Fighting for Love Recap, Plot, Synopsis
Fighting for Love Synopsis
The Duke of Nan Xia, the family of A Mai, was killed by Chen Qi, a childhood friend.
After a few years, A Mai grew up to be a young girl and dressed as a man in Jianghu to seek revenge on Chen Qi.
By chance, she saved Shang Yizhi, the son of the Princess, and then helped him to escape from his predicament many times. Their fates have been intertwined ever since.
When war broke out, A Mai took off her makeup and entered the military camp, becoming an infantryman. Later on, with her excellent military skills, she repeatedly achieved miraculous successes and became Marshal Mai.
At the same time, she also found herself and achieved greatness through assisting Shang Yizhi, who was in danger of surviving.
On the battlefield, A Mai fought with the enemy general Chang Yuqing repeatedly. But outside the battlefield, they always experienced life and death together by mistake. They cherished each other.
But in the face of the brutal war, A Mai resolutely put aside her love affair and defended her army with her youth.
In the end, A Mai left the army after the war, returned as a girl, lived in seclusion, and finally found her happiness.
Fighting for Love Recap
Episode 1 Recap
The story takes place in the Southern Capital city. The sun is bright. In the early morning, as the city gates just open, countless small vendors begin leaving the city to buy and sell goods. Amidst the lively crowd are two spirited figures, Mu Bai and Shang Yizhi. Seeing that the Prince's Mansion is about to hold a birthday banquet, Shang Yizhi specifically came to the market to purchase gifts.
Since they were out for fun, naturally they looked for the liveliest place. Shang Yizhi was attracted by a burst of noise. It was a gambling vendor. A Mai, dressed as a man, took out a large ginseng root as her stake. Shang Yizhi had never seen such a thick ginseng even in the palace, so he decided to bet all the money in his pouch.
Just as Shang Yizhi lost the bet amidst the clamor, several guards appeared, intending to overturn A Mai's stall. Shang Yizhi took advantage of the chaos and quietly took the thousand-year-old ginseng root. He was happily showing off his spoils to Mu Bai when he discovered that the ginseng he had captured was actually a radish.
Shang Yizhi's face instantly changed color in shock, and he immediately chased after A Mai to settle the score, but A Mai had secretly slipped away. Shang Yizhi was played a "scam," and he was fuming with anger. Unable to catch A Mai, he had to go to the Emerald Pavilion to vent his frustration.
Although Shang Yizhi is the heir of Marquis Dingnan's mansion, he was not born to Marquis Dingnan and the princess, but to Marquis Dingnan and an unknown woman. Now, Marquis Dingnan has won glorious military victories fighting in the north and south and holds significant power, also becoming a thorn in the Emperor's side. Shang Yizhi's name was left off the roster of those going to war several times.
Prime Minister Lin was questioned by the Emperor and immediately knelt before the Emperor to explain that it was the Eldest Princess Shenghua who had repeatedly protected Shang Yizhi, which is why his name was not included in the war roster. A Mai had been searching for "Mr. Know-It-All" and heard many people say this person was in the Emerald Pavilion, so she went there multiple times to inquire.
Finally, she accidentally witnessed someone assassinate Shang Yizhi and desperately protected him, ensuring his safety. The madam of the Emerald Pavilion, Chun Niang, saw that she had rendered meritorious service in protecting him, so she made a deal with Shang Yizhi. As long as A Mai could find a way to escort Shang Yizhi back to his mansion, she would tell her where "Mr. Know-It-All" was.
The person A Mai is looking for is Chen Qi, the son of Han Huaicheng. Only Mr. Know-It-All can get precise information about this. That night, A Mai put Shang Yizhi in a cart using her own handcart, preparing to take him to the Prince's Mansion. As a result, they encountered another pursuit on the way, and thanks to A Mai, Shang Yizhi escaped unharmed. To show his gratitude, he specifically settled A Mai in his Marquis mansion.
A Mai dismissed the maids who came to serve her and began to bathe and change. She dressed as a man and mingled among men every day in order to find Chen Qi, her father's murderer. Ten years ago, A Mai witnessed her entire family being massacred. At that time, Chen Qi, the adopted son her father protected with his life, surprisingly took advantage of his father's unpreparedness and killed him with a dagger.
From then on, A Mai vowed to get revenge. Shang Yizhi saw that the window of A Mai's bathing room was not closed. He had been saved by her twice during the day. Shang Yizhi was about to join her in bathing when he discovered that A Mai was actually a woman. He worried that her intentions were not pure, but it also seemed like she had saved him by coincidence.
A maid rushed in to report to Shang Yizhi that Marquis Dingnan had fallen ill, so this matter was temporarily put aside. Marquis Dingnan had just returned to the mansion when he was plotted against, and he was deeply poisoned, directly confined to his bed. Now seeing the Emperor's suspicion growing more severe, he simply called Shang Yizhi over and told him about his background.
Episode 2 Recap
Marquis Dingnan told Shang Yizhi that he was not his biological son but adopted. His original name was Qi Huan, born in the 37th year of Yongxi. Qi Huan's father was the former Crown Prince, and Qi Huan's biological mother was the Crown Princess. On the day he was born, the Crown Prince's entire family was wiped out, and only Shang Yizhi luckily survived. Now the Emperor's suspicion is growing more severe, perhaps worried that Shang Yizhi has rebellious intentions.
Marquis Dingnan instructed Shang Yizhi to act cautiously in the future because his remaining time was short and he could no longer ensure Shang Yizhi's safe retreat. Just after Shang Yizhi heard about his background, Marquis Dingnan passed away that night. The Princess asked the pharmacist who made the medicinal bath for Marquis Dingnan. This pharmacist had also participated in making the pills Marquis Dingnan took daily, so she understood the situation roughly.
Soon after, the imperial physician was summoned by the Emperor, and then silenced by the Dark Dragon Guard. The mastermind was clearly revealed. Chun Niang from Emerald Pavilion brought news to A Mai. She should leave Shengcheng city and head north to find a person nicknamed Ghost Hand A Si. This person would naturally tell her Chen Qi's whereabouts.
Before Marquis Dingnan was even buried, the Emperor eagerly issued an imperial decree allowing Shang Yizhi to inherit the title and arranged a post for him in the Ministry of Rites. Shang Yizhi's mother clearly knew it was ominous and wanted to try her best to make the Emperor revoke the decree, but one look from the Emperor made her feel like she had needles in her back.
The next day, the Eldest Princess Shenghua knelt and walked step by step to the main hall, begging the Emperor to revoke the decree. As a result, the Emperor deliberately tested them by appointing Shang Yizhi to a post in Qingzhou. Marquis Dingnan had said this place was very safe before his death, as there were many of his old subordinates there.
Since the Emperor mentioned it, the Eldest Princess Shenghua naturally did not object, but this precisely displeased the Emperor. During the day, the Emperor sent the Dark Dragon Guard to kill the three masters who had been hidden in Emerald Pavilion teaching Shang Yizhi martial arts, including Chun Niang. Within two days, Shang Yizhi lost his father and his three most trusted masters; it was like a bolt from the blue.
Fortunately, the Eldest Princess Shenghua saw him off and comforted him, telling him to cheer up. Shang Yizhi was sent out of the mansion by the Eldest Princess Shenghua, thinking that everything would be smooth sailing from then on, but he did not expect that what awaited him would be full of dangers. The Emperor had been waiting at the inner gate of the city entrance for a long time.
Seeing Shang Yizhi's party leave the city, he immediately ordered the most elite guards to be dispatched, looking for an opportunity to eliminate Shang Yizhi. The Eldest Princess Shenghua ordered her subordinates to tightly close the gates and not send out any information about anyone until Shang Yizhi had reached his destination. A Mai was preparing to leave the city to find Ghost Hand A Si.
She happened to encounter Shang Yizhi also leaving the city with a group of capable generals. A Mai did not go forward to greet him. Since they each had their own missions, they simply went their separate ways. A Mai galloped all the way to the post station. Originally, only imperial officials stayed in such places, but money can make the world go round. After some bribery, the people at the post station readily agreed to let her stay.
That evening, the guards at the entire post station had an extra meal. They just happened to encounter an official on duty. A Mai looked up and saw that the thief who was caught was actually the partner she had previously collaborated with on a xian ren tiao. Fearing that her partner would expose her, A Mai immediately gestured to him not to speak. Late at night, while the guards were happily drinking, A Mai quietly went to the partner who was tied to a pillar in the front hall.
Episode 3 Recap
At the post station, A Mai, taking advantage of others' unpreparedness, quickly sneaked out to untie her partner. Unexpectedly, the government official on duty this time was too diligent, the ropes were tied too securely, and she couldn't untie them after much effort, and was even caught red-handed by the official. As a result, A Mai and her partner were tied up together. If they were truly tied outside until the next day, they would surely freeze to death.
Fortunately, A Mai was lucky. Not long after, another group arrived at the post station. Shang Yizhi arrived at the post station with his entourage to stay. Seeing his former lifesaver in distress, he immediately pleaded with the official in charge to untie them. Shang Yizhi had proof of his official position. When the official saw that the proof was genuine, he immediately obediently released them.
A Mai gave the official some incentive, and her partner also got a room to shelter from the cold. The weather was freezing, and night was falling. A Mai casually said she would squeeze in and rest with the accompanying officials. Shang Yizhi immediately invited A Mai to share a room with him. The other party was the eldest son of the Sheng household, and their statuses were vastly different, so A Mai naturally knew to keep her distance.
Returning to the room, Shang Yizhi's personal guard Mu Bai complained that his master should not have exposed his true identity for a mere Jianghu person. Now countless people were watching them and would eliminate him at all costs. Shang Yizhi was not bothered by this. A Mai had saved him twice before. Both logically and emotionally, he could not stand by and watch her die. Knowing A Mai was a woman, Shang Yizhi was worried about her.
So he went alone to A Mai's lodging. There happened to be some wine on the table. After a few drinks, Shang Yizhi chatted with A Mai. He talked about his recent situation. His masters, father, and refuge had all been framed. He felt like a piece of duckweed drifting on the horizon, likely to be swallowed by the surging waves at any moment. A Mai could empathize.
A few years ago, she personally witnessed her father and mother being killed by others. The brother she had always trusted was actually the executioner. Family hatred and old grudges surged forth. A Mai was reborn from that day on. By dawn, A Mai had already left the inn. On the way, she suddenly saw a group of suspicious people changing into official uniforms. A Mai felt very suspicious.
She quietly picked up a token that one of them had dropped on the ground. Realizing things were not good, she immediately returned to the post station. She told Shang Yizhi what she had seen, reminding him to be careful. This group was clearly coming for Shang Yizhi. A Mai did not want Shang Yizhi to take risks.
So she took out the token and showed it to the post station manager, claiming she was a secret agent from the Ministry of Justice, who had received a secret imperial order to investigate a group of bandits disguised as court officials. She then told the post station manager to be especially vigilant, and if they encountered a group claiming to be from the government, they must keep them stable. The initial rapport made the post station manager believe her.
For the rest of the time, he safely followed A Mai's instructions. Although A Mai was just a woman, she was extraordinarily intelligent. She immediately thought of a way to get away in the confusion. She had the post station manager summon the local officials, reporting that someone was impersonating people from the Ministry of Justice. While the local officials were uncertain of the situation, she immediately led Shang Yizhi and his entourage to safety.
It was time to part ways. Shang Yizhi wanted to persuade A Mai to travel with him. But A Mai had a great revenge to seek, so she politely refused Shang Yizhi. She continued her journey alone. Looking at A Mai's retreating figure, Shang Yizhi's heart was filled with mixed emotions. He didn't know what awaited him ahead. If he could meet A Mai again, he definitely wouldn't let her go easily.
Episode 4 Recap
To find Ghost Hand Ah Si, one must enter Silver Fortress City. Relying on her usual skills, A Mai easily stole a travel pass and then successfully entered her target location. Silver Fortress City. Tang Shaoyi is a great general here, deeply loved by the local people. He is dashing and heroic, generous, very loyal, and extremely warm and friendly to his subordinates and those around him.
A Mai came to Silver Fortress City and inquired about Ghost Hand Ah Si from everyone she met. With the help of silver coins to pave the way, someone finally agreed to take her to meet the legendary Ghost Hand Ah Si. A Mai gave the thumb ring given by Chun Niang to Ah Si's subordinate and soon received Ghost Hand's invitation to meet. Ghost Hand Ah Si and Chun Niang were old acquaintances.
Now his temples were gray, and he had reached the age of forty. Hearing the message Chun Niang asked A Mai to bring, he fell into painful memories. He told A Mai that Chen Qi had now gone to Northern Desert, and it was Chen Qi who had arranged the travel pass for Ah Si at that time. A Mai pleaded with Ah Si to also make her an identical travel pass.
Ah Si readily agreed, saying that since she was Chun Niang's friend, he would not charge her anything. People from Southern Xia frequently harassed Silver Fortress City. The Fort Master, unable to bear the disturbance, had to cede land and seek peace. Tang Shaoyi saw the court's official gazette about ceding land and was quite indignant in his heart. He felt that to achieve complete peace, they must strike fear into the enemy so they would not be harassed again.
Hearing Tang Shaoyi's words, the Fort Master couldn't help but shake his head and sigh that he was still too young. A Mai was targeted by some people in Silver Fortress City and became a "little fat sheep" in their eyes.
A Mai very meekly handed over the silver coins she carried, but with one condition: they had to give her half back first, and after these two kidnappers safely escorted her out, she would naturally give them the remaining half. Just by escorting someone out, they could earn a large sum of silver, and it would take no effort at all. The two bandits immediately became A Mai's friends and even took A Mai to find a restaurant to eat.
On the way, A Mai unfortunately encountered Chang Yuqing, the owner of the stolen travel pass. He was agile and quickly beat away the two bandits escorting A Mai. He directly pressed down on A Mai's neck, warning her to take out the item, or her neck might be broken. A Mai was racking her brain to deal with him when suddenly the government officials chased them to this place.
Chang Yuqing deliberately dropped the thumb ring in his hand and slipped away. When the government officials saw the thumb ring, they immediately treated A Mai as a Northern Desert spy and sent her to prison. In prison, A Mai met the person Chang Yuqing was looking for. This person was a craftsman, Li Erniu, who was extremely skilled at making bows and arrows for warfare.
A Mai was greatly impressed when she saw Li Erniu's design drawings, exclaiming how wonderful they were. The bows and arrows used by the palace guards usually could only shoot one arrow at a time, but Li Erniu's design could shoot several arrows consecutively and was highly efficient. Late at night, the thumb ring reached the Fort Master's hands. They immediately became alert, guessing that the visitor must be Chang Yuqing.
They then quickly ordered their subordinates to go to the prison and indeed intercepted Chang Yuqing. At that time, Chang Yuqing came to the prison, originally intending to rescue the craftsman Li Erniu, but he encountered A Mai, this unexpected obstacle. A Mai held a piece of rubble against Li Erniu's neck, demanding that Chang Yuqing apologize to her and also rescue her from prison. The plan could have succeeded, but the soldiers quickly chased them to the prison. Chang Yuqing easily escaped again, making A Mai's suspicion even greater.
Episode 5 Recap
Chang Yuqing escaped from Silver Fortress City and immediately ordered his subordinates to attack the city overnight. According to the reconnaissance conducted in the past few days, the military strength of Silver Fortress City was very weak and no match for Northern Desert at all. The night before, Tang Shaoyi had already guessed that Chang Yuqing would come to attack the city, but he did not expect the enemy's power to be so strong.
In just a few minutes, more than half of the soldiers in the army were killed or injured. With a serious shortage of manpower, he sent someone to the prison to summon prisoners. If they were willing to go to the battlefield and fight the enemy, their previous crimes would all be nullified. A Mai was originally from Southern Xia, and what's more, someone was now telling her that she could escape from prison.
Naturally, she actively signed up to go to the battlefield and kill the enemy. Under A Mai's influence, many prisoners in the jail enthusiastically signed up. With the enemy at the city gates, even criminals were determined to fight the enemy on the battlefield. The jailers were also moved and drew their swords, following closely behind. The battlefield was exceptionally brutal. Seeing that manpower and weapons couldn't keep up, A Mai quickly reported to the general Tang Shaoyi.
However, Tang Shaoyi vowed not to surrender even unto death. According to past practice, once the city was lost, all the people in the city would be in mortal danger. Chang Yuqing saw that the general defending the city was so brave, and while moved, he also swore that he would never harm the common people within the city. The city gate had been breached, and many people were fleeing for their lives.
While escaping, A Mai encountered a jailer who was about to die. This person was thinking about his lonely daughter at home and entrusted A Mai to help him rescue his daughter before he died. Taking the token given by the jailer, A Mai quickly rushed to that place to rescue the child. In the prison, Tang Shaoyi pointed his sword at Li Erniu.
At this moment, Li Erniu saw the tragic scene brought by the Northern Desert invasion and completely burned the meticulously designed drawings in his hand. He did not want such highly offensive weapons to fall into the hands of the invaders. Tang Shaoyi admired Li Erniu's enlightenment. Swords do not kill righteous people. Tang Shaoyi took Li Erniu and broke through. In the process of escaping from Silver Fortress City, Li Erniu witnessed even more tragedies.
War brings not only broken families and death, but also desolation everywhere. A Mai also saw these things. She was alone. If she could protect the safety of the common people in one area, it would be a blessing. After a narrow escape from death, A Mai finally found the jailer's daughter. Fortunately, she arrived in time, otherwise the child would have been violated by the Northern Desert officers and soldiers. This girl was named Xu Xiuer.
