Nirvana in Fire Recap, Plot, Synopsis
Nirvana in Fire Synopsis
Twelve years ago, more than 70,000 soldiers of the Chiyan Army were completely annihilated. They died unjustly in Mei Ling, leaving only the young commander Lin Shu to survive.
Twelve years later, Lin Shu was reborn as Mei Changsu, a “Qilin Talent” who established the Jiangzuo League and returned to the imperial capital as the first talent in the “Langgya List”.
He was burdened with a blood feud and secretly helped his childhood friend Prince Jing in the struggle between the Crown Prince and Prince Yu.
At the same time, he met his fiancee, Mu Nihuang, the princess of Yunnan, but cannot face each other.
The story of Mei Changsu, who is sick and frail, sets out on a dark and thrilling road to win the throne in order to seek redress for injustice and to revive the country.
Nirvana in Fire Recap
Episode 1 Recap
The tragic battlefield, blood-soaked robes, his father's scarred figure. " Xiao Shu, live on, for the Chiyan Army, live on". . . Mei Changsu woke up once again from the nightmare of the Meiling bloodbath 12 years ago. He caressed the character "Lin" engraved on the Chiyan Army bracelet, unable to calm his emotions, remaining silent for a long time.
Lin Chen, head of the Langya Hall of Liang, received news that the Sixth Prince of Bei Yan, who had no background and the weakest influence, had been appointed as the Crown Prince.
At the same time, Prince Yu of Liang, who was inspecting Jiangzuo, and the Crown Prince in the capital simultaneously learned that the reason the Sixth Prince was able to stand out was because he had obtained the secret from a Langya Hall silk pouch: "Qilin Talent, obtaining him can win the world." The Emperor of Liang was old.
The Crown Prince and Prince Yu had been contending for the throne for many years, and both sides were equally matched, unable to overcome each other.
Prince Yu had performed meritorious service during his inspection of Jiangzuo, and the Emperor of Liang intended to bestow upon him the title of Seven-Pearled Prince, which worried the Crown Prince even more; Prince Yu once again killed the assassin sent by the Crown Prince, knowing full well that he and the Crown Prince were now irreconcilable, and if he didn't advance, he would perish.
Prince Yu and the Crown Prince's trusted associate, Zhuo Dingfeng, the master of Tianquan Manor, both went to Langya Hall to inquire about the identity of the Qilin Talent, and learned that the Qilin Talent was Mei Changsu, who was known as the "Top of the Langya List, Sir Mei of Jiangzuo." The Crown Prince and Prince Yu, to get ahead and win this person over, both prepared lavish gifts and sent people to visit him.
Zhuo Qingyao, the eldest son of the Zhuo family, escorted an elderly couple who were filing a complaint against the relatives of Duke Qingguo into the capital, was pursued and attacked by Ji Ying, the leader of the Shuangsha Gang, and mistakenly trespassed into Jiangzuo Alliance territory. Mei Changsu arrived with his personal bodyguard Fei Liu, and stopped Ji Ying. The Zhuo family safely delivered the elderly couple to the Censorate's yamen.
Xiao Jingrui, the eldest son of the Marquis of Ningguo, and his friend Yan Yujin, the young master of the Imperial Uncle's manor, were preparing to welcome their jianghu friend Mei Changsu into the capital to recuperate.
While strolling in Langzhou, they unexpectedly met a Great Yu envoy entering the capital, and they discussed how, after the Meiling bloodbath between Great Liang and Great Yu 12 years ago, exchanges between the two countries had been minimal, feeling it strange that the envoy was heading to the capital.
In the Jiangzuo Alliance, Mei Changsu told Lin Chen that he had decided to go to the capital with Xiao Jingrui, stay at the Ningguo Marquis Manor, and begin implementing the grand plan he had long plotted. Lin Chen took Mei Changsu's pulse, and his condition was not optimistic. Lin Chen tried to prevent Mei Changsu from going to the capital.
Mei Changsu said he could not wait any longer, and asked Lin Chen to find a way to maintain his life for two years, which left Lin Chen feeling deeply helpless. Mei Changsu, Xiao Jingrui, and Yan Yujin traveled to the foot of Jinling city, stepping on the old ground again, Mei Changsu gazed into the distance, filled with emotion. At this moment, Princess Nihuang returned to the capital, and also arrived at the city gate.
She sparred with Xiao and Yan, praising them for their progress. Mei Changsu peeked from behind the sedan curtain for a long time but did not reveal himself. Inside the Ningguo Marquis Manor, Mei Changsu checked in under the alias Su Zhe. Upon first meeting Mei Changsu, Xie Yu, the Marquis of Ningguo, recalled someone from the past and had a sense of déjà vu.
Inside the imperial palace, the Emperor of Liang was preparing to set up a martial arts competition ring below Yingfeng Tower for Nihuang, to choose a consort for her. Nihuang proposed to individually spar with the top ten winners of the civil exam, and the victor among them would be selected, receiving the Emperor of Liang's approval.
The Emperor of Liang summoned Xia Dong, the Mirror Holder of the Xuanjing Division, and sent her with a secret imperial decree to Bingzhou, to secretly investigate the case of the Duke Qingguo's relatives encroaching on land. Nihuang and Xia Dong were former acquaintances in the military, and shared a deep and profound bond.
Because she could not forget that her husband Nie Feng was killed by the commander of the Lin family, Xia Dong was very concerned about Nihuang adhering to her old engagement with the Lin family, but still hoped Nihuang would find happiness. Nihuang told Xia Dong that the Emperor had other intentions, and if she could not choose a suitable consort this time, her fate would be grim.
Episode 2 Recap
Inside the imperial palace, the Emperor of Liang was very pleased to learn that besides Southern Chu, neighboring countries were also interested in proposing marriage to Princess Nihuang.
It turned out that after Nihuang's younger brother Mu Qing took charge of the Yunnan Princely Manor, the Emperor of Liang was still worried that Nihuang's prestige in the south was too high, and that the world only knew Prince Mu and not the Emperor of Liang, so he wanted to marry Nihuang off to weaken the Mu family's military power in the south.
Prince Yu selected two contestants intending to participate in Princess Nihuang's martial arts competition for choosing a consort, to strengthen his military power, but both were defeated by Meng Zhi, the Commander of the Imperial Guard and the second ranked person on the Langya List, and were reprimanded by Prince Yu. Prince Yu searched for Mei Changsu but could not find him, and was quite worried that the Crown Prince would get there first.
Fei Liu, who was mentally challenged but had top-notch martial arts skills, was playing in the Marquis manor, which led Meng Zhi, who had come for discussions, to make a move. Fei Liu's skills made Xie Yu suspicious, and as a result, both the Crown Prince and Prince Yu learned that Su Zhe was the Qilin Talent, Mei Changsu. Prince Yu intended to first invite the Empress to meet Mei Changsu.
Xie Yu advised the Crown Prince: If he is not a friend, he is an enemy. If Mei Changsu cannot be obtained, he must be immediately eliminated. Nihuang saw Xia Dong off, and they exchanged reminders, unexpectedly meeting Prince Jing, Xiao Jingyan, who was returning to camp after a rotation.
Xia Dong believed that when the Xuanjing Division investigated the Chiyan case back then, the Lin family's rebellion was supported by solid evidence, but Prince Jing never believed it and spoke mockingly whenever they met, hence the deep estrangement between the two for the past decade. Xia Dong also advised Nihuang not to believe her brother Lin Shu and ruin her life. Nihuang remained silent. The two held their own opinions. Prince Jing was aloof and stubborn.
Although he had accumulated numerous military achievements, he had been largely ignored by the Emperor of Liang for many years and had not yet obtained the title of Prince. Prince Jing requested an audience with the Emperor and waited outside the palace for over an hour before the Emperor of Liang remembered him. Because he had not changed out of his military uniform and had a stubborn temperament, he was reprimanded by the Crown Prince and the Emperor.
At the Xie manor, Xie Bi, the second son of the Xie family, mediated at the behest of Prince Yu, inviting the Empress and Nihuang as guests to the Ningguo Marquis Manor, intending to win over Mei Changsu. He was stopped by Xiao Jingrui, who was upright and did not want his friend to be in a difficult situation. The martial arts competition for choosing a consort officially began.
Mu Qing, the young Prince of Yunnan, was quite worried about his sister's marriage. Mei Changsu saw their deep sibling affection and felt greatly comforted. The Crown Prince and Prince Yu came together before Mei Changsu's tent, vying to curry favor with the Qilin Talent. The Empress Dowager summoned them. Before entering the hall, Mei Changsu instructed Fei Liu to be obedient, saying she was the most amiable grandmother in the world.
The Empress Dowager, so old she could no longer remember who was who, asked Xiao Jingrui, Yan Yujin, and others about themselves one by one. When she called Mei Changsu to her side, she actually called out the name "Xiao Shu". She then called Nihuang to her side and asked when the two of them would get married. The onlookers all thought the Empress Dowager was confused. Mei Changsu knelt before her, his emotions complicated.
When the Empress Dowager retorted to the Empress: Didn't the two of them get engaged? Hearing this, Mei Changsu's heart surged, and he grasped Nihuang's hand. Nihuang had doubts in her heart. When she probed, Mei Changsu cleverly evaded the question. Mei Changsu happily strolled through the palace with Nihuang. He greatly cherished the moments spent with her. As the two were chatting, they encountered an eunuch beating a young minor offender slave in the Yeyou Court.
Episode 3 Recap
The young slave being beaten by the eunuch was Ting Sheng, whom Prince Jing had been secretly caring for. Nihuang and Prince Jing, who arrived, together shouted the eunuch away. The 11-year-old Ting Sheng loved to read. Mei Changsu saw Prince Jing's special care for Ting Sheng, promised to teach Ting Sheng to read, and proactively promised Prince Jing to find a way to rescue Ting Sheng.
Nihuang's younger brother Mu Qing was worried that his sister was being deceived by Mei Changsu, so he sent someone to probe her martial arts skills, but she was shouted away by Meng Zhi. It turned out that Meng Zhi was a former member of the Chiyan Army.
Although she had not met Mei Changsu for 12 years, the two had been communicating through letters, and she had already recognized Mei Changsu as Lin Shu when she was at the Ningguo Duke's Manor. In her letters, she knew that Lin Shu's appearance had changed greatly due to injuries and illness, but she never expected him to be completely unrecognizable, making it difficult to distinguish his true appearance. Meng Zhi visited Xue Lu at night.
Mei Changsu was worried about implicating the Meng family and tried to dissuade Meng Zhi. But Meng Zhi firmly believed in the loyalty of the Lin family and was determined to help him succeed. When asked about the Meiling injustice case, Mei Changsu fell into painful memories. He only told Meng Zhi that the seventy thousand Chiyan Army had been almost completely annihilated and that he would recount the details later one by one.
Inside the palace, the Empress and Consort Yue vied to recommend candidates for the consort to the Emperor of Liang. The Emperor of Liang was noncommittal and decreed that Mei Changsu, recommended by Nihuang, would preside over the literary test of the martial arts competition for choosing a consort. At the martial arts arena, Bailiqi from Northern Yan had an extremely ugly appearance but possessed unparalleled martial arts skills, and no one could match him.
The Emperor of Liang feared that Nihuang's marriage would make Northern Yan even stronger, and wanted to prevent this dark horse that had suddenly emerged. Therefore, he hosted a banquet in the palace for the candidates who had entered the top ten of the literary test, as a delaying tactic to plan slowly. Xiao Jingrui and Yan Yujin were worried about Nihuang and consulted Mei Changsu for a solution.
Xiao Jingrui wanted to fight with all his might, hoping only to injure Bailiqi, so that Nihuang would have a better chance when facing him in the match. Xiao Jingrui had a special background. When he was born, Princess Liyang became friends at first sight with the wife of Zhuo Dingfeng, the master of Tianquan Manor. The two stayed together to await childbirth and gave birth at the same time.
