My Divine Emissary Episode 15 Recap
> My Divine Emissary Recap
Li Mengmeng was preparing to leave the Sai Residence to attend the Lantern Festival when Qi Yan encountered her and Li Tao, questioning their presence. Sai Xue emerged and told them she had matters to attend to, suggesting Li Mengmeng and the others go ahead. Li Mengmeng, Qi Yan, and Li Tao went to the Lantern Festival. Li Tao offered to buy Li Mengmeng new clothes for the occasion.
Li Mengmeng initially declined, saying she was short on money, but Li Tao insisted he would buy them. Qi Yan questioned Li Tao's relationship to Li Mengmeng and why he felt entitled to buy her clothes. The two men began to argue. Li Mengmeng intervened, telling them to stop quarreling and stating she would buy her own clothes. Inside a clothes shop, they looked at expensive garments, but Li Mengmeng expressed a preference for something simpler.
Meanwhile, Kong An and Lu Huan were secretly investigating Li Tao. They checked his room in the Sai Residence and found the bed tidy with no signs of having been slept in, concluding he was not there the previous night. They speculated he might have returned to his former lodging in the city before he moved into the Sai Residence. The three arrived at an archery stall where prizes could be won by hitting the bull's-eye.
Li Mengmeng saw a cute dog plushie and liked it. Qi Yan offered to win it for her, and Li Tao immediately challenged him. The two men competed fiercely in archery. Qi Yan ultimately won the plushie. Li Tao accused Qi Yan of doing it on purpose, which Qi Yan openly admitted, asking what difference it made who won. To diffuse the tension, Li Mengmeng quickly said she was hungry and suggested they go eat.
While they were eating, Sai Xue arrived, saying she had finally found them and hadn't missed the most important part of the festival. She offered Qi Yan a special Yang City steamed bun, which he accepted and reciprocated. Li Mengmeng watched them, feeling a sense of unease. Sai Xue then produced two red ropes, explaining it was a Lantern Festival tradition where couples tie themselves together and win a reward if they stay together until the end of the festival.
She invited Qi Yan to participate with her, and he readily agreed, saying he would be honored. Li Tao scoffed, questioning why Qi Yan, as one of the richest men in Qi Kingdom, would care about such a small reward. Qi Yan replied it was about following local customs. Seeing Qi Yan and Sai Xue participating together, Li Mengmeng turned away, seemingly disappointed.
Later, it was revealed that before they left the Sai Residence, Qi Yan had asked Sai Xue to help him stage a scene, implying their public display of closeness was part of a plan. Li Mengmeng saw Qi Yan and Sai Xue folding lanterns together, which further contributed to her feelings of disappointment. As they were folding lanterns, Li Mengmeng asked Li Tao if liking someone required a reason.
Li Tao responded that it did not, explaining that if there was a reason, it would feel like a calculation rather than genuine affection. He admitted he already had someone he liked, but added that his feelings for Li Mengmeng were his own and unaffected by her preferences, stating she would eventually come to like him. Observing Li Mengmeng and Qi Yan, Sai Xue expressed envy for Li Mengmeng, who had such a devoted gentleman pursuing and protecting her.
Qi Yan countered that Sai Xue didn't fully understand how much Li Mengmeng had done for him in return. Sai Xue remarked that they needed to work harder to achieve their goals. Suddenly, fireworks lit up the sky. Sai Xue excitedly called Li Mengmeng to watch. The four of them watched the fireworks. Sai Xue leaned onto Qi Yan's shoulder.
Li Mengmeng watched their figures and thought that even if she weren't with him, Qi Yan would still have someone to watch fireworks with and would still be liked by other people. Eventually, Li Mengmeng and Qi Yan found themselves alone. Qi Yan urged her to tell him any hardships or reasons she had for keeping things from him, telling her not to bear it alone. Li Mengmeng maintained that he had mistaken her for someone else.