Hearing the bad news about her father, she pulled out a dagger and did not want to live alone, but A Mai quickly stopped her, urging her to think carefully about her father and to live bravely. A Mai took Xu Xiuer out of the city. On the way, they encountered a group of invaders surrounding Tang Shaoyi and Li Erniu. Li Erniu had been locked up in the same prison as A Mai before, so they were naturally familiar.
A Mai pushed a large cart to scatter the group of people, and then Li Erniu and Tang Shaoyi followed A Mai as they fled for their lives. When Li Erniu saw Xu Xiuer, he learned of the jailer's fate and was furious at Chang Yuqing. Chang Yuqing had often harassed them and even massacred their village multiple times for their family's arrow book.
His father had risked his life to stuff the arrow book to Li Erniu, urging him to keep it safe. The four of them brainstormed a way to escape. A Mai told them to steal the clothes of Northern Desert soldiers and sneak out after disguising themselves. They had the clothes, but they still needed a token to leave the city. A Mai quickly looked for Ah Si.
Ah Si was skilled at making various fakes, but when he heard A Mai ask him to forge Chang Yuqing's token, he was still a bit worried. A Mai had seen Chang Yuqing, so she asked Ah Si to make the armor and token based on her description. Meanwhile, Chang Yuqing was not idle either. He ordered portraits of A Mai and the other three to be drawn and distributed to the people throughout the city, and issued a notice stating that if these four people were not found in one day, a certain percentage of the people would be killed, and the entire city would be massacred four days later.
Episode 6 Recap
The sudden news completely disrupted A Mai's plan. A Mai decided that not only must they escape, but they also needed to let Chang Yuqing know they had escaped so that no innocent people would be harmed. The situation was very severe, and A Mai was not confident she could completely lead everyone out of danger. Ah Si the Ghost Hand also decided to go with them.
However, just before setting off, Ah Si discovered he had left his beloved's thumb ring at home. In a critical moment, he took the risk to go back for it. As a result, just as he got the thumb ring, he encountered the Northern Desert invaders head-on. Originally, everything was perfectly disguised, but the enemy snatched the thumb ring that Ah Si cherished.
He could no longer bear it and finally resisted to get the ring back, but was hacked to death by random swords. A Mai had no choice but to take the remaining three people and escape according to the plan. Tang Shaoyi put on the armor made by Ah Si. Riding on the horse, it was indeed eighty percent similar to the real thing, and with the moonlight, it was almost indistinguishable from the genuine article.
A Mai incited the surrounding soldiers, saying that Master Chang was going to leave the city late at night to kill the enemy and created a sense of urgency, deceiving some genuine Northern Desert soldiers. The group closely followed the fake Master Chang to the city gate. Just as A Mai led everyone running out of the city, many pursuers followed behind. The archers recognized Li Erniu.
Seeing them escape further and further, they ultimately did not listen to Chang Yuqing's order and shot Li Erniu to death with arrows. Li Erniu, a master craftsman of his generation, ultimately died. Only A Mai had seen the exquisitely designed arrow book. The previous drafts had been completely burned by Li Erniu, leaving behind only a sound of regret. Chang Yuqing was very indignant upon hearing of Li Erniu's death.
He severely punished the general who ordered the shooting of Li Erniu, violating military orders. However, the other party was only afraid that Li Erniu might fall into the hands of the enemy country. The punishment of beheading was too cruel, so Chang Yuqing had no choice but to let him go. A Mai buried Li Erniu. Tang Shaoyi asked her about her future plans. A Mai was planning to return to Qingzhou to find her friends.
Xu Xiuer temporarily stayed with A Mai. Having saved each other's lives, Tang Shaoyi and A Mai became sworn siblings. The two then parted ways. Late at night, A Mai and Xu Xiuer settled down in the wilderness of a desolate mountain. Having just narrowly escaped death, both of them were extremely grief-stricken. Fortunately, it seemed like there were exceptionally many stars that night. Xu Xiuer was also not sleepy.
Thinking that following along unarmed made her a burden, she told A Mai that if A Mai were to leave her one day, she would not be sad. How could A Mai abandon the lonely daughter of the jailer? She comforted Xu Xiuer, telling her to count stars if she couldn't sleep. When dawn broke, Xu Xiuer was very panicked when she couldn't see A Mai.
After a while, A Mai cheerfully handed her some freshly found fruits as breakfast, and Xu Xiuer cried tears of joy. The Emperor of Southern Xia heard that the Northern Desert army had invaded Silver Fortress City. Fearing a large-scale invasion by the Northern Desert army in the future, he ordered all generals to raise their vigilance and kill spies on sight. On their way forward, A Mai and Xu Xiuer also encountered a small group of Northern Desert people. The other side was armed, and the disparity in strength between the two sides was vast, so they naturally had to be cautious everywhere.
Episode 7 Recap
The Emperor of Southern Xia asked the princes for their views on the Northern Desert invasion. The Crown Prince felt that the emerging generation in the Northern Desert should not be underestimated, and it would be best to strengthen military training and strike the Northern Desert hard.
The Second Prince, however, disagreed, claiming that it was the southern generals responsible for defending the cities who were incompetent in their defense, and the Northern Desert invasion was a joke, likely just wanting money and supplies. The Emperor was arrogant and underestimated the enemy, and this time he believed the Second Prince's strong recommendation. A Mai and Xu Xiuer traveled north. They used two horses to divert the pursuers from the Ministry of Justice.
After that, they wiped away any traces like bloodstains that might attract pursuers. Unconsciously, they actually met Shang Yizhi. Both were overjoyed. Shang Yizhi told A Mai about the predicament he was facing. Now both the Northern Desert and the Dragon Roar Guard were hunting him, and both groups of pursuers were formidable. A Mai analyzed the current situation and decided to use the schemes of both sides to achieve her own goals.
A Mai told Shang Yizhi to follow her, while Mu Bai would lead the Dragon Roar Guard away on his own. Shang Yizhi was bewildered, but he chose to trust A Mai's words. A Mai took Shang Yizhi to a place, held a dagger to his neck, and told the Northern Desert people that now they could easily exchange Shang Yizhi for the entire Qingzhou, on the condition that they take her into the Northern Desert.
Just as the Northern Desert people were suspicious, Mu Bai led the Dragon Roar Guard over. The Dragon Roar Guard wanted to kill Shang Yizhi and adamantly refused to let the Northern Desert people take him. As they were fighting each other, A Mai quickly ran away with Shang Yizhi. Xu Xiuer saw A Mai's brilliant strategy again and admired her even more.
When A Mai told her to follow Mu Bai to hide, Xu Xiuer hugged A Mai tightly around the waist and asked if she was abandoning her. This action greatly surprised Shang Yizhi. Although Xu Xiuer and A Mai had traveled together, she didn't even know that A Mai was a woman. A Mai calmly comforted Xu Xiuer, saying that she would meet up with them soon.
Finally, they shook off the pursuers behind them, and Shang Yizhi and the group met again. They rode non-stop all the way to Qingzhou. Chang Yuqing led a large army of Northern Desert heavy troops to invade Southern Xia. When the Emperor heard that the Northern Desert was pressing directly towards Qingzhou, he was not flustered. Anyway, he had a thorn in his side in Qingzhou, so letting the enemy remove him would lessen a major concern.
Shang Yizhi led a group of people to Qingzhou. The guards at the city gate were about to eat the watermelon brought by a servant when Shang Yizhi suddenly grabbed a piece first. His face naturally fell, and he looked up to see only a few shabby servants, whom he didn't pay attention to at all.
But soon after, Shang Yizhi's escorting procession arrived, and the guards of Qingzhou finally saw clearly that these people were the newly arrived officials of Qingzhou. Before coming to Qingzhou, Eldest Princess Shenghua had told Shang Yizhi that this place was his father's old territory, and there would be many loyal officials and righteous scholars who would fight to protect Shang Yizhi and become his solid fortress.
Shang Yizhi thought he was like a fish returning to the sea and that everything would go smoothly from now on. On the first day of his new post, he called for A Mai early in the morning to go for a walk in the streets together and gain some experience. But when he finally met the several experienced officials of Qingzhou, it made him feel inexplicable. Not only did these old foxes not show him any respect, but they also spoke rudely and completely looked down on Shang Yizhi.
Episode 8 Recap
After all, Qingzhou was Shang Yizhi's father's old territory, and logically, they should give the old Marquis some face. A Mai felt something was wrong. She carefully looked around and found many hidden guards in the secret compartments. Cold weapons gleamed coldly. Shang Yizhi was completely unaware and was even preparing to give the two unconscious old officials some trouble.
Suddenly, he saw A Mai constantly giving him glances, noticed the hidden guards, immediately knew when to stop, and quickly got away. Returning to his residence, Shang Yizhi couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. It seemed the Dark Dragon Guard had already arrived here, and things would be more difficult than easy from now on. The Eldest Princess's former subordinates offered advice to Shang Yizhi.
Hearing that out of the three old officials, two were directly sleeping on the table, they speculated that their intentions were not united and that he should continue to play his former strong suit for now. Shang Yizhi felt that lying low was a wise move. The next day, he again played the part of a profligate son, swaggering through the streets with his entourage, spending lavishly everywhere he went.
Everywhere they went, they were buying, buying, buying - fabrics, cosmetics, precious jade articles, and antiques. A Mai bought hairpins and various clothes for Xu Xiuer. Xu Xiuer was so excited her cheeks turned red when she saw A Mai personally put the flower hairpin on her. A Mai reminded Shang Yizhi that his actions were not yet grand enough.
He immediately went to the most famous wine shop nearby, bought all the wine in the shop, and announced that he was treating all the people of Qingzhou to drinks. Never had they seen an official spend so lavishly. Shang Yizhi's style quickly captured the hearts of all the merchants in Qingzhou. They privately called him the God of Wealth. Several old Marquises had already planted many spies around Shang Yizhi.
Hearing about Shang Yizhi's daily expenses and purchases, they exclaimed about the profligate son and how he had brought so much silver. In the evening, Shang Yizhi's military advisor suggested that it would be better to use the valuable wine bought during the day to lure the 'gentlemen' into the trap. If they could take down the three commanders of Qingzhou, things would be decided by Shang Yizhi's people from now on.
They planned the next day's major event all night, sending invitations in advance to ask the three commanders to drink. However, on the appointed day, only two arrived. The original plan for the whole situation was about to fail. A Mai also felt a sweat in her heart. Fortunately, Shang Yizhi's acting was online.
First, he put on a show with singing and dancing, called in beauties to add wine and dishes for the two gentlemen, and then looked for an opportunity to escape. This finally made the two of them lower their guard. Shang Yizhi used the dagger on his person to fix the door of the latrine, seizing the opportunity to escape. The two commanders drank, their consciousness gradually becoming blurry. In reality, Shang Yizhi had quietly lit a knockout incense.
A Mai and Mu Bai borrowed a carriage and sedan chair, originally intending to take Shang Yizhi and escape Qingzhou, but the absent Official Qian had already sealed the city gates, preparing to wait for their arrival. A Mai, Shang Yizhi, and the others were confined to a house by Official Qian and were not allowed to go out. The three commanders discussed a plan to eliminate Shang Yizhi.
Since he was the defender of Qingzhou and the Marquis's only heir, if he suddenly died in Qingzhou, it would certainly be investigated, and they might even be made scapegoats. These three shrewd commanders did not dare to lay hands on Shang Yizhi to eliminate him. Official Qian came up with a scheme: have his servants quietly escort Shang Yizhi to a place for manual labor, where the heavy physical work and unclean food would quickly end his life.
A Mai secretly ran out and inquired everywhere about where Shang Yizhi was being held. The place was heavily guarded, and all the guards were trusted confidantes of Commander Qian. No one was allowed entry without permission. A Mai brought famous wine, originally intending to bribe the guards, but at the entrance, she saw an old woman pleading bitterly with Commander Qian to spare her young grandson.
As a result, she was severely beaten by Commander Qian; the whip in his hand struck the old woman mercilessly. It seemed he was truly a ruthless tyrant. A Mai quickly sought a countermeasure.
Episode 9 Recap
Shang Yizhi finished his work and was napping nearby when he suddenly heard someone call out "Shang Yizhi's name". He instinctively answered and opened his eyes to find someone staring intently at him. He immediately realized he couldn't be exposed. He argued that he wasn't Shang Yizhi. The other person grabbed him and forced him to draw a portrait of Shang Yizhi, and then he was subjected to everyone's spitting.
Seeing everyone acting disrespectfully towards his portrait, Shang Yizhi was furious and was about to beat them, but he ended up being tied to a pillar to be punished. Late at night, A Mai used a rope to climb inside, preparing to rescue Shang Yizhi. After untying the rope from him, she thought of the child who was whipped outside the door and was still suffering inside, so she wanted to rescue the little boy as well.
However, she was spotted by a rogue who came out to urinate, and this time A Mai was also tied up along with them. The temperature at night was particularly cold. In the biting wind, A Mai broke the awkward silence and blamed Shang Yizhi for greeting the villains while they were escaping. Shang Yizhi was unwilling to concede, retorting that being polite was his virtue, and also claimed that A Mai didn't understand the necessary etiquette between men.
This instantly exposed A Mai's secret. Startled, A Mai finally recalled feeling like she had been peeped on while bathing at the Sheng mansion, and it turned out to be him! Finally, Mr. Xu arrived with guards to rescue them. A Mai and Shang Yizhi escaped from the jaws of death. That evening, Shang Yizhi specifically brought pastries to apologize to A Mai and promised never to mention the matter of the bath that day again.
The two of them reconciled, and by the next day, the three commanders who framed Shang Yizhi were all sentenced to beheading. Thus, the real power in Qingzhou was completely in Shang Yizhi's hands. Hearing that the Emperor had been troubled by matters in Qingzhou recently, the Crown Prince, in order to gain the Emperor's trust, volunteered to go to Qingzhou himself to alleviate the Emperor's worries. The Emperor was already vexed that Shang Yizhi had eliminated his spies.
Since someone was willing to help eliminate the problem, he immediately agreed to the Crown Prince's request. Eldest Princess Shenghua naturally knew that the Crown Prince going to Qingzhou would be disadvantageous to Shang Yizhi, so she quickly sent a trusted subordinate on a fast horse to deliver a letter to Shang Yizhi. At that time, Qingzhou's grain and forage were already insufficient, and court supplies were tight. It would be even more difficult to obtain the Emperor's approval. Mr.
Xu asked about Shang Yizhi's plan. Among the Thirty-Six Stratagems, the best strategy is to retreat. Shang Yizhi decided to take his trusted subordinates to Yuzhou. The leader of Yuzhou was one of Shang Yizhi's father's old subordinates, and out of consideration for their past relationship, he should take good care of Shang Yizhi. Fortunately, Shang Yizhi left quickly.
No sooner had he left than the Crown Prince arrived in Qingzhou and issued an imperial decree, fabricating many charges against Shang Yizhi and ordering his immediate execution without pardon. At this time, A Mai, Shang Yizhi, and their trusted subordinates had already arrived below Yuzhou city. Tang Shaoyi had just arrived in Yuzhou, and the leader of Yuzhou took a liking to his martial skills and planned to have him supervise soldier training.
However, this also aroused jealousy from some people. Tang Shaoyi was envied by the old soldiers in Yuzhou; they deliberately picked a fight. Fortunately, Tang Shaoyi's boxing and kicking skills were excellent, but the local commander used the excuse that Tang Shaoyi had injured a colleague to make him guard the city walls on duty that night.
When Tang Shaoyi saw that the arrivals were A Mai and Shang Yizhi, he immediately guaranteed to Shi Dachun, the commander of Yuzhou, that the newcomers were not Northern Desert spies. Shang Yizhi sent out his official seal as proof. Finally, the city gates opened, and they safely entered Yuzhou. As the leader was one of Shang Yizhi's father's old subordinates, he naturally took extra care of Shang Yizhi out of consideration for their past relationship. A storm had temporarily subsided.
Episode 10 Recap
Shi Dachun gave his room for Shang Yizhi to stay in and kept asking about the Eldest Princess's recent situation. He regretted and felt guilty for not offering sacrifices when Marquis Sheng passed away. It sounded like he was very concerned about the Sheng family. Shang Yizhi immediately stated his purpose: he wanted to borrow some grain and forage.
Shi Dachun hesitated slightly, claiming that a major war was imminent, grain and forage control was very strict, and grain could only be allocated with the Emperor's verbal decree. Shang Yizhi's heart sank. He wanted to inform A Mai, but he suddenly remembered that if he told A Mai they couldn't gather grain and forage, A Mai would definitely not stay here anymore; she still needed to go to Northern Desert.
Xu Xiuer mistook A Mai for a man and secretly fell for her. How could A Mai not understand the young girl's feelings? But she had unspeakable difficulties, so she kept praising Tang Shaoyi. She even said that if she found a good man like Tang Shaoyi, she would never have to worry about food and drink in the future, and Tang Shaoyi would take good care of her.
Xu Xiuer became unhappy and put the foot basin down heavily on the ground. A Mai saw that gentle persuasion wasn't working and had to cut the Gordian knot quickly. She immediately stated in front of Xu Xiuer that she didn't like girls of her type, instead, she was very fond of the singing girls and courtesans in the brothels. This made Xu Xiuer so angry that she slapped her directly and left in a huff.
A Mai saw Shang Yizhi come but after only a couple of perfunctory sentences, he wanted to leave, so she guessed there must be something difficult to say. Shang Yizhi said that it was his first time discussing borrowing grain and forage with Shi Dachun; the other party didn't agree easily, but they still had a chance. They could only wait here for a moment. Early in the morning, A Mai lay lazily on the bed, stretching.
