Legend of the Female General Episode 2 Recap
> Legend of the Female General Recap
He Rufei, wearing a mask, attended Xianchang Academy, where Master Wei questioned his obscured face. He Rufei explained he hid his visage to avoid startling others. Later, Xiao Jue, the second son of the Xiao family, arrived late, apologizing to Master Wei for his tardiness, his exceptional demeanor noted by others.
Xiao Jue, upon encountering Cheng Lisu, the Imperial Medical Bureau's Top Disciple, in the army camp, warned him against "flashy things," explicitly stating that Cheng Lisu himself was among them. Cheng Lisu expressed dismay at Xiao Jue's harshness after traveling so far to join him, to which Xiao Jue coldly offered him the option of returning home for an arranged marriage. Cheng Lisu, frustrated, remarked that if he could defeat Xiao Jue, he would have killed him long ago.
Xiao Jue retorted that fleeing a marriage would only result in being maimed at most. Xiao Jue then instructed his aide, Feinu, to escort Cheng Lisu away. Cheng Lisu, revealing Xiao Jue was his "uncle," pleaded to be allowed to stay. Meanwhile, Liu Buwang prepared a male identity for He Yan, providing her with a household register under the name "He Yan" (禾晏), explaining that her true identity as a woman would be a liability in the army.
He Yan noticed the subtle, one-character difference between her new name (禾晏) and her previous male identity (何晏), acknowledging her master’s thoughtful foresight. She was instructed to undergo a screening in the left tent before proceeding to the right for military registration, uniforms, and subsidies. Upon inquiry, she learned the screening involved stripping naked for a physical examination by a military doctor, with passage granted to all who were healthy.
Knowing she could not undergo such a screening, an opportunity soon arose. Xiao Jue tasked Cheng Lisu with examining a high-spirited Gaoxia mare that had refused to eat, suggesting Cheng Lisu, as a healer, should treat all lives equally, especially since Yezhou Garrison had no place for idlers.
Cheng Lisu initially protested being asked to treat a horse, but then declared he would not only treat the mare but also tame it, especially since it was a mare, not a stallion. He Yan, observing from a distance, saw her chance. The horse suddenly spooked, throwing Cheng Lisu. He Yan swiftly intervened, saving Cheng Lisu and expertly taming the agitated mare.
Xiao Jue, witnessing her unique horse-taming technique—a method exclusive to the Fuyue Army—immediately suspected He Yan was an agent of He Rufei, though he remained outwardly composed. He Yan, realizing her slip-up, inwardly worried that Xiao Jue might be planning to use her to uncover a larger plot.
The Head Instructor, impressed by her skill, praised her and declared she wouldn't need to undergo the screening, instead taking her directly to complete her enlistment documents, which perfectly suited He Yan's plan. Xiao Jue discussed his suspicions with Feinu, who suggested eliminating the potential spy. Xiao Jue countered that killing one would only lead to replacements, preferring to keep He Yan to potentially uncover the true mastermind, be it He Rufei or Xu Jingfu.
Feinu recalled how Xiao Jue’s father had impeached the prime minister before the Mingshui campaign, only to be ambushed days later, with He Rufei's troops arriving suspiciously late on the seventh day after the request for aid. Feinu believed the two were colluding. Despite these suspicions, Xiao Jue acknowledged the lack of concrete evidence to link Xu Jingfu and He Rufei to the Mingshui defeat or prove their collusion.
With the Xiao Army weakened and under the Emperor’s suspicion, and the Yezhou Garrison suffering from troop and fund shortages, Xiao Jue instructed Feinu to thoroughly investigate He Yan's background. At the Xu Mansion, Xu Jingfu's disciple Chu Zhao reported on his mission in Que City. He claimed to have monitored Xiao Jue, painting a grim picture of Xiao Jue’s ruthlessness in flooding Que City, resulting in tens of thousands of lives lost.
Chu Zhao ordered Zilan to spread this infamy to further solidify Xiao Jue's negative reputation. Xu Jingfu noted that even with victory, Xiao Jue had been effectively demoted to the desolate Yezhou Garrison, underscoring the Emperor's growing apprehension. Chu Zhao also revealed he had found a "fish that slipped through the net" in Que City and had positioned him as a hidden pawn, hoping he would become a valuable asset.
Later, Chu Zhao reunited with Xu Jingfu’s daughter, Xu Pingting, who playfully demanded a gift. Chu Zhao deliberately burned his own arm with a tinderbox, feigning an accidental injury from refugees while monitoring Xiao Jue, all to gain Xu Jingfu's sympathy. His maid, Yingxiang, inwardly noted that Chu Zhao intentionally wounded himself severely to earn his master's favor.
He Yan, in a private moment with her master, expressed her disbelief that Xiao Jue would order the flooding of Que City or sacrifice its citizens for military glory. She confirmed her decision to join the Xiao Army, confident she could rise quickly within its ranks, especially since the army urgently needed new talent.
As a new recruit, He Yan was assigned to a large shared tent where she met her bunkmates: Wang Ba, identifiable by his bandit tattoo; Zheng Xuan, bearing the marks of a face-tattooing punishment, indicating a past as a convict or rogue; Jiang Jiao, from an escort agency and seemingly skilled; Mai, a short farmer; and Huang Xiong, a hunter who ironically wore a string of prayer beads.
The next morning, He Yan was among the first to rise, while others like Wang Ba were still asleep until Head Instructor Shen Han had them doused with water to wake them. Xiao Jue ordered all new recruits to gather at the training field for ten weighted laps around the barracks. He Yan, still recovering from severe injuries and poisoning that had left her bedridden for over a month, found her stamina and physical condition severely lacking.
She observed that Xiao Jue’s training methods were incredibly intense from the outset, proving him to be a formidable and harsh leader, even to himself. Cheng Lisu remarked that Xiao Jue's rigorous methods were meant not just to intimidate, but to gauge the recruits' potential. During weapon training, He Yan initially impressed her peers with her adept handling of a pair of small "twin blades," showcasing unexpected skill.
However, her subsequent attempts at archery proved embarrassing as she struggled to even draw the bowstring. Later, during spear practice, she dropped her weapon, earning taunts from others who called her a "pretty face with nothing to show for it." Despite the ridicule, she still picked up the spear, a small gesture noted by Head Instructor Shen Han as commendable.
Later, Xiao Jue received an update on He Yan’s background: he was from a minor gatekeeper family in Jiazhou with no prior military history and no suspicious family connections. Yet, his clear familiarity with military routines and horsemanship, contrasted with his dismal performance in daily drills, puzzled Xiao Jue, who wondered if He Yan was feigning incompetence or was genuinely useless.
He ordered further investigations into the background of all recruits, particularly those who seemed to be hiding something, dispatching teams to Jiazhou and Que City while continuing to probe the Mingshui incident. As night fell, He Yan, seeking respite, followed the scent of sulfur to a secluded hot spring.
She disrobed and slipped into the soothing water, reflecting on how her achievements and reputation as "He family's legitimate son" (or through using He Rufei's name) were only possible because of her disguised male identity, and that these accomplishments were hard-won through pain and sacrifice. She thought about how, in her previous hidden life, only the moon had witnessed her true face, but now, in this new life, she could finally fight with honor.
Just as she found solace, Xiao Jue arrived, also seeking the hot spring. He Yan quickly submerged herself, holding her breath to avoid detection, but Xiao Jue, sharp and perceptive, instantly sensed the presence of someone hidden beneath the water's surface.
