My Uncanny Destiny Episode 3 Recap
> My Uncanny Destiny Recap
Two eunuchs were overheard discussing how His Majesty Liu Xuanming was recently injured outside the city but fortunately rescued and brought back to the palace for treatment. Tan Rang interrupted the two eunuchs, killed them, and took their waist tokens. Meanwhile, in the Shanggong Department, Ye Zhaonan faced constant harassment from Ke Qianyue, who would punish or berate her for minor reasons. Despite Ke Qianyue's attempts to make things difficult, Ye Zhaonan remained defiant.
Ke Qianyue noted that Ye Zhaonan's fierce gaze when angered was remarkably similar to Liu Xuanming's. Master Yao Hu had arranged for Ye Zhaonan to serve Liu Xuanming in his bedchamber during the day and return to the Shanggong Department for work at night, making her life quite difficult. Although various schemes were used against her, Ye Zhaonan managed to evade them. Ke Qianyue, puzzled by Liu Xuanming's interest in Ye Zhaonan, accused her of using some kind of charm.
Ye Zhaonan, observing Ke Qianyue's lack of understanding about Liu Xuanming's preferences, claimed that Liu Xuanming disliked gentle women and instead preferred those who were rough and fierce with him. She spun a tale about binding him in the main hall and beating him severely, which she asserted made him so happy he stayed up all night, even asking her not to stop.
Believing this elaborate lie, Ke Qianyue's attitude towards Ye Zhaonan seemed to improve, and she even suggested Ye Zhaonan align herself with her. Princess Yun Luo of Xuanyue City, finding palace life dull, was drinking and poured itchy powder, presented as tribute from Tianmu City, into Liu Xuanming's bathwater. When her attendant Xiaoyao expressed concern about His Majesty finding out, Yun Luo dismissed it, citing the need for some fun in her boring life.
Xiaoyao mentioned Princess Qimeng was arriving and suggested Yun Luo could spend time with her, but Yun Luo expressed strong dislike for Tianmu people, viewing them as arrogant bullies who troubled smaller cities despite their own internal issues. Yun Luo then proposed they go find the palace maid named Sanmei, the one who had saved her brother, the King. Liu Xuanming was discussing the impending arrival of Princess Qimeng with an attendant.
He planned to use the proposed marriage to leverage Tianmu City's military strength to attack Muxi City and eliminate Ye Zhaonan. The attendant raised concerns about Liu Xuanming's previous promise to cede Ercheng territory and pay 100,000 taels of gold as a dowry, noting Ercheng was Xuanyue's land and the gold represented years of tax revenue. Liu Xuanming revealed that the promise was merely a temporary measure ("expediency") to ensure Princess Qimeng's arrival.
Once they were in Xuanyue, he intended to orchestrate an objection to the terms, giving him a reason to refuse. He inquired about the Tianmu envoy and was told it was the renowned Yi Yangjun. Princess Qimeng arrived shortly thereafter, expressing her admiration for Liu Xuanming. The attendant privately worried that no one would dare object to Tianmu's terms due to fear. Liu Xuanming began experiencing itchiness in his bathwater.
He discovered a pendant in the water, which his attendant identified as belonging to the maid named Sanmei. Liu Xuanming ordered Sanmei to be summoned. While Liu Xuanming was dealing with the itchy bath, Ke Qianyue, dressed in a warrior outfit and holding a large hammer, arrived, acting aggressively. She declared she finally knew his taste, based on what Sanmei had told her about his preference for rough women. Liu Xuanming, seeing her attire, questioned her actions.
When she explained they were based on Sanmei's information, Liu Xuanming realized Ye Zhaonan had deceived Ke Qianyue and called Ye Zhaonan a little fox spirit. He ordered Ke Qianyue to withdraw. Liu Xuanming confronted Ye Zhaonan (Sanmei), asking why she had deceived Ke Qianyue and if she sought revenge on Ke Qianyue or him. Ye Zhaonan boldly stated she wanted revenge on both.
Liu Xuanming called her scheming and calculating, accusing her of being ungrateful despite him rescuing her, and tossing her to Ke Qianyue, who tortured her. Ye Zhaonan retorted that she would rather engage intimately with a close stool than with him. Liu Xuanming, seemingly amused by her defiance, challenged her to seek revenge openly if she was dissatisfied. Ye Zhaonan immediately struck him.
Finding her fierce and rough behavior appealing, Liu Xuanming punished her by sending her to the Xiguan Department to scrub close stools, specifically mentioning Ke Qianyue's close stool was particularly difficult to clean. At the Xiguan Department, two individuals, identified as Guan and Feng Lei, discussed their relief that "that girl" (Ye Zhaonan) hadn't exposed them and hadn't succeeded in their plan. They saw Ye Zhaonan being brought in and quickly lowered their heads to avoid being recognized.
An individual identified as "Old Guan" (potentially the foreman) introduced Ye Zhaonan as the new handyman and instructed another worker, also referred to as "Lao Guan," to teach her how to scrub close stools. Princess Yun Luo appeared, telling Liu Xuanming she had witnessed the events at the bath chambers. She believed Sanmei showed potential and suggested Liu Xuanming utilize her abilities to enrich and strengthen Xuanyue, conquer Muxi, and eliminate Ye Zhaonan. Liu Xuanming did not respond immediately.
Yun Luo then mentioned her ankle hurt, and Liu Xuanming carried her on his back. While doing so, he spoke about his determination to conquer Muxi City and hand-slay Ye Zhaonan. Ye Zhaonan recognized Guan and Feng Lei upon seeing them, calling one "Dad" and the other "Big Brother," assuming they were the family she vaguely knew. They attempted to deny knowing her, claiming they were eunuchs and that she had mistaken them.
Ye Zhaonan, initially having thought they were guards, was surprised to find they were eunuchs. Guan and Feng Lei apologized for deceiving her, explaining they were living incognito under different names due to a deep-seated blood feud against Liu Xuanming and had to hide their family connection to fulfill their vow for revenge. They mentioned a third person, Zhao Jing, and explained the reason for their differing surnames was to avoid suspicion.
They told Ye Zhaonan her surname was Guan and she was called Sanmei. Ye Zhaonan, unable to remember anything about her past, expressed doubt about their story but said she would believe them if they could help her recall her memories. Later, finding Ye Zhaonan's snoring too loud, Guan and Feng Lei (and potentially Zhao Jing) decided to use a sleeping drug and hypnosis to implant false memories.
While Ye Zhaonan was unconscious, they spoke to her, describing a wealthy and loving family and portraying her as their cherished, precious daughter/sister. Ye Zhaonan awoke with these implanted memories, believing Guan and Feng Lei (and presumably Zhao Jing) were her true family (father and brothers). She accepted that their entire family, except for the four of them, had been lost and resolved to work together to kill Liu Xuanming for revenge.
They discussed the increased palace security that followed their previous attempt which involved subduing Liu Xuanming's guards, making a direct attack difficult. However, they identified Liu Xuanming's upcoming marriage banquet for Princess Qimeng as a significant event that would provide a good opportunity to strike ("fish in troubled waters"). Meanwhile, Zhilan was seen being treated harshly by someone who called her an unappreciative thing and ordered her to go to the Xiguan Department to scrub close stools.
Later, Tan Rang was seen inquiring about the person Liu Xuanming brought back from outside the city, who was reportedly in the Xiguan Department. Tan Rang found Ye Zhaonan there and said, "Ye Zhaonan, you actually hid here!"
