General and I Episode 41 Recap, Plot

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Bai Pingting's gamble that Chu Beijie would not resume the war proved correct. Upon realizing that the person he sought had departed Bailan, Chu Beijie saw no further reason for conflict and ordered his troops to withdraw, allowing He Xia to narrowly escape death. Meanwhile, Grand Marshal Xie brought important news to Sima Hong from Dongshan Bieyuan. During a cleaning, a servant discovered remnants of prenatal medicine in a pot, leading to the speculation that Princess Consort Zhenbei was pregnant.

Upon learning that the Sima family had an heir, Sima Hong declared that he must personally welcome the royal offspring and officially bestow Bai Pingting the title of Princess Consort, ensuring the Sima family's throne would be passed to Chu Beijie. He Xia confessed to Yao Tian that he felt guilty for failing to protect her and putting her in danger.

Yao Tian, however, insisted that she should be the one to apologize, acknowledging the immense difficulties He Xia had faced. She understood, from the moment he abducted her, that his chosen path would involve endless challenges. She admired his courage and appreciated his deep affection for constantly considering her feelings, enduring humiliation, and making sacrifices for her, even while dealing with his own desperate situation.

He Xia, in turn, promised to dedicate all his strength to building a world for her. Before the court, Prime Minister Gui impeached Prince Consort He Xia, accusing him of conspiring to harm the royal family.

He listed several offenses: firstly, causing unrest between Bailan and Jin due to his selfish act of detaining the Princess Consort of Zhenbei; secondly, tarnishing the Princess's reputation through an improper association with an enemy general's wife; and thirdly, the Princess risking her life on the battlefield to save him, which he deemed a clear act of attempted murder.

He argued that according to Bailan's ancestral regulations, conspiring to murder a royal family member was punishable by death by a thousand cuts. Yao Tian immediately interceded, stating that she went to the battlefield voluntarily and was unharmed, therefore the incident had nothing to do with her husband. However, Prime Minister Gui countered that it was Prince Consort He Xia who had put Her Highness in harm's way, and that the royal family's safety was paramount.

Supported by numerous officials who strongly concurred that Prince Consort He Xia's crime could not be pardoned, Prime Minister Gui pressured Yao Tian to act. Yao Tian, recognizing the collective anger of her officials, reluctantly agreed, asking the Prime Minister to exercise discretion in the punishment.

Prime Minister Gui then formally sentenced Prince Consort He Xia to thirty strokes of caning by wooden staves, declaring the punishment would be carried out immediately to appease the loyal officials and reassure the common people. He Xia accepted the sentence. The thirty strokes of caning left He Xia gravely injured. Yao Tian was distraught and eager to see him, but Luyi restrained her, advising that all court officials were closely observing her actions.

An overly drastic reaction, Luyi warned, would only worsen Prime Minister Gui's resentment, making He Xia's suffering pointless. Yao Tian agreed, acknowledging her own lack of clear thinking, but expressed deep concern for He Xia's ability to recover from such a harsh punishment, especially considering his existing injuries. She instructed Luyi to send the finest medicinal herbs from the palace to He Xia, along with a message to recuperate, promising to visit him once the situation calmed.

Meanwhile, Winter Zhu, tending to He Xia's wounds, cursed Prime Minister Gui's ruthlessness and suggested they leave Bailan if He Xia disliked the princess. He Xia, however, slapped Winter Zhu, admonishing him never to utter such words again. He admitted that the thirty strokes were exactly what he needed, as they served to remind him of his true purpose, which he had forgotten. Chu Beijie was deeply concerned about Bai Pingting's whereabouts.

He confided in Chu Moran, recalling how, as a child, he and his mother were reliant on each other, constantly subjected to malice and bullying within their tribe, which filled his heart with hatred. He then spoke of meeting Pingting, whose genuine smile and clear, warm eyes brought him the first kindness he had ever experienced from a stranger.

Later, when Pingting's father sacrificed his life to save Chu Beijie and his mother, it was then that Chu Beijie realized there were people in the world with warm hearts, worthy of respect, loyalty, and protection, making it worthwhile for him to abandon his hatred. He asserted that without Bai Pingting, the Chu Beijie of today would not exist, and if he were to lose her, he would never find happiness.

He declared they must find Princess Consort and bring her back. Though Chu Moran offered to send more search parties, Chu Beijie declined, stating he knew the only place she would go. Sima Hong personally awaited the triumphant return of Prince Zhenbei and Princess Consort outside the city, but only Chu Moran arrived, carrying Chu Beijie's tiger tally and a personal letter. After reading the letter, Sima Hong asked Chu Moran about the whereabouts of Chu Beijie and Bai Pingting.

When Chu Moran and other generals offered to accept punishment on Chu Beijie's behalf, Sima Hong clarified that he had not mentioned punishment. Instead, he commanded Chu Moran to personally lead a search for them, conveying a royal decree: if found, Chu Beijie would be conferred the title of Prince Regent of Amnesty Order, and Bai Pingting would be conferred the title of First Rank Lady of Imperial Mandate.

He urged them to return swiftly for the sake of Great Jin and promised Chu Moran a handsome reward for successful completion of the task. Concurrently, He Xia was also diligently searching for Bai Pingting. His spies reported that Bai Pingting's whereabouts had not been discovered anywhere along the route from Bailan to Jin State, and Chu Beijie had also not returned with his victorious army to Jin.