Opening her eyes, she suddenly saw Tang Shaoyi sitting on her bed, which startled her. Tang Shaoyi didn't know at all that A Mai was a woman; he thought they were just sworn brothers. Hearing that A Mai needed to urinate, he immediately handed her the chamber pot next to the bed and even casually invited A Mai to take care of it on the bed. A Mai stammered that she was sick.
Only then did she manage to trick Tang Shaoyi out of the room. Tang Shaoyi took A Mai to see a spirited horse he had taken a liking to. Its temperament and appearance were excellent. A Mai also thought it was a good horse. Hearing that Tang Shaoyi just didn't have enough money, she immediately took out all her silver to help Tang Shaoyi buy the horse. Shang Yizhi came looking for A Mai.
Hearing that A Mai had gone out with Tang Shaoyi early in the morning, he felt very uncomfortable. Xu Xiuer also described how Tang Shaoyi was not only tall and handsome but also chivalrous and of noble character. Shang Yizhi began to feel extremely jealous; he was afraid that Tang Shaoyi would get there first. Finally, A Mai returned. She excitedly said that she had just gone out riding horses with Tang Shaoyi, and it was very pleasant.
They hadn't seen each other for a long time, and Tang Shaoyi had missed her especially. Shi Dachun's wife took a liking to Xu Xiuer's docility and intelligence, so she adopted her as a foster daughter. Xu Xiuer packed her things and moved into Madam Shi's residence. But before leaving, she told A Mai and Shang Yizhi that the Crown Prince's advisor had found his way to Yuzhou and had met with Shi Dachun several times privately.
It seemed like they had some secret scheme. Shang Yizhi was secretly surprised and had a premonition of crisis. Not long after, Shi Dachun and the Crown Prince's advisor brought people to arrest Shang Yizhi, listed Shang Yizhi's crimes, and then escorted him to prison. Although Shi Dachun was unwilling to lend grain and forage, Shang Yizhi's father had saved Shi Dachun's life, and Shi Dachun would not collude with the Crown Prince.
But awed by the Crown Prince's authority, Shi Dachun had no choice but to lock Shang Yizhi up first and then consider his options later. Late at night, A Mai came to the prison to see Shang Yizhi and discussed her plan with him. Soon there would be a martial arts competition where the Qingzhou army and the Yuzhou army would compete. At that time, they would wait for an opportunity to escape.
Shi Dachun and the Crown Prince's advisor suggested that in the martial arts competition between the two sides, the Qingzhou army would surely lose. Without a backer, Shang Yizhi would be forced to commit suicide under pressure. This way, the Eldest Princess would not blame them.
Episode 11 Recap
During these days of preparing for the martial arts competition, A Mai was nervously watching the entire process. The life and death of Shang Yizhi was at stake, so she naturally couldn't be careless. The Wang instructors of Yuzhou City arrogantly arrived at the Qingzhou army's training ground, telling them to surrender as soon as possible. However, A Mai was not discouraged in the slightest. The competition hadn't started yet, and the outcome was still undecided.
Seeing the Qingzhou soldiers training, A Mai secretly broke out in a sweat. She remembered her father's repeated teachings when she was young: going to battle required not only strength but also using clever tactics to win. It seemed she needed to plan this carefully. During the day, Shang Yizhi saw A Mai talking and laughing with Tang Shaoyi, even with their shoulders touching, which was too intimate.
In the evening, Shang Yizhi nervously went to A Mai's room and asked about her relationship with Tang Shaoyi, whether she liked Tang Shaoyi. After receiving A Mai's denial, Shang Yizhi was finally relieved and specially said that some soldiers asked him to ask. On the day of the competition, the Yuzhou army won the first match. Shi Dachun was not on the judging panel. Although he seemed to be eating, he was also uneasy.
His wife was afraid that Shi Dachun would secretly show favoritism. If they offended the Crown Prince, they would not have a good outcome in the future. Shi Dachun naturally understood, but on one side was the Crown Prince, and on the other was his life-saver. He was caught in the middle, making it really difficult for him. The Crown Prince's advisor, Yang Xuan, felt that the Yuzhou army was sure to win, inevitably becoming arrogant.
He even told the Yuzhou army not to be too ruthless against the Qingzhou army. In the second match, Tang Shaoyi came to fight, representing the Qingzhou army, riding the magnificent horse that A Mai had paid for. Tang Shaoyi fought against five opponents single-handedly. Shang Yizhi was so nervous that he was covered in sweat, but Tang Shaoyi ultimately lived up to everyone's expectations, and Qingzhou won this match. Now the two sides were tied.
The most crucial match was the third, where both sides had to grab the flag before all the sand in an hourglass ran out. Whoever grabbed it first would win. A Mai also participated in the snatching and directed the entire process. Seeing that the hourglass was about to run out, she immediately grabbed a bag of loose sand and stood around the flag, using the sand to blind the Yuzhou soldiers who were competing for the flag.
Ultimately, the Qingzhou soldiers won. Yang Xuan angrily scolded them for cheating and then stormed off. Soon, news came from the army that the Crown Prince had been captured by the Northern Desert army. A Mai immediately asked Shang Yizhi to send troops to rescue the Crown Prince, but Shang Yizhi was surprised. This Crown Prince wanted to kill him. Now that he had been captured, he was more than happy. Why would he risk his life to rescue him?
A Mai taught him to look at the bigger picture. If they could successfully rescue him this time, the Crown Prince might be lenient in the future. Under A Mai's persuasion, Shang Yizhi led his confidants north and finally rescued the Crown Prince. This was the first time the Crown Prince had met Shang Yizhi, and he was deeply impressed with him. After all, Shang Yizhi had rescued him from the soldiers, so the merits and demerits offset each other.
Now the Qingzhou army and the Yuzhou army had merged and were training in the same training ground every day. Shang Yizhi was worried about how to unite the two armies to fight the enemy together. A Mai suggested that he take these two teams of soldiers out to fight more often. As long as they worked together a few times, they would slowly get along well.
A Mai was resourceful and intelligent, and she had helped Shang Yizhi out of danger many times. The two were both friends and comrades-in-arms. Shang Yizhi really wanted A Mai to stay by his side, but A Mai still wanted to go to Northern Desert.
Episode 12 Recap
A Mai was about to set off for Northern Desert. Before leaving, she bid farewell to Shang Yizhi and instructed him to take good care of Xu Xiuer. This time, Shang Yizhi wanted to persuade A Mai to stay, and affectionately told her that he had fallen in love with her. A Mai's eyes widened when she heard Shang Yizhi's confession. She immediately told Shang Yizhi not to say anymore.
Not many people are born with the privileged environment Shang Yizhi has. Her real name is Han Maisui, her father was the Duke of Sheng. Originally, her father adopted Chen Qi as his foster son, and she and Chen Qi grew up together. Unexpectedly, on a rainy night, Chen Qi rebelled and actually stabbed her father in a vital spot from behind with a dagger. Immediately afterwards, both her parents died under a flurry of knives.
A Mai witnessed her parents' tragic state before escaping. Since then, anger has coiled tightly around A Mai's heart like a snake, leaving her breathless. Originally, A Mai wanted to go to Jingyang Pass and then to Northern Desert, but she didn't expect that on the day before her departure, Tang Shaoyi of the Northern Desert army had already subdued Jingyang Pass.
When Xu Xiuer heard A Mai was leaving, she personally made a pair of shoes and sent them to A Mai, saying she would definitely wait for her return. Xu Xiuer was reluctant to part, but A Mai had more dangerous things to do. In the early morning, A Mai packed her luggage, intending to leave quietly. When she opened the door, Shang Yizhi was already waiting at the entrance, having prepared several boxes of luggage.
There were various sharp tools for assassination, a fox fur coat for warmth, a dagger, night clothes, and various fabrics and jewelry. Shang Yizhi showed these things to A Mai one by one, hoping she could use them. Looking at the boxes filled with various items, all of which were Shang Yizhi's thoughtful gifts, A Mai couldn't help but lean forward and kiss him. The road ahead was long and uncertain; she didn't know if they would ever meet again.
This kiss was just a small expression of gratitude. Not long after A Mai set off, she received news that the Northern Desert army had subdued Jingyang Pass, and the leader was Chen Qi. A Mai had long since hated Chen Qi to the bone. As a major battle was imminent and soldiers were urgently needed, A Mai voluntarily signed up to join the army.
At first, Shang Yizhi strongly disagreed, as fighting battles was a man's business, and moreover, the court's laws absolutely did not allow women to join the army. But Chen Qi was A Mai's father's killer. If she couldn't go to the front to kill the enemy, she wouldn't be able to meet Chen Qi. Under A Mai's insistence, Shang Yizhi finally nodded in agreement. And so, A Mai joined the army!
Mu Bai personally escorted A Mai to the military camp. On the first day, she met a young man named Erdan. This person was simple and honest, and it would certainly not be easy for him to discover A Mai's identity. The two began their night watch. Erdan was timid and weak, while A Mai was brave and resolute, and she helped Erdan multiple times, becoming friends with him.
To fight and kill the enemy, one must first train every day. In order to kill Chen Qi, A Mai began high-intensity training. She spent every day on the training ground, training diligently regardless of wind or rain, just like her comrades. Sometimes, when she felt overwhelmed, she would think about the scene when her parents were murdered, and immediately she would throw herself into the practice with full energy.
Chang Yuqing was very happy to hear that A Mai had also joined the army. Mu Bai saw that with Chang Yuqing's protection, A Mai should also have someone looking out for her. The Emperor heard about the Crown Prince being captured alive and was furious. He felt that being captured alive was a very shameful thing. The Crown Prince repeatedly kowtowed and begged for mercy.
Fortunately, the battle report from the front reached the palace, and the Emperor temporarily did not make things difficult for the Crown Prince. The Emperor became aware of the entire process by which Shang Yizhi was rescued during the Yuzhou martial arts competition. He saw that this person was both brave and resourceful and had to be guarded against. Prime Minister Lin suggested that it might be better to let Shang Yizhi lead troops to resist the Northern Desert invasion.
The Northern Desert soldiers were fierce fighters, and the young and impetuous Shang Yizhi would naturally not win every time. If he died in battle, it would also become a good story. As soon as Prime Minister Lin left, the Emperor issued an imperial decree, ordering Shang Yizhi to immediately return to the imperial city and be confined in the Marquis Dingnan's residence, with strengthened guards, ensuring that not even a pigeon could fly out.
Episode 13 Recap
In the evening, the cold wind was piercing, and A Mai was on night watch when Tang Shaoyi brought two jars of wine to visit her. After a couple of sips, A Mai felt much warmer. The two talked about what happened in Yinbao City. Tang Shaoyi felt extremely guilty for being blinded by his own arrogance, saying he would drive out the Northern Desert rebels. But before a day had passed, Yinbao City had fallen.
Now, joining the army again, Tang Shaoyi was determined to thoroughly hone his skills and defeat the Northern Desert army in the future. Returning from night watch, A Mai saw that her bed had been mostly occupied by the squad leader next to her. Since he was her superior, there was nothing she could do. Thinking about living with these rough men in the future, A Mai took precautions.
She smeared a foul-smelling medicinal herb all over her body and even on her bedding. This way, the stench would spread far and wide, and no one would want to get close to her. The squad leader, finding her unbearably stinky, immediately ordered her to move her bedding to a ventilated area. This way, she wouldn't be close to the squad leader's bed and would have fewer troubles. Zhang Erdan and A Mai switched bed positions.
It was Zhang Erdan's turn for night watch that night. A Mai entered the tent and saw the squad leader sleeping soundly, with one leg directly on Zhang Erdan's chest, pressing him so hard that he grimaced in pain. A Mai couldn't help but laugh, so she stood guard for him all night. Shang Yizhi came to visit A Mai at the military camp and saw that A Mai's sandbag fundamentals were not good.
Lu Gang punished her by making her run ten extra laps. Shang Yizhi couldn't bear it and prepared to speak up for A Mai, but A Mai resolutely insisted on accepting the punishment. Shang Yizhi was so angry that he couldn't speak. Back in the camp tent, he still felt stifled. The military advisor enlightened Shang Yizhi, saying that if A Mai accepted his special treatment, she would be resented by her comrades in the future.
If there was a rift among the comrades, no one would protect her when fighting on the battlefield. Hearing the military advisor's analysis, Shang Yizhi finally understood A Mai's good intentions. Every day was spent training and practicing. Bathing was also often needed in the military camp. The squad leader, finding A Mai unbearably stinky, ordered the brothers in the camp to forcibly drag A Mai to take a bath. A Mai was terrified.
Seven or eight brothers lifted her high up, and the squad leader even ordered them to scrub her clean. Just then, Mu Bai passed by, and A Mai quickly called out to Mu Bai, asking if Shang Yizhi had asked him to do something. Mu Bai reported to Shang Yizhi that A Mai had been carried off by seven or eight men to take a bath.
At first, Shang Yizhi couldn't help but smile, but then he suddenly thought of A Mai's identity as a woman and rushed over anxiously. Fortunately, he arrived in time, and A Mai was successfully rescued by Shang Yizhi. Shang Yizhi tossed and turned all night. He suddenly thought of A Mai being held up by a group of men during the day, and her nervous expression made him find it very funny.
Shang Yizhi didn't return to his general's mansion but stayed in the camp tent that night. In the dead of night, Shang Yizhi, worried that A Mai was thinly dressed, picked up his cloak and went to the military camp. A Mai was still on night watch. Shang Yizhi put the cloak on A Mai and suggested that she shouldn't stay in the military camp. What if she was forced to take a bath again?
A Mai said unhappily to Shang Yizhi to rest assured. She had been wandering the streets since she was ten years old, alone and without support, and she had the ability to adapt flexibly. The squad leader saw A Mai laughing and joking with the general, as if they had a good relationship, and became wary. A Mai's existence threatened his position, and the squad leader tried everything to drive A Mai out of his military camp.
Episode 14 Recap
A Mai heard that the Northern Desert army had arrived nearby, but their traces were temporarily undetectable. Tang Shaoyi received a mission to find the Northern Desert's camp, so A Mai quietly slipped out of the military camp and searched for the Northern Desert's hidden position with Tang Shaoyi. When she was young, A Mai's father often taught her tactics, which she could now put to good use.
Sure enough, in a short while, A Mai led Tang Shaoyi to find the Northern Desert forces. The Eldest Princess Shenghua's mansion had been placed under house arrest by imperial decree. She immediately notified Shang Yizhi's military advisor, urging them to proceed with caution and by no means be captured by the Emperor. A Mai returned to the military camp and was quickly caught by the squad leader.
According to military law, leaving the camp without permission is punishable by beheading. Moreover, the squad leader had long wanted to find an excuse to drive A Mai out. Now that she was caught red-handed, the squad leader called a few men to pin A Mai to the ground, then severely reprimanded her, saying she had no upbringing and disgraced her parents. A Mai hated it most when people mentioned her parents.
Hearing the squad leader constantly cursing, she couldn't help but step forward and punch the squad leader twice. The patrolling leader saw them fighting and took both the squad leader and A Mai to Shang Yizhi's main camp. The military advisor was also there. Tang Shaoyi had just reported that he and A Mai had found the Northern Desert's hiding place. Now that A Mai was caught, handling the case was indeed quite tricky.
Fortunately, the military advisor handled it with great discretion, first separating the offenses of leaving the camp without permission and fighting. When the squad leader heard that A Mai had found the Northern Desert army's hiding place just by careful observation, respect spontaneously arose in him, and he naturally no longer mentioned the matter of leaving the camp without permission. The military advisor punished each of them with twenty strokes of the plank.
Shang Yizhi heard A Mai's cries during the caning outside and felt uneasy. The military advisor also knew that the punisher didn't know the severity, so he asked Mu Bai to administer the caning on their behalf. With Mu Bai deliberately going easy, A Mai and the squad leader finally survived with half a life left. In the evening, Shang Yizhi brought wound medicine for A Mai.
A Mai refused to let Shang Yizhi approach and insisted on applying the medicine herself. Now that the Northern Desert army's hiding place had been found, Shang Yizhi couldn't help but voice his worry. It was his first time confronting the Northern Desert army head-on, and he felt uncertain. A Mai could understand Shang Yizhi's worries, so she took out the battle map she had just drawn and showed it to Shang Yizhi.
Although they were outnumbered by the enemy, warfare required elite soldiers and good generals. As long as they planned meticulously and arranged tactics well, there was still a fifty percent chance of victory. After carefully listening to A Mai's entire battle plan, Shang Yizhi felt a chill down his spine. This plan was completely about striking at the root.
If they defeated the Northern Desert army, they could use the spoils to support the war, taking advantage of the grain and fodder the Northern Desert had stationed to lead the army north. But if they failed, all the soldiers would die with him. Not only that, but the people in the city would also suffer. The closer it got to the battle, the less confident Shang Yizhi felt.
Mu Bai quietly called A Mai aside, hoping she could counsel Shang Yizhi. Shang Yizhi was worried that if he made a wrong decision, he would let down the brothers who fought alongside him in bloody battles. A Mai told Shang Yizhi the words her father had once used to encourage her. Soldiers joined the army to protect their homes. Since ancient times, a general's success comes at the cost of countless lives.
For all the soldiers to survive, courage and willpower are needed. They must fight with all their might in the great battle tomorrow. A Mai leaned closer to Shang Yizhi, resting her head on Shang Yizhi's shoulder. Shang Yizhi's masculinity was completely ignited, and he was determined to win this battle. All troops were ready to go. Shang Yizhi fastened his battle robe, preparing to lead the three armies into battle against the enemy.
