I Will Never Let You Go Episode 16 Recap
> I Will Never Let You Go Recap
The Seven Prince informed Mo Ruofei that Liu Mingyue was the one who revealed Madam Mo's involvement in the Xue Manor massacre. He told Mo Ruofei that Liu Mingyue had offered to cure him in exchange for the rights to run the Imperial Treasury, and he had already agreed to her condition. However, the Prince assured Mo Ruofei that he had no intention of being manipulated by Liu Mingyue and would not let her acquire those rights easily.
To prevent this, the Seven Prince instructed Mo Ruofei to stake all of the Mo Manor's assets, significantly raise the bidding price, and thereby exhaust all of Liu Mingyue's available funds. Upon returning to the Mo Manor, Mo Ruofei knelt before his ancestors, vowing to bring the House of Mo to unprecedented success.
He declared that a day would come when he would transcend his merchant status, enter officialdom, and no longer suffer oppression from others, ensuring the Mo Manor's invincible position. Later that night, Hua Buqi awoke from a nightmare, crying out for the Lotus Robe Knight. She called for Xiuchun, but her maid was fast asleep. Seeing the lantern given to her by the Lotus Robe Knight glowing, Hua Buqi knew he had visited.
She rushed outside, expressing her confusion and longing for him. She believed he cared for her, despite his constant hiding, and felt that he too harbored feelings for her. Hua Buqi declared she would wait outside until he showed himself, a tactic she had used to get attention when she was younger. The Lotus Robe Knight, observing from the shadows, was pained to see her vulnerable state. When Hua Buqi nearly collapsed from weakness, he quickly appeared to support her.
Overjoyed, Hua Buqi confessed her affection for him and asked why he wouldn't admit his feelings. The Lotus Robe Knight, however, only stated he was concerned for her. As she held his hand, Hua Buqi noticed a scar on his wrist that was identical to one on Chen Yu's wrist. Though a flicker of suspicion crossed her mind, she quickly dismissed it, believing it a coincidence common among martial artists.
Concerned about the cold, the Lotus Robe Knight carried her back inside. Hua Buqi then reminded him of his past promise to show his true face, insisting she wanted to see it now. He declined, saying he preferred to keep his identity hidden. As he turned to leave, Hua Buqi feigned a fall from her bed. When the Lotus Robe Knight rushed back to help her, she seized the opportunity to pull off his mask, revealing Chen Yu.
Stunned and heartbroken, Hua Buqi was overwhelmed by disbelief and grief, crying out why it had to be him. Chen Yu, equally pained, could only tell her to pretend he wasn't the Lotus Robe Knight if it made her feel better, and softly reminded her that he was only her brother. He then left her room in sorrow. Meanwhile, Chen Yu sought out a friend late that night, demanding alcohol to drown his sorrows.
His friend, witnessing Chen Yu's distress and recalling his recent arrow wound, broke the bottle to prevent him from drinking excessively. Chen Yu, tormented by his feelings, remembered Hua Buqi's past remarks about him and her declaration of love. He bitterly reflected that as siblings, they were destined never to be together. The next day, a new kitchen maid named Xiaoxia, sent by Zhu Fu, brought Hua Buqi fruits and pastries.
During their conversation, Xiaoxia subtly mentioned the House of Zhu, signaling her true allegiance to Hua Buqi. After sending Xiuchun away, Hua Buqi confronted Xiaoxia, who confirmed she was an agent of Zhu Manor and had brought her a fake death pill. Xiaoxia explained the pill would induce a deep, death-like state where she would lose all senses, and after Mo Manor buried her, they would exhume her and revive her with a special Longxian Herb.
However, Hua Buqi, despite knowing Mo Madam's ill intentions, refused to take the pill at Mo Manor, not wanting to implicate Mo Ruofei, who had been kind to her. Instead, she decided to find an opportunity to return to the Prince Manor and fake her death there under some pretense. She asked Xiaoxia to make a sky lantern as a cover for their conversation.