Due to an accident, the two babies were mixed up, making their identities indistinguishable, and one of them died suddenly the next day. Therefore, the Emperor of Liang bestowed the imperial surname upon him and named him Xiao Jingrui. He lived one year with the Xie family and one year with the Zhuo family, being the son of two families, and the two families thus became close like one family.
Later, Zhuo Dingfeng's eldest son Zhuo Qingyao married the Xie family's eldest daughter Xie Qi, further strengthening the family ties. Mu Qing was dissatisfied with Bailiqi's victory and declared that if he were to marry Nihuang, he would find someone to cripple him. At the banquet, Prince Yu proposed that the candidates spar on the spot to liven things up. Xiao Jingrui was the first to challenge but was no match for Bailiqi.
Episode 4 Recap
The Emperor of Liang reluctantly called a halt to the match. Mei Changsu offered a plan on the spot, pointing out that Bailiqi's martial arts skills were too rigid and could be defeated by just a few children. Mei Changsu used retreat as a means to advance, provoking Northern Yan to accept a battle in five days on the spot.
The Emperor of Liang approved Mei Changsu's proposal, and Meng Zhi personally selected three young children from Yeyou Court to participate in the match, Ting Sheng being one of them. Consort Hui was punished to light candles at the late Empress Dowager's Buddhist shrine, and Prince Jing's mother, Consort Jing, accompanied her.
The two of them unintentionally heard a maidservant asking Granny Wu for the aphrodisiac liquor "Qing Si Rao" – which had once been used by the late Empress Dowager on Princess Liyang – knowing it was nothing good, they felt very uneasy. Mei Changsu told Fei Liu that speed was the key to victory and asked him to urge the three young children to intensify their training.
Nihuang visited Xue Lu, stating to Mei Changsu that her situation was difficult and she had no way out, asking him to turn the tide, and stating that she didn't know why she deeply trusted Mei Changsu. Mei Changsu told her to rest assured, saying he would definitely handle it properly. While having an audience with the Grand Empress Dowager, Consort Jing passed a message to Princess Liyang by means of a sachet.
Princess Liyang accepted the invitation and met with Consort Jing. Consort Jing informed her that someone in the palace was going to use "Qing Si Rao," and the two of them coincidentally thought that the victim would be Nihuang. Consort Jing requested Princess Liyang to rescue Nihuang. Princess Liyang went to the Mu Manor to deliver the message, but because Nihuang and Mu Qing were out, she could not meet them. This matter was learned by Xie Yu.
The three young children made significant progress and received Mei Changsu's praise. Prince Jing came to Xue Lu to visit Ting Sheng, mocking Mei Changsu for being willing to be an advisor, and asked him whether he would choose the Crown Prince or Prince Yu. Mei Changsu took the opportunity to express his true intentions, stating he was willing to choose Prince Jing and assist him in contending for the throne.
Hearing this, Prince Jing chuckled despite himself, self-mockingly saying that his mother's family was not prominent, his connections were weak, the Emperor of Liang neglected him, his situation was difficult, the throne was definitely between Prince Yu and the Crown Prince, and he himself had no hope whatsoever.
But, although the throne was distant like floating clouds, if he could sever the path to supreme power for the Crown Prince and Prince Yu, Prince Jing was willing to pay any price. Late at night, Meng Zhi snuck into Xue Lu and learned that Ting Sheng was the posthumous child of Prince Qi. Mei Changsu informed her that he intended to support Prince Jing, which was met with opposition from Meng Zhi.
Mei Changsu was determined, stating that to redress the grievous wrong, he was willing to bear all the blame and responsibility for this. At this moment, Princess Liyang paid a sudden visit and told Mei Changsu about the "Qing Si Rao" incident, asking him to remind Nihuang to be careful and guard against it. Meng Zhi, who was behind the screen, heard this matter and felt deeply indignant. The two of them already knew that whoever invited Nihuang to enter the palace tomorrow was the mastermind behind the scenes.
Episode 5 Recap
On the day of the match between Bailiqi and the three young children, Prince Jing and Nihuang arrived at Wuying Hall early. Mei Changsu took the opportunity to tell Nihuang that Princess Liyang reminded her to be careful of dark schemes in the inner palace, and to be especially cautious of things taken orally. The Emperor of Liang led the crowd to gather in the main hall to watch the match.
Bailiqi was no match for the sword formation of the three young children and was injured; the Emperor of Liang was greatly pleased. Bailiqi was forced to withdraw from the martial arts competition for marriage. Nihuang requested the Emperor of Liang to lift the three young children's status as criminal slaves and take them back to her manor for training, which the Emperor of Liang granted. Tingsheng finally gained his freedom.
After the banquet, Nihuang questioned that Bailiqi's defeat was strange. Mei Changsu admitted that Bailiqi was a member of the Jiangzuo Alliance, and his arrangement was to prevent someone Nihuang disliked from being among the top ten contestants, in order to gain a favor from the Mu Manor of Yunnan. Just as they were about to talk in depth, the Empress summoned Nihuang to Zhengyang Palace for a chat.
The two looked at each other and both thought the Empress intended to harm Nihuang. Nihuang was wary and followed the maidservant into Zhengyang Palace, but she did not touch a drop of anything. On the way out of the palace, Mei Changsu learned from Xiao Jingrui and Yan Yujin that the person recommended by Prince Yu's manor, Liao Yanjie, had invited them to play polo outside the palace.
Only then did he realize that the one attempting to harm Nihuang was not Prince Yu and the Empress, but the Crown Prince and Consort Yue. He was overwhelmed with anxiety and anger, causing his old illness to recur. Meng Zhi arrived and sent Xiao and Yan away. Mei Changsu instructed her to immediately inform Prince Jing, the Empress, and Mu Qing to rescue Nihuang according to the plan.
At this moment, Consort Yue had already taken Nihuang from the Empress's palace to her own Zhaoren Palace. Consort Yue talked and drank with Nihuang on the topic of local customs from her hometown. Nihuang thought the poisoner was the Empress; seeing Consort Yue raise her cup and drink it all, she lowered her guard and drank the "Qing Si Rao". A maidservant reported that the Crown Prince and Sima Lei wished to see her.
Nihuang noticed something was amiss, stood up to take her leave, but felt dizzy and her steps were unsteady. With the last shred of her clear mind, she knocked down Sima Lei. As soon as she rushed out of the hall, she fainted into the arms of Prince Jing, who had forced his way into the palace.
Prince Jing wanted to rescue Nihuang from Zhaoren Palace, but Consort Yue and the Crown Prince were so deranged that they ordered the guards to shoot and kill Prince Jing. Prince Jing, in a moment of quick thinking, held the Crown Prince hostage with his sword, and the two sides were locked in a standoff. At the critical moment, the Empress arrived with the Grand Empress Dowager and took the two away from Zhaoren Palace.
Nihuang woke up and furiously went to Yangju Hall, demanding justice from the Emperor of Liang. Consort Yue argued in every way. Just as Nihuang was helpless, Prince Jing came to testify. Consort Yue, using retreat as a means to advance, outright denied everything. At this time, Meng Zhi entered the hall and reported that an external official, Sima Lei, had been apprehended outside Zhaoren Palace.
Upon hearing this, Consort Yue's face turned ashen; knowing she could no longer deny it, she had no choice but to sacrifice a pawn to save the general, falsely claiming that the Crown Prince was unaware and she took full responsibility. The Emperor of Liang demoted her to consort, banished her to the cold palace, and confined her there for self-reflection.
Episode 6 Recap
The Crown Prince was confined for three months. After the Emperor of Liang dealt with Consort Yue and the Crown Prince, he was quite suspicious of Prince Jing's actions. He questioned Prince Jing as to why he forcefully entered Zhaoren Palace. While Prince Jing was in a difficult position, Prince Yu, guided by Mei Changsu, arrived in time.
He falsely claimed that he had entered the palace to greet his mother consort, saw the Crown Prince bring an outside official into the inner palace, and learned that Nihuang was also inside, sensing something was wrong, he then asked Prince Jing, who was passing by, to enter Zhaoyang Palace to ascertain the situation. The Emperor of Liang knew that Prince Yu had always been closely watching the Crown Prince and believed everything he said was true.
Prince Yu was therefore rewarded. Although Prince Jing had performed a meritorious service in saving the Princess, his act of holding the Crown Prince at knifepoint was an act of insubordination, so his merits and demerits cancelled each other out. Nihuang thought Prince Jing was entrusted by Mei Changsu to rescue her, but Prince Jing vehemently denied it. Both of them had doubts, so they went together to inquire Meng Zhi.
Inside Zhengyang Palace, Prince Yu and the Empress analyzed the whole incident. Prince Yu recalled Mei Changsu's guidance to him and his overall strategic planning, feeling that his thinking was meticulous and his schemes were exceptional, which further strengthened his resolve to bring him under his command. Nihuang stated directly that Meng Zhi had a master behind her giving her guidance, and Meng Zhi, who wanted to hide it, had no choice but to admit it.
The three analyzed that the biggest winner in this matter was Prince Yu, who gained four advantages in one go. Prince Jing, however, had other thoughts; he knew that the real winner was himself! He risked his life to save her, and Nihuang would surely be immensely grateful, thus gaining the support of the Mu family from Lingnan.
Prince Jing arranged to meet with Mei Changsu and questioned him why he used Nihuang's danger as a stepping stone for his own advancement. Mei Changsu had no way to defend himself and felt pain in his heart. He promised Prince Jing that he would not cross his bottom line. But he also told Prince Jing earnestly that if he wanted to win, mere passion would not be enough; he must be more ruthless and cautious than his enemies.
Good generals and loyal officials who should be utilized must still be utilized, but ensure their safety as much as possible to achieve great undertakings. Prince Jing said that he could not forget that his best friend was harmed by villains, asking Mei Changsu to understand. To gain Prince Jing's sincere trust, Mei Changsu confessed that he already knew Tingsheng's true identity but had not harmed Prince Jing because of it, thus seeking Prince Jing's full trust.
In the Ningguo Marquis manor, Zhuo Qingyao secretly reported to Xie Yu that Xia Dong, while investigating the case of the Duke of Qingguo, had discovered that it was Tianquan Manor that escorted the elderly couple who filed the complaint to the capital. To hide the secret of his support for the Crown Prince and maintain his neutral external identity, Xie Yu decided to intercept and kill Xia Dong.
To keep track of Mei Changsu's movements, Xie Yu, under the guise of concern, had Xiao Jingrui inform him of his needs at all times. His excessive enthusiasm made Xiao Jingrui feel it was unusual, and he was extremely depressed. Xiao Jingrui and Yan Yujin were relaxing in the suburbs and happened to encounter the injured Xia Dong. The two of them joined forces with Xia Dong to fight the enemies, defeated the assassins, and captured the leader alive. Xia Dong interrogated the identity of the mastermind, and the leader replied: Prince Yu.
Episode 7 Recap
Xia Dong did not believe it was Prince Yu who instructed it, and was preparing to continue the interrogation when suddenly a barrage of arrows came, shooting the leader dead. Xiao Jingrui and Yan Yujin were concerned about Xia Dong and escorted her into the city. Zhuo Qingyao had been following closely behind them the whole time. Mei Changsu was preparing to move out of Ningguo Marquis manor.
He was taken by Mu Qing to see a house, and only then discovered that Princess Nihuang was already waiting quietly in the garden. The two of them walked and talked. Princess Nihuang grew suspicious of Mei Changsu's identity; she probed with every sentence, pressing closer step by step, and led him to the front gate of the old residence of the Chiyan Army commander's mansion. Upon suddenly seeing his old residence, Mei Changsu felt extremely sorrowful.
He feared he wouldn't be able to control himself, that his emotions would show, and that Princess Nihuang would spot a flaw, so he refused to enter and look around, thus saying goodbye and leaving. Princess Nihuang watched his retreating figure, and the doubts in her heart remained. Princess Nihuang showed no mercy, defeating and eliminating the remaining martial arts winners one by one, and presented a memorial asking for punishment.
