared to strike Chaoxiao Shu, who had gathered his Qi into a sword light, a white, circular talisman appeared. Yan Se, a Master of Talisman from the South Gate of Haotian Taoism, arrived just in time.
He used a powerful Talisman of the character "Jing" to pin Wangjing Lue against a wall. The talisman faded, and Wangjing Lue crashed to the ground. Yan Se then commanded Wangjing Lue to follow him. Ning Que recognized Yan Se as the old man who exchanged calligraphy for candied hawthorns and questioned why Chaoxiao Shu's "hidden card" had appeared so late.
Chaoxiao Shu explained that this "hidden card" was a person who could command him, but whom he could not command. Meanwhile, Huashan Yue led men to rescue Changsi Wei, while Liu Wu and Fei Liu were also freed by a eunuch. Yan Se brought Wangjing Lue to a private location and reprimanded him.
He instructed Wangjing Lue to atone for his sins by serving General Xu Shi of the South-Defending Army, clarifying that this order came from a noble person within the Imperial Palace. Wangjing Lue realized with surprise that Chaoxiao Shu's true patron was the Tang Emperor, but Yan Se quickly cut him off, stating that Chaoxiao Shu was not so easily killed. In the midst of the rain, forces led by Changsi Wei and later Huashan Yue intercepted Cuide Lu.
A fierce battle ensued, and Cuide Lu was injured and surrounded. Enraged, Cuide Lu denounced the Tang people as "idiots," boasting that he had instigated Li Peiyan and stirred trouble right under their noses without detection. He cursed the Tang State, proclaiming its inevitable downfall, and shouted "Long live the Yan Empire" before taking his own life. Upon learning that Chaoxiao Shu's patron was the Tang Emperor, Chongming, the Crown Prince of Yan, was furious.
He recalled the humiliation of the Yan-Tang war, which resulted in him becoming a hostage in the Tang State while Long Qing was rescued, and he vowed revenge. Chongming understood that the foundation of Tang's power lay not in the palace but in the Academy and the Sage, and he resolved to destabilize the Academy first. Simultaneously, the Tang Emperor personally arrived at the Prince's Mansion to confront Li Peiyan.
Li Peiyan, aware that his schemes had been exposed, resigned himself to his fate. The Tang Emperor admitted he had tolerated Li Peiyan's faction-forming, but using the military to kill Chaoxiao Shu—one of the Emperor's own men—was unacceptable. Li Peiyan conceded defeat but declared he was not resigned to it. The Tang Emperor dismissed all present, leaving only himself and Li Peiyan.
Li Peiyan bitterly recalled how he had once possessed the fabled Sword of the Son of Heaven, believing victory was his, yet the Sage's words had led their father to choose Li Zhongyi (the current emperor) as his successor, leaving Li Peiyan with only the titular sword. The Tang Emperor patiently recounted the Sage's lesson from that day.
The Sage had described three types of swords to their great ancestor, Emperor Tai Zu: the Sword of the Son of Heaven (representing a unified, powerful realm), the Sword of Dukes (representing the strength of virtuous heroes), and the Sword of the People (for petty disputes, useless for governance). The Sage had then declared the physical Sword of the Son of Heaven to be a "useless sword," long confined to the palace and less practical than a commoner's blade.
Because Li Peiyan still desired the sword despite this, the Sage deemed him lacking the vision to be a great ruler and instead chose Li Zhongyi. Heartbroken, Li Peiyan clung to his grievances. The Tang Emperor advised him that a sword's true power lay in its wielder, not the blade itself, warning him that his obsession could ruin the Tang State before leaving him to reflect.
Chaoxiao Shu and Ning Que returned home, where Sang Sang immediately prepared two bowls of noodles. Chaoxiao Shu noticed that Ning Que's bowl had an extra fried egg. When he pointed it out, Ning Que told Sangsang to fry one for him as well. They then playfully debated the payment for Ning Que's help; Ning Que asked for five hundred taels of silver, but Chaoxiao Shu insisted on paying two thousand.
Chaoxiao Shu then stated that his "hidden card" was now fully revealed: his patron was the most powerful man in the Tang State. He lamented that despite this powerful backing, he couldn't save his friend Zhuo'er, a military spy who had shared secrets with him. Ning Que correctly inferred that Chaoxiao Shu's patron was the Tang Emperor.
Chaoxiao Shu declared Ning Que his brother and promised that the two thousand taels would be delivered the next day, along with an invitation to meet someone important. High on a mountain, Long Qing observed the ominous, overcast sky, confirming his belief that the Eternal Night was indeed approaching. The next morning, Chaoxiao Shu sent a man to deliver a new set of clothes to Ning Que and bring him to the palace gates, instructing him to wait patiently.
Unable to resist his curiosity, Ning Que ventured into the Imperial Study. He admired the luxurious brush, ink, and inkstone on the desk but scoffed at the poor calligraphy in a poetic couplet. Feeling emboldened, Ning Que sat in the Emperor's chair. Simultaneously, in the throne room, the Tang Emperor publicly denounced several officials for their corruption.
He ordered Wangjing Lue to serve under General Xu Shi of the South-Defending Army, instructing him to hone his skills for the benefit of the Tang State. The Emperor then called Li Peiyan forward, declaring that as his only remaining brother, he would forgive his past transgressions. Li Peiyan was overwhelmed with gratitude. In the Imperial Study, Ning Que was busy writing, comparing his own calligraphy to the Emperor's and finding the latter's to be significantly worse.
The Commander of the Imperial Guards, Xu Chongshan, discovered Ning Que's audacity and forcibly pulled him out. He sternly warned Ning Que never to disclose his unauthorized entry, threatening dire consequences. Xu Chongshan then berated Chaoxiao Shu for not teaching Ning Que proper palace etiquette. He further clarified to Ning Que that Chaoxiao Shu was second-in-command of the Yulong Gang.
When Ning Que eagerly inquired about the leader, Xu Chongshan hinted at an overwhelmingly powerful backer, asking how else the gang could control the capital's waterways. At that very moment, the Tang Emperor, addressing his gathered officials, shocked Li Peiyan by publicly declaring that he was the true leader of the Yulong Gang.
