Fated Hearts Episode 24 Recap
> Fated Hearts Recap
Feng Suige led his household guards into the palace, where Zhuang Shen immediately halted him, declaring that no one may trespass without permission. Feng Suige countered that these were merely his household guards and too few to stage a rebellion, but Zhuang Shen scoffed, questioning why household guards were even allowed in the imperial palace.
Zhuang Shen confronted Feng Suige, stating he knew what Feng Suige was up to and that he wouldn't be able to control the Emperor's life or death as long as Zhuang Shen was present. Feng Suige accused Zhuang Shen of slandering him, declaring their bickering pointless, and asserted that with him there, no one could harm the Emperor.
As Zhuang Shen ordered his men to stop Feng Suige, Feng Suige announced that he was there by ancestral command to protect the Emperor, and anyone who dared impede him would be killed without mercy. In the chaos, Fu Yixiao skillfully shot an arrow that struck Zhuang Ming's arm, preventing him from harming Feng Suige. The arrow did not draw blood but made her point clear. Amidst the standoff, a eunuch rushed in, shouting that Emperor Feng Pingcheng had disappeared.
Feng Suige and Zhuang Shen entered Zichen Hall together, where they found no signs of a struggle. Mr. Ma and Ling Feng were also gone. Feng Suige suggested that the Emperor must have woken up and left on his own, as any forced abduction would have left traces of a fight. Zhuang Shen challenged Feng Suige's loyalty, questioning why the Emperor didn't inform him upon waking, given that Feng Suige had just arrived while Zhuang Shen had been guarding him.
Feng Suige countered that the Emperor would only leave the palace if he sensed grave danger, implicitly blaming Zhuang Shen for creating such a situation. Zhuang Shen then tried to implicate Feng Suige, accusing him of colluding with Murong Yao and Xia Jingshi, but Feng Suige dismissed the accusation. As Feng Suige, Fu Yixiao, and the Qiongqi Unit prepared to leave the palace, the Imperial Guards hesitated to stop them.
Their commander explained that Feng Suige had not committed any act of rebellion, and only the Emperor could judge him for trespassing. Infuriated, Zhuang Shen sarcastically commended the Imperial Guards for their failure to notice the Emperor's departure, then ordered them to commit suicide to atone if they failed to find His Majesty. Zhuang Shen confronted Murong Yao, frustrated that the Emperor had departed without warning despite the Imperial Guards being under Murong Yao's command.
Murong Yao was more concerned that Feng Pingcheng had discovered their plot, speculating that such a cunning man would have ways to leave undetected. Zhuang Shen, fearing that the Emperor's return would spell their doom, urged Murong Yao to join him in killing Feng Suige. He promised that with Feng Suige dead, Chengyang would be Susha's sole imperial heir, making the Emperor's return irrelevant.
He further tempted Murong Yao with the promise of becoming Susha's only prince of a different lineage, thus restoring the Murong family's rightful status. Murong Yao hesitated, expressing a desire not to implicate his father, but Zhuang Shen pressed him, promising this would bring peace to his father's spirit. Murong Yao dismissed this as insane, pointing out the formidable strength of Feng Suige's Feng Battalion, which could besiege the city within a day.
Zhuang Shen revealed he had a backup plan: a hidden stronghold established by his late son, Jingheng, where he had been secretly training private soldiers, asserting they still had a chance. At that moment, Murong Yao's subordinate reported that the Elder Marquis's whereabouts had been discovered. Murong Yao then promised to help Zhuang Shen once his father was safe.
Xia Jingshi instructed Feng Xiyang to place an item on the bottom shelf of the last bookshelf in the Library, stressing that no one should discover it. However, the seemingly carefree Xia Jingyan, who was actually quite sharp, followed Feng Xiyang to the Library. As Feng Xiyang entered, she was startled to find Xia Jingyan already there.
He questioned her presence, to which she claimed she was looking for books on "the art of marital harmony" because her prince had been distant since their arrival in Shengjing. Xia Jingyan, feigning interest, pressed her to explain the concept. When she challenged him not to humiliate her, he dismissed it as a joke.
Then, subtly revealing his awareness, he advised her that if she truly wanted to please Xia Jingshi, she should find him books on the art of war, as he had always been fond of such "impractical things," indicating he knew her true intentions. Back at Rongyang Palace, Xia Jingshi directly asked if her trip to the Library had gone smoothly.
When asked if she had encountered the Emperor, Feng Xiyang lied, claiming they must have missed each other and she hadn't seen him. Shortly after, a spread of Susha delicacies, including Crystal Dragon Phoenix Cake, arrived. Feng Xiyang assumed Xia Jingshi had arranged them, but he denied it. Then, a servant sent by Xia Jingyan arrived, delivering a message from the Emperor via Chief Eunuch Bai.
The message stated that the Emperor, understanding Feng Xiyang's homesickness, had specially ordered the Imperial Kitchen to prepare Susha delicacies for her. The message concluded with the Emperor expressing great pleasure about their "encounter at the Library" that day, thus exposing Feng Xiyang's lie. Fu Yixiao informed Feng Suige that the Qiongqi Unit had sealed off the palace, ready to intercept Zhuang Shen.