Just then, an imperial decree from the Emperor arrived. Without needing to be read aloud, its content was known. Shang Yizhi immediately stepped forward and pressed down on the eunuch's hand, stating that he was going to lead the troops into battle, that military matters could not be delayed, and that they could discuss it again upon his triumphant return.
Just as Shang Yizhi led his troops away, the eunuch suddenly came to his senses and prepared to chase after him to read the imperial decree. Shi Dachun again calmed the eunuch down, claiming that the Northern Desert army was now less than a hundred miles away. If Shang Yizhi were not allowed to lead his troops into battle, this time they might not return. Hearing that the enemy army was less than a hundred miles away, and that they would be counter-killed if they didn't resist, the eunuch's legs turned soft, and he immediately retreated within the city walls, waiting for Shang Yizhi to return.
Episode 15 Recap
Shi Dachun had stabilized the eunuch who came to deliver the imperial decree, the rest was up to Shang Yizhi. The night was deep, and countless soldiers on the front line began to feel nervous about the next day's battle. A Mai could understand their feelings and suggested to the squad leader that three people could fight back-to-back, making them invulnerable from every angle. Saying this, A Mai demonstrated with Zhang Erdan.
The squad leader saw that this formation was very good and immediately promoted it. The formation and combat methods were ready, all that was left was to wait for dawn to kill the enemy. Shang Yizhi, unable to sleep, came to the military camp and saw A Mai weaving insects out of dried wild grass, including crickets, butterflies, and small birds. He also squatted down beside her and wove a small dog for A Mai using leftover reed leaves.
Holding it in her hand, A Mai specifically praised Shang Yizhi's exquisite craftsmanship, saying the warhorse he wove looked like an ancient divine beast. Shang Yizhi's face turned red as he explained that he had only woven a small dog. Chang Yuqing advised Chen Qi to be careful when fighting in Yuzhou. If they were ambushed in the valley, it would be very difficult to escape. Unfortunately, Chen Qi was stubborn and refused to listen to his advice.
Chang Yuqing couldn't bear to see his subordinates fall into an ambush, so he led them to Yuzhou to attack elsewhere. Chen Qi was eager to earn merit, and this time he led all his soldiers straight to Wild Wolf Gorge, unaware that A Mai had been waiting there with her brothers for a long time. Chen Qi advanced deep into the gorge. Shang Yizhi ordered his archers to shoot arrows.
A barrage of arrows swarmed down, startling many horses which ran wild, causing Chen Qi's army to immediately fall into disarray. Although they were outnumbered, as long as they maintained a steady rhythm, they could slowly kill the remaining enemies. From under a shield, A Mai saw Chen Qi's arrogant face.
It was this face that shamelessly accepted her father's upbringing, not only without any gratitude but also harming and killing her adoptive father and wiping out her adoptive parents' entire family. Such hatred was irreconcilable. A Mai directly shouted to kill, and all the soldiers charged with A Mai. Shang Yizhi's military advisor was somewhat surprised. According to the battle plan, they should have broken through the team on Chen Qi's left.
Now that the plan had changed temporarily, the military advisor did not let Shang Yizhi make a rash move. A Mai leaped up and shot a token with her name on it onto Chen Qi's banner. Seeing the character "麦" on it, Chen Qi was greatly shocked. He had grown up with A Mai, and A Mai treated him like her own sibling. Her adoptive parents even mentioned having A Mai become his wife.
Now, meeting on the battlefield, the past was like the wind, but irreversible. A Mai was shot in the knee by an arrow. Chen Qi's subordinates prepared to take the opportunity to shoot and kill her, but he reached out to stop them. Both sides had suffered heavy casualties, and Chen Qi ordered a retreat. The severely wounded A Mai leaned against Shang Yizhi. The army doctor was about to remove the broken arrow from her knee.
Blood splattered everywhere, and the surrounding soldiers were moved by A Mai's plight. Chang Yuqing led his troops to the city of Yuzhou. More than half of Shi Dachun's elite soldiers had gone with Shang Yizhi to kill the enemy, leaving the defense weak and unable to resist the Northern Desert army. Considering the safety of the city's residents, Shi Dachun negotiated with Chang Yuqing.
If Chang Yuqing swore not to harm any resident in the city, Shi Dachun would open the city gates and surrender. Chang Yuqing swore by his honor and ancestors that he would never harm any resident of Yuzhou City. Shi Dachun surrendered without a fight.
Episode 16 Recap
The news of Shi Dachun's surrender without a fight quickly reached the front line. The military advisor instructed Shang Yizhi that now was a good time to win people's hearts. The soldiers in Yuzhou City, hearing that their hometown had been occupied by the Northern Desert army, immediately expressed their desire to follow Shang Yizhi onto the battlefield to fight the enemy.
To give his subordinates a chance to catch their breath, Shang Yizhi led the remaining soldiers and weak generals to Wulan Mountain to rest and recuperate. A Mai quietly recovered in the military camp, while also preparing for the second battle plan. Xu Xiuer heard that A Mai was seriously injured and was worried about her. She left a letter for the madam alone and prepared to go to the front line to visit.
When the madam saw the letter, she personally arranged a carriage to escort Xu Xiuer out of the city. Afterwards, Xu Xiuer traveled over mountains and waters alone to reach the Zhenbei military camp. Tang Shaoyi heard that A Mai was recuperating, so he immediately made a pair of crutches and sent them to A Mai. He also often helped A Mai walk outside to get some fresh air.
Shang Yizhi would visit A Mai in the main tent whenever he had time. Seeing Tang Shaoyi taking such good care of A Mai, he felt incredibly jealous. However, this Chang Yuqing had no idea how to avoid suspicion. Even after knowing A Mai for so long, he still didn't know she was a woman. He was constantly caught between A Mai and Shang Yizhi, acting as a super-powerful third wheel.
It was the first time the Zhenbei military camp had a woman visiting, and many soldiers excitedly shouted that A Mai's wife was back. Poor A Mai lay among the wounded soldiers, unable to move from her bed all day. Sometimes the food delivery would be late, leaving A Mai starving. Just then, the soldiers crowded around Xu Xiuer as she entered the tent. Xu Xiuer saw that A Mai's leg still had bloodstains and immediately shed tears of distress.
A Mai comforted Xu Xiuer, saying she was almost recovered. Xu Xiuer came to the military camp and helped A Mai wash up and took meticulous care of her every day. Women were not allowed in the military camp, but this time the military advisor seemed very accommodating and allowed Xu Xiuer to stay and take care of A Mai. On this day, the military advisor specifically came to A Mai's tent. There was no one else around.
The military advisor said that it was inconvenient for Xu Xiuer, being a woman, to help A Mai wash herself, and that he would wash her. A Mai couldn't refuse, so she immediately scratched the wound on her leg until it bled. This way, with the wound still bleeding, it couldn't touch water. The military advisor saw that she was a ruthless person and determined that A Mai was undoubtedly a woman.
Since she couldn't hide it anymore, A Mai told the military advisor about her background and her deep hatred for Chen Qi. This explained A Mai's loss of composure during the previous battle with Chen Qi's army. The military advisor criticized A Mai for being emotional, causing the entire battle plan to be thrown into chaos due to her personal grievances during the fight. A Mai realized her mistake and guaranteed the military advisor that it wouldn't happen again.
Now that the military advisor knew A Mai was the only surviving orphan of the Sheng family, his previous suspicions about her were eliminated. The news of Yuzhou City's fall reached the palace. Some censors impeached Shi Dachun to the emperor, hoping to strip him of his military power. However, some loyal officials strongly supported the Yuzhou generals, saying their victory over Chen Qi's army was indispensable. The emperor asked for Prime Minister Lin's opinion.
Prime Minister Lin stated the facts, saying that with external threats present, they couldn't have internal strife and should instead appease the morale of the front-line soldiers. Furthermore, if something happened to Shang Yizhi, it would be difficult to explain to Eldest Princess Shenghua. This time, the emperor adopted Prime Minister Lin's suggestion, and the heavy troops stationed outside the Eldest Princess's mansion were withdrawn.
Chang Yuqing saw that Chen Qi was delayed in pursuing the Zhenbei military camp, so he volunteered to lead troops to launch a surprise attack on the Zhenbei military camp, also as a birthday gift for Chen Qi. Chen Qi outwardly agreed to Chang Yuqing's suggestion. When no one was around, Chen Qi wrote a secret letter and had his subordinate deliver it immediately.
Episode 17 Recap
Chang Yuqing's younger brother Cui Yan was eager to earn military merits to find a wife for himself. Chang Yuqing had no objection to this. Soldiers fight battles year-round, making the four seas their home, so they should get married sooner. Cui Yan was very curious about what kind of woman Chang Yuqing liked, but the other party said it was definitely not the woman he had in mind.
After A Mai's leg injury healed, Shang Yizhi transferred her to a location near his tent. Ostensibly, he gave A Mai the task of standing night watch. At night, Shang Yizhi would call A Mai to his camp and ask if she wanted to bathe and relax. He said she hadn't slept well before in the collective large tent and should catch up on her sleep now.
Since they were in a military camp, A Mai didn't let her guard down. Bathing could easily lead to her being discovered, so she did not agree. In the morning, when A Mai woke up, she immediately saw the small dog Shang Yizhi had woven from thatch. In front of others, Shang Yizhi was a majestic and impressive general, but when pursuing A Mai, he was quite considerate.
After completing the military advisor's training during the day, Shang Yizhi took A Mai outside the camp and invited her to watch the meteor shower with him. Having finally gotten a chance to be alone with A Mai, Shang Yizhi tried his best to impress her and even fantasized about a more intimate relationship with A Mai. As a result, they discovered the quietly ambushing Northern Desert army.
Shang Yizhi and A Mai quickly brought the news to the military advisor. The military advisor saw that A Mai was still present and specifically reminded A Mai not to forget their agreement. A Mai tactfully withdrew. The military advisor instructed Shang Yizhi that in the last battle, Chen Qi's forces had not suffered heavy losses, but their army's vitality had been damaged.
After several days, Chen Qi's army did not closely pursue them, which shows it was related to A Mai. To ensure nothing went wrong, the military advisor once again instructed Shang Yizhi that in the future, military secrets must not be discussed in A Mai's presence. The Northern Desert army had figured out their location. In this critical situation, they should transfer promptly.
The military advisor looked at the map and decided to lead the troops to withdraw to Pingjia Ao. To give the main army sufficient time to transfer, the military advisor also specially assigned a small team to attract the enemy's attention and then try to delay time as much as possible to create an opportunity for the main force. The team luring the enemy deeper had to pass through a dangerously strategic valley.
Moreover, the enemy's strength was formidable, and the difference in strength between the two armies was vast. Once Chang Yuqing caught up, they would definitely be in dire straits. A Mai was well aware of the danger facing this team. It was their Seventh Battalion that accepted this task. Late at night, the Seventh Battalion began to set off, and A Mai also quietly blended into the team and went with them.
At dawn, the soldiers of the Seventh Battalion discovered that A Mai was also in the team. A Mai discussed with the leading officer Lu Gang that the troops led by Chang Yuqing were all cavalry, using excellent steeds, while they were mostly infantry. When the two armies met, the infantry really had no chance of winning.
A Mai decided to let their team lure the enemy into a dense forest, where it was full of thorns, making it impossible for tall horses to run. They diverted Chang Yuqing as planned, but Lu Gang's team was caught up by Chang Yuqing in the direction he ran. His team was almost annihilated. A Mai and another small detachment saw the signal Lu Gang sent out and knew that he had died in the line of duty.
A Mai and the other officers felt unpleasant. Some soldiers asked A Mai if they should go to reinforce them. Lu Gang had previously instructed them that they must save their lives. If he died, A Mai was to take his place and lead the remaining soldiers well. A Mai endured the humiliation and burden, immediately leading her subordinates to transfer. Chang Yuqing led the Northern Desert cavalry in relentless pursuit, quickly closing in on A Mai's team.
Soldiers on both sides were out of breath. A Mai encouraged her subordinates to definitely persevere until they reached the target location before resting. Just at this moment, the Northern Desert army arrived. A Mai stayed behind to cover the rear, urging the soldiers behind her to quickly cross the bridge. She was the last one to cross the bridge, but the bridge was in disrepair from age. A Mai fell from a loose plank.
The soldiers behind her shouted A Mai's name. The Northern Desert soldiers quickly rushed over, and the officers and soldiers of the Seventh Battalion had no choice but to cut the rope bridge to prevent the enemy from crossing.
Episode 18 Recap
Chang Yuqing heard that his good brother Cui Yan had also fallen from the bridge, so he quickly rode a fast horse to the vicinity of the cliff. Liu San, a follower by his side, took advantage of his distraction and pushed him off the cliff. Chang Yuqing turned around at the last moment and realized that the attendant who attacked him had previously been a subordinate of Chen Qi, and must have been bribed by Chen Qi.
Unfortunately, he discovered it too late. After falling from the cliff, Chang Yuqing's whereabouts were unknown. The injured Cui Yan heard that his older brother had met with misfortune, and the more he thought about it, the more something felt wrong, so he quietly ordered his confidant to take a small team of soldiers to search for Chang Yuqing. After an unknown period of time, A Mai woke up and saw a soldier not far away.
She thought she had encountered one of her own people. When she got closer, she was shocked to find it was Chang Yuqing. Seeing that Chang Yuqing was still alive, A Mai pulled him to a drier patch of beach. The cold wind picked up at night, and A Mai lit a bonfire.
Her wound was inflamed, and her shoulder was burning and uncomfortable, so A Mai took off one sleeve and repeatedly poured spring water on the wound, biting her teeth in pain. Chang Yuqing heard the movement and raised his head with difficulty, just in time to see A Mai wiping her wound with a bare arm. Her back was slender and weak. Chang Yuqing found it quite funny.
Normally, A Mai fought on the battlefield, charging forward fearlessly in battle, even more imposing than a man. Who knew she was still a novice? But since A Mai had saved him, Chang Yuqing didn't want to be enemies with A Mai. He asked A Mai what her motive was for saving him.
A Mai admitted that she wanted Chang Yuqing to lead her out of the valley, because there were Northern Desert troops everywhere, and she still needed to find her father's killer. The two made do in the mountain stream for a night. When dawn broke the next day, they encountered Northern Desert troops who had come to search. Chang Yuqing told A Mai to run in a certain direction while he went to divert those Northern Desert troops.
Tang Shaoyi and Zhang Erdan followed the marks A Mai left and tracked them all the way to a farmer's house below the cliff. At that time, the farmer was a bit simple-minded and gave A Mai some women's clothes. After A Mai changed, she happened to meet Tang Shaoyi.
Tang Shaoyi admitted that he had suspected she was a woman several days ago, as she didn't let the military doctor apply medicine when injured, and didn't join others when using the latrine or bathing. These were all evidence. Now that he knew, he would continue to help hide this secret. Having sworn brotherhood, they would be brothers for life. A Mai was very moved by Tang Shaoyi's words.
A Mai returned to the military camp with Zhang Erdan and Tang Shaoyi. On the way, she encountered her battalion brothers still waiting in the mountain hollow. Several of them were injured. The squad leader said that Shang Yizhi had ordered them to lure the Northern Desert army away. A Mai was indignant, saying that they were again being made into sheep waiting to be eaten by the Northern Desert army.
A Mai immediately led the Seventh Battalion back to the main headquarters and angrily questioned Shang Yizhi why he treated the lives of the soldiers like grass. The military advisor walked into the tent and said it was his idea. To divert the enemy, they naturally had to sacrifice some to protect the main force. He then asked A Mai what she would do if it were her.
Since she knew sheep couldn't defeat wolves, shouldn't they sacrifice a small number of sheep to preserve their strength? A Mai's eyes welled up with tears, and she glared at the military advisor, solemnly replying that if it were her, she would lead the small number of sheep to fight the wolves to the end. How could she know for sure they would be eaten by the wolves without trying?
A Mai's words deeply shocked the soldiers present and also moved Shang Yizhi. Shang Yizhi specially rewarded the Seventh Battalion with a rich meal and promoted A Mai to the position of battalion commander.
Episode 19 Recap
Chang Yuqing led his soldiers, preparing to attack Pingjia'ao. Cui Yan was already fully prepared, but Chang Yuqing handed him an urgent letter. The letter was from Chang Yuqing's second uncle. The Empress Dowager now highly valued Chen Qi, and the greater Chen Qi's influence, the more their Chang family army would be suppressed.
Therefore, his second uncle told them to feign being held up by the southern advancing army, so that Chen Qi would not have the energy to continue advancing south. The next day, Chang Yuqing led his soldiers, who had clearly won the battle. Most of the troops had reached the foot of Pingjia'ao Gate, and some were already close to climbing the city gate, but behind them came the signal to retreat. Chang Yuqing announced the withdrawal.
Fortunately, they did not continue the attack, otherwise A Mai's troops would have suffered heavy losses. That night, A Mai and the commander of the southern army discussed countermeasures in the military camp. The military advisor thought the enemy was feigning surrender, but didn't know the conspiracy behind it. A Mai bet that since the enemy hadn't pressed their advantage, they wouldn't launch a sneak attack on their army tonight.
At dawn, Chang Yuqing led numerous generals to attack the city again. Among them was a general named Jiang Chengyi, who was brave and invincible. During the first assault, he almost climbed onto the enemy's city wall, only to receive the signal to retreat. He was furious at Chang Yuqing's order. When Chang Yuqing heard about this, he heavily promoted him in the military camp and made him the chief commander for future attacks.
