Jade's Fateful Love Episode 11 Recap
> Jade's Fateful Love Recap
After being injured, Zhou Shiyu returned to the camp. There, Nie Chen interrogated the captured assassin about who sent them. The assassin confessed that the instigator was from the prefect's office, specifically naming the prefect's guard, Xu Wei. Meanwhile, Xingyi was strolling through the West Market. While considering purchasing a compass, he heard a commotion and saw a masked female assassin attacking someone.
Her movements strongly reminded him of the masked assassin he encountered on the journey during the marriage treaty arrangements. Before he could get closer, the female assassin was injured and quickly disappeared from view. Still suspicious, Xingyi followed what he believed to be the assassin's trail, which seemed to lead towards the House of Romance. When he arrived, he insisted on seeing Su Nian immediately, despite being told she was about to rest.
He explained that he had followed an injured female assassin to the vicinity. Su Nian grew defensive, asking if he still suspected her of being the assassin. She then explained that she had injured her hand while practicing a sword dance she was trying to master, and offered to let him report her to the authorities if he didn't believe her. Xingyi, seeing her injured hand and the nearby medical supplies, seemed convinced.
He expressed concern, helped her sit down, and offered to apply ointment and bandage her hand, stating he had come because he was worried about her. Yueling wrote a letter to Zhou Shiyu to assure him of her safety in the capital, choosing not to mention the events that had occurred in the palace.
Back in Liuzhou, Nie Chen reported that Shi Xuan, the Vice Minister of Revenue responsible for the grain transport, had been tracked to the vicinity of West Hill. However, the twenty thousand "dan" of grain he was transporting was still missing. With the number of displaced people growing rapidly and the remaining grain reserves only sufficient for one more day, Zhou Shiyu made the controversial decision to open his private barn and distribute his personal grain to the people.
Nie Chen expressed concern that this action could lead to suspicion, but Zhou Shiyu insisted that helping the people was the priority. Despite his injuries, he decided to go to West Hill himself to search for Shi Xuan, believing that finding him was the only way to uncover the truth about the missing grain. Yueling finally received a letter from Zhou Shiyu. The letter mentioned the attack he had suffered, which intensified Yueling's worry.
She became determined to travel to Liuzhou to find him. However, just as she was preparing to leave, Imperial Guards surrounded the North Prince's Mansion. In the capital, the Prime Minister seized upon the missing imperial grain and Zhou Shiyu's use of his private reserves to accuse him of treason.
During a court session, the Prime Minister argued that Zhou Shiyu's previous illegal iron mines and current hoarding of grain showed a clear intent to rebel, urging the Emperor to punish him severely despite their brotherhood. The Emperor, though reluctant to condemn his brother and stating the matter was still under investigation, yielded to the pressure to the extent of sealing the mansion and placing its residents under house arrest.
The Emperor stated he would make a decision after Zhou Shiyu was found and returned to the capital. Seeing the Emperor's hesitation, the Prime Minister decided to take further action. Unable to leave the besieged mansion, Yueling and her attendants discussed their predicament. Just then, the South Prince arrived at the mansion, seemingly able to bypass the guards. He proposed that since Zhou Shiyu was in trouble and unlikely to return, Yueling should consider marrying him instead.
Xingyi and the guards present rejected his offer vehemently. The South Prince dismissed them as ignorant and boasted of the comfortable life he could offer Yueling. Yueling, seeing an opportunity to escape the mansion's confinement, asked if going with him meant she could leave. When he confirmed he could take her, she stated that as the North Prince Consort, she would first need to go to the palace to request the Emperor's permission to break off her engagement.
The South Prince agreed, eager for the match, despite objections from Xingyi and Yueling's guards. Yueling went to the palace and appeared before the Emperor. She strongly defended Zhou Shiyu, recounting his many quiet acts of charity and his diligent efforts in Liuzhou despite being injured. She argued that he would never rebel and that the accusations were a clear attempt to frame him by those with ulterior motives.
The Emperor stated that he had grown up with Zhou Shiyu and trusted his character, promising a thorough investigation to clear his name. Yueling then requested permission to travel to Liuzhou herself to find Zhou Shiyu. The Emperor showed her a memorial submitted by Zhou Shiyu, requesting that their engagement be broken off. Realizing Zhou Shiyu had done this to protect her from being implicated, Yueling became even more resolved to go to Liuzhou.
Meanwhile, the South Prince waited outside the palace, expecting Yueling to emerge and agree to join him after ending her engagement. He waited all night. The next morning, his attendant reported that Yueling had left the palace a long time ago. Enraged at being tricked, the South Prince went directly to the North Prince's Mansion.
There, he was met by Xingyi and the mansion's guards, who accused him of hiding Yueling, claiming she hadn't returned since leaving with him for the palace. They exchanged heated words, with Xingyi refusing to back down. Finally, an Imperial Guard stepped in and reminded the South Prince that the Emperor had forbidden outsiders from approaching those in the North Prince's Mansion, ordering him to leave. The South Prince protested but was forced to depart.
Unknown to them, Yueling had secretly left the capital on horseback and traveled to Liuzhou. Upon arriving, she heard that Zhou Shiyu was in the vicinity of West Hill searching for Shi Xuan. Without resting, she immediately headed there. She found Zhou Shiyu surrounded and under attack. Just as an attacker's sword was about to strike him, Yueling intervened by using a slingshot to deflect the blade.
Together, they fought off the attackers and escaped, seeking refuge in a nearby mountain cave. Inside the dark cave, they heard faint coughing. Zhou Shiyu followed the sound and discovered Shi Xuan tied up. After freeing him, Shi Xuan, who was badly injured, recounted how he had been intercepted by Xu Wei, the guard from the Liuzhou prefect's office, who claimed he was there to receive him.
Xu Wei and his men then tricked them, revealed themselves as bandits, massacred the soldiers transporting the grain, and imprisoned Shi Xuan in the cave. Shi Xuan explained they kept him alive to force him to write a letter in his blood accusing Zhou Shiyu of treason, but he refused. As the three prepared to leave the dangerous location, they suddenly detected a strange odor. It was toxic smoke, forcing them to hurry and escape.