Qi Yan responded that if he had made a mistake, he would take back the bracelet he had given her. Li Mengmeng protested, saying one should not take back a gift once given. Qi Yan pressed her for any other reasons or excuses she might have. She finally said she had none. With the misunderstandings cleared, they reconciled and shared a deep embrace under the fireworks.
Later, Kong An reported to Qi Yan, addressing him as "Your Majesty," that he had found a clue. He had searched Li Tao's previous residence and found a blueprint of the Sai Residence. Qi Yan noted the map and suspected it was connected to the disaster relief grain. He ordered Kong An to continue monitoring Li Tao, believing he could be the key to uncovering the truth about the grain.
Meanwhile, Master Sai returned to the Sai Residence and was dismayed to hear widespread rumors in Yang City that his family possessed a large quantity of grain and was looking for buyers. Some wealthy families had already been making inquiries. He questioned his staff sternly about the source of the rumors. Sai Xue greeted her father upon his return and inquired about the guests. Master Sai informed her she would see them later that evening.
That night, Master Sai hosted a dinner with Sai Xue, Qi Yan (still posing as Mister Yan), Li Mengmeng, and Li Tao. Master Sai and Qi Yan discussed business. Qi Yan brought up the possibility of purchasing grain from the Sai family, referencing the rumors. Master Sai dismissed the rumors as nonsense spread by someone trying to frame him, mentioning the court's ban on private grain sales.
Qi Yan countered that while he didn't know if the rumors were true, he understood that holding onto such a large quantity of grain could be problematic, like sticky candy. He stated his advantage as being financially capable and offered to buy the grain at three times the market price if Master Sai did indeed possess it. Master Sai, while still cautious, said that if he had the grain, he would certainly do business with Qi Yan.
During the dinner, Master Sai instructed Sai Xue to take Li Mengmeng to see some fabrics he had brought back and also mentioned returning Li Mengmeng's indentured servitude paper. A servant was sent to retrieve the paper. As the servant was heading back, a subordinate of Li Tao intercepted him, asking for Li Mengmeng's package to return it to her. The subordinate then gave the package containing the paper to Li Tao.
Li Tao opened the package and read the document, realizing with shock that Qi Yan was the Emperor of Qi Kingdom. Following the dinner, Li Mengmeng was looking for Qi Yan in the dark. A man, who was Li Tao's subordinate, offered to guide her, saying he saw Qi Yan go that way. Li Mengmeng noted that the man looked unfamiliar.
The man led her deeper into the dark area before leaving her, revealing to himself that this was a trap planned for "the Second Prince" (implying Li Tao planned it). Li Mengmeng fell into a dry well. Hearing her call out, Qi Yan immediately jumped in after her. In the well, Li Mengmeng confessed her deep feelings for Qi Yan, telling him she liked him very, very much and was serious.
She apologized for previously feeling she didn't belong and thinking they would have to part ways, stating she now wanted to cherish every day they had together. Qi Yan accepted her feelings and explained his own, saying he had likely grown accustomed to her presence and felt irritable whenever she wasn't around, echoing Li Tao's earlier words about liking someone needing no reason. Li Mengmeng said she loved him because he was always there when she needed him.
Just then, Lu Huan and Kong An arrived, calling down to them, but also accidentally fell into the well. They discovered a large amount of stored rice at the bottom of the dry well, realizing it was the disaster relief grain that had gone missing and was guarded by the Sai family's escort service. Qi Yan explained that the man who led Li Mengmeng to the well was intentionally setting a trap.
He understood that Li Tao, who was the Second Prince of Ximi, had discovered the grain and intentionally led them here. Since the quantity of grain was too large for Li Tao to move secretly, he planned to use Qi Yan as a scapegoat, letting him "discover" the grain and then potentially seizing it from him later. Knowing Li Tao's identity and true purpose, Qi Yan then whispered his own counter-plan to Lu Huan and Kong An.