During the second assault, it seemed the southern soldiers were about to be defeated, but at the critical moment, Chang Yuqing still sounded the gong to withdraw the troops. Everyone didn't know what scheme their leader was planning, but military orders were paramount, so they could only retreat in disarray. The enemy feigned surrender twice in a row, and the military advisor and Shang Yizhi couldn't understand it.
A Mai carefully examined the enemy's equipment and finally figured out the general situation. The enemy must have internal problems now, and the repeated attacks were just to buy time. Instead of just surviving here, it would be better to take the initiative and attack. A Mai and the military advisor laid out their plan. They planned to dispatch a large main force to outflank the Northern Desert army from behind.
The next time the Northern Desert army attacked, it wouldn't be so easy for them to retreat. More than half of the guards in the city were reduced. Fearing that the Northern Desert army would notice the change, A Mai ordered her subordinates to chop more firewood and build more stoves. When the enemy saw the number of stoves hadn't decreased, they wouldn't suspect anything. In addition, they also chopped more bamboo to make more repeating crossbows.
According to A Mai's plan, the Northern Desert army indeed didn't detect anything. Although they ambushed the soldiers who went out to cut wood, there weren't many casualties, and moreover, those soldiers who returned also captured Cui Yan of the Northern Desert army. Cui Yan was tied to the city wall, and Chang Yuqing naturally rushed with his troops to rescue him. A Mai asked Shang Yizhi to enter the city alone for negotiations.
Although it was fraught with danger, for Cui Yan's sake, Shang Yizhi nodded and agreed. Just as Shang Yizhi was riding his horse alone, preparing to enter the city, Jiang Chengyi deliberately gave the wrong order from behind, causing the cavalry behind to still attack the city. There weren't many soldiers on the city wall, and they were outnumbered. Fortunately, Shang Yizhi arrived with his troops in time and launched a pincer attack on the Northern Desert army.
This time, A Mai's army achieved victory. In order to cause internal strife in the Northern Desert army, A Mai released Cui Yan again. This time, the southern army defeated the Northern Desert army, greatly boosting morale. A Mai's reputation spread, and everyone called her the "Little War God.
Episode 20 Recap
The equipment in the Seventh Battalion was insufficient. A Mai went to the Military Advisor, hoping he could approve the request. The Military Advisor deliberately directed her to Shang Yizhi, saying it would be much easier to borrow from Shang Yizhi than from him. A Mai quickly ran to find Shang Yizhi and managed to persuade him with a few sweet words. Each soldier in the Seventh Battalion received a military knife.
The Military Advisor and Shang Yizhi discussed the situation. The strength difference between the Northern Desert army and the southern advancing soldiers was vast. If Chang Yuqing returned for another attack next time, they would have no chance of winning. The two decided to conquer Yuzhou as soon as possible. Yuzhou was rich in grain and supplies; only by conquering Yuzhou would they have enough strength to confront Chen Qi.
Tang Shaoyi was sent to Yuzhou to investigate the situation and confirm whether Shi Dachun had truly surrendered to the Northern Desert army. Going alone was not thorough, so Shang Yizhi sent A Mai and Tang Shaoyi to Yuzhou together. Chen Qi had previously promised Shi Dachun not to disturb the city's residents, but just a few days after entering the city, he went back on his word.
He specifically sought out Shi Dachun and asked him to list several wealthy households in Yuzhou city. Shi Dachun clearly understood Chen Qi's intentions but did not comply. Chen Qi then warned him that if he refused, there might be multiple fires breaking out in the city that night.
To protect the city's residents, Shi Dachun had no choice but to write down the names of two prosperous families in Yuzhou who had previously acquired their wealth through theft and robbery. A Mai and Tang Shaoyi secretly infiltrated Yuzhou city. They went to meet Shi Dachun and happened to see him accepting a box of jewels sent by Chen Qi. Shi Dachun did not deny the rumors circulating outside that he was collaborating with the enemy.
He only asked Tang Shaoyi and A Mai if they had a good plan to conquer Yuzhou. Hearing that Tang Shaoyi did not have a plan yet, he claimed that he would not act rashly without complete preparation, otherwise it would bring disaster upon the people of Yuzhou. Shi Dachun thought that the lives of the people under the Northern Desert army's administration were still the same as usual. A Mai took him out to observe.
Shi Dachun discovered that the city residents had all been plundered by the Northern Desert army, and the streets were filled with starving people, not at all as he had imagined. He then agreed to A Mai's daring attempt. This matter was very risky, and Shi Dachun wanted to meet Shang Yizhi. Tang Shaoyi and A Mai immediately rushed back to deliver the message. On her way back, A Mai saw the Northern Desert army harming innocent civilians.
The parents of two children had both died at the hands of the enemy. A Mai couldn't bear it and was about to save the two innocent children when Chang Yuqing appeared and killed the tyrannical Northern Desert soldier with one strike. A Mai was taken to the military camp by Chang Yuqing. She witnessed with her own eyes Chang Yuqing settling the two weak children. A Mai wanted Chang Yuqing to give her a chance to kill Chen Qi.
Chang Yuqing reminded her that it was impossible; Chen Qi had been through many battles and was deeply cunning throughout his career. However, A Mai was determined to kill Chen Qi, so Chang Yuqing gave her a set of clothes worn by maids. A Mai disguised herself as a servant carrying tea and water and entered Chen Qi's large tent. Chen Qi did not allow servants to approach closely.
A Mai threw away the tea bowl and asked Chen Qi why he killed her parents back then, reminding him that it was A Mai's parents who had raised Chen Qi from a pile of corpses. Chen Qi was very surprised to see A Mai appear. He had seen A Mai many times in his dreams, but now she was actually standing before him. Chen Qi instructed A Mai that he only wished for her to live well.
A Mai didn't understand why Chen Qi would betray his teacher and ancestors. The hatred between them was irreconcilable. Just as Chen Qi said that the people who entered Sheng Manor with him that day were not the Northern Desert army, Chang Yuqing's guards burst in. Chang Yuqing claimed that A Mai was a southern woman he had caught in the market today.
He had originally settled her safely in his large tent to be his wife, but she had come out on her own at night. He asked Chen Qi to release A Mai for his sake. Chang Yuqing ordered his subordinates to protect A Mai around the clock and stay by her side at all times. A Mai tried to escape several times but was unsuccessful. When Shang Yizhi heard the news of A Mai's capture, he took some trusted followers, disguised themselves, and came to Yuzhou.
Episode 21 Recap
Chen Qi asked his subordinate about Shi Dachun's recent situation. Hearing that Shi Dachun had recently taken his wife to stroll in nearby alleys, and seeing the suffering civilians, he felt pity and shed tears, Chen Qi felt that someone too compassionate towards the people could not be used. He also instructed his subordinate to keep an eye on A Mai and report any movements promptly. Chang Yuqing's subordinate, Moyu, kept a close watch on A Mai.
Because of her excellent martial arts skills, A Mai couldn't shake off this informant at all. Chang Yuqing instructed her that if she was too bored, she could walk around in the courtyard, but absolutely not allowed to go outside the main gate. Shang Yizhi had already arrived at Shi Dachun's place to listen to his battle plan. It was not impossible to attack again and reclaim Yuzhou, but Chen Qi was very cunning, so utmost caution was required.
Once troops were dispatched, success must be absolutely certain. Shi Dachun personally came to see Chang Yuqing, deliberately making conversation to stall for time. Shang Yizhi secretly sneaked into Chang Yuqing's mansion to scout the guards, and happened to meet A Mai in the courtyard. Seeing A Mai dressed in women's clothing for the first time, Shang Yizhi's heart was stirred. He had never imagined that the person in his heart could be so beautiful and charming.
Shang Yizhi planned to take A Mai and escape, but Chang Yuqing's mansion was heavily guarded, making escape nearly impossible. A Mai told Shang Yizhi to go back first; she had a plan and would definitely make a big stir soon. A Mai proposed to Chang Yuqing that she wanted to marry him. Chang Yuqing gladly agreed.
Hearing that A Mai set the wedding venue at Ning Shou Residence, Chang Yuqing immediately understood the general idea and also took A Mai to buy jewelry everywhere. A Mai specifically chose sharp gold hairpins to wear on her head, but Chang Yuqing exchanged the gold hairpins for wooden ones, not allowing A Mai to dislike them, insisting that this was the first gift he gave her and could not be refused.
Shang Yizhi told Shi Dachun the news that Chang Yuqing would be getting married in the next few days. Shi Dachun felt this was a good opportunity to strike and told his subordinate to prepare well to kill Chen Qi with one sword at that time. Shang Yizhi hesitated a little upon hearing Shi Dachun's methods, as A Mai was still at the wedding, and it would be troublesome if stray arrows accidentally injured A Mai.
Shi Dachun reminded him to consider the overall situation, as a single woman was insignificant compared to the people of Yuzhou city. The wedding day arrived soon. Chen Qi personally went to deliver the congratulatory gift. Shi Dachun had not yet arrived, but the auspicious time had come, and the wedding had to proceed. Chen Qi was pushed to the position of the senior elder and received the kowtow of the newlyweds.
As soon as he was seated, A Mai held a dagger to Chen Qi's neck. Chang Yuqing had already stationed his troops near the wedding venue and quickly occupied Chen Qi's General's Residence. Chang Yuqing ordered his subordinates to tie up all of Chen Qi's men and then give A Mai ample time to question Chen Qi. A Mai asked who the people who killed her parents that day were.
Chen Qi didn't want to say, and even told A Mai to let go of the matter. How could the hatred for killing her father be so easily abandoned? Chen Qi couldn't stand it anymore and confessed that it was the Xuanwu Army from Shengdu, which was the court's army. A Mai's hand gripping the dagger began to tremble. Chang Yuqing knew that A Mai couldn't do it, so he comforted her by saying that killing Chen Qi was useless.
He would keep a close eye on him and could send Chen Qi's head over anytime. Shi Dachun's men suddenly surrounded the entire General's Residence. The whole process was unexpected. Everyone else went to break through and attack the ambushers. Only A Mai and Chang Yuqing were left in the room.
A Mai told Chang Yuqing that the reason Shi Dachun could counter-attack the General's Residence so quickly was because there was a secret passage in the General's Residence that only Shi Dachun knew about. They didn't need to surround it from the outside at all; they could breach the interior in a very short time. Chang Yuqing asked A Mai to complete the wedding ceremony.
A Mai looked into his eyes and said that it was a setup from the beginning, and she had never liked him. Chang Yuqing tried to remain calm and told A Mai to celebrate the successful plot against Chen Qi. Chang Yuqing picked up the nearby wine and drank it down. As he left, he instructed A Mai to drink this cup of wine, and from then on, they were even.
Episode 22 Recap
Shang Yizhi could have captured Chen Qi, but he was careless and let him escape. When Shang Yizhi shot an arrow at Chen Qi, he accidentally killed Cui Yan, who was Chang Yuqing's younger brother. Shang Yizhi took A Mai and fled. That night, Chang Yuqing cremated his brother. Looking at his brother's young face, Chang Yuqing swore to repay the blood debt.
Just after finishing Cui Yan's funeral arrangements, Chen Qi's soldiers surrounded Chang Yuqing, accusing him of intending to rebel. The Empress Dowager of the Northern Desert was surprised to hear that the young Emperor wanted to lead the campaign personally. She was impressed that he had such ambitions before coming of age. The Empress Dowager asked him why he had this idea.
The young Emperor said that he heard his subordinates saying he was a puppet emperor, and he couldn't stand it, so he wanted to achieve something to prove himself to everyone. The Empress Dowager was extremely angry after hearing this and ordered her subordinates to thoroughly investigate who let the Emperor hear such gossip. Chen Qi imprisoned Chang Yuqing in the confinement room. However, the Chang family's influence in the Northern Desert should not be underestimated.
Soon, the imperial court summoned Chang Yuzong to go south to inspect the war situation. With Chang Yuzong arriving, Chen Qi had no choice but to release Chang Yuqing. Chang Yuzong conveyed the message that their father was very angry upon hearing that Chang Yuqing intended to marry a woman from the south and had declared that the Chang family would absolutely not agree to marry a woman from the south.
Chang Yuqing told his younger brother that he indeed wanted to marry her and would someday bring this woman into his home in a grand manner. When A Mai returned to the military camp this time, some gossip started to spread. Some soldiers secretly said that A Mai was just a woman, and some even began to defy A Mai.
Zhang Erdan and Zhang Shiqiang had a very good relationship with A Mai and even fought with other soldiers in the camp over this. A Mai pulled the two groups of soldiers apart and punished each of them with twenty military whips. With rumors spreading everywhere, A Mai had a plan in mind and decided to put on another act to make everyone believe she was a man.
The Empress Dowager of the Northern Desert came to negotiate peace, which greatly surprised the Emperor who had gone south. The Northern Desert had always been known for its cavalry, known for their bravery and invincibility in battle, yet now they were willing to seek peace. This must be due to Shang Yizhi's influence. The Emperor was naturally suspicious, and at this time, Shang Yizhi's presence had already threatened his authority.
In the military camp, some ill-intentioned people deliberately made fun of A Mai. During the day, everyone said they wanted to spar in martial arts, and some took the opportunity to pull down A Mai's pants. The rumors intensified, and A Mai was also very troubled. One day, she was staring blankly at the river, when Xu Xiuer came walking with a washbasin. She had also heard the rumors and suggested that A Mai marry her.
A Mai knew that Xu Xiuer was doing it for her own good but was also afraid of ruining Xu Xiuer's reputation. She took Xu Xiuer's hand and placed it on her own chest, and Xu Xiuer instantly understood that the rumors were true. After just two minutes of hesitation, Xu Xiuer embraced A Mai again, firm in her decision to marry A Mai. A Mai announced to the outside world the news that she was getting married.
Tang Shaoyi knew that A Mai was a woman and worried that this would affect Xu Xiuer's reputation. Xu Xiuer frankly said that the Northern Desert army frequently came to raid now, the people were suffering, and their lives were precarious. Marrying anyone could not guarantee future happiness. A Mai was exceptionally intelligent and handled leading troops with ease. Since she was serving in the army, she had to keep her secret.
Tang Shaoyi was finally relieved to see Xu Xiuer was so open-minded. Finally, A Mai and Xu Xiuer got married. On the wedding day, Shang Yizhi also came to be their witness, and the Military Advisor also came. The scene was very lively, and no one speculated about A Mai's identity as a woman anymore.
Episode 23 Recap
It was Zhao Zhong who initially leaked A Mai's identity as a woman, and who knows how it was continuously spread by people with ulterior motives. There was a soldier in the camp named Zhao Zhong, who, despite knowing A Mai was married, peeked outside the bridal chamber. Upon seeing with his own eyes that A Mai was a woman, he immediately ran out and happened to encounter He Chao. In his panic, he blurted out A Mai's true identity.
Zhao Zhong realized he had caused big trouble and immediately assassinated He Chao. He Chao was a soldier in the military camp who had often performed outstanding military feats. Now that he was killed suddenly, a proper reason naturally had to be found. Shang Yizhi firmly disagreed with punishing Zhao Zhong according to military law. After careful consideration, Military Advisor Xu Jing went alone to Zhao Zhong's tent and told him a parable.
Not long after the Military Advisor left, Zhao Zhong committed suicide. When Shang Yizhi heard that Zhao Zhong had been forced to his death by the Military Advisor, he was so angry that he immediately drew his sword and went to find the Military Advisor.
Xu Jing remained calm and collected, facing Shang Yizhi directly and asking him if he was being reckless and emotional like this, and if he was being worthy of Eldest Princess Shenghua and the many soldiers who fought bloody battles for him. Shang Yizhi fell silent; indeed, it was true. Zhao Zhong was his best companion, but he also knew the heavy responsibility on his shoulders.
Many people were living on the edge after all the struggles to get to this point, and killing another person would only weaken their forces. The Emperor heard that Shang Yizhi had led his troops to repel the Northern Desert army and had also gained control of the Qingyu army, and he was wary of the military power Shang Yizhi held.
He immediately issued an imperial decree declaring Shi Dachun's feigned surrender as treason and defection to the enemy, sentencing him to death. Shi Dachun's wife was filled with worry upon hearing this. Not only his wife, but Shang Yizhi and A Mai were also very shocked. They clearly knew that this imperial decree was aimed at Shang Yizhi. The execution of Shi Dachun was a pretense; it was clearly intended to coerce Shang Yizhi through this means.
If Shang Yizhi defied the decree and did not supervise Shi Dachun's execution, he would be directly charged with rebellion, and the entire Qingyu army would be considered rebels. If it weren't for Shi Dachun's profound righteousness at the time, Shang Yizhi would not have achieved what he has today. Even though they knew the Emperor's plot, Shang Yizhi and A Mai decided to violate the military order and protect Shi Dachun at all costs.
They began making weapons and discussing combat strategies. Seeing this, Xu Jing questioned Shang Yizhi if he was going to be emotional again. This time, Shang Yizhi was determined to save Shi Dachun, and no one's dissuasion could stop him. Shi Dachun carved a pair of small figures for himself and his wife and also comforted his wife that if she missed him in the future, she could look at the objects and think of him.
His wife deeply understood Shi Dachun's decision and just shed silent tears. The next day, Shang Yizhi led all his soldiers, fully assembled and ready to go. Shi Dachun called Shang Yizhi to a secluded place. He confessed that Shang Yizhi's father had once come to Yuzhou to entrust him with the care of his son.
