Nancheng Banquet Episode 23 Recap
> Nancheng Banquet Recap
Fu Xiao confronted the masked figure, recognizing him as the one responsible for the massacre of her family and village fifteen years prior. She attacked, and the masked man's subordinates proved no match for her. As she moved towards the masked figure, a masked woman intervened. Fu Xiao tore off the woman's mask, revealing her to be a subordinate, confirming the masked man was indeed Xiao Quan. As Fu Xiao prepared to kill Xiao Quan, Bai Yi appeared, stopping her.
Bai Yi claimed that the suffering in Ning State was caused by Qin Yan and demanded Fu Xiao hand over a jade ring. Fu Xiao refused, stating she could not stand by and watch Yan Changyun die unjustly or allow Bai Yi to ruin Nancheng State. Bai Yi insisted the Qin family deserved death, citing Qin Wenzhong for killing countless Ning soldiers and Qin Yan for causing him to lose his legs.
He declared he could finally fulfill Ning State's grand ambition and return to royalty with honor, offering to take Fu Xiao with him. Fu Xiao countered that he was the one being stubborn, questioning how he could start another war between two countries for personal gain. Bai Yi ordered her to be silenced. Just as he made his move, Uncle Lei arrived with reinforcements to aid Fu Xiao.
Uncle Lei was severely wounded protecting Fu Xiao, while Qing Li was killed by Uncle Lei. Uncle Lei managed to lead Fu Xiao away. Knowing that the jade ring containing critical evidence was being taken back towards the capital, Xiao Quan realized he could not return to the capital and decided to remain outside for now, aiming to preserve strength and find a way to save the Queen.
Severely injured, Uncle Lei spoke to A Cheng, asking him to relay a message to Yan Changyun: asking him not to hold his past mistakes regarding Chu Yue against him. Uncle Lei also apologized to Fu Xiao, urging her to ensure the contents of the jade ring returned to clear the Qin family's name, stating that if the evidence could bring justice, he would die without regret.
In his final moments, he expressed his only lingering worry was Chu Yue and his failure as a father, and he asked Fu Xiao to help fulfill Chu Yue's greatest wish to marry Yan Changyun. Fu Xiao promised she would. In the imperial court, ministers were divided regarding Qin Yan (Yan Changyun), some supporting him, others calling for his immediate execution. Fu Xiao was brought into the palace by Wei Tianjiao.
She presented the jade ring and revealed the secret contained within: a silk cloth. She announced this was the tripartite agreement from the Guan You incident fifteen years ago, proving that Xiao Quan had colluded with General Guo Zhen and the Ning royal family, secretly spreading a powder/substance among the troops to frame Duke Dingguo Qin Wenzhong and orchestrate the incident, leading to the Emperor's decree to annihilate the Qin family. She declared Xiao Quan was the true mastermind.
The Emperor, seeing the evidence, ordered Xiao Quan's immediate arrest. He then ordered Qin Yan released from prison. However, the Grand Empress Dowager arrived and intervened, forbidding Qin Yan's release. She questioned the authenticity of the document, arguing the Guan You incident had been settled by the Emperor himself, and could not be overturned based on an unverified paper.
Fu Xiao vehemently defended Yan Changyun, asserting that the person who committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor was Xiao Quan, who fabricated the injustice. Seeing the heated dispute, the Emperor postponed the decision and adjourned the court. Later that night, the Emperor went to the prison. Outside the cell, he heard the sound of a Jade bone whistle, indicating Fu Xiao's return. The Emperor showed Qin Yan the silk cloth containing the truth.
He proposed a plan to cooperate, stating that "Qin Yan must die." Qin Yan, though he knew the Emperor now knew the truth, remained detained because the Emperor felt bound by circumstance; releasing him would make it difficult to explain to the people of Nancheng State, and royal prestige was paramount. In the face of upholding the empire, sometimes right and wrong were not the most important. Meanwhile, in the palace, people avoided those from the Queen's Fengyi Palace.