The Emperor of Liang was very angry upon seeing that the martial arts competition for marriage had failed and that he couldn't get Princess Nihuang married into the capital as he wished. He believed that the Yunnan royal mansion was powerful and influential, and that she shouldn't be allowed to return to Yunnan easily. Xie Bi was interfered with by Xie Yu, who disallowed him from serving Prince Yu anymore, and he complained to Xiao Jingrui.
In their conversation, he revealed that he had been acting under his father's instructions and had served Prince Yu for two years, and that his father was a supporter of the Crown Prince. This matter greatly shocked Xiao Jingrui. Xia Dong visited Mei Changsu and had a disagreement with Fei Liu; the two sides sparred, and Xia Dong was defeated.
For the happiness and safety of Princess Nihuang, Xia Dong directly asked Mei Changsu if he had feelings of admiration for Princess Nihuang. Mei Changsu suppressed the bitterness in his heart and replied that he was frail and weak and could not be a burden to Princess Nihuang, wishing only for a gentleman's acquaintance. Xia Dong encountered Xie Yu as she left Xue Lu.
She confronted him directly about his secret support for the Crown Prince and the fact that he had instructed assassins to intercept and kill her in the capital's suburbs. But remembering that Xie Yu had brought back the remains of her deceased husband, Nie Feng, years ago, she therefore would not report it or pursue the matter further, settling the scores between them. The case of the Duke of Qingguo's land encroachment had been pending.
The Crown Prince and Prince Yu competed to be the chief judge, but the Emperor of Liang did not approve either. Meng Zhi seized the opportunity to suggest to the Emperor of Liang that the Duke of Qingguo held a high and influential position and needed a prince to preside over the trial, making the Emperor of Liang think of Prince Jing. In a few days, Prince Jing was summoned into the palace, and he was appointed the chief judge.
Mei Changsu bought Lan Garden and invited Xiao Jingrui and Yan Yujin to explore the garden together. Because it had been in disrepair for many years, the garden was overgrown with weeds and felt eerily chilling. Yan Yujin almost fell into a dry well and carelessly dropped his jade pendant. Xiao Jingrui climbed down the well by rope to search and discovered human skeletons in the well.
The Jingzhao Magistrate's office, which rushed there after being notified, actually dug out more than ten female skeletons from under the well! The "Dry Well Body Hiding Case" was appalling and shocked the capital. The Crown Prince and Xie Yu knew that the mastermind behind Princess Nihuang's danger was Mei Changsu, concluded that he had aligned with Prince Yu, and decided to eliminate him. Xie Yu sent Zhuo Dingfeng to test the waters first.
Episode 8 Recap
On his way back to Xue Lu, Mei Changsu was assassinated by Zhuo Dingfeng, and Fei Liu flew to his rescue. Mei Changsu observed with cold eyes, not calling out other hidden guards. Meng Zhi, who was coming to see Mei Changsu, encountered this and quickly drew her sword to help. Zhuo Dingfeng took the opportunity to retreat. Zhuo told Xie Yu that Mei Changsu only had Fei Liu as a guard by his side.
The two of them decided on a plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Jingzhao Magistrate Gao Sheng investigated and found that the owner of Lan Garden was named Zhang Jin, who died of illness 4 years ago. This person owned multiple places of entertainment in the capital during his lifetime, with Lan Garden being his private residence. Currently, adult males from the Zhang family have been brought to the capital for interrogation.
While the Jingzhao Magistrate was investigating, Minister Lou was desperately begging the Crown Prince for help. It turned out that officials were not allowed to visit prostitutes in the Liang dynasty. Lan Garden, ostensibly a private residence, was secretly a brothel that hosted court officials, and Minister Lou was one of its regular customers. The female corpses in the dry well were girls accidentally killed by these officials. Minister Lou also had several lives on his hands.
At this time, Shi Jun, a trusted manager of Lan Garden, was pursued by Minister Lou for keeping the register recorded by Zhang Jin, and fled to Prince Yu's manor. The register involved many important court officials, and a key minister of the Crown Prince's faction - Minister of Revenue Lou Zhijing - was prominently listed, which attracted Prince Yu's attention.
Shi Jun presented the register to save his life and was ordered to report the case to the Jingzhao Magistrate. Meng Zhi found a garden for Mei Changsu that connected to the back wall of Prince Jing's manor, where a secret tunnel could be built to facilitate secret meetings between the two. Mei Changsu was very satisfied.
Meng Zhi was worried about Prince Jing presiding over the Duke of Qingguo's case, but Mei Changsu said that Prince Jing must take the first step. Prince Yu and his strategist Qin Banruo analyzed that the reason Mei Changsu had not clearly sided with them was that he was testing both himself and the Crown Prince before choosing whom to serve.
After Xiao Jingrui escorted his mother back to her manor, he discovered assassins sneaking into Xue Lu intending to kill Mei Changsu and quickly followed them. After he and Fei Liu jointly repelled the assassins, he did not heed Mei Changsu's dissuasion and pulled off the black scarf from the killer's face, discovering that the deceased was actually a follower who often accompanied his father.
Thinking of his father's antagonistic stance towards Brother Su and the prospects of the Xie manor, Jingrui was both sad and worried. For the sake of their friendship, he advised Mei Changsu to withdraw from the conflict. Mei Changsu said it was impossible and advised him not to worry, but just to maintain his true self. Helmsman Li, who had been secretly protecting Mei Changsu, reported that Mister Thirteen had come to see him.
It turned out that Mister Thirteen was a loyal servant of the Lin manor and had been managing "Miaoyin Court" for the Lin manor with Gong Yu over the years, while secretly collecting intelligence for the Jiangzuo Alliance and monitoring and checking "Hongxiu Mansion". Mister Thirteen investigated and found that Prince Yu's strategist, Qin Banruo, was originally the successor of "Hongxiu Mansion", founded by Princess Xuanji, the last princess of the Hua tribe, and was experienced and cunning.
Because her state was destroyed by Liang, she had been meticulously plotting for years, solely focused on revenge. Gong Yu had already planted her own people around her, and as long as Mei Changsu gave the order, "Hongxiu Mansion" could be destroyed. Mei Changsu decided to keep Qin Banruo as a chess piece. Qin Banruo visited Gao Sheng at night and prompted him to transfer the "Lan Garden Body Hiding Case," a hot potato, to the Ministry of Justice for handling.
Episode 9 Recap
Mei Changsu moved to a new residence, and Dr. Yan and Aunt Ji came to the capital to look after Mei Changsu. Heavy goose-feather snow fell one after another, and Fei Liu played happily, but the frail Mei Changsu was clearly unwell and was driven indoors by Dr. Yan. In the Jingzhao Prefecture, a yamen runner reported that a strange beast had appeared on Xiaogu Mountain, causing unease among the people.
Gao Sheng indeed transferred the "Lan Garden Body Hiding Case" to the Ministry of Justice. Minister of Justice Qi Min is from Prince Yu's faction. Prince Yu ordered him to make it an ironclad case and get rid of Lou Zhijing. Mei Changsu planned to break the claws of the Crown Prince and Prince Yu one by one; Lou Zhijing and the Duke of Qingguo were already fish in a barrel.
He said to Meng Zhi: Prince Yu may not give up and will try to rescue the Duke of Qingguo. As they were talking, Prince Yu arrived. Prince Yu asked Mei Changsu for a plan to save the Duke of Qingguo's life. To get rid of the Duke of Qingguo, Mei Changsu guided Prince Yu patiently.
He said that the land encroachment case was being thoroughly investigated by the Emperor of Liang because he intended to completely stop the trend of land annexation with this one action, and protecting the Duke of Qingguo would mean losing the Emperor's favor. To continue confusing Prince Yu, he pretended to stand on Prince Yu's side and said that sacrificing the Duke of Qingguo would win over Prince Jing, who could then contend with Xie Yu in the military.
His careful analysis hooked Prince Yu. Prince Yu gave up on the Duke of Qingguo and instructed the Ministry of Justice to cooperate with Prince Jing. Xie Yu attempted to assassinate Mei Changsu again, but due to the strict security at the Su residence, he failed miserably. Mei Changsu took Fei Liu to Prince Jing's manor. He used Fei Liu to deliver the gold-threaded soft armor to Tingsheng to protect him.
Mei Changsu guided Prince Jing on how to handle the Duke of Qingguo's land encroachment case, which gained Prince Yu's approval. While chatting, Mei Changsu wanted to touch the vermilion iron bow placed by the wall, which was an old item he had used, but he was sharply stopped by Prince Jing. He explained apologetically that it was a relic of a friend, and this friend disliked strangers touching his things the most during his lifetime.
Mei Changsu was deeply moved in his heart. The Crown Prince and Prince Yu competed to recommend candidates for Minister of Revenue to expand their influence, which annoyed the Emperor of Liang.
Episode 10 Recap
Mei Changsu mentioned Shen Zhui, whom he had previously told Prince Jing to befriend. This person cared about the people's livelihood and was practical in his work, making him the best candidate for Minister of Revenue. At this time, the eunuch Gao Zhan, who was by the Emperor of Liang's side, also mentioned Shen Zhui's name. Because of Shen Zhui's neutral stance, the Emperor of Liang found him more and more suitable the more he thought about it.
Soon, Shen Zhui was officially appointed as Minister of Revenue. Mei Changsu knew that Prince Jing had been fighting battles outside the capital for many years and knew nothing about the affairs of the Six Ministries. He handed the list of officials of the Six Ministries and assistant judges of the Three Judicial Offices, which he had prepared beforehand, to Prince Jing, telling him to feel free to interact with them honestly.
On the training ground, Fei Liu was sparring with Qi Meng. Mei Changsu watched from the side, and Qi Meng intentionally provoked him. Mei Changsu took this opportunity to point out that Prince Jing's army discipline was not strict and rules were lax; he urged Prince Jing to govern his manor strictly and rectify military affairs, preparing for the fight for the throne. Prince Jing suddenly understood and severely punished Qi Meng.
Prince Jing summoned the Three Judicial Offices for deliberation and, according to the list provided by Mei Changsu, appointed the assistant judges. Things proceeded smoothly as Mei Changsu had envisioned. With irrefutable evidence in the "Lan Garden Body Hiding Case," Lou Zhijing was imprisoned and would be executed. Tong Lu disguised himself as a vegetable delivery man and was responsible for transmitting messages between Mei Changsu and Mr. Thirteen.
His younger sister had been harmed by Lou Zhijing in Lan Garden, her injustice unresolved. Now, their family had avenged their grievances and were deeply grateful to Mei Changsu. Mei Changsu targeted the Ministry of Personnel next. At the Yangliu Heart brothel, arranged by Gong Yu, Xin Liu and Xin Yang were prepared and willing to risk their lives to set up Qiu Ze, the son of Wen Yuanbo.
Their younger brother had been beaten to death by Qiu Ze when he was only 13 years old. Gong Yu sowed discord, causing He Wenxin, the only son of He Jingzhong, the Minister of Personnel, to compete with Qiu Ze for attention and get into a big fight. The girls acted according to the plan, and in a fit of rage, He Wenxin beat Qiu Ze to death in front of everyone.
Gao Sheng, the Magistrate of Jingzhao, personally came to arrest He Wenxin but was refused entry. Minister He of the Ministry of Personnel asked Prince Yu for help. Prince Yu's strategist offered advice: Hand over He Wenxin, let Gao Sheng first close the case, and wait until he reports it to the Ministry of Justice, where it is their territory, before making a final decision.
Wen Yuanbo repeatedly questioned the progress of the case at the Ministry of Justice, but was avoided and shirked by Qi Min, the Minister of Justice. The Duke of Ningguo was sentenced to execution in autumn, and his property was confiscated. The case was judged very well, but Prince Jing only received a few words of praise from the Emperor of Liang; while Prince Yu, who behaved magnanimously and caused no trouble, received a generous reward.