After observing Shang Yizhi during this time, he found that he was indeed a capable general and felt completely at ease entrusting the Yuzhou army to him. Now, he wanted to help Shang Yizhi do something, and he urged Shang Yizhi to be a good emperor in the future. Afterward, Shi Dachun took poison and committed suicide. Shi Dachun's sacrifice was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Shang Yizhi.
He locked himself in his room for several days without eating or drinking. A Mai personally brought him food and drink and advised Shang Yizhi to rest and recuperate, and that he must avenge Shi Dachun. Finally, Shang Yizhi was willing to pick up his chopsticks and eat.
Episode 24 Recap
The Emperor sent out many spies to constantly monitor Shang Yizhi. At this time, the spies sent back news that in addition to their own people, Prince Kang's people were also watching Shang Yizhi. The Emperor was very pleased, thinking that Prince Kang was the most considerate son and was now helping his father alleviate worries.
He immediately feigned illness externally, temporarily letting the Crown Prince oversee the state, and ordered that as soon as Shang Yizhi returned to Shengdu, he should be immediately notified to come see him. Soon, Prince Kang took the initiative to find Shang Yizhi, confessing that the Emperor was sharpening his knives in the palace and that wooing Shang Yizhi could secure his allegiance and also protect him completely.
The military advisors had previously revealed this to Shang Yizhi, and indeed everything was within their predictions, but Shang Yizhi chose the Crown Prince. The last time the enemy troops were at the city gates, the Crown Prince put aside personal grudges and past grievances, allowing Shang Yizhi to send troops to Beimou. Seeing that he was a man of long-term vision and broad-mindedness, the military advisors also agreed with Shang Yizhi's choice.
For safety during this period, Shang Yizhi only brought a few personal guards and A Mai when he returned to Shengdu. Upon returning home, Eldest Princess Shenghua was very happy to see her son. The palace weather had been unpredictable these days, and it was truly fortunate that he could return alive.
When the Emperor heard that Shang Yizhi had returned to Shengdu with only a few attendants and that the Qingyu army was still outside, he could only temporarily wait and see how things developed. The Crown Prince held a welcoming reception for Shang Yizhi.
Prince Kang was also present, but he deliberately tried to sow discord between the Crown Prince and Shang Yizhi, saying that the Crown Prince incredibly put aside past grievances, when he had clearly gone to Yuzhou last time with an imperial decree to supervise an execution, and now was treating him with courtesy. The scene immediately became awkward. Fortunately, the Crown Prince's son Qi Yu happened to pass by while reciting a text. His clear recitation was very timely.
The content of the classic superficially discussed the way of ruler and minister, but in reality, it advised against brothers despising each other. Prince Kang was very embarrassed and left directly after sitting for a short while. Shang Yizhi and A Mai stated their original intentions at the Crown Prince's mansion. The Crown Prince had previously heard that Prince Kang was trying to win over Shang Yizhi.
Now, the strength of the Qingyu army could not be underestimated, and whoever could win Shang Yizhi over would have half the country secured. Hearing Shang Yizhi express his loyalty now was exactly what he wanted. Shang Yizhi hoped that the Crown Prince could strongly protect A Mai and ensure her safe return to Yuzhou so that she could assist him in the future. The Crown Prince thought for a moment and immediately had an idea.
He appointed A Mai as Qi Yu's tutor, which would also give him more chances of winning in the future. When the day came to meet the Emperor, the Emperor superficially praised them highly, but his words in the conversation were quite sharp. Shang Yizhi responded carefully. The Emperor said he wanted to give A Mai and Shang Yizhi a reward. After much deliberation, Shang Yizhi bravely proposed that he hoped Shi Dachun could be buried with a complete body.
A Mai, on the other hand, deliberately claimed that she wanted the Emperor to reward her with more silver so that if she had a chance to retire and return home in the future, she could live more comfortably. A Mai's request made the Emperor burst into laughter. He immediately ordered his subordinates to reward her with two thousand taels of silver and several mu of fertile land.
Taking advantage of this meeting with the Emperor, A Mai specifically mentioned wanting to check the roster of the Qingyu army. She was exceptionally excited after getting permission. Shang Yizhi didn't understand why A Mai wanted to see the army roster. A Mai told him that when her parents were killed, it was people from inside the palace who disguised themselves as Beimou troops, and now she wanted to find out the truth.
Shang Yizhi helped A Mai check the roster, but the people at the archives were always difficult in every way. A Mai and Shang Yizhi put in a lot of effort but did not succeed as they wished. They returned empty-handed and began speculating on the way back who was secretly obstructing them. After thinking about it, Prince Kang was the most suspected.
A Mai instructed Shang Yizhi to plant more of his own spies in Prince Kang's mansion so that they could take more precautions in the future. Prince Kang's mansion. When Prince Kang learned that Shang Yizhi had defected to the Crown Prince, he could no longer tolerate it. He decided to eliminate this thorn in his side, which would also win him some favor from the Emperor.
Episode 25 Recap
Prince Kang's strategists advised their master. Now the Crown Prince's son is very much loved by the Emperor, A Mai has become the young tutor of the imperial grandson, and the Qingyu army has been brought under the Crown Prince's command. This is very unfavorable to them. Therefore, they want to create something out of nothing to make the Emperor suspicious of the Crown Prince. As expected, the next day, the Emperor summoned the Crown Prince into the palace.
In front of Prince Kang, he rebuked the Crown Prince for harboring malicious intentions and ordered him not to leave before the matter was thoroughly investigated. Eldest Princess received the news and quickly sent the message of the Crown Prince's house arrest to Yuzhou City. Xu Jing saw the Eastern Palace's setback and realized that Shang Yizhi might be implicated next.
She immediately told Tang Shaoyi to prepare, saying they could march on the imperial city under the guise of suppressing bandits. Tang Shaoyi hesitated slightly, but Xu Jing solemnly told him that if they did not go to the imperial palace, Shang Yizhi would surely die. Prince Kang, having designed the scheme to trip up the Crown Prince, immediately went to Shang Yizhi at the Marquis Dingnan's residence, still hoping Shang Yizhi would defect to him.
Prince Kang stated very clearly that whatever benefits the Crown Prince promised Shang Yizhi, he would fulfill, and even if not now, he would compensate him in the future. Seeing Shang Yizhi hesitate slightly, he immediately asked if his recent attempts to check the military roster at the Ministry of War had been repeatedly unsuccessful. At this, Shang Yizhi finally understood who had been obstructing him in the past few days.
Prince Kang gave Shang Yizhi a jade pendant, telling him to find someone at the Ministry of War. This jade pendant could be considered an initial olive branch. With the jade pendant, Shang Yizhi successfully entered the archives. However, the first roster A Mai obtained was that of Prince Kang's army. Thus, the informant at the archives quickly reported this detail to the Crown Prince.
He had already heard about Prince Kang trying to win over Shang Yizhi at the Sheng manor. Originally, he thought Shang Yizhi must have been bribed by Prince Kang. Upon hearing that A Mai first checked Prince Kang's roster, he felt that Shang Yizhi's intentions were still with him, so he did not give up on Shang Yizhi.
The Crown Prince ordered the informant to keep a close eye on them to see what A Mai and the others were investigating. The strategist Xu Jing had already arrived at the Sheng manor. The two of them talked about A Mai. Eldest Princess greatly admired A Mai's spirit and courage and tacitly approved of this potential marriage. However, as Xu Jing further revealed A Mai's background, the Eldest Princess's face changed drastically.
Shang Yizhi had told her that A Mai was an orphan girl, but Xu Jing informed her that A Mai was actually the daughter of Duke Sheng, Han Maisui. The Eldest Princess murmured that it was truly karmic retribution. The Crown Prince went to find A Mai and Shang Yizhi. Hearing that they were looking for the Xuanwu Army, he immediately provided a clue.
There was once a Xuanwu Army soldier with a scar on his face who disappeared after going out on a mission. Strangely, the archives also did not have an entry for this person named Lao Qi. With this clue from the Crown Prince, A Mai was very excited. She was soon to find the enemy who killed her father! That night, A Mai, on a whim, drank freely with Shang Yizhi. Their laughter reached the Eldest Princess's chambers.
Late at night, the Eldest Princess called Shang Yizhi into the room and told him what had happened back then. The person who killed A Mai's parents was Duke Sheng, who was Shang Yizhi's father! With A Mai's intelligence and sharpness, she would surely uncover the truth quickly. Shang Yizhi asked the Eldest Princess to help him conceal it.
Early the next morning, Shang Yizhi forged a letter claiming that the person named Lao Qi was setting up a stall in the Southern Market. Excited, A Mai went there with Shang Yizhi. The people setting up stalls nearby claimed that Lao Qi had been bitten to death by a snake. Shang Yizhi thought that A Mai would give up at this point.
Unexpectedly, A Mai did not give up searching for clues and was even preparing to look for Lao Qi's children. Shang Yizhi was very nervous, but he could do nothing about it. Although the Emperor was suspicious, he dearly loved the imperial grandson. The Crown Prince had guided him well; although young, the imperial grandson possessed the Emperor's intelligence and imperial bearing from his youth.
The Emperor learned from the imperial grandson that it was the grandson who had pleaded with his father to let A Mai become his Grand Tutor, and that no matter how the Emperor might punish the Eastern Palace in the future, the imperial grandson would share the burden. The Emperor relaxed his vigilance and naturally lifted the house arrest on the Eastern Palace. He also ordered Prince Kang to immediately go to his fiefdom to assume office.
Episode 26 Recap
Eldest Princess Shenghua took Shang Yizhi to offer incense. At the temple, they happened to meet Prime Minister Lin. Prime Minister Lin was the Emperor's confidant and considered a key minister of the court. This time, he had deliberately brought his daughter Lin Zerou with him. Eldest Princess Shenghua understood a few things upon seeing this. She asked Shang Yizhi to accompany Lin Zerou for a stroll while she had a talk with Prime Minister Lin in the tea room.
Eldest Princess Shenghua hinted to Prime Minister Lin whether he still wanted to reheat the cold rice of the Crown Prince, suggesting instead he should see if her son Yizhi could catch his eye. Eldest Princess Shenghua's intention was very clear, but Prime Minister Lin demurred, saying his old eyes were dim and couldn't clearly see who the imperial successor was, but his daughter Lin Zerou was clever and sensible and saw more clearly than he did.
Prince Kang quickly made his move against the Eastern Palace, having his informant placed in the Eastern Palace trick the imperial grandson into leaving and hiding him in a quiet place. He then sent a message to the Crown Prince, stating that if the Crown Prince did not hand over the seal, the imperial grandson's life would be in danger. The Crown Prince knew the difficulty of this matter and that he could not alarm the Emperor now.
He could only rush to the Sheng manor overnight and entrust A Mai and Shang Yizhi to definitely rescue Qi Yu. Shang Yizhi and A Mai searched together for Qi Yu's whereabouts. The Crown Prince also went to Prince Kang's residence to see Prince Kang, trying to buy A Mai more time. Prince Kang took out the prepared letter and forced the Crown Prince to hand over the seal.
He specifically stated that he had already investigated and found that Qi Yu was not the Crown Prince's biological son. The Eastern Palace's current position was due to Qi Yu being born earlier than Prince Kang's child. Prince Kang presented several letters with clear details. Prince Kang used this as a threat, implying that since Qi Yu's identity was false, the Emperor would naturally not care.
The Crown Prince was extremely indignant and directly called Prince Kang by his personal name, stating that now that Qi Yu's identity was false, he would be even less likely to sign over these seals. He even said he was eager for Qi Min to quickly execute Qi Yu, so that when reported to the Emperor, it would add another crime to Qi Min's record.
Prince Kang was greatly alarmed; the Crown Prince's words were like pulling the rug out from under him, putting him in a difficult position. A Mai quickly found the whereabouts of the imperial grandson and immediately led heavy troops to rescue him. The Crown Prince was on pins and needles at Prince Kang's residence. Prince Kang kept pressuring the Crown Prince. Fortunately, at the critical moment, news arrived that A Mai had rescued Qi Yu.
The Crown Prince finally felt relieved. Qi Yu's identity was mysterious, and the Crown Prince had made full preparations before coming. Hearing that the child was finally saved, he quietly took poison. A father dying for his son was nothing unusual, and when it reached the Emperor's ears, he would no longer doubt Qi Yu's identity, but would only detest Prince Kang more.
As expected, when the Emperor heard that the Crown Prince had been poisoned to death at Prince Kang's residence, he suffered a stroke due to excessive anger and grief. Prime Minister Lin saw the Emperor collapse to the ground, unable to move, and immediately realized the court was about to change.
Undaunted in the face of danger, he instructed the eunuchs by his side to call for imperial physicians to take good care of the Emperor, and then he began to act. Prince Kang saw the situation and wanted to win over Prime Minister Lin, immediately proposing to take him as his teacher. Prince Kang's foolishness did not impress Prime Minister Lin. Prime Minister Lin had initially been the Crown Prince's Grand Tutor.
At this critical juncture, Prime Minister Lin quietly went to the Sheng manor. Eldest Princess Shenghua promised that his daughter Lin Zerou would become Empress and that he would determine the composition of the Ministry of Revenue. Prime Minister Lin thus betrayed the Crown Prince and began secretly assisting Shang Yizhi in plotting rebellion.
Episode 27 Recap
Eldest Princess Shenghua has already exchanged Shang Yizhi's birth characters with Prime Minister Lin. She told Shang Yizhi about her decision. Shang Yizhi was very surprised; just moments ago, he was personally drawing the wedding dress he was preparing for A Mai. Now his mother had changed her mind.
Eldest Princess Shenghua advised Shang Yizhi to consider carefully, stating that A Mai would sooner or later find out the truth about her father's killer from that year, and their relationship would not last. Shang Yizhi stubbornly believed he could keep the secret from A Mai forever. For this, Eldest Princess Shenghua devised a plan; she deliberately let A Mai know the truth.
A Mai found Fang Daniu in the alley and learned from him that it was Marquis Dingnan Shang Wei who, with a few Xuanwu soldiers, had killed his entire family back then, and that Fang Daniu had never gone out to set up a stall. A Mai understood that Shang Yizhi had known all along. Returning to the Sheng manor, A Mai saw Shang Yizhi excitedly showing her the completed large red wedding dress.
Shang Yizhi sincerely proposed to A Mai. A Mai's heart was already like dead ashes; the person standing before her, whom she once deeply loved, was actually the son of her father's killer. This irreconcilable hatred had long since drowned out love. A Mai asked Shang Yizhi why he had deceived her. Shang Yizhi remained silent. From the moment they met and came to know each other until now, Shang Yizhi truly wanted to keep this secret forever.
The Crown Prince had desperately tried to protect Qi Yu, even resorting to poisoning himself to death, but the rumors could not be stopped. Seeing the rumors intensify, the Crown Prince's Consort was also helpless and could only hang herself in the Eastern Palace. The Eastern Palace was suddenly completely gone. Prime Minister Lin was very shocked to hear this.
Qi Yu had already been taken into the palace by the Emperor on the day the Crown Prince had his accident. Now, the news of the Crown Prince's Consort's death was also being concealed. Regarding the funeral arrangements for the Crown Prince's Consort, the Emperor instructed Eldest Princess Shenghua to handle them. The Emperor needed rest due to his stroke and absolutely could not afford to get angry again. However, someone insisted on meeting the Emperor.
Zeng Tai was just an official in the palace responsible for giving remonstrances. It was initially thought not to be a major issue, but this person impeached Prince Kang before the Emperor, saying that Prince Kang had malicious intentions and that the Crown Prince had also had his accident at Prince Kang's residence, urging the Emperor to investigate the truth and deliver justice to the people.
The Emperor was displeased upon hearing this and was just ordering Zeng Tai to be escorted away when, unexpectedly, Zeng Tai directly committed suicide by hitting his head against a wall. Prince Kang was extremely enraged upon returning to his residence. Originally, the Emperor had concealed the reason for the Crown Prince's death from the outside world and had not punished Prince Kang.
Now, the official had impeached him in every possible way, causing the Emperor to vomit blood in anger at the time. Prince Kang felt that there must be someone behind Zeng Tai and immediately ordered his subordinates to conduct a thorough investigation. Prime Minister Lin stood silently aside, watching everything. Eldest Princess Shenghua called Shang Yizhi into the room and handed him the Sheng manor's military tally.
She asked Shang Yizhi if he wanted to reclaim the military power that originally belonged to him. Shang Yizhi was very surprised. He was pure and kind-natured and had disliked fighting since he was a child. Now his mother had first taken it upon herself to settle on Prime Minister Lin's daughter and then incited him to rebel. Shang Yizhi did not give his mother a clear opinion; at this moment, he only wanted to protect A Mai.
Shang Yizhi found A Mai and told her that the instigator who killed A Mai's parents back then was the current Emperor. Not only A Mai's entire family, but the Emperor had also always been wary of the Sheng manor and used Eldest Princess Shenghua to get rid of Marquis Shang Wei. Furthermore, Shang Wei was not Shang Yizhi's biological father, and Shang Yizhi's birth father was the former Crown Prince Qi Xian.
Therefore, the Emperor was also Shang Yizhi's father's killer. Similar fates once again bound A Mai and Shang Yizhi together, and the two embraced, shedding tears. Eldest Princess Shenghua had already sent generous congratulatory gifts to Prime Minister Lin's residence, and both families were preparing for the wedding. A Mai was completely unaware of all this.
