General and I Episode 14 Recap
> General and I Recap
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Bai Pingting recovered from her illness and had a tense confrontation with He Xia. He Xia gloated about his elaborate scheme, revealing that he had leaked the effects of a special drug to the King of Liang, knowing it would be used to kill the young princes of Great Jin.
He admitted his goal was to cause chaos in Great Jin by eliminating the royal heirs and to indirectly implicate Chu Beijie, thereby preventing Bai Pingting and Chu Beijie from ever being together. He Xia challenged her, asking how she and Chu Beijie could possibly trust each other or be romantically involved now that the princes’ deaths stood between them.
Bai Pingting accused He Xia of being ruthless and cunning, but she resolved to take the blame and bear the consequences for the sake of Prince Jing'an’s household, stating that this would be the last time she did anything for him. She declared that their ties were severed and warned him that he was no longer the person he used to be and would cause bloodshed in the future.
He Xia, in turn, told her that he would never harm her but wanted her to personally witness how the princes' deaths would destroy her relationship with Chu Beijie. After their encounter, Bai Pingting began packing her belongings at Ze Yin’s general’s residence, intending to depart for Great Jin to find Chu Beijie. Yang Feng, Ze Yin’s wife, expressed concern about Pingting leaving while still injured and asked why she wasn't returning with He Xia.
Pingting explained that she was no longer a part of Prince Jing'an’s household and advised Yang Feng and Ze Yin to be extremely cautious if they ever encountered He Xia again. Yang Feng also urged Pingting to take good care of herself and the child she was carrying, expressing hope for peaceful lives now that the war had ended. Pingting confided in Yang Feng that she was going to meet the man she loved.
As she prepared to leave, she privately mourned the two young princes, acknowledging her guilt in their innocent deaths and offering prayers for their peaceful rest. As Bai Pingting traveled alone through a dense forest, she was ambushed by assassins sent by He Xia. She bravely confronted them, accusing them of cowardly targeting women and children. The assassins admitted they were merely following orders but insisted they could not let her report back to her destination.
Fortunately, Ze Yin, the Chief General, and his loyal men arrived just in time, driving off the attackers. Ze Yin apologized for not being able to formally escort her earlier due to restrictions but assured her that the men with him were brothers who had fought alongside her through life and death at Kanbu City, and they were there out of personal friendship to escort her to Great Jin and offer their strength. Pingting accepted their offer with gratitude.
Meanwhile, in Great Jin, the Queen was gravely ill and vomiting blood, overwhelmed with grief over the tragic deaths of her two young sons. The imperial physicians were at a loss. The King, Sima Hong, tried to comfort her, assuring her that his Noble Consort, Zhang Guifei, was already investigating to find the culprit within the small harem. Soon after, a messenger reported that Zhang Guifei had found the murderer and requested the King's presence at the prison.
At the prison, Zhang Guifei presented a eunuch, who was responsible for the princes' meals, as the culprit. She explained that he was found in a dried-up well and only confessed after being tortured. Under immense pressure and threats to his family from Zhang Guifei, the eunuch tearfully confessed to the King that Bai Pingting, the Commander-in-Chief of the Liang Army, had given him the poison to harm the princes.
Later, Zhang Guifei subtly manipulated the King, suggesting that the princes’ deaths were not as simple as they seemed. She questioned why Bai Pingting, a native of Great Yan, became the Commander-in-Chief of Liang State, implying a hidden motive. She directly linked Bai Pingting to Chu Beijie, recalling that during the Battle of Kanbu City, Chu Beijie had retreated 30 miles from an undefended city and voluntarily conceded defeat, supposedly because of Bai Pingting.
Influenced by this, Sima Hong ordered Chancellor Zhang, Zhang Guifei's father, to be summoned. Back from his campaign, Chu Beijie and his troops were intercepted outside the capital by Chancellor Zhang, who delivered an imperial decree. The decree stated that due to the princes' mourning and an "evil-foreboding air," the expeditionary army was not to enter the city, and all troops were to be managed by Prince Fulang. Chu Beijie accepted the order.
He then questioned Chancellor Zhang, asking if he believed Chu Beijie was involved in the princes' deaths and if the House of Zhenbei had been shut down. Chancellor Zhang, without warning, attempted to assassinate Chu Beijie, accusing him of plotting to seize the throne by causing the princes' deaths. Chu Beijie's loyal general, Moran, and other soldiers quickly moved to protect him, but Chu Beijie ordered Moran to stand down.
Chancellor Zhang revealed that the House of Zhenbei had indeed been shut down and Chu Beijie's aides imprisoned, claiming he was only being spared to be lured into the capital for punishment. Chu Beijie, however, remained composed. He told Chancellor Zhang not to threaten his soldiers, asserting their innocence. He declared that he would not incite a mutiny but would ride alone into the capital to seek an audience with the King, confident that the truth would come to light.
He instructed Moran to keep the army stationed outside the city and await the King's orders, emphasizing that they served Great Jin and the King, not him alone, and any actions against this principle would only condemn him further. Meanwhile, Princess Yaotian of Bailan and Chancellor Zhang had forged an alliance in Jin, agreeing on a strategy to benefit their respective interests. Yaotian sought to ignite conflict between Jin and Liang, allowing Bailan to profit from the ensuing chaos.
Chancellor Zhang, in turn, aimed to leverage Bailan's power to elevate his family to imperial authority. He Xia now joined their conspiracy. His recent attempt to assassinate Bai Pingting had failed, and she had sent back a defiant message for him to do it himself. The group found a common enemy in Chu Beijie. During their meeting, He Xia expressed concern to Zhang Guifei that she might be reluctant to eliminate Chu Beijie.
He hinted at her past affection for Chu Beijie, suggesting she still harbored feelings for him. He Xia stressed that as long as Chu Beijie remained alive, none of them could rest easy. He also noted that Bai Pingting was leading the Liang army to rescue Chu Beijie, presenting a rare opportunity. Zhang Guifei then stated her sole condition for continuing their alliance: she wanted Bai Pingting dead. Following his return, Chu Beijie was imprisoned and subjected to daily torture.
Chancellor Zhang visited him, demanding he confess to conspiring to murder the princes, promising him a more comfortable place if he complied. Chu Beijie defiantly insulted Chancellor Zhang, calling him a mere dog unfit to speak to him, which infuriated the Chancellor, who ordered further brutal flogging. The Queen, still weak from her illness, suspected foul play.
She pleaded with King Sima Hong, arguing that it was preposterous to accuse Chu Beijie of treason based solely on the testimony of a eunuch from Liang. She insisted that she only wanted to find the true murderer of her sons, to prevent the real culprit from escaping justice and to protect a loyal minister from being wrongly punished by the schemes of villains.
She implored the King not to let his anger cloud his judgment, reminding him that with their sons gone, Chu Beijie was now his only remaining blood relative. Later, King Sima Hong went alone to the ancestral temple to pay respects to the ancestors of Great Jin. He softly questioned his late mother, asking what he should do. His thoughts drifted back to his childhood, recalling his first encounter with Chu Beijie.
He lamented the loss of his sons, thinking of their innocent voices calling for their father and reflecting on his failure to protect those closest to him despite having vast power. He felt unable to face the Queen, burdened by grief and a sense of responsibility for their shared loss.