The assistant judges all felt it was unfair, but Prince Jing was used to it. Yan Yujin and Xiao Jingrui visited Prince Ji's manor and learned that Prince Ji was at the scene at the time and witnessed He Wenxin kill the man.
Episode 11 Recap
Qin Banruo also found out that Prince Ji witnessed He Wenxin killing the man. She advised Prince Yu not to fall out with his uncle because of a subordinate's son, implicating the Ministry of Justice. Xie Yu reminded the Crown Prince that the top priority was to reinstate Consort Yue. The two devised a plan. Xie Yu rescued the son of Chen Yuanzhi, the Minister of Rites.
He used this favor to demand a return, asking him to submit a memorial requesting an imperial decree. The reason given was the year-end sacrifice, where the Crown Prince needed to touch his parents' garments to the ground. However, the Crown Prince's birth mother, Consort Yue, had been demoted, making her position difficult to arrange. In fact, during the sacrifice, the Crown Prince's principal mother, the Empress, should have presided, but Chen Yuanzhi concealed this.
The Crown Prince and Chen Yuanzhi cleverly presented their case. Xie Yu secretly stirred up the Emperor of Liang's apprehension towards Princess Nihuang. This finally led the Emperor of Liang to agree to reinstate Consort Yue as a Consort. This matter greatly displeased Princess Nihuang, Meng Zhi, Prince Yu, and others. Mei Changsu decided to target Chen Yuanzhi. In the imperial court, Tian Dezhi, the Left Censor-in-Chief, impeached Chen Yuanzhi, the Minister of Rites.
He stated that Chen Yuanzhi, knowing the ritual procedures in court were incorrect, failed to correct them, leading to a Consort usurping the central palace's position and the Crown Prince neglecting filial piety. He argued Chen Yuanzhi should be charged with dereliction of duty, which caused disputes among the officials. Seeing the stalemate, Prince Yu proposed inviting veteran scholars to debate the rituals in the imperial court. In Zhengyang Palace, Prince Yu told the Empress: Mei Changsu is right.
Although this move displeased the Emperor, it emphasized the Crown Prince's status as a son born of a concubine, removing obstacles for deposing the Crown Prince. Princess Nihuang invited Mei Changsu to the Mu Manor to admire plum blossoms. Mei Changsu suggested asking Mu Qing for help to deliver another blow to Consort Yue. Princess Nihuang compared Mei Changsu's handwriting and found it different from what Lin Shu had written years ago, feeling disappointed.
To win against Prince Yu, the Crown Prince spared no expense to invite renowned scholars. Prince Yu felt uneasy and asked Mei Changsu for a good strategy. Mei Changsu sent Mu Qing with his token to Lingyin Temple to invite Zhou Xuanqing, a great scholar who had been living in seclusion for many years. Zhou Xuanqing entered the debate, and Prince Yu's side won completely.
Prince Jing told his mother, Consort Jing, that he had entered the succession struggle and had her support. Zhou Xuanqing met Mei Changsu. Mei Changsu told him he was a student of Old Mr. Li Chong. The token used to invite Zhou Xuanqing - a jade cicada - was a gift from his mentor.
Episode 12 Recap
Zhou Xuanqing and Mei Changsu talked happily and admired him greatly, saying he possessed the spirit of Old Mr. Li Chong. He returned the jade cicada to Mei Changsu. As they parted, the old gentleman said that Li Chong had another favored disciple born into a military family. If he had lived at the same time as him, they could have been called a pair of outstanding talents.
Mei Changsu could not reveal his identity, his heart filled with respect and gratitude towards Mr. Zhou. Princess Nihuang could not hide the doubt in her heart. She rode her horse to the outskirts of the capital and questioned Mei Changsu about his identity. She pointed out that the Jiangzuo Alliance sent Wei Zheng, deputy general of the Chiyan Army's Lin Shu, to support the naval battle in the southern territory.
She analyzed that Mei Changsu's goal in helping Prince Jing seize the throne was to clear the Chiyan Army's unjust case. She questioned why Mei Changsu referred to Lin Shu directly by name instead of "Young Marshal"? After a series of questions, she confirmed that the frail scholar before her was the Lin Shu she had yearned for day and night, the man who was once like a raging storm.
Princess Nihuang tightly hugged Lin Shu, crying uncontrollably, refusing to let go. She called out Lin Shu's name again and again, speaking of her longing. Mei Changsu could not restrain his deep emotions. His heart, once firm as rock, finally softened, and he admitted his identity to Princess Nihuang. The two shared their feelings, comforting their longing.
Seeing that Mu Qing was about to return, Mei Changsu instructed Princess Nihuang to keep his identity a secret, be careful in all matters, and not reveal any flaws. Mei Changsu returned to the Su Manor. He fell ill due to continuous fatigue. Doctor Yan angrily told him to rest for a few days and take care of his body, otherwise the consequences would be severe. Prince Jing met Shen Zhui on the road.
Shen Zhui discovered that there was a problem with the official transport ships. Prince Jing accompanied him to the dock to investigate. The two determined that the official ships must hold a secret. Yan Yujin was very happy to hear that his father, who had been devoted to cultivation, had returned to the mansion. His father's occasional expressions of concern made him extremely happy.
Mr. Thirteen sent someone to track the whereabouts of the black gunpowder from the six official ships, but the subordinate accidentally lost track of the target. The black gunpowder flowed into the capital, its whereabouts unknown, requiring further investigation. Hearing that Mei Changsu was unwell, Prince Yu personally visited to check on him. As the two were talking, a attendant rushed in in a panic to report: The Empress is ill!
Prince Yu hurried his farewell and rushed into the palace. Tong Lu found that four ships of black gunpowder were transported to a private firework workshop near the North Gate. It was opened by the former Minister of Revenue, Lou Zhijing, and most of the income went to the Crown Prince. Mei Changsu instructed that any new information should be given to Shen Zhui. Mei Changsu felt that the Empress's illness was strange and that he might have overlooked something.
He asked Helmsman Li to find the prescription the imperial physician gave to the Empress. Consort Jing discovered that the tea set used by the Empress in Zhengyang Palace was unusual.
Episode 13 Recap
Minister of Personnel He Jingzhong was severely ill and unable to attend court due to his son's imprisonment, causing personnel matters to pile up like mountains and making Prince Yu anxious. Having no other choice, Qin Banruo presented the strategy of 'substituting the plum for the peach'. Yan Yujin and Xiao Jingrui returned from the hot springs to visit Mei Changsu, bringing several baskets of tangerines transported from Lingnan Prefecture. Everyone tasted them together.
Yujin found them as sweet as honey, but Fei Liu peeled one, sniffed it, and then threw it down without eating. Fei Liu's rejection made Mei Changsu realize the tangerines might have a strange smell. Shen Zhui reported to Prince Jing, saying he had found that the waterway transport was smuggling black powder, and it had been transported to the Crown Prince's private firework workshop. Shen Zhui decided to shut down the workshop once the evidence was complete.
Mei Changsu's health weakened day by day. He begged Doctor Yan to let him live a few more days. Prince Jing came to visit and informed Mei Changsu that Consort Jing had discovered that the Empress was poisoned with Soft Hui Grass. This grass is not highly toxic; eating it makes one's limbs weak, and the effect only lasts six or seven days.
Mei Changsu, deep in thought, unconsciously made Lin Shu's habitual gesture, making Prince Jing recall his old friend. Mei Changsu reminded Prince Jing that as the struggle for the throne intensifies, he would soon be pushed to the forefront, and to win, he needed to use sincerity and tactics together to control the situation. Consort Yue recommended to the Emperor of Liang that Consort Xu Shufei perform the Empress's duties during the year-end sacrifice ceremony, gaining the Emperor's great pleasure.
Li Gang reported that the other two ships of black powder were not transported to the private firework workshop, but their whereabouts could not be found. Mei Changsu analyzed that if the powder wasn't made into fireworks, it must be for killing people. He connected the tangerines and the Empress's poisoning to the year-end sacrifice ceremony, realizing the situation was urgent. Disregarding Doctor Yan's obstruction, he hurriedly visited Yan Que.
Yan Que had gone out and not returned, so Yujin sent someone to look for him. Mei Changsu, Yujin, and Jingrui chatted while waiting. Yujin mentioned that he most admired Lin Xiangru, believing he had the greatest demeanor as an envoy. Mei Changsu told him there was such an envoy in their own dynasty. 37 years ago, the three sides, Dayu, Beiyan, and Donghai, formed an alliance, crushing Great Liang with five times the military strength.
This envoy went alone, fearless of death, debated against a crowd of scholars, splitting the three countries and resolving the crisis. Yujin praised him repeatedly. Mei Changsu told him: That person is your father! Yujin was greatly shaken by what he heard. Prince Yu investigated the Empress poisoning case in the palace. He found out it was not the Crown Prince's doing, but the mastermind remained unknown. Yan Que returned to his residence.
Mei Changsu went straight to the point, saying he had found out that Yan Que had buried the gunpowder in the altar. When asked the reason, Yan Que said hatefully: I want to kill him! It turned out that Yan Que, Grand Marshal Lin Xie, and the Emperor of Liang grew up together since childhood, swearing an oath to "share hardship and wealth together".
But after helping the Emperor of Liang ascend the throne, the Emperor of Liang not only enjoyed imperial power alone but also completely disregarded their brotherhood. He knew that Lin Xie's sister, Leyao, and Yan Que had long been deeply in love, but forced her into the palace. Later, Leyao gave birth to Jingyu (Prince Qi), and was granted the title Consort Chen. Yan Que accepted fate and decided to let go.
Unexpectedly, the Chiyan Army case happened again—Jingyu was given death, Leyao committed suicide, and Lin Xie's family suffered misfortune! Yan Que hated the Emperor of Liang for his cold-hearted nature. He pretended to devote himself to asceticism, plotted for many years, and was determined to kill him for revenge. Mei Changsu painstakingly tried to dissuade Yan Que. He said he was merely venting personal anger, not true revenge.
Even if the Emperor died, the Crown Prince and Prince Yu factions would compete, causing unstable court politics and troubled borders; the Chiyan Army's unjust case would not be cleared, and the reputations of relatives and friends would still be tarnished; even Yujin, who had never enjoyed fatherly love, would be implicated. . . At the same time, Meng Zhi, who was patrolling in the palace, took out the fuse buried in the altar.
Episode 14 Recap
Yan Que finally agreed to stop. He asked Mei Changsu why he wanted to help him. Mei Changsu replied: Your Excellency is a person with feelings and righteousness in his heart, I can save one person if I can, please do not act rashly again. Yan Que praised him for his great righteousness, while also sighing that he should not help Prince Yu ascend to power.
Because Prince Yu is most like the Emperor of Liang, ruthless and unrighteous, cold and cruel. At parting, Yan Que pleaded: If disaster arises within the walls in the future, save my son's life! Mei Changsu readily agreed. Prince Yu found a scapegoat, and with the cooperation of the Ministry of Justice, swapped out He Wenxin. Mei Changsu, through the matter of He Jingzhong recovering from illness and attending court, keenly perceived that Prince Yu had tampered with He Wenxin.
Mei Changsu ordered Helmsman Li to go investigate, and also leaked this information to Xie Yu, in order to kill with a borrowed knife and seize the territories of the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice. Although Qi Min had repeatedly instructed He Jingzhong to quickly send He Wenxin away and absolutely not let him celebrate the New Year at home.
But He Wenxin had always been favored, and after being released from prison, he still returned to the mansion once, giving Xie Yu time. Xie Yu and Baron Wenyuan blocked He Wenxin, who was trying to escape, at the gate of the He mansion, and caused a commotion at the Holy Temple, which shook the capital.
On New Year's Eve, every family was happily staying up late, Fei Liu was eating dumplings with high spirits, and the mansion of Duke Ningguo Xie Yu was equally lively. But approaching midnight, Xie Yu dismissed everyone and secretly plotted with Zhuo Dingfeng to assassinate the eunuch delivering food.