Episode 28 Recap
Eldest Princess Shenghua heard that Shang Yizhi had been seeing A Mai recently, so she sent her servants to summon A Mai to see her. Eldest Princess Shenghua personally brewed tea for A Mai. The two seemingly chatted casually. Eldest Princess Shenghua praised A Mai for surviving life-and-death situations with Shang Yizhi several times and wanted to reward her. A Mai's eyes were firm; she said she only wanted to avenge her father's death.
Eldest Princess Shenghua tried to persuade her to let go. A Mai understood Eldest Princess Shenghua's meaning. She clearly replied that she would find the real mastermind to take revenge. A Mai began planning the rebellion. The strategist had already prepared for the rebellion on the way with the Qingyu army, so all that was left was the final step of receiving the order to determine the time. Before, Shang Yizhi was hesitant and not fully confident.
Now with A Mai, he began to cheer up and carefully consider the attack routes and timing. After the Emperor's stroke, he began to reflect on the heavy sins he had committed. That day, Zeng Tai impeached Prince Kang. It was clear someone was instigating from behind the scenes. With no ministers around, he asked the eunuch if Zeng Tai's family had been found. The eunuch immediately knelt down and reported that they had all been killed.
The Emperor nodded and then ordered Eldest Princess Shenghua to see him. The Emperor deliberately feigned deep affection and reminisced about childhood scenes with Eldest Princess Shenghua. After a self-inflicted injury scheme, he pleaded with Eldest Princess Shenghua to help him complete one last thing. The Emperor deliberately pretended to be old and frail, saying he wanted to abdicate and let Shang Yizhi inherit the throne.
After Eldest Princess Shenghua returned, she immediately conspired with Shang Yizhi, wanting him to prepare for the rebellion as soon as possible. Regardless of the Emperor's trick, it was better to strike first. Shang Yizhi couldn't bear to leave A Mai. He didn't want to marry Prime Minister Lin's daughter and had no intention of rebelling. He even wanted to take A Mai back to Yuzhou so they could be together for a long time.
Eldest Princess Shenghua was dissatisfied with Shang Yizhi's focus on romance, thinking about how many people she had sacrificed along the way to raise him into adulthood, and now her son didn't even want the throne. Eldest Princess Shenghua quickly sent a message to arrange a meeting with Prime Minister Lin. When Prime Minister Lin heard that Eldest Princess Shenghua wanted to move the wedding date forward, he roughly understood.
Eldest Princess Shenghua specifically mentioned the matter between A Mai and Shang Yizhi. Prime Minister Lin agreed to move up his daughter's wedding date, while also urgently preparing to pave the way for Shang Yizhi. The Emperor asked Prime Minister Lin to draft an imperial decree. The content of the decree was to establish Shang Yizhi as the heir.
Prime Minister Lin knew the Emperor's thoughts were unpredictable, so he copied two copies of the decree, both stamped with the Emperor's great seal. Soon after, the Emperor asked Prime Minister Lin to return the imperial decree for establishing the heir. After reviewing the drafted decree, he specifically asked Prime Minister Lin if he knew the reason why he wanted the decree back. Prime Minister Lin naturally replied that he dared not speculate on the imperial will.
The Emperor deliberately said that if Qi Yu were to inherit the throne, being young and simple, he naturally couldn't compete with those with ill intentions. Prime Minister Lin pretended to suddenly understand, immediately knelt down, and kowtowed in gratitude for the Emperor's painstaking efforts. A Mai and Shang Yizhi had discussed that she would go to the palace first to assassinate the Emperor.
Shang Yizhi, to ensure the absolute safety of his beloved, specifically obtained a set of Dragon Chant Guard clothes and asked A Mai to change into the imperial guard's clothes that night. This way, the Emperor would mistake the Dragon Chant Guards, and the Qingyu army would come to rescue him, which would give A Mai more chances of success. After strategizing with Shang Yizhi, A Mai went to find Tang Shaoyi. The two were sworn brothers.
After A Mai fully revealed her plan, Tang Shaoyi understood that A Mai was seeking revenge for her father's death. He immediately stated his position, promising to do everything in his power to safely escort A Mai out of the palace.
Episode 29 Recap
When the Emperor woke up, he found that the person sitting on the couch was actually Prince Kang. Frightened, he immediately sat up from the bed. Prince Kang had already bribed the eunuch, so the automatic door temporarily couldn't be opened. The Emperor couldn't move and could only ask Prince Kang what his intentions were. As expected, Prince Kang stated that Qi Yu's identity was suspicious.
Since he was not of the imperial bloodline, it would be better to pass the throne to him. The Emperor was shocked by Qi Yu's identity, but he also knew Prince Kang's ambitious nature. Suddenly, the door opened, and the eunuch entered with the Dragon Chant Guards. The Emperor deliberately told Prince Kang that he had already passed the throne to Shang Yizhi. After returning, Prince Kang was furious. He thought the Eldest Princess Shenghua was secretly obstructing him.
Coupled with the instigation of Shen Tingyuan, the Northern Desert hostage, he decided to immediately abduct the Eldest Princess Shenghua. Seeing this, Prince Pang, Prince Kang's strategist, exclaimed that it was impossible. Marquis Dingnan's residence was founded by generals, and Shang Yizhi now held significant power; it would be impossible to capture him easily. However, Prince Kang had been driven mad by the desire for the throne and couldn't wait to quickly capture and eliminate Shang Yizhi.
The strategist repeatedly tried to dissuade him, but Prince Kang directly had him thrown into the dungeon. The Eldest Princess Shenghua was taken to Prince Kang's residence. Shang Yizhi received the news of his mother's disappearance and searched throughout the entire palace. Shen Tingyuan, as the Northern Desert hostage, had stayed in the capital for so many years and was eager to return home.
The Emperor had previously sent a secret decree to him, instructing that as long as he killed Strategist Pang next to Prince Kang, he would be given a travel pass to return to his homeland. Just as Strategist Pang was thrown into the dungeon, Shen Tingyuan brought poisoned wine when visiting him and thus eliminated the strategist. The Eldest Princess Shenghua was confined in a secret room for the entire night.
The maidservant beside her quietly opened a crack in the window and discovered that many guards were stationed outside, but she couldn't tell which residence they belonged to. Soon after, Prince Kang appeared before the Eldest Princess Shenghua. He wore a look of certain victory, claiming that he deliberately let Shang Yizhi's people discover his whereabouts. Soon, Shang Yizhi would venture into danger to rescue her, and then they would be captured in one swoop.
The Eldest Princess Shenghua feared that Shang Yizhi would fall into his trap. She deliberately provoked Prince Kang, stating that if she died, Prince Kang would have no chance of winning. Prince Kang invited Shang Yizhi to make an exchange. The Eldest Princess Shenghua had painstakingly raised Shang Yizhi. He naturally couldn't stand by and do nothing.
Thinking about how his identity had brought so many crises to the Eldest Princess Shenghua, it was only right that he protect his adoptive mother now. The Eldest Princess Shenghua was very comforted by Shang Yizhi's arrival. Prince Kang made Shang Yizhi choose between two options. The Eldest Princess Shenghua deliberately provoked Prince Kang, resulting in her being stabbed to death with a sword. Shang Yizhi was stimulated and immediately drew his sword and killed Prince Kang.
A Mai brought the Qingyu army to quickly rescue him. Shang Yizhi held his dying mother, his heart aching. As the Eldest Princess Shenghua was dying, she instructed Shang Yizhi that only by ascending the throne could he protect the people he wanted to protect. These words greatly shocked Shang Yizhi, and he immediately ordered troops to march into the palace. In fact, before the Eldest Princess Shenghua was abducted by Prince Kang, she had already anticipated such a result.
She had previously instructed her son to reclaim the throne. Seeing Shang Yizhi hesitate, she had no choice but to use Prince Kang as a whetstone, at the cost of her own life. The strategist felt it was too cruel to Shang Yizhi, but the Eldest Princess Shenghua smiled, saying only a benevolent and wise person like Shang Yizhi deserved to possess such a vast territory.
Episode 30 Recap
The Emperor continuously burned paper money in the palace. He observed quietly, thinking everything was within his control. To pave a smooth path for Qi Yu, he ruthlessly eliminated his own sister and even his own son. As a mortal, how could he not feel heartache? But one wrong step led to many. In the final moments of his life, he only wanted to protect the child he uniquely cherished.
At least Qi Yu was innocent and had once brought him great joy. Shang Yizhi received an imperial decree, ordering him to lead the Qingyu army to the palace to rescue the Emperor. Shang Yizhi was very puzzled, not knowing what the Emperor was up to. He could only accept the decree and observe the situation quietly. The Emperor ordered Shang Yizhi to come see him. He felt very guilty about the death of the Eldest Princess.
To give Qi Yu a way out, he had to indulge Prince Kang, and he felt remorse towards Shang Yizhi, even saying he would pass the throne to him. Afterwards, the Emperor also summoned A Mai for an audience, frankly admitting that he knew Shang Yizhi's identity and had always been cautious, but seeing that A Mai was sincerely teaching Qi Yu, he felt relieved.
He hoped that A Mai could protect Qi Yu well, even though he knew Qi Yu was not of imperial bloodline. A Mai asked the Emperor why he had annihilated her entire family back then. The Emperor shook his head, saying he wasn't entirely clear on the reason either, but A Mai's family held too much military power, which was a threat to keep, so he issued the order. Then the Emperor drank poisoned wine himself.
In his dying moments, he boasted that only he could kill himself. Shang Yizhi inherited the throne. General Shi, who had previously served the former Emperor and secretly committed many misdeeds, after performing one last duty by killing the eunuch, knew he could not escape his fate. Mu Bai came with an imperial decree to ask General Shi for his decision.
General Shi was unwilling to follow the new Emperor, so Shang Yizhi permitted him to retire and return to his hometown. General Shi initially thought Mu Bai would assassinate him from behind, but to his surprise, Mu Bai made no move all the way to the palace gate.
Out of kindness, General Shi advised Mu Bai that the new Emperor was young and still benevolent, hoping he could uphold his original intentions years later, and also said it was a great fortune that he himself could leave unscathed. Mu Bai replied that he was different from him. The new Emperor had ascended the throne. Soon it would be the day the Eldest Princess had agreed upon for establishing the Empress.
Prime Minister Lin pondered before and after, instructing Lin Zerou to be very careful of A Mai, but assured her that as long as he was in court, Lin Zerou's position as Empress would naturally be secure. Lin Zerou had previously thought A Mai was just a general. Hearing her father speak about A Mai and Shang Yizhi's relationship, she specifically went to the military camp to observe A Mai.
She saw A Mai personally handle everything, doing the same things as her subordinates, and riding horses and fighting were completely effortless for her. Prime Minister Lin called out to A Mai, and the two of them could be considered to have met. Shang Yizhi was considering breaking off the engagement. The strategist strongly advised against it, stating that Prime Minister Lin's influence in court was at its peak, and abruptly breaking off the engagement would surely create complications.
But Shang Yizhi refused to marry Lin Zerou. He had ridden south with the cavalry precisely to protect his beloved, and now that he had ascended the throne, he absolutely could not abandon A Mai. The strategist knew Shang Yizhi was right, but still advised him not to be impulsive. Now the Northern Desert was still stirring restlessly at the border. Shang Yizhi wanted to personally lead the expedition.
A Mai strongly advised against it, saying she was willing to do the fighting, only wishing that Shang Yizhi could be safe and sound. Shang Yizhi immediately issued an imperial decree appointing A Mai as the Marshal of the Zhenbei Army, which was equivalent to handing over all military power to A Mai. Prime Minister Lin would not let Shang Yizhi have his way.
He fabricated numerous charges, claiming that A Mai was colluding with the Northern Desert and harboring malicious intentions. She was immediately imprisoned. Shang Yizhi was not yet aware of this, but the Minister of War, Du Changying, preemptively announced the decree. When Shang Yizhi heard his subordinate report that A Mai had been imprisoned for colluding with the Northern Desert in treason, he immediately knew there was foul play. Soon after, Prime Minister Lin arrived belatedly, claiming that A Mai had already signed and fingerprinted the confession regarding her collusion with the Northern Desert.
Episode 31 Recap
Shang Yizhi saw A Mai's personal signature and seal, and immediately understood the general situation. How could A Mai possibly collude with the Northern Desert generals? He looked at the strategist, and the strategist nodded slightly at him and explained: As long as the Emperor gets married, he can grant a general amnesty to the world. Prime Minister Lin knelt and begged that the day of ascension to the throne would also be the day of the wedding.
Since the overall situation was decided, in order for A Mai to survive, Shang Yizhi had to agree to make the daughter of Prime Minister Lin the Empress. In the prison, A Mai was locked in the cell next to Chang Yuqing. Chang Yuqing often talked to A Mai, asking if someone had been constantly pressing them about whether they had colluded with the enemy, and if Shang Yizhi was behind it.
A Mai understood very well that Shang Yizhi absolutely would not do anything to harm her. The next day was the Emperor's wedding day. Lin Zerou married under imperial decree. The strategist Xu Jing specifically brought Chang Yuqing out of the prison and reminded him that the Northern Desert army was nearby. As long as he agreed not to attack the city, they would release him. After confirming that A Mai's life was not in danger, Chang Yuqing happily agreed.
In the evening, Prime Minister Lin brought some food and wine to entertain A Mai. She originally thought it was the last meal before execution. When A Mai heard Prime Minister Lin call it Shang Yizhi's wedding day, her eyes instantly turned red. Drinking the last meal before execution didn't make her this sad, but Prime Minister Lin's words were truly heart-wrenching.
A Mai walked out of the dungeon heartbroken onto the market street, bought a pot of wine, and drowned her sorrows in drink. Chang Yuqing was not far away, watching A Mai cry sorrowfully. Late at night in the dew, A Mai got drunk and lay down directly on the spot. Scenes from the past clearly floated before her eyes, regretting only that Shang Yizhi had ultimately failed her.
At dawn, A Mai went to see the Emperor, only hoping that he could give her one thing. Shang Yizhi immediately granted permission. A Mai proposed returning to the Sheng manor. Shang Yizhi was very surprised, as that place was once a painful place for A Mai, but seeing A Mai's determined eyes, he no longer pressed her.
Shang Yizhi wanted to explain what had happened recently, but A Mai directly bowed and withdrew, not giving Shang Yizhi a chance to explain at all. Back at the Sheng manor, this was the place where she grew up. Her parents were by her side before, but on that rainy night, her entire family was wiped out except for her, the only survivor. Although the former Emperor had passed away, A Mai still felt very empty.
At this moment, she thought of Chen Qi, and there was still a father's killer to be eliminated. A Mai wanted to return to the Northern Desert to kill Chen Qi. She galloped back to the military camp. Her former brothers gathered around her, asking about her well-being. Everyone still maintained their former enthusiasm, even though they had heard some rumors about A Mai colluding with the enemy.
A Mai reassured everyone that she needed to handle some matters and would return in a few days to go to the front line together. After drinking heartily with the soldiers, A Mai rode her horse to see Chang Yuqing. She was going to the Northern Desert to kill Chen Qi, but Shang Yizhi quickly brought troops on horseback to pursue her.
Shang Yizhi knew the reason why A Mai always wanted to return to the Northern Desert, but he did not agree to A Mai leaving here. The large army had surrounded Chang Yuqing and A Mai. The Emperor insisted that A Mai return with him, otherwise he would kill Chang Yuqing. A Mai had no choice but to agree. The next day at the morning court, Shang Yizhi immediately revealed A Mai's true identity as the daughter of Han Huaicheng.
All the officials in the Ministry of Revenue were promoted by Prime Minister Lin, so naturally, they listened to Prime Minister Lin in everything. Hearing Prime Minister Lin question a woman joining the army, they all began to express their opinions, stating that a woman joining the army did not comply with national laws and demanded military punishment. Besides Prime Minister Lin, there was also the strategist Xu Jing in the court. Xu Jing naturally knew the proper measure.
He argued strongly for reason, and finally, the crowd no longer rejected the Emperor's decision to return the Sheng manor to A Mai. Deep into the night, Prime Minister Lin pondered in his manor over every step of the chess game he had meticulously planned. First, he used Chen Qi to eliminate loyal officials in the court, and then had Chen Qi infiltrate the Northern Desert army as a spy to help him gather enemy intelligence.
The reason why Chen Qi killed his adoptive father was because Prime Minister Lin told him that it was Han Huaicheng who had colluded with the Northern Desert army and killed Chen Qi's parents. Such vicious schemes all originated from the hands of the old man, Prime Minister Lin.
Episode 32 Recap
Since the Crown Prince passed away, Qi Yu has been living in the East Palace. This is a potential bomb for the strategist Xu Jing, who needs to be extremely careful when seeking an audience with the Emperor, as long as Qi Yu is around, there will be endless hidden dangers. Shang Yizhi naturally understood this logic. Although he didn't explicitly agree, Xu Jing was already secretly taking action.
Previously, the loyal general Marquis Zhongyong, who was close to the Crown Prince, knew that Shang Yizhi had taken Qi Yu's position, and every day he sought an audience outside the East Palace, hoping Qi Yu would revolt according to his wishes. Qi Yu saw Marquis Zhongyong regularly outside the palace gates, and had his subordinate give him a bowl of fish soup from his side, advising the minister not to harbor rebellious intentions anymore.
After drinking that bowl of fish soup, Marquis Zhongyong immediately fell to the ground and died. The people in the East Palace were greatly surprised. If it hadn't been Marquis Zhongyong, the one drinking the soup would have been the Crown Prince! Prime Minister Lin heard about this and quickly thought of a plan. Now, Qi Yu is his last prized treasure.