He Xia, realizing they were not in Jin State, also learned that Prime Minister Gui had sealed all roads leading out of Yun'an City. He dismissed Prime Minister Gui's efforts, believing that if Bai Pingting wished to leave, Prime Minister Gui's men would be powerless to stop her.

He Xia then dispatched a homing pigeon with orders to intensify the search along the border between Bailan and Liang State, certain that Bai Pingting would head there, and speculated that Chu Beijie might also be on his way, emphasizing the urgency of finding them before they left Bailan. Under the cover of night, Bai Pingting and Zui Ju hurried along the essential path towards the Bailan-Liang border, where they discovered an ambush near a checkpoint.

Pingting stealthily approached, overhearing the ambushers confirm that Prime Minister Gui had indeed set a dragnet around Yun'an City, expecting them to fall into it. These rude men were heard complaining about their long wait and the boss reiterating the importance of catching the women. The boss also spoke disparagingly of Bai Pingting, claiming she had bewitched Chu Beijie and was even treasured by their own prince consort, He Xia.

Deciding to teach them a lesson, Pingting and Zui Ju set up numerous trap mechanisms in the surrounding bamboo forest. Zui Ju questioned how they would trigger the traps or inflict harm, but Pingting revealed that a special medicinal ointment she had prepared would be their true weapon, to be applied to the men's hounds. The guards, distracted by their drinking and gambling, were caught off guard when one of their hounds, agitated by the ointment, triggered the hidden traps.

The men, realizing a woman's shoe found earlier was part of the ruse, were ensnared in the interlocking mechanisms, crying out in discomfort from the ticklish sensation caused by the ointment. After successfully evading Bailan's pursuers, Zui Ju expressed relief, though noting the night's "hair-raising" events. She acknowledged that the ordeal, however terrifying, was worthwhile as it confirmed they could no longer enter Liang State via Bailan's official checkpoint.

Pingting explained that the Pine Forest Mountain Range, though treacherous, lay between Bailan and Liang State, serving as a natural barrier where troops could not be stationed. This route was their only way to enter Liang State and escape further pursuit from Bailan. Zui Ju, initially hesitant, was reassured by Pingting, who calmly stated, "Don't be afraid. I'm here. Everything will be all right." They continued their journey, with Zui Ju occasionally urging Pingting to rest due to her pregnancy.

Pingting, though not visibly hungry, was persuaded by Zui Ju to share their limited food. As they pressed on, Zui Ju grew weary, questioning the endless journey, until finally, they saw the Pine Forest Mountain Range in the distance. Back in Jin, Sima Hong dealt with his officials who sought to impeach Chu Beijie for acting without authorization and abandoning his post.

Sima Hong sarcastically asked which of them wished to sit on the throne, as they seemed more suitable than him. Though the officials swiftly denied any such ambition, Sima Hong dismissed their complaints, demanding if they needed to teach him right from wrong. He then shifted focus to the ongoing mulberry silkworm crisis, where common people still suffered from hunger and lack of clothing, chastising his officials for their silence on such critical matters while eagerly impeaching Chu Beijie.

He ordered the imprisonment of all officials involved in the mulberry silkworm farming crisis, silencing any further dissent. Meanwhile, Chu Beijie continued his determined search for Pingting, brutally crashing through the city gate of Nan'an County. He confronted the arrogant garrison keeper, who boasted of being the "Guardian God" of the gate. Chu Beijie swiftly defeated the keeper's men, leaving the keeper to beg for his life.

Chu Beijie then presented a drawing of Bai Pingting, demanding to know if the keeper had seen her. The terrified keeper initially denied it, then confessed he had. He revealed a "wanted" poster issued by Prince Consort He Xia, circulated to all Bailan-Liang border checkpoints, ordering Pingting's capture, or death if necessary.

Chu Beijie, in a terrifying display of power, smashed a flagpole and warned the keeper that he and his men would suffer the same fate if they dared to harm Bai Pingting. He Xia's subordinates later reported to him on the mysterious, fiendish individual who had single-handedly overcome several Bailan passes. He Xia immediately suspected Chu Beijie, the only one capable of such feats.

He observed that Chu Beijie was deliberately targeting remote and distant passes, moving further away from Xiaoyang Pass. He Xia surmised that Bai Pingting would avoid the heavily guarded Xiaoyang Pass, implying she would choose a more unconventional route, likely through the treacherous Pine Forest Mountain Range. Unaware of Chu Beijie's actions, Bai Pingting and Zui Ju encountered a group of men extorting money from villagers, claiming to be tax officials.

Pingting quickly realized they were imposters due to their Bailan Army boots. She and Zui Ju intervened, apprehending the men. The imposters confessed to being garrison soldiers who had deserted the army because they did not wish to die in vain. They revealed that an expert swordsman had recently taken down several Bailan passes, unstoppable in his path.

The frightened soldier described him as "tall as an iron tower," causing sand and stones to fly with his movements, and not appearing human. He also mentioned hearing that Prince Consort He Xia had gone to Xiaoyang Pass to deploy troops. When Pingting pressed for more details on the swordsman's movements, the soldier listed several locations he had heard about: Nan'an County, Long'xi County, Guan'di Road, and An'gu Pass. As one of the deserters attempted to flee, Pingting and Zui Ju pursued, but Pingting suddenly felt unwell. Zui Ju and the soldier expressed concern for her well-being.

Episode 40 Recap

Episode 42 Recap