Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos Episode 36 Recap
> Legend of Two Sisters in the Chaos Recap
Xue Rong confessed to Yuzhan that the late emperor had an illegitimate son who could inherit the throne, and he had found this person to be Jiang Shao. Xue Rong showed her a wooden plate with an embedded jade, explaining it was cut from his father's jade pendant, irrefutably proving Jiang Shao's royal lineage. While Xue Rong believed Jiang Shao would not have treasonous intentions, he worried about the potential instability Jiang Shao's identity could bring to the current state.
He admitted that when he asked Jiang Shao about destroying the wooden plate, Jiang Shao wanted it back. Yuzhan, seeing Xue Rong's internal struggle, suggested letting destiny decide since the wooden plate was already in his hands and he could destroy it anytime. She proposed drawing lots: a red one to destroy the plate, a colorless one to return it to Jiang Shao.
Xue Rong drew red twice, dismissing them as "not ready," but on the third try, he drew colorless. Accepting fate, he declared he would return the wooden plate to Jiang Shao. Yuzhan, in a private moment, mused that Xue Rong, despite his words, feared severing their brotherhood, and she had subtly helped him draw the outcome he truly desired.
Meanwhile, at his residence, Jiang Shao gazed at a jade pendant, struggling to process the revelation that his father was the emperor. He wondered why his mother hadn't told him and if the late emperor had known of their relation when they met. A flashback showed the late emperor speaking to him, asking about an old wound, and remarking on how close he felt to Jiang Shao, like family.
The late emperor had then instructed Jiang Shao to personally deliver the imperial jade seal to Xue Rong, wishing for them to be like brothers, sharing good times and bad, never betraying each other. Jiang Shao had vowed to treat Xue Rong as a lifelong brother. Now, understanding the deeper implication of that moment, Jiang Shao realized the late emperor's intention was for him to support Xue Rong as emperor.
To avoid causing any trouble, Jiang Shao resolved to leave the capital city immediately. Li Huaijin, observing that Xue Rong had forbidden anyone from visiting the jailed Wang Zhu, instructed Yueying to discreetly assist Minister Cao Han, recognizing Cao Han's loyalty and his right as Minister of Personnel to address official matters.
With Li Huaijin's subtle help, Cao Han managed to gain a brief, clandestine visit to Wang Zhu in jail, where a guard warned him of the risks and time limit. Wang Zhu, still believing he was wrongfully accused, revealed that he was imprisoned on suspicion of conspiring with Jiang Shao, the late emperor's son, for treason.
Cao Han was startled to learn Jiang Shao was indeed the late emperor's son, realizing that rumors about Jiang Shao being alive had been suppressed by Xue Rong, who had previously overlooked Jiang Shao's scandalous relationship with the former empress. Concluding that Jiang Shao's existence posed a severe threat to the current regime, Cao Han resolved to act.
He feigned a theft at his residence and requested his friend, General Jia Dali, to lend him thirty elite guards, ostensibly to help catch the "thieves." Jia Dali readily agreed to send the men the next day. Jiang Shao urgently sought out Jinzhan, asking her to leave the capital with him. He revealed the shocking news he learned in the palace: his father was Xue Wei, the late emperor.
Jinzhan was stunned, but quickly understood the gravity of his new identity. She expressed concern that while Jiang Shao might not care about being a royal, others, especially discontented officials, would use it to stir up trouble against Xue Rong, making immediate departure essential. As they prepared to flee, a servant from Minister Cao Han's mansion arrived, conveying an invitation for Jiang Shao to meet at Minister Cao's residence the following morning, claiming it was at the Emperor's discreet request.
Jinzhan was wary, questioning why the Emperor would choose Cao Han's home. Jiang Shao speculated it was to secretly discuss the sensitive issue of destroying the wooden plate. They decided to attend the meeting first, then leave the capital immediately. Li Huaijin's secret guard reported that Cao Han had indeed summoned Jiang Shao and brought in Jia Dali's guards, confirming Cao Han's malicious intentions.