Worried that someone might harm Qi Yu and ruin his important plan, he immediately sent his wife into the palace, using the excuse of visiting their daughter to abduct Qi Yu. Shang Yizhi had just heard that the East Palace was poisoned. He confirmed it was done by the strategist Xu Jing and did not reprimand him much. However, shortly after, Qi Yu disappeared, which startled Shang Yizhi's heart.
This matter was definitely not done by Xu Jing, it must have been Prime Minister Lin. Both cunning old men had their own tricks. A Mai heard that Qi Yu had disappeared and immediately led troops to search for him. Qi Yu was first settled outside the palace to avoid attention, and then quietly moved to his old residence. A Mai realized it was done by Prime Minister Lin.
After thinking it over, she ordered her subordinates to search for Qi Yu with great fanfare. The grander the search, the safer Qi Yu would be. Fortunately, although Qi Yu was in a dangerous situation, he remained calm and composed. He even told the palace attendants around him not to be nervous, assuring them that A Mai would find him soon. Lin Zerou had a premonition that her father was about to make a big move.
She immediately sent her maid back to her maternal home to investigate the reason. After confirming that Qi Yu was held in her own house, she returned that night to see Qi Yu and asked if he was willing to go back to the palace with her. Qi Yu shook his head. He claimed that Master A Mai would find him soon and worried that following the Empress would bring trouble to the Empress.
Qi Yu's kindness moved Lin Zerou's heart to compassion. She privately sought out Prime Minister Lin and asked about his ultimate goal. Hearing that her father wanted to use Qi Yu to "hold the Son of Heaven hostage to command the feudal lords," she immediately knelt before her father, hoping he could delay as much as possible.
Now Lin Zerou was the rightful Empress, still in the newlywed phase, and naturally wanted to stay by Shang Yizhi's side for a long time. Prime Minister Lin listened to his daughter's plea. Finally, A Mai found Qi Yu and successfully rescued him. Just as she was about to leave the Lin residence, she suddenly saw Shang Yizhi's subordinates arriving with troops. A Mai reminded the other party that keeping Qi Yu by her side was the safest option.
Episode 33 Recap
Since Qi Jing passed away, he had been living in the East Palace. This was a ticking time bomb for strategist Xu Jing. When seeking an audience with the Emperor, she had to be extremely careful everywhere. As long as Qi Jing was around, there would be endless hidden dangers. Shang Yizhi naturally understood this logic. Although he didn't explicitly agree, Xu Jing was already secretly taking action.
Previously, Marquis Zhongyong, a trusted general close to the Crown Prince, knew that Shang Yizhi had taken Qi Jing's position. He sought an audience outside the East Palace every day, hoping Qi Jing would revolt according to his wishes. Qi Jing saw Marquis Zhongyong regularly outside the palace gates and had a subordinate give him a bowl of fish soup from his side, advising the minister not to harbor rebellious intentions anymore.
After drinking that bowl of fish soup, Marquis Zhongyong immediately fell to the ground and died. The people in the East Palace were greatly surprised. If it hadn't been Marquis Zhongyong, the one drinking the soup would have been the Crown Prince! Prime Minister Lin heard about this and quickly thought of a plan. Now Qi Jing was his last prized treasure.
Worried that someone might harm Qi Jing and ruin his important plan, he immediately sent his wife into the palace, using the excuse of visiting their daughter to abduct Qi Jing. Shang Yizhi had just heard that the East Palace was poisoned. He confirmed it was done by the strategist Xu Jing and did not reprimand her much. However, shortly after, Qi Jing disappeared, which startled Shang Yizhi's heart.
This matter was definitely not done by Xu Jing; it must have been Prime Minister Lin. Both cunning old men had their own tricks. A Mai heard that Qi Jing had disappeared and immediately led troops to search for him. Qi Jing was first settled outside the palace to avoid attention, and then quietly moved to his old residence. A Mai realized it was done by Prime Minister Lin.
After thinking it over, she ordered her subordinates to search for Qi Jing with great fanfare. The grander the search, the safer Qi Jing would be. Fortunately, although Qi Jing was in a dangerous situation, he remained calm and composed. He even encouraged the palace attendants around him not to be nervous, assuring them that A Mai would find him soon. Lin Zerou had a premonition that her father was about to make a big move.
She immediately sent her maid back to her maternal home to investigate the reason. After confirming that Qi Jing was held in her own house, she returned that night to see Qi Jing and asked if he was willing to go back to the palace with her. Qi Jing shook his head. He claimed that Master A Mai would find him soon and worried that following the Empress would bring trouble to the Empress.
Qi Jing's kindness moved Lin Zerou's heart to compassion. She privately sought out Prime Minister Lin and asked about his ultimate goal. Hearing that her father wanted to use Qi Jing to "hold the Son of Heaven hostage to command the feudal lords," she immediately knelt before her father, hoping he could delay as much as possible.
Now Lin Zerou was the rightful Empress, still in the newlywed phase, and naturally wanted to stay by Shang Yizhi's side for a long time. Prime Minister Lin listened to his daughter's plea. Finally, A Mai found Qi Jing and successfully rescued him. Just as she was about to leave the Lin residence, she suddenly saw Shang Yizhi's subordinates arriving with troops. A Mai reminded the other party that keeping Qi Jing by her side was the safest option.
Episode 34 Recap
Shang Yizhi was originally a happy young master in the Sheng manor. After being seen as a thorn in the Emperor's side, his father and mother both died because of him. It wasn't easy for him to meet A Mai, and after several escapes from death, he reached his current position. Unfortunately, he was naturally being plotted against, making every step difficult.
Prime Minister Lin initially married his daughter Lin Zerou to Shang Yizhi not because he valued Shang Yizhi's lineage, but because he thought he was mediocre and easy to manipulate. What he didn't expect was that after overcoming various challenges, Shang Yizhi was no longer the impulsive, inexperienced young master he once was. Prime Minister Lin had always been delusional about one day seizing power and ruling the world.
To test Shang Yizhi's bottom line, Prime Minister Lin secretly colluded with several loyal ministers from the previous regime. At the morning court, many ministers claimed to be sick and did not attend, making it impossible to handle many court affairs. Looking at the mere quarter of officials who attended, Shang Yizhi felt unprecedented pressure. Lin Zerou knew her father's plan. The new emperor had just ascended the throne, and the city had only enjoyed a few days of peace.
Moreover, the emperor came from leading the Zhenbei Army. Lin Zerou felt it was more likely bad than good, so she had the imperial physician prepare her a dose of abortifacient. Shang Yizhi personally sent several imperial physicians to diagnose the sick ministers separately. After confirming they were feigning illness, Shang Yizhi, at the morning court the next day, had the imperial physicians report the conditions of those who didn't attend the court.
He then announced that if they did not attend the court within the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, they would immediately be dismissed from their positions. As the incense stick burned out, the palace attendant immediately announced the imperial decree, and the several people who were feigning illness were all executed.
Prime Minister Lin finally realized that Shang Yizhi was difficult to control and began to persuade Mu Bai to defect and help him seize power. In reality, Mu Bai's true identity was Prime Minister Lin's son. In order to realize his ambition one day, Prime Minister Lin had arranged this entire plan long ago. Even though Mu Bai was unwilling to rebel, he was facing his own father, after all, and was caught in indecision.
Shang Yizhi's informants had long been planted in Prime Minister Lin's mansion. Knowing that Mu Bai had been summoned by Prime Minister Lin, Shang Yizhi had a rough guess. He specifically found an opportunity to have a heart-to-heart talk with Mu Bai, and Mu Bai completely revealed Prime Minister Lin's scheme.
Shang Yizhi had Mu Bai go back and persuade Prime Minister Lin, but Prime Minister Lin remained unrepentant, still secretly taking action, rallying several former subordinates from the East Palace. The situation was about to change dramatically. Lin Zerou secretly took a dose of labor-inducing medicine. Just as Prime Minister Lin was preparing for the rebellion, she once again advised her father to turn back.
Prime Minister Lin was stubborn and even ordered General Li Yu, who was close to Shang Yizhi, to join the rebellion. The palace gates were locked, and Shang Yizhi was surrounded by the rebels. Lin Zerou, at this very moment, suffered from severe abdominal pain. Just in the nick of time, A Mai finally arrived with troops to rescue him. Every time at a critical moment, A Mai stepped forward. Shang Yizhi was overjoyed and couldn't stop sighing with emotion.
It turned out that A Mai had discovered a few days earlier that Li Yu had been persuaded by Prime Minister Lin to defect, and thus she had rushed day and night with troops to rescue him. Prime Minister Lin was imprisoned. Even though he had committed serious crimes, he still refused to give up and was still playing little tricks, asking A Mai to see him in prison.
Episode 35 Recap
In prison, Prime Minister Lin continued to sow discord. This time, he told A Mai that Shang Yizhi had secretly plotted with Chen Qi. Chen Qi was the murderer of A Mai's father, and Prime Minister Lin naturally knew that their hatred was irreconcilable. By deliberately tying Shang Yizhi and A Mai together this time, he aimed to create an insurmountable rift between A Mai and Shang Yizhi forever. A Mai went horseback riding outdoors with Tang Shaoyi.
She told him what Prime Minister Lin had told her. Tang Shaoyi warned her that Prime Minister Lin was an old fox and his words should not be fully trusted. The best approach now was to wait and see how things developed. A Mai nodded in agreement. At this time, Shang Yizhi had sent someone to call A Mai back to the palace. Now, A Mai truly held significant power.
Before, she was constrained by Prime Minister Lin everywhere, but now that Shang Yizhi had removed his opponent, she finally tasted the flavor of power. When Shang Yizhi saw A Mai, he joyfully presented her with a golden phoenix coronet. A Mai understood the Emperor's intention and did not accept the gift.
However, Shang Yizhi misunderstood, wondering if A Mai liked Tang Shaoyi or his current harem beauties, and even said that if it was truly about them, he could have them all killed. Before, Shang Yizhi had been in constant self-reproach and fear for days over the death of a single guard, but now he casually spoke of execution. A Mai felt a chill down her spine. She directly told Shang Yizhi that he had changed.
Fearing A Mai would return to Beimou, Shang Yizhi placed her under house arrest in the palace. Soon after, the Beimou army invaded again. The Zhenbei Army only recognized A Mai. Shang Yizhi, left with no choice, released A Mai from the palace again and had her lead troops to the front lines for battle. Seeing herself in military attire once more, A Mai felt this might be her ultimate destiny.
It seemed her relationship with Shang Yizhi had ended here. Fighting on the battlefield could at least protect the city's people from harm. Chang Yuqing suddenly received a secret letter. Seeing that it contained the transit pass he had once given to A Mai, Chang Yuqing thought it must be a letter from A Mai to him. That night, he arrived at the meeting place on time, but he didn't expect that the agreed location was rigged with explosives.
Fortunately, he was agile and ran fast. Chang Yuqing couldn't understand the reason. Based on his understanding of A Mai, she would not rashly try to eliminate him in such an underhanded way, so he quietly hid in the dark to see what would happen. Originally, A Mai and Tang Shaoyi were fighting against Chen Qi together. Chen Qi pretend-sincerely told A Mai to be sensible and surrender. Suddenly, an explosion was heard from within the city behind them.
A Mai thought another unit of Chen Qi's army was harming the people in the city, so she handed the command here to Tang Shaoyi and took some troops back to protect the city gate. As A Mai went further and further, she discovered more suspicious things. In fact, the explosion was at the location where Chang Yuqing was framed.
A Mai came to the dilapidated granary and found that it had been carefully arranged, with dry flour scattered everywhere, which could ignite in the air with just a slight spark. Chang Yuqing walked out from the dark and asked A Mai if she had given the transit pass to someone else, as he himself had nearly lost his life because of that ring.
A Mai suddenly realized what was happening and immediately turned her horse around to save Tang Shaoyi. They had fallen into a trap! Shang Yizhi and Chen Qi had indeed colluded with each other, deliberately using the tactic of "luring the tiger out of its mountain lair" to make Tang Shaoyi's army wait endlessly for reinforcements before being completely wiped out.
Seeing her closest person framed, A Mai returned to find Tang Shaoyi lying motionless in a pool of blood, her heart wrenched with pain. She personally escorted Tang Shaoyi's coffin back to the camp. --- On one hand, Shang Yizhi appointed A Mai to the important position of Commander of the Zhenbei Army, but on the other hand, he worried that A Mai would grow too powerful one day and become a threat to him. Hearing that A Mai was leading troops all the way towards Shengdu, and even bringing Qiyu with her, Shang Yizhi still remained sleepless throughout the night, fearing that A Mai's cavalry would rebel.
Episode 36 Recap
--- Before, Xu Jing had reminded Shang Yizhi that to prevent her from becoming too powerful, it would be better to eliminate A Mai and find someone else to take over the Zhenbei Army. After much deliberation, Shang Yizhi did not heed Xu Jing's advice. The next day, upon hearing that A Mai was leading the Zhenbei Army all the way towards Shengdu, Shang Yizhi felt some tension in his heart.
A Mai entered the palace alone to meet the Emperor. Mu Bai wanted to persuade her otherwise and stop her, but A Mai's eyes were firm. She directly warned Mu Bai, "If you don't let me through today, tomorrow the city of Shengdu will be awash in blood. " Mu Bai knew A Mai would do as she said and had no choice but to let her pass. A Mai came before Shang Yizhi.
Shang Yizhi dismissed Xu Jing and the surrounding guards, choosing to speak with A Mai alone. Shang Yizhi had not had a moment's peace these past few days. In reality, he had a big secret he hadn't told A Mai. This time, he told A Mai that the last time the late Emperor Qi Jing saw him, he had asked Shang Yizhi if he knew why Han Huaichen had been eliminated.
Han Huaichen's single life was traded for ten years of peace in the south. Now Shang Yizhi understood the late Emperor's madness and began to imitate his despicable methods. Since Beimou feared the Zhenbei Army, Shang Yizhi secretly made a deal with Beimou, foolishly attempting to sacrifice the Zhenbei Army in exchange for ten years of peace in the south. A Mai was completely heartbroken.
Back then, the Zhenbei Army had cleared all obstacles to protect Shang Yizhi back to Shengdu and helped him ascend the throne. Now, Shang Yizhi was heartlessly using the lives of those brothers as bargaining chips, especially since the Beimou wolves were ambitious and utterly untrustworthy. A Mai was extremely angry and despairing.
She immediately declared that she would lead her troops to Jingyang and establish a boundary from now on, following orders but not decrees, and they would never see each other again. Chen Qi received an imperial decree from Beimou ordering him to immediately attack Jingyang City. An imperial decree could not be defied, but the defender of Jingyang City was the sister Chen Qi deeply loved. Late that night, Chen Qi took off the pendant he wore around his neck.
It was shaped like A Mai, revealing that A Mai had never left his heart. At dawn, Chen Qi led his troops to the foot of Jingyang City. He first proposed that A Mai directly confront him. Chen Qi deliberately provoked A Mai. The first few moves were fierce, and he mocked A Mai with his words. Finally, A Mai was about to retaliate, but Chen Qi dropped his sword and willingly let A Mai's sharp blade pierce him.
Before he died, Chen Qi repeated what Prime Minister Lin had told him many years ago. Prime Minister Lin had lied to him, claiming that Han Huaichen had killed his birth parents and that the current Emperor also wanted to eliminate Han Huaichen. As long as he did as instructed, A Mai would be spared, otherwise Prime Minister Lin would send someone else to kill Han Huaichen's entire family, including A Mai.
It was under those circumstances that Chen Qi made his grave mistake. Chen Qi used his own life to save Jingyang City from a bloody storm. Three years later, through A Mai's streamlined governance and strict military discipline, the people within Jingyang City lived prosperous and peaceful lives, enjoying complete harmony. During this period, Shang Yizhi visited Jingyang six times with tribute, sending gold and silver, imperial titles, and writing supplies.
A Mai accepted them all, only allowing the military advisor to enter the city gate, while Shang Yizhi was politely refused entry from within his sedan chair. A Mai invited the military advisor Xu Jing for tea. Although she knew why she had come, A Mai still pretended to be oblivious. Suddenly, a subordinate reported that the main army of Beimou had arrived outside the city gate. A Mai immediately changed into her armor and went to meet them.
Unexpectedly, the person who had arrived was Chang Yuqing. He had come with such a large force simply to see A Mai and ask again if it was possible for her to go to Beimou and become Madam Chang. A Mai was already used to Chang Yuqing's kind of talk and still shook her head.
Chang Yuqing spoke frankly, saying that the young Beimou Emperor was eager to achieve military success and would no longer waste time in this southern region in the coming years, planning to move his campaigns elsewhere. Therefore, the south could enjoy peace for another few years. A Mai smiled and nodded slightly. Their way of meeting was so unique; they met with weapons drawn just for a few words.
Chang Yuqing, still not satisfied, said that he did this also to constantly remind Shang Yizhi never to underestimate A Mai's brilliant military achievements, so that he would feel at ease leaving A Mai in Jingyang. The military advisor reported her inspection results to the Emperor. Shang Yizhi had not seen A Mai for three years and felt a pang of sorrow in his heart.
However, the military advisor said that this was the best balance; the border was peaceful, and the Emperor could focus on state affairs, which was beneficial for the country. After consolidating Jingyang City's military, A Mai confidently handed over the affairs of the barracks to her several brothers and often rode out alone, acting freely and without constraint. While God closes one door for a person, she also opens another.
A Mai spent her life as a heroine who did not let women be inferior to men. Although she experienced several twists and turns emotionally, she found inner peace. Now that the people in the south were living in peace and harmony, it could be considered the realization of A Mai's dream.
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