Legend of Yun Xi Episode 20 Recap
> Legend of Yun Xi Recap
The Empress Dowager met with Han Yunxi, firmly stating that Yunxi held no leverage to bargain. Despite Yunxi’s desperate plea to see her mother, even just once, the Empress Dowager adamantly refused, offering instead another of her mother’s possessions. When Yunxi persisted, the Empress Dowager threatened to ensure she would never see her mother again. Recognizing her powerlessness, Yunxi yielded and requested to see her mother’s belongings.
The Empress Dowager then led Yunxi to a secret chamber she claimed contained her mother’s things. Yunxi’s hopes surged as she recognized the chamber’s layout, identical to her mother’s pharmacy, and found a cherished medicine bottle bearing a unique iris painted over a crack—a detail only her mother would have added. The Empress Dowager confirmed Yunxi’s mother was alive, promising a reunion if Yunxi remained obedient, before dismissing her.
Senior Servant Gui later noted to the Empress Dowager that Princess Consort Qin seemed genuinely touched, believing she would now serve them faithfully. Meanwhile, urgent military news arrived from the border for the Emperor. He requested Prince Qin to wait in the Imperial Garden pavilion, claiming pressing matters. Prince Qin suggested someone play chess with him, prompting the Emperor to summon Crown Prince Tianmo, secretly instructing him to closely monitor Prince Qin. However, Prince Qin held an advantage.
He subtly reminded Tianmo about a gu-abetted kid and the Crown Prince's lost Poison Scripture, hinting at a shared secret. Prince Qin expressed a desire to return to his mansion without the Emperor's knowledge, asking Tianmo to cover for him to avoid misunderstandings. Tianmo, recalling the Emperor’s recent displeasure over the Grand Marshal’s past actions, hesitated. Prince Qin further pressed, implying that exposing the gu-abetted kid would harm them both, and advised Tianmo to focus on their chess game.
The Emperor faced significant political woes. He was furious that border residents had attacked his army for mere grains, ordering their execution and public display as a warning. He also announced increased border provisions and taxation. His officials, wary of the Ministry of Revenue's habitual deceit, requested the Emperor personally oversee the timely and accurate distribution of military funds, leading him to summon the Minister of Revenue.
The Minister reported the national treasury was dry, attributing it to continuous wars, southern floods, and the Grand Marshal’s corruption through various pretexts and heavy taxation, causing severe deficits. Enraged, the Emperor demanded all Ministry of Revenue account books for his personal review. Concurrently, the unconscious Poison Master, accompanied by the Second Prince, was being transported in a carriage towards the palace.
As they reached Vermilion Bird Street, the Emperor's lead guard, Wind, known as the Wind Tribe's martial ace, sensed something amiss—the street was deserted. He realized it was an ambush. Arrows rained down, followed by the appearance of masked assailants. The Second Prince cowered inside the carriage. Wind, however, adeptly defended against his attackers. From the rooftops, a masked figure, Prince Qin, descended and engaged Wind in a fierce, evenly matched battle.
An observer, Gu Beiyue, disguised as an Imperial Doctor, recognized the formidable skills of both combatants and his own insufficient martial prowess to intervene directly, resolving instead to track them. As the intense fight continued, Prince Qin’s gu poison unexpectedly flared. Before he could be severely wounded, Tang Li arrived, deflecting Wind’s arrows using the Rain Needle technique and aiding Prince Qin. With Tang Li’s timely intervention, Prince Qin successfully seized the Poison Master.
Prince Qin, Tang Li, and their men proceeded to transport the Poison Master on a cart. They were soon intercepted by masked Xifeng. Prince Qin, feeling his gu poison surge earlier than anticipated, learned that Princess Consort Qin had unknowingly added herbs to his cakes that counteracted Baili Mingxiang's medicine, causing the early onset of his gu symptoms. Just then, Gu Qishao's group launched an attack, seizing the opportune moment.
During the intense skirmish, Prince Qin, to protect the Poison Master and repel the assailants, unleashed his internal energy, causing his gu poison to fully erupt. His eyes turned red and his hair whitened as he transformed into a gu-abetted man. This transformation granted him immense power, which he used to battle Gu Qishao’s forces, driving them into retreat.
As the effects of the gu-abetted transformation began to wane, and Prince Qin reverted to his normal appearance, he urgently instructed Tang Li to transport the Poison Master to Solitude Pavilion and ordered Xifeng to immediately escort him back to the palace, knowing that his absence would directly reveal their involvement in the rescue. Back at the palace, the Emperor was incensed.
