Forward Forever Episode 4 Recap, Plot

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Shen Xiu confronted his son, Chong Liming, about the infantry Yamen confiscating his arms, asking why he was still "playing" after such a serious incident. Chong Liming explained that Lord Zhe Yu's investigation into the arms was a move to suppress the Zhengbaiqi, and he was merely taking the fall for his father, the Zhengbaiqi flag leader. Shen Xiu countered that Chong Liming's decision to traffic "western firearms" was what gave them the opportunity to intervene.

He then warned Chong Liming to keep his "little guys" out of trouble and questioned if he had seen Schultai again, emphasizing the danger of being associated with him given the presence of imperial guards outside Tingyuxuan. Citing urgent Shenji Camp business, Chong Liming quickly excused himself, despite Shen Xiu's protests. Upon returning to the Shenji Camp mansion, Chong Liming found Yu Chu waiting.

He accused her of instigating the arms confiscation, dismissing her actions as pointless since Rui Zhen had eventually returned the arms. Yu Chu retorted that without her involvement, he would have needlessly given Rui Zhen a Maxim machine gun and 10,000 bullets, and she was pleased to have frustrated him.

She then pressed him on his actions, questioning his motive for bringing arms into the capital as the Vice Dutong of Shenji Camp amidst the volatile "Emperor-Empress Dowager dispute" – a move she believed would invite suspicion. When asked if he supported his father Shen Xiu, a confidante of the Empress Dowager, or his friend Schultai, a vocal supporter of the Emperor, Chong Liming dodged the question.

He first stated he aligned with Schultai's pro-Emperor stance for the dynasty's future, but then claimed unwavering loyalty to the Empress Dowager if Zhe Yu were to ask. Frustrated by his evasiveness, Yu Chu challenged him to speak truthfully, to which Chong Liming responded by complimenting her beauty, further infuriating her. She abruptly left. Later that night, Chong Liming's friends, Si San, Can Yan Xin, Wagner, and Wen Gou, admired the newly acquired German Mausers and Krupp artillery.

They engaged in a game of poker, which Chong Liming lost, leading to him humorously crawling under a table wearing Dutong armor. As Chong Liming went to change clothes, A Yi suddenly attacked him. Chong Liming's friends rushed in, but he insisted on handling it himself. A Yi declared his enmity with Shenji Camp.

Chong Liming proposed a duel: if A Yi won, he would be free, but if he lost, he had to reveal the cause of his "deep hatred." A Yi agreed, and Chong Liming defeated him in an unarmed fight. After his defeat, A Yi revealed that Shenji Camp had years ago destroyed his village and killed his family, leading him to seek revenge against Chong Liming, the Vice Dutong.

Chong Liming, however, explained that Shenji Camp's duty was to protect the capital, not to slaughter a small village of "horse thieves." He inferred from A Yi's description of nine men with Shenji Camp weapons that the true perpetrators were the Yan Shi Fan, and noted the disappearance of the previous Yan Shi Fan leader ten years prior, suggesting a deeper conspiracy.

The next morning, Rui Zhen took Chong Liming to a forest, where they witnessed Yan Shi Fan members executing families of Alliance Congregation members, including women and children, on the grounds that "the family members of the disordered party are regarded as the same crime" and "cutting grass must remove root." Chong Liming watched in horror, unable to intervene.

Subsequently, Chong Liming rushed to see Schultai, only to find the palace's original guards replaced by elites from his father's (Shen Xiu's) royal household, following Shen Xiu's orders to prevent Chong Liming from getting involved with Schultai. Pushing past the guards, Chong Liming reached Schultai, who, realizing he was trapped, urged Chong Liming to seek Shen Xiu's help to protect the Emperor and cautioned him to be careful.

Chong Liming then went to his family's ancestral hall, where he installed a lightbulb. He tried to question Shen Xiu about the "court fire brigade" that Shen Xiu had established, strategically placed near the Emperor. Shen Xiu sternly forbade his involvement, reminding Chong Liming of his promise to stay out of palace affairs. Chong Liming argued that as a member of Yan Shi Fan, he couldn't stand by.

Shen Xiu, making Chong Liming kneel, revealed the Empress Dowager was dying and intended to eliminate certain individuals before her demise, and he did not want Chong Liming to be among them. Chong Liming assured his father he understood. At a gathering of the Yan Shi Fan, a "secret order from heaven" was deciphered using the Kangxi Dictionary. To Chong Liming's shock, the order commanded them to "kill Schultai within three days."

The other Yan Shi Fan members argued that this order signaled the resolution of the Empress Dowager and Emperor's power struggle, and refusal to comply would lead to their own demise. They pressured Chong Liming to carry out the assassination, citing his close relationship with Schultai as an advantage. Chong Liming vehemently refused to betray his mentor, arguing that it would earn him "the infamy of ingratitude."

However, other members, including Mu Yi, insisted that Schultai's formidable skills made a direct confrontation too risky and that only Chong Liming could execute the order "decently," without alarming Schultai and causing a chaotic escape. They reiterated that he had to act within three days. Meanwhile, Yu Chu visited A Yi, who was imprisoned by Shenji Camp. She demanded information about Chong Liming's arms and plans, offering his release in return. A Yi insisted on being set free first.

Yu Chu then tried to persuade Can Yan Xin to open A Yi's cell, but Can Yan Xin refused to comply without the Dutong's direct order. At the same time, Big Silly, concerned about A Yi's disappearance, was severely beaten by men searching for A Yi. Chong Liming tasked Si San, Wagner, and Yang Zhen with finding a corpse. They debated whether to procure one from the infantry yamen or resort to graverobbing, ultimately deciding to consult Chong Liming again.

Separately, in a lamb soup restaurant, Qinger applied a new plaster, "Tianhe Gutong Post," given by Chong Liming, to her grandfather, old horse head, promising to take over the restaurant to ease his burden. Their peaceful moment was shattered when Jia Chang'an intruded and attempted to harass Qinger. In a fit of rage, old horse head killed Jia Chang'an. Later, Yu Chu intercepted Chong Liming, accusing him of imprisoning A Yi out of personal revenge for revealing the arms' location.

Chong Liming, exasperated, finally admitted A Yi had attempted to assassinate him, boasting of his own invincibility. As Yu Chu pressed for more details about A Yi's motive, Chong Liming dismissed her as "annoying" and hurried away. He arrived at the Yan Shi Fan base, where Rui Zhen handed him a package containing a fast-acting poison, capable of causing cardiac arrest. Chong Liming expressed his desire for Schultai to die honorably "under the knife and gun," preserving his "last dignity." However, Mu Yi and Rui Zhen dismissed such sentiment, citing the need to avoid complications and emphasizing that "everything is empty" in death, reiterating the three-day deadline.

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