Li Huaijin immediately sent invitations to influential ministers, including the retired Grand Tutor Lyu, for a tea party at a tea house conveniently located near Cao Han's mansion. The following morning, Jiang Shao entered Cao's mansion as instructed. Shortly after, Jinzhan, growing anxious about Jiang Shao's prolonged absence, encountered Li Huaijin outside. She questioned why he was there, given his duty to protect the Emperor.
Li Huaijin explained he was meeting officials for tea and that the Emperor was currently in the palace, not at Cao Han's mansion. Realizing Jiang Shao had been deceived, Jinzhan panicked. Despite Li Huaijin's warning about her own precarious status as the former empress, Jinzhan, in her desperation, revealed Jiang Shao's secret identity as the late emperor's son, emphasizing that Cao Han, being loyal to Xue Rong, would surely try to eliminate him.
Li Huaijin, feigning calm, proposed a two-pronged plan: he would gather the influential ministers from the tea house, believing Cao Han wouldn't dare harm Jiang Shao in front of them, while Jinzhan would take his Imperial Guard token to summon patrolling guards to forcibly open the mansion gates. Inside, Jiang Shao, realizing he had been poisoned by the tea offered to him, attempted to escape as archers began to fire.
Cao Han, intent on ensuring Jiang Shao's demise and preventing Xue Rong from learning the truth, ordered his men to shoot, declaring he would bear all the blame. Jinzhan's frantic knocking on the door, however, disrupted the archers, causing Cao Han to change tactics and order Jiang Shao's arrest. Cao Han then planted official documents on the semi-conscious Jiang Shao, intending to frame him for theft.
Following Li Huaijin's instructions, Jinzhan, wielding the Imperial Guard token, brought patrolling guards to smash open the doors of Cao's mansion. Simultaneously, Li Huaijin arrived with a group of influential ministers, just as Cao Han was about to deliver a fatal blow to Jiang Shao. Li Huaijin intervened, saving Jiang Shao, who then accused Cao Han of planting official documents on him to frame him for theft.
Cao Han insisted Jiang Shao was a thief and attempted to justify his actions, even accusing Li Huaijin of complicity due to their past connection. However, Li Huaijin boldly exposed Cao Han's true motive: to secretly assassinate Jiang Shao because he was the late emperor's illegitimate son. At this critical moment, Jinzhan stepped forward, publicly confirming Jiang Shao's royal lineage by declaring herself the former empress.
Cao Han initially dismissed her, claiming the empress was in the palace, and accused them of fabricating lies and disrespecting the royal family. But as the confrontation escalated, Xue Rong himself arrived at the mansion. Visibly disappointed by Cao Han's behavior, he questioned him. When Cao Han's own men failed to corroborate his claim that Jiang Shao stole documents, the assembled ministers began to murmur, suspecting Cao Han's actions stemmed from Jiang Shao's true identity.
Jiang Shao, seizing the moment, firmly declared before everyone that he was indeed the late emperor's son, offering a wooden plate as proof. He described the plate, noting its unique jade piece cut from the late emperor's own jade pendant, a detail corroborated by an elder minister who recalled the late emperor's notched jade. Jiang Shao stated the wooden plate was hidden and would take three days to retrieve.
Despite Cao Han's protests, the ministers, witnessing the dramatic revelations, urged Xue Rong to grant Jiang Shao three days to produce the evidence. Xue Rong, visibly shaken by Jiang Shao's public confession, agreed. Jiang Shao, with conviction, promised to return with the wooden plate, or willingly face the charge of impersonating royalty and accept death.
After the dramatic confrontation, Xue Rong, with a stony face, ordered the former empress, Jinzhan, to be taken back to the palace and initially wanted Jiang Shao brought there as well. However, Grand Tutor Lyu intervened, suggesting that keeping Jiang Shao at Li Huaijin's residence for the three-day period would be more practical for retrieving the wooden plate and safer, given Li Huaijin's integrity and royal connections.
