Fated Hearts Episode 26 Recap
> Fated Hearts Recap
Murong Zhong arrived at the palace, publicly bearing thorns and proclaiming he came to seek death for his son's rebellion. However, Feng Pingcheng saw through his act, stating that Murong Zhong's true intention was to seek a way for his son, Murong Yao, to live, or he wouldn't have made such a grand spectacle. Feng Pingcheng refrained from immediately disclosing Murong Yao's fate to Murong Zhong, leaving the Marquis uncertain of the Emperor's unpredictable intentions.
Later, in a private conversation with Mr. Ma, Feng Pingcheng revealed his true plan. Murong Yao would be apprehended but spared from death. This would allow Feng Suige to earn the Murong family's gratitude when he eventually ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty. Elsewhere, Xia Jingyan deliberately caused Feng Xiyang to prick her hand on a thorny flower stem.
As he meticulously removed the splinters himself, he noted her unaccustomed shyness with physical intimacy, deducing that Xia Jingshi had never shown her such care. Feng Xiyang retorted, criticizing Xia Jingyan for his daily indulgences in women and wine, contrasting his idleness with her own father's diligence in state affairs. Xia Jingyan casually remarked that her father's tireless dedication was precisely why he fell ill and had been in a coma for days, revealing the shocking news to Feng Xiyang.
To further stir discord, Xia Jingyan added that Xia Jingshi had been informed of this news much earlier. Distraught, Feng Xiyang rushed back to Rongyang Palace to confront Xia Jingshi about her father's condition. Xia Jingshi confirmed the illness, coldly stating that telling her earlier would have been futile as she was powerless to help, even if she were by her father's side.
Overwhelmed, Feng Xiyang immediately decided to return to Susha, but as she reached the entrance of Rongyang Palace, guards stationed by Xia Jingyan stopped her. They informed her that no one could leave without the Emperor's permission. Xia Jingshi, who had silently allowed her to attempt leaving, observed from a distance, confirming that Xia Jingyan had indeed placed hidden guards.
As Feng Xiyang was forcefully restrained and taken away to a side palace, Xia Jingshi turned and walked away, his indifference shattering Feng Xiyang's heart. In the side palace, Xia Jingyan visited her, mockingly calling her foolish and pitiful for Xia Jingshi's lack of concern. He continued to provoke her, blaming her for her father's illness and calling her a disgrace to the Feng family. Enraged, Feng Xiyang slapped Xia Jingyan.
He found it amusing, then pressed her, asking if she hated Xia Jingshi and wished him dead. Feng Xiyang, filled with fury, confessed that she hated Xia Jingshi and wanted him to die immediately. Xia Jingyan suggested they conspire together to kill him. Meanwhile, Feng Suige, after confirming Zhuang Shen's whereabouts, gathered his men to go capture him. However, Fu Yixiao, anticipating a trap, wisely advised caution and suggested a backup plan.
Feng Suige dispatched 50 elite soldiers from the Feng Battalion, led by Yun Fang, to infiltrate the capital, Yujing, in advance and remain on standby. Zhuang Shen had indeed set an ambush on Yongning Street, a bustling area filled with civilians. He strategically deployed his assassins amongst the populace and planned to divide his forces into visible and hidden units to catch Feng Suige off guard.
Zhuang Shen explained to his subordinate that he wanted Feng Suige to believe he was desperate, thereby luring him into a deadly trap. As Feng Suige's contingent entered Yongning Street, the hidden assassins, disguised as civilians, launched their attack. Feng Suige's men fiercely protected the innocent bystanders, leading to casualties on both sides. During the chaos, Dog was stabbed by an assassin.
Zhuang Shen, watching the unfolding events from a distance, acknowledged the casualties but saw it as necessary to drive Feng Suige into a frenzy, losing his reason. He declared he would bear all the sins himself. Feng Suige fought his way through the ambush, personally striking down Zhuang Ming, Zhuang Shen’s nephew and the leader of the assassins. He then pressed on, killing guards as he advanced into the Zhuang Residence.
Upon learning that Zhuang Shen was in the ancestral hall, Feng Suige headed there, while Fu Yixiao stayed behind to deal with the remaining mansion guards, urging Feng Suige to be cautious. The ancestral hall was empty, but a secret chamber lay open. Feng Suige entered, only to find Zhuang Shen waiting for him. Zhuang Shen revealed he had waited years for this moment, lamenting only that Feng Pingcheng would not witness Feng Suige's demise.
He promised Feng Suige an agonizing death and spoke to his son Jingheng's memorial tablet, vowing that Feng Suige's head would be the final offering. Feng Suige realized Zhuang Shen intended to die with him, as Zhuang Shen activated a mechanism that sealed the entrance, proclaiming his readiness to die if it meant Feng Suige's death. As candles fell, threatening to ignite hidden explosives, Feng Suige swiftly knocked one away.
Fu Yixiao, with impressive quickness, shot the other candle with an arrow, preventing a catastrophe. Despite the sealed chamber, Fu Yixiao, having been imprisoned in dark dungeons for months, possessed an acute sense for enclosed spaces and knew that all secret rooms must have air vents. She quickly located a vent and explained that by using explosives to blow open the bricks around it, they could create an escape route.
She mocked Zhuang Shen for unwittingly providing the means for their escape. They detonated the explosives, creating an opening, and Feng Suige emerged, holding a wounded Zhuang Shen hostage. Feng Suige prevented Zhuang Shen from committing suicide, asserting that his life or death was now his to decide. He declared his intention to take Zhuang Shen to the palace to clear his mother, Wei Qingyu's, name and avenge her. Fu Yixiao assured him she would handle all other matters.
Casualties from the ambush included five civilians dead and over twenty injured, along with eight soldiers killed and a dozen wounded. Fu Yixiao arranged for the severely wounded to be taken to Zhengnian Hall, where Lord Ling could treat them, and brought in more physicians to assist. Feng Suige's men then paraded Zhuang Shen through the streets, where onlookers recognized the Prime Minister and questioned his crimes. At Changchun Palace, Zhuang Jingyuan knelt outside, seeking an audience with Feng Pingcheng.
Mr. Ma tried to dissuade her, concerned for her well-being. Feng Chengyang arrived, offering to take his mother's place, even if it meant disobeying her. Mr. Ma informed Feng Pingcheng that Feng Suige had arrested Zhuang Shen and was approaching Changchun Palace, describing the ambush and confirming Feng Suige's uninjured state while Zhuang Shen was badly wounded. Feng Pingcheng ordered Feng Chengyang to be sent away but decreed that Zhuang Jingyuan remain, stating, "This is her fate.
She cannot avoid it." He grimly acknowledged that "This day has finally come." As Feng Suige arrived, dragging her father, Zhuang Jingyuan desperately pleaded with Feng Pingcheng to save him, invoking their marital bond and offering her own life. Feng Pingcheng's only response was, "My condolences." When Zhuang Jingyuan questioned his words, Feng Pingcheng reminded her that fifteen years ago, when Wei Qingyu died in that very spot, Zhuang Jingyuan's first words to him had also been "My condolences."
He then commanded her to not cry but to smile, to present herself as the dignified, composed, and majestic Empress of Susha for her father's final glimpse, as he had orchestrated Wei Qingyu's death precisely so Zhuang Jingyuan could attain the empress's position. Feng Pingcheng then asserted that Zhuang Shen must die there.