Yan Yujin learned from his father that after Mei Changsu's dissuasion, the Yan clan was saved, and on the first day of the Lunar New Year, he specially came to express his gratitude. Xiao Jingrui discussed the chaos in court politics from the case of He Wenxin, remembering Mei Changsu's remark about "establishing the ruler by establishing virtue", which made Yujin guess that Mei Changsu was not truly assisting Prince Yu at all.
The eunuch who routinely left the palace by imperial decree to "bestow food" upon important officials and the accompanying imperial guards were assassinated, which angered the Emperor of Liang. He blamed the Commander of the Imperial Guards, Meng Zhi, for insufficient protection, gave her twenty strokes with the court rod, and ordered her to solve the case within thirty days.
Inside the Duke Ningguo mansion, Xie Yu told Zhuo Dingfeng not to show his face for the time being, and the next step was to have the Jianghu individuals who had already been recruited come forward. In addition, the Emperor of Liang would send the Xuanjing Division to secretly investigate this case, so he should be prepared. Mei Changsu took Fei Liu to the Mu Wang mansion to pay a New Year's call.
A subordinate of the Mu Wang mansion reported the case of the murder on New Year's Eve. Mei Changsu analyzed that it must have been done by the Crown Prince or Prince Yu.
Episode 15 Recap
Xie Yu planned the New Year's Eve murder with the aim of pulling Meng Zhi down from her position and replacing her himself. He had already decided on a plan, link by link, making Meng Zhi completely unprepared. The Emperor of Liang summoned Xia Dong and Xia Chun to the palace, ordering them to secretly conduct a thorough investigation of the New Year's Eve murder case.
After a preliminary investigation, based on the shape of the victims' wounds, Xia Dong believed this case was definitely done by a sword master. Xia Chun suspected the Jiangzuo Alliance, which Xia Dong denied. In her heart, she already suspected Tianquan Manor. Qin Banruo suggested that Prince Yu meet with the Emperor to plead for Meng Zhi, saying this action would neither anger the Emperor nor alienate Meng Zhi, making her owe a favor.
Prince Yu hurriedly entered the palace, brushing past Mei Changsu who was visiting. Prince Yu returned to his mansion, and Mei Changsu frankly said Prince Yu had suffered a hidden loss. Because of this, Prince Yu and Meng Zhi would inevitably arouse suspicion. Mei Changsu reminded Prince Yu to guard against Xie Yu and not let him replace the Commander of the Imperial Guards.
Lin Chen sent a message via carrier pigeon, informing that things were going smoothly on the Southern Chu side. Mei Changsu asked him to make sure to arrive in the capital before the twelfth day of the fourth month. Mei Changsu asked Helmsman Li to notify the Tianji Hall to quickly investigate which masters Tianquan Manor has been in contact with in recent years, and at the same time establish strict control around Xie Yu's mansion.
Thirteen Sir was also investigating which Jianghu masters were staying in the capital. Mei Changsu took Fei Liu to visit Meng Zhi at night. He asked Meng Zhi to wait until the one-month deadline was up and then ask the Emperor to resign. She must not let the Emperor suspect her of participating in factional struggles. Mei Changsu analyzed that the mastermind behind this case must be Xie Yu. He could secretly guide the Xuanjing Division to solve the case.
He asked Meng Zhi to recover from her injuries with peace of mind and quietly wait for good news. Xiao Jingrui unexpectedly encountered Zhuo Qingyao who returned late on the first day of the new year. The two chatted briefly. Afterward, he unintentionally learned from his sister Xie Qi that Zhuo Qingyao claimed he did not go out that night, which inevitably aroused his suspicion. Someone set fire in the palace.
Although the main culprit was shot dead by the Imperial Guards, the Emperor of Liang was still furious. He severely reprimanded the Empress. Consort Yue was very smug. To prevent the Crown Prince's faction from causing trouble, the Empress acted decisively, having a group of palace servants who violated rules beaten to death as a warning to others. Gong Yu, driven by emotion, hid it from Thirteen Sir and secretly came to Su mansion to see Mei Changsu.
Unexpectedly, Mei Changsu had not woken up from his afternoon nap, so she had to leave in disappointment. Xiao Jingrui and Yan Yujin visited Su mansion. During the casual chat, Yan Yujin invited Mei Changsu to the Miaoyin House to listen to music on the Lantern Festival. Mei Changsu happily agreed. He wanted to understand the sword techniques of Tianquan Manor, so he showed great interest and suggested he would like to see if Xiao Jingrui's swordsmanship had improved.
He subtly inquired when the Zhuo family would leave the capital. After confirming it was after Xiao Jingrui's birthday, which was the twelfth day of the fourth month, and aligning with his own arrangements, he agreed to go to the Marquis' mansion to congratulate Xiao Jingrui at that time. Shen Zhui visited Prince Jing, saying the case of the private firecracker workshop had made considerable progress and he would submit a memorial soon.
The two appreciated each other, found their conversation congenial, and chatted very happily. When seeing him out of the mansion, Prince Jing specifically told him to be sure to pay attention to safety and be cautious. Thirteen Sir found that nine masters in the capital were associated with Zhuo Dingfeng. Mei Changsu ordered: Beat them so they cannot leave their homes!
Episode 16 Recap
Mei Changsu knew that Xie Yu and Zhuo Dingfeng were involved in the struggle for the Crown Prince's position, which would end in utter defeat and inevitably implicate Xiao Jingrui. His heart was very heavy. In the capital, a sword master in green appeared, challenging Jianghu experts everywhere, injuring them all within one day. This sword master in green was Zhen Ping of the Jiangzuo Alliance, urgently summoned to the capital by Mei Changsu.
Xie Yu was shocked to hear that the 9 masters he had invited were all seriously injured within one day, leaving him with no one to use. He could only hold his forces back. On Lonely Mountain outside Jinling City, Xia Dong laid out offerings and poured out her heart before the tomb of her deceased husband, Nie Feng. Mei Changsu, who intended to come and pay his respects, met her there and requested to worship Nie Feng.
Kneeling before the tomb, Mei Changsu recalled his heroic appearance. His heart ached, but he tried hard to suppress it. While descending the mountain, he probed Xia Dong and confirmed that the Xuanjing Division was indeed acting on a secret imperial decree to investigate the New Year's Eve murder case. The two met a wild man with golden-yellow hair while descending the mountain. Xia Dong chased after him relentlessly.
It turned out that Qi Meng had been ordered multiple times to come and capture the monster that was disturbing the mountain residents. Today, he had finally encountered it, but it was scared away by Xia Dong, making him very frustrated. Mei Changsu told him to speak less and do more for Prince Jing. Qi Meng repeatedly agreed.
Before getting into the carriage, Mei Changsu suggested he inquire about what the monster liked to eat and set a trap to lure and capture it. Shen Zhui personally went to meet with an informant to investigate the underground bank, falling into Xie Yu's trap. His guards were no match and were killed. Zhen Ping arrived but was outnumbered and stabbed in the left arm by Zhuo Dingfeng's sword.
Zhuo Qingyao stepped forward to entangle Zhen Ping, and Zhuo Dingfeng thrust his sword towards Shen Zhui. In the nick of time, Xiao Jingrui, who had followed Zhuo Qingyao here, rushed out and blocked Shen Zhui with his body. Seeing the blood on his shoulder, Zhuo Dingfeng could not bring himself to deliver another killing blow. At this moment, Lie Zhanying, a subordinate of Prince Jing, was patrolling nearby and saved them.
Xie Yu deceived Zhuo Dingfeng by saying that Shen Zhui was instigated by Prince Yu behind the scenes, and once again arranged for the father and son to enter the Shen residence to assassinate him. Xiao Jingrui tried to dissuade them but was instead angrily rebuked by Zhuo Dingfeng, feeling both angry and anxious in his heart. Within the Xuanjing Division, Xia Chun and Xia Dong tentatively identified Zhuo Dingfeng as the mastermind behind the New Year's Eve murder case.
She decided to hold her forces back first, paralyzing her opponent, and wait for the right opportunity to strike a decisive blow. On the night of the Lantern Festival, Mei Changsu was about to go to Miaoyin House when he saw the goldfish lantern in front of the corridor, which was exactly the same as one Princess Nihuang had hung when she was little, stirring up sweet memories for him. Meanwhile, Princess Nihuang, consumed by longing, came to visit.
The two gazed at each other, expressing the endless longing and helpless separation through their silence. Mei Changsu accompanied Yujin and Jingrui to Miaoyin House to listen to Gong Yu perform a new piece. Mei Changsu pretended not to understand the rules and asked Gong Yu to perform at Jingrui's birthday banquet. To avoid arousing Jingrui's suspicion, Gong Yu suggested that she would be willing to go if she could play Princess Liyang's Jiao Wei Guqin.
Jingrui agreed with a smile. Zhuo Dingfeng and Zhuo Qingyao arrived at the Shen residence at night to carry out the assassination. They were surrounded by Zhen Ping and Lie Zhanying leading their men. Zhuo Qingyao was shot by stray arrows and was in critical condition. Instead of comforting them, Xie Yu complained about their inefficiency. Mei Changsu supported Prince Yu's timely counterattack against the Crown Prince. He told Prince Yu about Lou Zhijing and the Crown Prince jointly operating a private firecracker workshop, asking him to assist Shen Zhui, who had already submitted a memorial.
Episode 17 Recap
Xiao Jingrui learned that Zhuo Qingyao was injured during the assassination attempt on Shen Zhui. Full of anger, he burst into Xie Yu's study, questioning his father: What makes a loyal subject? What makes a kind father? He accused his actions of not being righteous. Xie Yu was enraged and slapped him, ordering him out. Xie Yu and Zhuo Dingfeng saw Jingrui fiercely opposed them and began to guard against him from then on.
Prince Yu, to further the Crown Prince's guilt, sent people to create an "accidental explosion" at the private firecracker workshop, destroying 64 civilian houses, killing 121 people, and injuring over a hundred. The scene was horrific. Mei Changsu ordered Li Gang to investigate if Prince Yu was responsible, and then rushed to the explosion site. By this time, Prince Jing had already brought out tents and quilts to settle the refugees.
He sighed, saying: Shen Zhui had already confirmed the fact that the Crown Prince used the private firecracker workshop to gain exorbitant profits, and the Emperor would soon approve it. Who knew such an accident would happen! Mei Changsu replied sorrowfully: This wasn't an accident, it was man-made! Prince Jing was angry at Prince Yu's disregard for human life and then suspected that this matter was Mei Changsu's scheme.
Being misunderstood by his friend made Mei Changsu angry, but he couldn't argue. Princess Nihuang stepped forward to defend him. Prince Jing knew he had wrongly accused Mei Changsu and apologized to him. At this time, a eunuch from Prince Jing's mansion requested instructions on how to handle the military funds used to settle the disaster victims. Prince Jing was preparing to report it to the Ministry of War according to regulations, but was stopped by Mei Changsu.
Mei Changsu told him to deliberately make a mistake to invite criticism from the Ministry of War. Only this way could the Emperor know that after the private firecracker workshop explosion, the Crown Prince and Prince Yu only cared about fighting for power, while only Prince Jing was busy stabilizing the situation and appeasing the people, yet remained quietly unassuming. Consort Yue, though angry at the Crown Prince's greed, had no choice but to clean up after him.
She told the Crown Prince to find censors to impeach him and then bear all the charges himself, so that the suspicious Emperor of Liang would shift his focus to the factional struggle, allowing room for maneuvering when dealing with the matter.
Indeed, although the Emperor of Liang was furious, he did not depose the Crown Prince, only ordering him to move to Gui Jia Palace for self-reflection, and during this period, he was not allowed to participate in court affairs. As expected, the Ministry of War, instigated by the Crown Prince, accused Prince Jing of misappropriating military funds and failing to report it. Prince Jing admitted his mistake, saying he was too busy and forgot.
