My Divine Emissary Episode 22 Recap
> My Divine Emissary Recap
The palace was adorned with festive decorations, and Li Mengmeng found it beautiful. A maid told her that it would look the same tomorrow, as it was the day of her wedding to His Majesty. Li Mengmeng expressed a desire to go for a walk, as she hadn't been out in a long time. The maids quickly stopped her, saying it was best not to go out before the wedding.
Li Mengmeng argued that the tradition in the Qi Kingdom only forbade the bride and groom from seeing each other before the wedding, not the bride from going out, especially since she wasn't going to see Qi Yan. The maids persisted, expressing concern they might meet in the vast palace. When the maids knelt to block her path, Li Mengmeng realized they were hiding something from her.
Li Mengmeng went to find Qi Yan and saw many ministers kneeling outside his palace. She confronted him, asking why he had hidden things from her, having learned about the situation. Qi Yan asked her to come inside, sit down, and calm herself, reminding her she needed to be a beautiful bride the next day. Li Mengmeng expressed concern that she had become a target for the outside forces who wished to see their own daughters in the palace.
She suggested they postpone the wedding. Qi Yan refused, explaining that the Empress Dowager had approved the marriage and it could not be easily postponed. Li Mengmeng then asked him if he would choose between the throne and her, acknowledging his ambition to rule and fulfill his dreams. She told him she didn't need or want him to give up his aspirations for her.
Qi Yan insisted he could not be without her and promised to protect both her and the world with all his might. Li Mengmeng reflected on her situation, feeling selfish because she was someone who could leave at any time. She then told Qi Yan that she might return home shortly. Qi Yan asked Li Mengmeng when she might leave, and she replied she didn't know yet.
He suggested waiting until after their wedding and promised to accompany her, eager to learn about her hometown and see if it was as remarkable as she described. Li Mengmeng then asked Qi Yan if he remembered the first time they met. He recalled her suddenly appearing from a water urn during the rain-summoning ritual, thinking she had hidden there.
Li Mengmeng corrected him, explaining that one second she was at Linzhou Bridge in her hometown, and the next she had time traveled to the urn in the Qi Kingdom. She shared her fear that her departure might be just as sudden and unexpected as her arrival, potentially time traveling back without warning. Qi Yan reminded her that she had promised she wouldn't leave unless they broke up. She apologized.
Qi Yan reassured her, saying it was alright and there was certainly a solution. He comforted her not to cry and instructed Lu Huan to fetch her books. Qi Yan searched through Li Mengmeng's books for any information about the term "time travel". He summoned Zhen Xu, who reported that he also could not find any definition or explanation for "time travel". Frustrated by the lack of answers, Qi Yan threw the book down.
He explained to Zhen Xu that Li Mengmeng had suddenly told him she might return home just as unexpectedly as she arrived, claiming she was a time traveler. He was desperate to understand what "time travel" meant. A voiceover echoed Li Mengmeng's fear that she might suddenly travel back one day. On the wedding day, as the auspicious time approached, a maid called for Li Mengmeng. Li Mengmeng, sitting before a mirror, found herself becoming partially transparent.
When she tried to open the door, her hand passed through the handle as if it were air. Meanwhile, Qi Yan was happily preparing for the ceremony. A eunuch interrupted him with the news that the Emissary, Li Mengmeng, was missing. Qi Yan rushed to Lingtai Pavilion to find her, searching everywhere. He continued his frantic search from day into the night, with Lu Huan and Zhen Xu assisting him.
Zhen Xu remarked on how heartlessly Li Mengmeng had left without saying goodbye to Qi Yan. Lu Huan cautioned him not to let the Emperor hear such talk. Zhen Xu argued that it was obvious she had simply left. Qi Yan told them not to follow him and went to a secluded spot where they had once watched the stars. He called out "Mengmeng!" asking if she was truly going to leave him alone in this place.