Elsewhere, Lin Dansha learned that Yun Lang was taking Hua Buqi to a horse ranch outside the capital and asked to join them. Yun Lang agreed and, seeking more information about Hua Buqi, asked Lin Dansha about her time in Xizhou. Lin Dansha deliberately shared the story of Hua Buqi being "nursed on dog's milk."
Far from being repulsed, Yun Lang felt a deeper empathy for Hua Buqi, realizing the profound significance of her dog, Ah Huang, in her difficult past. He then visited Hua Buqi and successfully persuaded her to join them for an outing. Unbeknownst to them, Liu Qingwu had already set an ambush on the path to the western suburbs.
Having grown suspicious that Chen Yu might be the Lotus Robe Knight due to their similar physique and martial arts, she sent him a letter, using Hua Buqi as leverage to demand a meeting. Upon receiving the threatening letter, Chen Yu, realizing Liu Qingwu had likely uncovered his secret, immediately dispatched Xiao Liu to Mo Manor, under the pretense of his father's concern, to check on Hua Buqi's safety.
He then proceeded to the designated meeting place to confront Liu Qingwu. Xiao Liu, arriving at Mo Manor as a royal physician, was informed by Mo Madam that Hua Buqi was well and had gone out with Yun Lang. At their meeting, Liu Qingwu wasted no time in testing Chen Yu, intentionally spilling tea to observe his reaction. The movement revealed his still unhealed arrow wound, confirming her suspicions that he was indeed the Lotus Robe Knight.
Despite Chen Yu's denials, Liu Qingwu directly threatened Hua Buqi, hinting at an ambush already in place. Chen Yu reacted by choking her, but Liu Qingwu revealed her "trump card"—that she had deployed assassins to target Hua Buqi on the mountain path. She then proposed a deal: if Chen Yu helped her become the Master of Mingyue Villa, she would help him discover the location of the Biluotian treasure, which legend claimed would allow its owner to rule the world.
In return, she demanded to be his queen once he ascended to the throne. Chen Yu questioned her motives, given that Liu Mingyue was her teacher, not her biological mother, and that she had a twin sister, Liu Qingyan, with whom she competed for the position. Liu Qingwu further disclosed Liu Mingyue's true background as the daughter of the Xue Manor's master and a maid, who had survived the massacre and risen to power.
Recognizing the gravity of Hua Buqi's situation and the potential for acquiring Biluotian, Chen Yu reluctantly agreed to Liu Qingwu's terms, prompting her to call off her assassins and secure Hua Buqi and her companions' safety. Back at Mo Manor, Liu Qingyan grew increasingly anxious as the Imperial Treasury bidding approached.
Having learned that the bidding was in two days and fearing that her sister, Liu Qingwu, might complete her mission first, Liu Qingyan realized she had to kill Mo Ruofei quickly to fulfill her own mission. Despite moments of hesitation, recalling Mo Ruofei's kindness, Liu Qingyan ultimately steeled herself and stabbed him with a dagger coated in upas poison.
She revealed her identity as Liu Qingyan, the Second Miss of Mingyue Villa, and stated her orders to assassinate him before the bidding. Though the wound seemed minor, the poison was deadly and would swiftly spread throughout his organs, rendering him incurable. After delivering the fatal blow, she sent a signal and departed. The Mo Manor erupted into chaos as servants scrambled for a doctor.
Mo Ruofei, gravely ill, summoned his mother and pleaded with her to represent him at the upcoming bidding, declaring it his dying wish and that he would die with everlasting regret if they failed to secure the Imperial Treasury rights. His mother tearfully agreed.
Mo Ruofei then gathered his chief managers and, in a final act of resolve, instructed them to pawn all of the Mo family's immovable assets—including farmlands and housing properties—to acquire enough silver to ensure they won the right to circulate the official silver.