The Emperor of Liang not only did not punish him but praised him for his decisiveness in handling matters. Mei Changsu personally designed, renovated, and remodeled the Su Residence gardens. He chose an auspicious day to host a banquet for his friends to visit and enjoy the garden. Prince Yu, accompanied by Qin Banruo, arrived uninvited. During the banquet, Mei Changsu deliberately asked Xiao Jingrui, feigning concern about Zhuo Qingyao's condition, which aroused Xia Dong's suspicion.
After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere was lively. Mei Changsu suggested a game: Last night he hid a bamboo scroll of the zither music "Guangling San" in the garden. Whoever found it first would be gifted it. Xia Chun was a music enthusiast, Yu Jin was eager to try, and several groups quickly dispersed throughout the garden to search. Mei Changsu saw that Qin Banruo wanted to search but was holding back and proactively suggested that she also go into the garden to look.
Episode 18 Recap
Qin Banruo was skilled in Qimen Dunjia (a form of divination and strategy). She took the opportunity to search the Su Residence and quickly found a secret room containing detailed information on important court officials. She told Prince Yu that Mei Changsu's intention to intervene in court affairs had been long-standing. Other than this, everything else appeared normal. In fact, this game was designed by Mei Changsu for Xia Chun and Qin Banruo.
He wanted to ensure that the secret tunnel connecting the Su Residence and Prince Jing's mansion was undetectable even to masters of mechanisms like Xia Chun and Qin Banruo. Mei Changsu asked Meng Zhi and Princess Nihuang never to reveal his identity to Prince Jing under any circumstances. If Prince Jing knew he was Lin Shu, he would prioritize protecting Lin Shu in everything he did, which would make Prince Jing hesitant and unable to achieve great things.
Meng Zhi and Princess Nihuang understood his painstaking efforts. They both promised to look after Mei Changsu and never let him be wronged, and their sincere affection deeply moved Mei Changsu. Qin Banruo investigated and found that the Southern Chu royal hostage from over 20 years ago was connected to the Ningguo Manor. Prince Yu nodded in agreement.
It turned out that Princess Liyang had once been in love with that Southern Chu hostage, which caused quite a stir in the capital, but she suddenly married Xie Yu, who only had a low military rank at the time, not long after. After the marriage, Xie Yu was promoted to a First-Rank Military Lord, his rapid rise was astonishing.
Afterward, relying on his status as a royal relative and the Chiyan Army unjust case, he became favored by the Emperor. Qin Banruo wanted to use Princess Liyang's past relationship to find a weakness and seize the opportunity to bring down Xie Yu. Prince Jing entered the Su Residence through the secret tunnel late at night and informed Mei Changsu that the Southern Chu marriage delegation was about to arrive in the capital.
Consort Jing did not wish for the Southern Chu princess to marry into Prince Jing's mansion, so she specifically came to ask for a solution. Mei Changsu said he would use some means through the Grand Astrologer and Grand Diviner to make Prince Jing and the Southern Chu princess's horoscopes incompatible, making the marriage difficult to succeed.
Seeing that Mei Changsu had people even within the Grand Secretariat, Prince Jing also keenly sensed that Mei Changsu's arrival in the capital was not without preparation. He became suspicious and asked Mei Changsu why he cared about Ting Sheng and if he knew Prince Qi. Mei Changsu evaded the question.
Mu Qing scouted for information and repeated the content of the imperial decree regarding the "exchanging of death row prisoners" case to Princess Nihuang and Xia Dong: He Jingzhong, Minister of Personnel, was dismissed; He Wenxin's original sentence was carried out; Qi Min, Minister of Justice, was stripped of his position and imprisoned, sentenced to exile.
During this time, the two tigers in the capital were locked in a fierce struggle, and the situation was volatile, but neither gained ground over the other: Prince Yu lost the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Justice; the Crown Prince lost the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Revenue, both suffered heavy losses. Now, both sides wanted to fill the positions in the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel with their own people.
However, after repeated consideration, the Emperor of Liang finally appointed Cai Quan, the neutral figure Prince Jing had casually mentioned, to temporarily act as the Minister of Justice. Meng Zhi visited Prince Jing's mansion to see Shouchun, who had been dismissed.
While chatting with Prince Jing, he brought up a topic and used the excuse of wanting to admire the double-string sword Prince Jing had captured from the King of Northern Di, thus successfully entering the room where Prince Jing's sword was hung. Because the Crown Prince was reprimanded and not handling state affairs, while Prince Yu was the only one excelling, rumors began to spread in court that Prince Yu would replace the Crown Prince.
The long-standing balance was broken, causing the Emperor of Liang vexation. As he strolled through the palace, he was attracted by the scent of medicine, which suddenly made him think of visiting Consort Jing, who had been neglected for many years.
Episode 19 Recap
According to the plan, Meng Zhi, using the opportunity to admire the double-string sword, snuck into Prince Jing's bedroom and opened the secret room door. Prince Jing heard this and hurried back to his bedroom. Meng Zhi admitted that she was familiar with the layout of Su Residence and Prince Jing's mansion, and had discovered that the two secret rooms were connected.
She straightforwardly told Prince Jing: If Prince Jing intended to vie for the throne, she was willing to spare no effort to assist, regardless of success or failure, she would stay with him until death. The two chatted very happily, and talking about the Chiyan Army old case, Prince Jing said he must thoroughly investigate the case and clear their names.
Consort Jing's tranquility and understanding made the Emperor of Liang relaxed and comfortable, and also gave him the resolve to stabilize the court situation. Thinking of his neglect of her, the Emperor of Liang intended to compensate her.
Soon after, the Emperor of Liang issued an imperial decree, promoting Consort Jing to Consort Jing; pardoning the Crown Prince to move back to the East Palace, still reflecting behind closed doors; ordering Prince Yu to receive the Southern Chu delegation on his behalf. For the stability of the border, the Emperor of Liang dispatched Princess Nihuang back to Yunnan, but kept Mu Qing in the capital as a hostage, which disheartened the Mu family.
Princess Nihuang entrusted her younger brother to Mei Changsu. Looking at Mei Changsu, she softly called out Lin Shu gege, and finally couldn't help but burst into tears. This pair of deeply devoted lovers, after ten years of bitter longing, found meeting difficult, and parting also difficult. The two embraced tightly with tears, unable to express all the sadness of parting, unable to speak of the depth of their longing.
Gong Yu snuck into the Ningguo Manor late at night to assassinate Xie Yu, but was injured, fled to Hong Xiu Zhao, and was rescued by Qin Banruo. All of this was within Mei Changsu's planning and control. Qin Banruo told Prince Yu the information she got from Gong Yu, and Prince Yu thought it was a good opportunity to bring down Xie Yu. He immediately told the news to Mei Changsu and asked him to strategize.
Xiao Jingrui, Yan Yujin, Xia Dong, Mu Qing, and others saw Princess Nihuang off. The Southern Chu chief envoy, Prince Ling Yuwen Xuan, deliberately came to provoke. The Southern Chu Princess Yuwen Nian named and challenged Jingrui. The two fought, and Nian was defeated. It turned out Nian was here to deliver a challenge on behalf of her master.
Her master is Yue Xiuzhe, Commander before the Great Chu Palace, ranked sixth on the Langya List of Masters, successor of the Eyun Sword, and was once defeated by Zhuo Dingfeng, successor of the Tianquan Sword. Currently, Yue Xiuzhe has arrived in Jinling and will choose a day to challenge Zhuo Dingfeng in person.
Episode 20 Recap
Xiao Jingrui's birthday arrived. Mei Changsu, Meng Zhi, Xia Dong, and others were invited to celebrate, and Gong Yu also came as promised to perform. Mei Changsu gave ten precious Heart Protection Pills as a birthday gift. Yan Yujin seized the opportunity to ask for some, and everyone teased each other, creating a lively atmosphere. Xia Dong had long since identified Zhuo Dingfeng as the suspect in the New Year's Eve eunuch murder case.
She wanted to find evidence through the wounds on the victim's body. After the banquet began, Xia Dong deliberately suggested sparring with Zhuo Dingfeng to understand his sword style. However, after a few rounds, the prepared Zhuo Dingfeng revealed nothing. At this moment, Yue Xiuzhe, disregarding the guards' obstruction, forced her way into Ningguo Manor and challenged Zhuo Dingfeng. When masters fight, victory or defeat is decided in an instant!
Zhuo Dingfeng, fearing revealing a flaw in front of Xia Dong, requested to fight the next day. But Yue Xiuzhe pressed on, demanding a decisive battle with Zhuo Dingfeng immediately. Zhuo Dingfeng, disregarding Xie Yu's obstruction, accepted the challenge according to jianghu rules. However, at the last moment, claiming to be distracted, he did not use his winning move, resulting in the tendons in his right wrist being severed, crippling his martial arts.
At this moment, Nian Nian, who had entered with Yue Xiuzhe, walked up to Jingrui, removed her veil, and affectionately called him "Brother"! This sudden scene struck Jingrui like lightning. Everyone was also astonished by the resemblance between Nian Nian and Jingrui. Prince Ling Yuwen Xuan pulled Nian Nian in front of the Princess and introduced her, saying: This is Xian Dai Junzhu Yuwen Nian, daughter of Sheng Wang Yuwen Lin. The Princess was already in tears at this moment.
It turned out that over twenty years ago, when Sheng Wang was a hostage in Liang, he had a relationship with Princess Liyang, which was opposed by the Liang royal family. Under the coercion of the Empress Dowager, Sheng Wang reluctantly left the capital. At that time, Liyang was already pregnant. Jingrui heard this, and his heart was enlightened, but he still held onto a sliver of hope. He turned and asked the Princess for confirmation.
Looking at the Princess's hesitant face, his heart turned cold. He knew that what Prince Ling had said was the truth. At this moment, Gong Yu's desolate laughter suddenly echoed in the hall. Everyone looked at her in confusion. Gong Yu tearfully revealed the cruel truth of that year: It turned out that Xie Yu had long known that the child in the Princess's womb was not his.
He secretly hired someone to commit murder, and Gong Yu's father was the assassin who carried out this task. This caused a thousand ripples like a single stone. The Zhuo family members were even more thunderstruck. Xie Yu knew that he could no longer let Gong Yu speak, and ordered her to be killed on the spot.
Episode 21 Recap
Xie Yu worried that Prince Yu would break into his mansion, so he quietly sent people to deploy the patrol guards to guard his mansion gate. Prince Yu, who had already been waiting outside the mansion, was unable to enter Ningguo Manor and could only observe from where he was. Inside the mansion, both sides were locked in a stalemate.
Gong Yu seized the opportunity to reveal the truth of the matter: At that time, her mother had just conceived her, and in his joy, her father decided to retire from being a killer for the sake of the child. Just then, he received his last task: to assassinate the child of Princess Liyang for Xie Yu. However, Liyang, who had been prepared, swapped the child during the chaos, resulting in Zhuo Dingfeng's child being mistakenly killed.
Her father could not bear to follow Xie Yu's orders to kill the other child again, but was hunted down and killed by Xie Yu. The truth could no longer be concealed. The Zhuo and Xie families were sworn enemies. Xie Yu ordered the execution of the demoness Gong Yu and Zhuo's accomplices, including Mei Changsu and the Zhuo family.
To protect the Zhuo family members, Xie Bi even threatened to commit suicide to coerce his father, but ultimately lacked the courage and was escorted back to his room. During the chaotic fight, Xia Dong released the signal flare of the Xuanjing Division. Prince Yu now had a reason to enter the mansion, but despite his persistent efforts, he was blocked outside the gate by the patrol guard general Ouyang Chi.
Fei Liu opened the secret passage of Xie Yu's mansion, and everyone escaped to the pavilion on the island in the lake in the backyard, where they were surrounded by Xie Yu's mansion soldiers. The patrol guards' strong archers unleashed volleys of arrows. Everyone was in grave danger. As they were struggling desperately, the arrows suddenly stopped.