He turned and saw her, transparent. He rushed towards her, attempting to embrace her, but his arms passed through her form. He asked when this began. Li Mengmeng told him it started with the first rain in Yang City. She explained that from that moment, she knew her body would disappear upon touching rain. Qi Yan asked why she hid this from him and was leaving him without a word, abandoning him here.
Li Mengmeng replied that she knew he would be very sad, which was why she didn't tell him. She expressed her own deep sadness and frustration at her condition, lamenting that she was right beside him, yet he could not see her. Qi Yan apologized for getting angry. Qi Yan asked Li Mengmeng where she would go if she disappeared, wondering if it was back to her hometown. He asked how he could possibly find her.
Li Mengmeng asked him to remember that if she disappeared one day, she would always be by his side, no matter where he was. Qi Yan emphatically declared he didn't want her to disappear and would not let her. Li Mengmeng felt she had ruined their grand wedding.
Qi Yan then spoke of the wedding traditions of the Qi Kingdom, contrasting them with the customs she had described from her hometown, emphasizing their bond as husband and wife by drinking the wedding wine together, promising to be together forever. Immediately after dismissing the morning audience, Qi Yan rushed to find Li Mengmeng. He told her she shouldn't go out alone without him.
Li Mengmeng said she wasn't going far, just to see the Empress Dowager, and that someone was accompanying her. Qi Yan insisted on accompanying her. The sky darkened, threatening rain. Maids brought umbrellas. Qi Yan, clearly anxious about the potential rain, appeared distressed. He told her not to go out alone, even if she just wanted a walk after eating, suggesting she walk indoors instead. She refused to walk inside.
Qi Yan agreed she could go outside but under a condition and summoned Lu Huan, who arrived with items Qi Yan had prepared. Lu Huan presented the items Qi Yan requested: a rain cloak and shoe covers. Qi Yan explained these were what he prepared and instructed Li Mengmeng to put them on. Upset by this protective measure, Li Mengmeng refused point-blank, saying she wouldn't go out.
Qi Yan explained that he was simply afraid she would suddenly disappear again and he wouldn't know how to find her. Li Mengmeng acknowledged his fear of the rain affecting her but protested that she could not stay indoors every day or constantly be so cautious whenever it rained. She believed they should live in the present and cherish their time together, asking if he truly wanted their future memories to be of constrained and hesitant moments like these.
Qi Yan apologized. Since she wouldn't go out, Li Mengmeng suggested they play games indoors, and they were later shown playing cards together. While bathing, Li Mengmeng saw visions of her mother and someone named Duo, making her question if she had briefly returned to her own time. She later told Qi Yan that she didn't want to leave him, but she had seen her mother and felt she was needed back home.
She explained that during her bath, she suddenly returned to her hometown. The day before, in a puddle in the Imperial Garden, she saw herself lying sick in bed with her mother crying beside her, reinforcing the feeling that her mother needed her. She revealed that her condition had worsened; she was now becoming transparent even without touching rain or water, indicating she may be close to returning home permanently. Seeking a solution, Qi Yan summoned Zhen Xu.
Zhen Xu explained that Li Mengmeng's arrival from another realm was outside the natural order of things and something he had never encountered. He stated he needed time to research and calculate but admitted he could not predict how long it would take. Qi Yan pressed him on what would happen if she couldn't find a way back to her world.
Zhen Xu gravely explained that because Li Mengmeng was from another realm and didn't belong in the Qi Kingdom, her very existence there defied natural laws. Although she could currently recover from her transparency, everything in the world followed inherent rules, and if she continued to violate the natural order by remaining, she might ultimately cease to exist. Qi Yan was stunned by this revelation. Qi Yan was walking alone when Li Mengmeng appeared before him.
He told her he had come to a realization: she did not belong solely to him. If she was ultimately meant to leave the Qi Kingdom and return to her own life, then he believed it should be him who sends her off. Li Mengmeng tearfully told him she couldn't bear to part with him. He assured her that he knew how she felt. She then asked him to promise her one thing before she potentially leaves: that they go to see the ocean together. He readily agreed.