Feng Suige then dispatched Yun Fang and Yun Qing to gather the Feng Battalion elites outside Yujing City. As Fu Yixiao prepared to search for the Emperor, Ling Feng appeared, stopping her and revealing that Feng Pingcheng had awoken three days prior but was too weak to move, and had kept his recovery a secret. He had ordered his discreet transfer to this remote place, which Feng Suige believed was his mother's old residence.
Ling Feng warned Feng Suige that his father was in a bad mood due to recent betrayals and advised him not to provoke him. Feng Suige entered to find Feng Pingcheng and inquired about his health. Feng Pingcheng immediately questioned why Feng Suige had brought men to storm the palace, not to stage a coup, but merely to protect him.
Feng Suige tried to explain the palace's dangers, but Feng Pingcheng, claiming he had seen it all in his 25 years as emperor, dismissed Feng Suige's concerns. He expressed profound disappointment that Feng Suige had not seized the opportunity to usurp the throne. Feng Pingcheng vehemently asserted that Feng Suige, as his son, was wrong not to covet the throne, as that was the duty of Susha's First Prince.
Feng Suige, however, declared he had no interest in Feng Pingcheng's throne, a sentiment Feng Pingcheng deeply despised. Feng Pingcheng asserted his determination to choose his own heir while still alive, claiming Feng Suige was his only choice. Feng Suige countered by mentioning Feng Xiyang and Chengyang as other options. Feng Pingcheng dismissed Feng Xiyang as a woman, but Feng Suige defiantly declared he would ensure her rule if she became empress.
Feng Pingcheng then rejected Chengyang, refusing to let a Zhuang bloodline heir inherit his throne. He berated Feng Suige for playing the dutiful son by his bedside instead of seizing the throne, stating he didn't need a filial son, but a ruthless, ambitious heir. Feng Suige fiercely responded that being Feng Pingcheng's son was his misfortune and that he disdained Feng Pingcheng's empire. As Feng Suige turned to leave, Feng Pingcheng ordered him to stop.
Feng Suige noticed his father's legs were paralyzed. Feng Pingcheng cruelly observed that Feng Suige's current look was just like his mother's, which enraged Feng Suige, who accused his father of having the audacity to mention her. Feng Pingcheng then began to reveal the truth about Feng Suige's mother's death. Through flashbacks, a younger Feng Pingcheng was seen arguing with Feng Suige's mother, who was then the Empress.
He wanted their son, Suige, to be Crown Prince, but she insisted Suige should choose his own path. Feng Pingcheng then admitted he feared losing her, just as he had never truly possessed her. Feng Suige accused his father of letting Zhuang Shen and Zhuang Jingyuan kill his mother simply because she refused to submit, but Feng Pingcheng countered that she was trying to take Suige away from him.
Another flashback showed Feng Pingcheng trying to persuade young Suige to embrace the throne, but the boy, echoing his mother's words, said she believed becoming emperor turned people bad. Back in the present, Feng Pingcheng confessed that his mother's defiance and influence over Feng Suige infuriated him, leading him to engineer her demise to make Feng Suige the cold-blooded ruler he desired.
He even admitted that the first thing he did after her death was force young Feng Suige to accept another woman as his mother, all to cultivate hatred. Overwhelmed, Feng Suige erupted, threatening to kill his father, but Feng Pingcheng goaded him, challenging him to act on his hatred. Just then, Fu Yixiao burst in. Feng Pingcheng spitefully revealed that Feng Suige's mother died because of him.
Demanding the full truth, Feng Suige heard Feng Pingcheng recount the accusations of his mother being a Jinxiu spy—pretexts to keep her confined. The Empress, however, saw through his manipulations. When Feng Pingcheng declared he wouldn't allow her to take their children, she defiantly told him he was blinded by power. Wei Qingyu intervened, but the Empress sharply put her in her place.
The confrontation erupted, and the Empress, holding a sword to Feng Pingcheng's neck, warned him that she would "chop down anyone who dares act arrogantly," including him. Returning to the present, Feng Pingcheng declared that for fifteen years since his mother's death, he had relentlessly groomed Feng Suige to be a ruthless ruler, despising his inherent kindness.
He then proudly revealed an imperial edict naming Feng Suige Crown Prince, explaining that he had deliberately kept Zhuang Shen alive as a "whetstone" to sharpen Feng Suige. He urged Feng Suige to kill him, seize the imperial seal, stamp the edict, and become the emperor of Susha. Fu Yixiao, witnessing this, snatched the sword from Feng Suige and held it to Feng Pingcheng's throat.
She chastised him for his lack of paternal love, pointing out that he only saw his son as a tool for his ambition. She highlighted his desolate state—abandoned by all, family shattered, and estranged from his children—and questioned his right to seek refuge in the Empress's former residence. Feng Pingcheng claimed they didn't understand his "duty to family and country."
Fu Yixiao sharply countered that true "family and country" meant "family first, then country," and that he had no right to speak of such ideals when he had abandoned his own family.