It turned out that as Prince Yu and the patrol guard general were at a stalemate, Yan Que arrived and questioned Xie Yu about the safety of his son Yan Yujin, and led the way in forcing their way into the marquis's mansion. Xie Yu felt fear. At the moment of heightened tension, Princess Liyang threatened to kill herself, and Xie Yu was forced to stop.
Gong Yu apologized to the Zhuo family with deep remorse, willing to atone with her death. Mei Changsu told Zhuo Dingfeng that only by bringing down Xie Yu could he protect his family, and urged him to expose Xie Yu's crimes. Zhuo Dingfeng replied that as long as he could save his wife and children, he was willing to bear all the guilt alone. Xia Dong felt that she had been a pawn of Mei Changsu and left resentfully.
Liyang informed Yuwen Nian that Jingrui's stay or departure was up to him, and no one had the right to interfere. Yuwen Nian could only leave with tears in her eyes. At Liyang's request, Prince Yu swore that as long as Xie Yu was brought down, there would be no implication of others, and that the Zhuo family would always be treated kindly.
Episode 22 Recap
Princess Liyang apologized to the Zhuo family with shame, pleading with them not to hold a grudge against Xie Qi because of this. The fair-minded Madam Zhuo agreed that if Xie Qi were to return with her child in the future, she would still be a daughter-in-law of the Zhuo family. At this moment, Prince Yu wanted to take the Zhuo family back to his manor to settle them.
However, Xiao Jingrui suddenly knelt down, his face covered in tears, calling out to his parents. Heartbroken, Madam Zhuo hugged him and said: "Good child, you are not wrong, don't make yourself suffer!" This scene made Mei Changsu, who was feeling guilty on the side, feel even more uncomfortable.
Princess Liyang saw that Xie Yu was disregarding the consequences and trying to kill everyone, and she already knew that even if she stepped forward, she couldn't save his life from the crime he had committed. She advised Xie Yu to slit his own throat and commit suicide, saying she could protect his reputation and preserve the reputation of the Xie family for generations.
However, Xie Yu thought that the situation hadn't reached a dead end yet, and even if he had to die, he wanted to die without regret, not hesitating to fight to the death, like a fish dying with the net broken. Prince Yu suspected that Mei Changsu and Meng Zhi had a close relationship, but a remark from Qin Banruo dispelled his doubts.
Prince Jing, who found it inconvenient to show his face, knew the danger that night and was very uneasy. He visited the Su residence at night to learn the details. Meng Zhi was worried that Prince Yu would investigate why Mei Changsu knew about Princess Liyang's hidden past from back then. Mei Changsu told her to rest assured. Because this matter was orchestrated by Mei Changsu who secretly had people spread rumors, guiding Prince Yu to investigate this matter.
That night, Gong Yu attempted to assassinate Xie Yu, fled to Hongxiu Zhao, and deliberately revealed the secret of the infant murder from back then to Qin Banruo. After receiving the news, Prince Yu came to the Su residence enthusiastically to ask Mei Changsu to help him strategize, and everything proceeded logically.
Mei Changsu instructed Meng Zhi to suppress Yuwen Xuan a bit during the hunt the day after tomorrow, lest he think that the military officials of Liang are all like Xie Yu and develop ambitious designs. Mei Changsu's concern for the country and its people was evident, making Prince Jing praise him as a national talent.
Prince Yu entered the palace to report the matter of Xie Yu to the Emperor of Liang, pleading for the exemption of punishment by association. The Emperor of Liang granted the request, allowing Princess Liyang to move to the Princess Manor with her children. Xie Qi had a difficult labor and unfortunately died trying to save her child. The Princess, according to her last wish, handed the child to Zhuo Qingyao.
Mei Changsu, who already felt guilty towards Xiao Jingrui, was even more saddened after learning this news. He could only pour out his heart full of helplessness and bitterness to the oblivious Fei Liu. The first thing Xia Jiang, the head of the Xuanjing Division, did after returning to the capital was to punish Xia Dong for exceeding the duties of the Xuanjing Division and illegally getting involved in factional disputes, ordering her confined for reflection.
Xia Jiang met with the Emperor of Liang and proposed that someone was manipulating the Xie Yu case from behind the scenes. The Emperor of Liang thought that someone who could bring down Ningguo Manor was not to be underestimated and ordered him to investigate secretly. Xia Jiang, on the Emperor of Liang's order, visited Xie Yu in prison. It turned out that he and Xie Yu had colluded long ago.
He promised Xie Yu that as long as he held firm, he could save his life. Prince Jing showed great prowess in the hunting ground and was heavily rewarded by the Emperor of Liang. Mei Changsu secretly sent people to cut off the spies Hongxiu Zhao had placed in the residences of various court officials. Prince Yu angrily rushed and came to the Su residence.
It turned out that after the Emperor of Liang met Xia Jiang, he began to suspect there was more to the Xie Yu case. And Xie Yu also adamantly refused to admit to major crimes like murdering inner palace servants, which would damage the dignity of the imperial family, only admitting to some crimes committed to help the Crown Prince. This made the Emperor of Liang hesitant about how to deal with Xie Yu for a while.
Following Mei Changsu's arrangement, Prince Yu had Zhuo Dingfeng list the names of the people killed by Xie Yu over the years one by one. Among them, there were many victims whose murder motive Zhuo Dingfeng did not know, such as the teacher Li Zhongxin.
Mei Changsu thus speculated: Xia Jiang and Xie Yu did not have a deep personal relationship, but since he protected Xie Yu so much, there might be another hidden reason, for instance, Xie Yu might have killed someone for Xia Jiang.
Episode 23 Recap
Mei Changsu speculated that Xia Jiang had a handle on Xie Yu, so he asked Prince Yu to arrange a meeting with Xie Yu in prison. Fei Liu, following Mei Changsu's instructions, snuck into Xuanjing Division to deliver a message to Xia Dong. Mei Changsu and Fei Liu entered the prison to visit Xie Yu.
He knew that Xie Yu was quick-witted and difficult to deal with, so he used reverse psychology, saying he was stupid, and that Xia Jiang was the smart one. He proceeded steadily, slowly engaging in a battle of wits and courage with Xie Yu. He analyzed that Xia Jiang would first promise to spare his life and change the death sentence to exile, but knowing Xia Jiang's character, he would only trust dead people to keep secrets.
Therefore, as soon as Xie Yu walked out of prison, it would be his death day, with every step leading to death's door. At the same time, Prince Yu personally went to Xuanjing Division to meet Xia Jiang. Using the reason of investigating the case and gathering evidence, he asked Xia Jiang: Zhuo Dingfeng had testified that Xie Yu killed Li Zhongxin for Chief Xia 17 years ago.
Xie Yu had already confessed, but after Chief Xia returned, he recanted and said it was something he wanted to kill. Is this matter related to Chief Xia? Xia Jiang flatly denied it, but Prince Yu had already planted a thorn in his heart, making him feel that Xie Yu was untrustworthy. Although Xie Yu knew that Mei Changsu made sense, he still held onto a glimmer of hope and chose to believe Xia Jiang.
At this moment, Mei Changsu calmly told him: Actually, your last way out has already been cut off by me. Because Prince Yu has already checked the case details with Xia Jiang. Mei Changsu successfully made Xie Yu believe that Xia Jiang already suspected he had betrayed him, completely destroying the trust between them. Mei Changsu stated that as long as Xie Yu told the truth about the Li Zhongxin matter, he would spare his life.
Knowing he had no way out, Xie Yu finally lowered his head to Mei Changsu in defeat. It turned out that thirteen years ago, Li Zhongxin, who could imitate others' handwriting, forged Nie Feng's plea for help on behalf of Xia Jiang. The letter read: Commander Lin Xie of the Chiyan Army is plotting treason. To silence me, he is driving me to my death. I hope for rescue.
Later, Xie Yu led troops there and killed the unsuspecting vanguard general Nie Feng, bringing back only half a corpse. At that time, Xia Jiang was afraid that his disciple Xia Dong would find out, so he hinted to Xie Yu to kill Li Zhongxin's entire family. Meanwhile, in the cell next to Xie Yu's, Prince Jing and Xia Dong, invited by Mei Changsu, heard everything clearly. Even the source of Nie Feng's plea for help was fake!
After learning the truth about the Chiyan Army's rebellion, the three of them had complex feelings. Xia Dong said sorry to Prince Jing, staggered away, and came to her husband Nie Feng's grave filled with endless regret. Prince Jing was heavy-hearted. Although it wasn't a day for him to enter the palace, he particularly wanted to see his mother. He came before Consort Jing and couldn't help but say with tears streaming down his face, "I miss Xiao Shu."
Mei Changsu returned from prison and remained silent, sitting still. He had not expected the truth to be like this! After a long time, Prince Jing came to see Mei Changsu through a secret passage. Filled with righteous indignation, he wanted to use this detailed clue to thoroughly investigate the wrongful case and clear the names of Prince Qi and the Lin family.
Mei Changsu, however, calmly stated: The fundamental reason for this rebellion case was that the Emperor of Liang suspected Prince Qi of plotting treason and did it intentionally. Even if the truth is found, the injustice cannot be cleared. In the palace, the Grand Empress Dowager was on her deathbed. In her delirium, she repeatedly called out, "Jinyang, Xiao Shu. . ."
Episode 24 Recap
Prince Jing was determined to thoroughly investigate the case of Prince Qi plotting rebellion. Mei Changsu advised Prince Jing: If this case is thoroughly investigated, it will bring endless disaster, do no good for his current plans, and the wrongful case can never be cleared. However, Prince Jing was not moved in the slightest. His words were sincere, his attitude firm.
He asked Mei Changsu to plan for him, saying they must clear the names of Prince Qi and the Lin family, otherwise he would feel sorry for his old brothers and would not be able to rest or eat in peace. Mei Changsu couldn't help but be moved. He was deeply touched and promised he would do his best to help him find out the truth. Prince Jing solemnly bowed to him, expressing his deep gratitude.
At this time, the sound of great mourning suddenly came from the palace, announcing the passing of the Grand Empress Dowager. Prince Jing left in a hurry. Mei Changsu remembered the Grand Empress Dowager's care for him, his heart was full of grief, and he actually coughed up blood. Liang entered a period of national mourning. Within the thirty-day mourning period, the rituals were strict.
All imperial princes had to stay in the mourning hall, kowtow, weep, and were not allowed to eat arbitrarily. The pampered Crown Prince and Prince Yu often violated the rules, behaving very improperly. Only Prince Jing strictly followed the rituals and offered sincere prayers. The virtues and shortcomings of each prince were immediately apparent, and the observing ministers saw it all. During these thirty days, Mei Changsu observed the mourning rituals alone in his room.
His longing for and deep respect for the Grand Empress Dowager lingered in his heart for a long time, making the grief of losing a loved one even heavier and more profound. He recalled the days spent with the Grand Empress Dowager, which were like an iceberg being roasted on fire, warm one moment and bone-chillingly cold the next. Princess Nihuang worried he was overly sad and rode her horse quickly to the Su Manor.
Mei Changsu poured out all his grief, and only then did his mood slightly calm down. Princess Nihuang did not want to return to Yunnan and decided to go to Weiling to keep vigil, staying by Mei Changsu's side. Mei Changsu thought going to Weiling would be safer, so he agreed to Princess Nihuang's request. Xie Yu left the capital for the place of exile. Xiao Jingrui and Xie Bi accompanied Princess Liyang to see him off.
Xie Yu, as instructed by Mei Changsu, wrote down the secrets he possessed, and Princess Liyang kept them personally. If he were to die, the manuscript would become ironclad evidence, and thus Xia Jiang would not dare to harm him. Xia Dong arrived filled with indignation, intending to kill her enemy with her own hands. Seeing the situation was not good, Xiao Jingrui blocked her path in front of Xie Yu.