The Queen learned through gossip that her brother, Lord Xiao, was the conspirator behind the Guan You incident and had fled. Devastated, she confronted the Emperor, offering her own life to spare her brother's. The Emperor acknowledged her sincerity and did not implicate her in her brother's crime, stating that Xiao Quan's crimes had nothing to do with her. However, the Grand Empress Dowager arrived, demanding the childless Queen be banished to the cold palace after four years of marriage.
The Emperor, no longer willing to be controlled, asserted his authority, saying he should have been making his own decisions long ago, and ordered his attendants to escort the Grand Empress Dowager back to her residence. He told the Queen he had his own plans and she should focus on recovering in the palace. Chu Yue mourned by her father Lei's memorial. Fu Xiao arrived to pay her respects.
Chu Yue directed her resentment at Fu Xiao, blaming her for her father's death and for Yan Changyun being imprisoned, feeling that since Fu Xiao appeared, everything had changed, ruining her hopes of being with Yan Changyun forever as her man. Fu Xiao told Chu Yue she would leave Yan Changyun but would never forgive or bless Chu Yue, viewing her as selfish and unworthy of true love because she only thought of herself.
Fu Xiao coerced Feng, a eunuch, to accompany her to the prison with a forged imperial edict. She read the decree, supposedly from the Emperor, banishing Yan Changyun from the capital permanently as punishment for his alleged crimes, with his past service used to mitigate the sentence, due to the Emperor's benevolence. Yan Changyun immediately recognized the edict was fake and knew the Emperor would not release him, as it would be politically impossible to explain to the world.
He told Fu Xiao he couldn't leave and couldn't implicate her in such a dangerous act of forging an edict. Despite his refusal, Fu Xiao insisted he come with her, saying she wouldn't want to live if he died, believing risking her life for him was worth it. When he still refused, Fu Xiao knocked him unconscious and set fire to the prison. The next day, Fu Xiao confessed her actions to the Emperor.
The Emperor was furious, listing her crimes: coercing the eunuch, forging the edict, freeing Yan Changyun, and burning the prison, stating each was unforgivable. He ordered Yan Changyun pursued. Fu Xiao threatened to kill herself if the Emperor did not spare Yan Changyun. She offered to marry him and serve him for life in exchange for Yan Changyun's safety, asking if he would let Yan Changyun live.
Seeing her selflessness, the Emperor accepted her offer, stating that since she had decided, he would grant her wish, but from now on, she must stay by his side forever. He ordered the Ministry of Rites to prepare for her ennoblement as a consort. While unconscious, Yan Changyun was taken out of the capital by A Cheng. When he awoke, he asked about Fu Xiao.
A Cheng informed him they had left the capital, but Fu Xiao had stayed behind in the palace. Shocked, Yan Changyun learned Fu Xiao had forged the edict to save him and was now marrying the Emperor, with the ennoblement ceremony set for the second day of the second month, stating she was going to become a Royal Noble Consort. Hearing this, Yan Changyun reacted with pain and coughed up blood.
A Cheng told him returning now would be futile and would negate Fu Xiao's sacrifice. A Cheng then gave him something Fu Xiao had asked him to deliver before they left. Fu Xiao found herself by a river, recalling memories of being with Yan Changyun, realizing her beloved was gone. She then visited the military camp, finding it unchanged but Yan Changyun absent. The Emperor came looking for her, knowing she would be there.
Fu Xiao told him her final request was that on her wedding day, she wanted to be married from Yan Changyun's former residence. The Emperor agreed. Fu Xiao visited the Queen, who was restricted to her palace and looked pale, suffering from a "heart sickness." Fu Xiao informed her she was marrying the Emperor. The Queen asked about Yan Changyun, and Fu Xiao lied, saying he was burned to death in the prison fire.
The Queen expressed sympathy, seeing Fu Xiao as unfortunate like herself, unable to marry the man she loved and feeling like a pawn in larger schemes despite her love. She asked Fu Xiao to forget Yan Changyun and take good care of the Emperor on her behalf. Fu Xiao stated she had made up her mind that even marrying the Emperor, she would maintain her distance and never cross the line, asserting the Emperor still belonged to the Queen. The Queen responded sadly, suggesting she might not be able to stay by the Emperor's side much longer in the future.