He had discovered that Prince Qin had distributed the Grand Marshal’s embezzled funds directly to the people, effectively securing their loyalty and leaving the national treasury severely depleted. This forced the Emperor to draw from his private vault to fund military provisions. After handling these affairs, the Emperor returned to the Imperial Garden, intending to resume his chess game with Prince Qin. He found his servants had left their posts and Prince Qin was nowhere to be found.
He angrily dispatched Li Quan to search the washroom. Just as the Emperor’s fury peaked, Prince Qin opportunely returned, claiming he had been admiring the beautiful blossoms in the garden and had momentarily lost track of time. The Emperor, having no proof to the contrary, accepted the explanation and invited Prince Qin to continue their game.
Han Yunxi, having decided to be completely open with Prince Qin, resolved to confess her ties to the Empress Dowager, believing her mother’s situation was far too complex for her to handle alone and that honesty was crucial to protect him. She sought out Prince Qin in the Imperial Garden.
As the Emperor was about to resume his chess game with Prince Qin, Prince Qin showed signs of discomfort and attempted to decline playing, causing the Emperor to express concern and order an Imperial Doctor summoned. Han Yunxi then arrived. Prince Qin stated that with his consort’s medical skills, he required no other physicians, which pleased the Emperor, who praised Yunxi’s abilities.
Soon after, the Second Prince approached the Emperor, reporting that the Poison Master had been rescued by a gu-abetted man. Noticing Prince Qin’s physical discomfort, the Emperor, now suspicious, suggested a spar between Prince Qin and his bodyguard, Wind. Han Yunxi, secretly using silver needles to suppress Prince Qin’s poison, attempted to decline the spar on his behalf, but Prince Qin subtly stopped her, fearing she might inadvertently offend the Emperor or expose his condition.
Prince Qin engaged in the spar, successfully avoiding any major flaws or a full gu poison outbreak. As he turned to leave, his eyes briefly turned red. Wind, the imperial bodyguard, later reported to the Emperor that Prince Qin’s fighting style during the spar was different from that of the masked kidnapper. At Prince Qin’s Mansion, Baili Mingxiang was informed that Han Yunxi was a spy for the Empress Dowager, having secretly relayed messages.
Mingxiang, distressed by this revelation and connecting it to Prince Qin’s current deteriorating health, feared Yunxi’s actions could expose Prince Qin’s secret identity to the Empress Dowager. She immediately reported to Consort Dowager Yi, calling Yunxi a spy. Shortly after, as Han Yunxi and Xifeng helped a weakened Prince Qin return to the mansion, Baili Mingxiang confronted Yunxi, accusing her of deliberately harming Prince Qin with the cakes.
Yunxi insisted they were antidotes, but Mingxiang dismissed her claims, declaring Prince Qin’s condition was entirely Yunxi’s fault. Mingxiang then slapped Yunxi and threatened to lock her in the woodshed for Consort Dowager Yi to punish. Consort Dowager Yi arrived, dismissed Yunxi’s attempts at explanation, and ordered Senior Servant Gui to confine her to the woodshed, stating she would deal with her after Prince Qin recovered. Consort Dowager Yi then went to Prince Qin, concerned by his condition.
Prince Qin reassured her that his illness was minor, a result of exertion and a backlash from his martial arts during the spar, with Baili Mingxiang and Tang Li present to care for him. In the aftermath, the Emperor’s intensive search for the Poison Master and the masked figures yielded no results. He berated the Second Prince for his incompetence and ordered him confined and isolated, with an investigation into any potential links to the kidnappers.
The sudden appearance of the mysterious gu-abetted man also remained without a lead, prompting the Emperor to demand a continued, thorough search throughout the capital. Meanwhile, Crown Prince Tianmo acknowledged that although their plan to seize the Poison Master failed, it successfully undermined the Second Prince's relationship with the Emperor. At Prince Qin’s mansion, Baili Mingxiang worried over Prince Qin (Long Feiye), who remained in a coma.
Tang Li and Xifeng explained that the recent, short interval between poison attacks had severely weakened his body, prolonging his recovery. Blaming Han Yunxi for Prince Qin’s state, Baili Mingxiang declared her intent to use her precious Beauty Blood to save him. Tang Li and Xifeng intervened, warning her that repeated blood extractions could endanger her own life.
However, Baili Mingxiang insisted, stating that her life’s purpose was to save Prince Qin, and if he perished, her existence would be meaningless. They urged her to preserve herself, as she was crucial for curing his gu poison.