Suppressing his anger, Xue Rong agreed, and ordered Cao Han to be imprisoned for investigation. He declared that if Jiang Shao's identity was verified, Cao Han would be stripped of all his official positions and exiled a thousand miles away. Li Huaijin brought Jiang Shao to his mansion, offering a room and feigned concern, asking about the wooden plate's location. Jiang Shao courteously declined any immediate assistance, saying he would reveal details in a few days.
Alone in the room, Jiang Shao reflected on his deep bond with Xue Rong, clutching an arrowhead, a symbol of their "life-and-death" friendship, recalling Xue Rong's promise of unwavering support for whenever Jiang Shao needed him. Meanwhile, in the palace, Xue Rong confided in Yuzhan, expressing his confusion and betrayal. He recalled Jiang Shao's previous vows to shun the throne and keep his identity secret, yet he had publicly revealed it.
Despite his doubts, Xue Rong admitted he still wanted to see Jiang Shao as his most trusted brother, asking Yuzhan for guidance. Yuzhan, in turn, reassured him, saying he already knew his true feelings about Jiang Shao and promising her unwavering support for whatever decision he made, believing it would lead to happiness for all.
Jinzhan, now imprisoned in the cold palace, chafed against the guards who reminded her she was no longer empress and defied the Emperor's orders at her peril, but she remained defiant, demanding to know how long Xue Rong intended to keep her confined. In the imperial court, Prince Wei faced severe impeachment from numerous officials for Jinzhan's fabricated death and subsequent public exposure. He humbly offered his commander’s tally to Xue Rong as a sign of penance.
However, Xue Rong, instead of accepting the tally, chose to punish Prince Wei by confiscating three years of his remuneration, urging him to reflect and lead by example. Later, at his own mansion, Prince Wei lamented Jinzhan's recklessness to his daughter, Chai Zhenzhen, explaining that Jinzhan had caused a great disaster by exposing her identity before prominent ministers and was now imprisoned in the cold palace.
Zhenzhen, concerned, went to visit Jinzhan, who, defiant in her confinement, reiterated that Jiang Shao's life was at risk if he failed to produce the wooden plate within three days. Zhenzhen then went to see her brother, Xue Rong, pleading with him to return the wooden plate to Jiang Shao. She conveyed Jinzhan's warning that Jiang Shao would face a death sentence for impersonating royalty if he failed to present the evidence.
Xue Rong, however, steadfastly refused, explaining that confirming Jiang Shao's identity would inevitably lead to widespread discussion about the succession and his own throne, a risk he was unwilling to take. He dismissed Zhenzhen's emotional appeals, telling her that the matter was more complicated than she understood. The following day, Chai Zhenzhen returned to the cold palace, distraught after her unsuccessful plea to Xue Rong.
She found Jinzhan seemingly asleep and urged her to wake up, reminding her of Jiang Shao's impending fate. Jinzhan revealed she was "resting to gather strength for action tonight": she intended to steal the wooden plate from Xue Rong, as it was the only way to save Jiang Shao, and she asked Zhenzhen for help. Zhenzhen, accepting the task, visited Jiang Shao at Li Huaijin's mansion.
She informed him that she and Jinzhan knew his true identity and that Xue Rong refused to return the wooden plate. Jiang Shao, understanding her unspoken intention, immediately sensed their plan. He asked Zhenzhen if they intended to steal the wooden plate from the Emperor, and she confirmed Jinzhan's resolve. Jiang Shao, however, urged Zhenzhen to strongly dissuade Jinzhan from such a reckless act, reiterating that she must not steal the wooden plate for him. Unbeknownst to them, Li Huaijin was eavesdropping outside the room, having learned that the crucial wooden plate was in the Emperor's possession and that Jinzhan planned to steal it.