Xia Dong spoke with sarcasm and sharp wit, her sharp edge fully revealed, causing Xie Yu to be both frightened and anxious. Regarding the control of the Palace Guard, the factions of the Crown Prince and Prince Yu argued endlessly. The Emperor of Liang found it difficult to decide and felt vexed. At the reminder of the Chief Eunuch Gao Zhan, the Emperor of Liang came to see Consort Jing, whose birthday it was.
As soon as he entered the palace, he saw Consort Jing and Prince Jing happily enjoying family time, in warm harmony, which brought warmth to his heart. Due to his effective handling of matters, the Emperor of Liang decided to reward Prince Jing. Prince Jing earnestly requested the Emperor of Liang to pardon a criminal serving exile in Lingnan, which caused the Emperor of Liang to misunderstand.
After explanation, it turned out that this criminal was an ordinary physician, implicated for the crime of great disrespect. Consort Jing had apprenticed with him in her youth and could not bear for him to die in a foreign land in his old age. After hearing this, the Emperor of Liang realized he had misunderstood and nodded in approval.
Episode 25 Recap
The rivalry between the Crown Prince and Prince Yu finally resulted as Mei Changsu expected—Prince Jing became the fisherman who profited. In Zhiro Palace, Prince Jing's filial piety and Consort Jing's gentleness, the warm atmosphere of a loving mother and filial son calmed the Emperor of Liang's mood. He decided to hand over the Patrol Camp to Prince Jing. Prince Jing thought of Mei Changsu's advice to act low-key, showed slight hesitation, but knowing he couldn't refuse, he agreed.
The Emperor of Liang also specially permitted Prince Jing to enter the palace to greet his mother consort at any time without needing to request permission separately, and Prince Jing was overjoyed upon hearing this. Mr. Thirteen reported that more than half of the spies Qin Banruo had planted had been removed.
Mei Changsu felt this matter went too smoothly and suspected that Princess Xuanji of the Hua Clan back then still had other personnel she hadn't handed over to Qin Banruo, so he ordered him to continue the investigation and never be careless. Meng Zhi visited Mei Changsu. Mei Changsu was writing annotations for "Xiangdi Ji," and Meng Zhi could no longer recognize his previous handwriting. Just then, Prince Yu suddenly barged into the manor.
Meng Zhi had no choice but to retreat into the secret chamber to hide, taking "Xiangdi Ji" with her into the secret chamber. Prince Yu was full of resentment. He told Mei Changsu that the Emperor of Liang had given control of the Patrol Camp to Prince Jing, and also granted Prince Jing the privilege only accorded to imperial princes, allowing him to enter the palace to visit his mother at any time.
Even the Emperor of Liang's favor towards him had recently slackened. Mei Changsu reproached Prince Yu, saying that after the Xie Yu case, he had already reminded him to temporarily cease, but Prince Yu insisted on competing strongly, incurring the Emperor's displeasure.
The Emperor of Liang elevating Prince Jing was to show Prince Yu his attitude: the Crown Prince could only be removed because the Emperor of Liang himself was displeased, not because Prince Yu relied on his strength to force him to make a decision. Mei Changsu deliberately mentioned Qin Banruo. Because her spies were removed and her intelligence was ineffective, Prince Yu clearly showed dissatisfaction.
Qin Banruo, who had almost all her spies removed, suspected this counter-attacking force came from the Jiangzuo Alliance. She sought help from her senior sister, Fourth Sister, who had been living in seclusion for many years. Fourth Sister said there was no country, no foundation, no roots or base now, and no hope for the restoration of the Hua Clan. She advised Qin Banruo to retire and live her own life.
Qin Banruo, however, stubbornly stated that even if there was no hope for the Hua Clan's restoration, she would still cause the downfall of Liang. After considering for a long time, Fourth Sister finally agreed to help her one last time. Mei Changsu told Prince Yu to treat Zhuo Dingfeng well, and Prince Yu nodded in agreement. After seeing off Prince Yu, Mei Changsu came to the secret passage and found Prince Jing was also there.
Mei Changsu told Prince Jing not to be rash, but also not to stand still, and that he didn't need to refuse the position of being in charge of the Patrol Camp. He analyzed that the Emperor allowing Prince Jing to act as an imperial prince meant that his promotion to imperial prince was imminent. If Prince Yu was unwilling, he would naturally use leverage to force the Emperor to deal with the consequences of his favor. Before Prince Jing left, he asked to borrow "Xiangdi Ji" to read. Mei Changsu was startled for a moment, then agreed.
Episode 26 Recap
Meng Zhi noticed the anomaly and asked for the reason. It turned out that there was a place name in "Xiangdi Ji" that was the same as Mei Changsu's mother's maiden name. Since he was a child, to avoid the taboo, Mei Changsu would reduce strokes when writing it, which had become a habit. He was worried that Prince Jing might discover traces of Lin Shu's past from the annotations.
Later, he thought that Prince Jing couldn't possibly know his mother's maiden name, and only then did he feel relieved. The Southern Chu delegation left the capital, but Niannian stayed alone in the capital. She pleaded with Princess Liyang to let her take her older brother, Xiao Jingrui, to Southern Chu to see their father. Princess Liyang sincerely told Niannian: Jingrui is gentle and kind by nature and values relationships the most.
Although he appears calm on the surface, his heart must be filled with deep sorrow. When he is in so much pain, I want to stay by his side. Qin Banruo took Fourth Sister to sit in a restaurant, from whose window they could see the back door of Su Manor. At this moment, Tong Lu entered Su Manor again under the guise of delivering dishes to pass on a message.
Qin Banruo pointed at Tong Lu and told Fourth Sister to conquer this man. Several spies who had been removed, upon her investigation, were found to be connected with Tong Lu. Therefore, she suspected that the downfall of Hongxiu Zhao must be related to Su Manor. Moreover, while Mei Changsu repeatedly achieved success, Prince Yu suffered losses and his strength was greatly diminished compared to before, filling her with doubts.
Jingrui finally decided to return to Great Chu with Yuwen Nian. Yan Yuzin rushed on horseback to dissuade him. Upon learning that Jingrui was not leaving permanently, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yuzin was optimistic and carefree, and under his comforting words, Jingrui felt slightly more relaxed. By this time, Mei Changsu was already waiting at the long pavilion to see him off.
Jingrui, who once regarded Mei Changsu as a good teacher and friend, said frankly: He was very sad, but he didn't hate Mei Changsu. People always have choices and will choose what they deem important. He couldn't force Mei Changsu to value this friendship as much as he did. Mei Changsu was touched by his magnanimity and urged him to always maintain this childlike innocence.
After Jingrui left, Mei Changsu instructed Zhu Chen to follow him secretly and ensure his safety in Great Chu. Due to the period of national mourning not yet passing, the Emperor of Liang's birthday was held simply.
When the Emperor of Liang saw that Prince Jing had given him his favorite bow and arrows, showing his sincerity, he was pleased internally but did not say it openly, only publicly praising the Taihu Shou Mountain Stone given by Prince Yu as most to his liking. During the inner palace birthday banquet, Noble Consort Yue's frail, pale, and haggard appearance stirred the Emperor of Liang's past affection, showing an intention to reinstate her favor.
The next day, the Emperor of Liang was unwell. All the imperial princes entered the palace to inquire about his health. Prince Jing then went to see his mother consort. During their casual chat, he unintentionally mentioned the "Xiangdi Ji" he borrowed from Mei Changsu. Consort Jing was very interested and asked Prince Jing to bring it next time so she could see it.
Fourth Sister pretended to faint by the roadside, and her aunt Qiu Mama, who had come to find relatives, happened to live next door to Tong Lu's house. Everyone asked the passing Tong Lu to take her over. When the Emperor of Liang recovered from his illness, he proposed going to the East Palace to admire osmanthus flowers, wanting to appease the Crown Prince. He ordered Gao Zhan to arrange it privately without notifying the Crown Prince in advance.
The party arrived at the East Palace, and the eunuch who went to announce their arrival to the Crown Prince was flustered, which aroused the Emperor of Liang's suspicion. He immediately ordered the eunuch to stop before reporting.
Episode 27 Recap
Without being announced, the Emperor of Liang arrived outside the palace gate. Inside the hall, strings and flutes resonated together, drums and music resounded, and the sounds of drinking and merrymaking were incessant. Playing music during the mourning period was highly unfilial. The Emperor of Liang was angry at him for not striving harder and felt resentment in his heart. At this moment, he heard the Crown Prince criticizing him for being without virtue.
The Emperor of Liang was filled with extreme hatred, drew his sword wanting to kill him, but was dissuaded by Gao Zhan. He turned away in defeat. The Emperor of Liang strictly ordered the East Palace to be sealed off, and today's events were not to be spread outside. Meng Zhi believed that confining the Crown Prince was a matter of great importance and difficult to execute with only a verbal decree.
She requested the Emperor of Liang to issue an imperial edict. Just then, the Crown Prince heard the commotion and came out to meet the Emperor. The Emperor of Liang ignored him and left in extreme anger. After Meng Zhi, acting on the verbal decree, sealed off the East Palace, she came with Prince Jing to the secret passage to discuss the developments in the East Palace.
Mei Changsu was receiving Prince Yu and sent Fei Liu to inform the two of them to wait. From Fei Liu, Prince Jing learned that Mei Changsu secretly called Prince Yu a poisonous snake. He playfully asked what he called him. Fei Liu replied: Water Buffalo. Hearing this, Prince Jing suddenly remembered that the nickname the young Lin Shu had given him was 'Big Water Buffalo', and his heart instantly surged with emotion. Just then, Mei Changsu arrived.
When Prince Jing asked about it, he immediately reprimanded Fei Liu for not speaking like Princess Nihuang, thus covering it up. The court officials who came seeking an audience were in disarray outside, blocked by the Empress. The Emperor of Liang, meanwhile, lay in Zhi Luo Palace, looking dispirited. He asked Consort Jing: "I was hesitant in handling matters today, have I grown old?"
Consort Jing knew he didn't want to immediately depose the Crown Prince, and advised him: "Your Majesty's not unleashing thunderous anger today is a father's benevolence, and should have nothing to do with age." The Emperor of Liang felt particularly comforted upon hearing this. Consort Jing's gentle, kind, and deferential manner made him feel that Zhi Luo Palace was the only peaceful place in the imperial harem. Meng Zhi explained in detail the reason for the East Palace being sealed.
Mei Changsu analyzed that the Emperor of Liang temporarily did not want to depose the Crown Prince. At this time, the defenses of the patrol camp and the East Palace must be strengthened to avoid any trouble. Meng Zhi complained about Gao Zhan, who had stopped her several times from requesting an official imperial decree to seal off the East Palace.
Mei Changsu, however, said they should thank Gao Zhan, because what Meng Zhi requested was an imperial decree equivalent to deposing the Crown Prince. It was fortunate that Gao Zhan stopped her, otherwise the Emperor of Liang would suspect she had sided with Prince Yu. Mei Changsu told Prince Jing to wait and see how things developed, stating that anyone who caused trouble at this time would suffer misfortune.
Meng Zhi, following Mei Changsu's instruction, asked Prince Jing to borrow the "Xiangdi Ji". Prince Jing, greatly surprised, told her that the book was currently with Consort Jing. Meng Zhi left, and Prince Jing became pensive. Meanwhile, Prince Yu was also gathering his advisors to discuss countermeasures. Prince Yu believed they should seize this heaven-sent opportunity of the Crown Prince's self-inflicted downfall, but should not act rashly.
The top priority was to first ascertain the reason for the East Palace being sealed, gauge the direction of the court officials, and outwardly remain inactive for now. The Empress used the Mid-Autumn Family Banquet to probe the Emperor of Liang, and after confirming that his decision to confine the Crown Prince was firm, she could not contain her joy. Prince Jing entered Zhi Luo Palace to pay his respects and ask for the "Xiangdi Ji".
Consort Jing was very reluctant and asked if the annotations in the book were written by Sir Su. Prince Jing said they were, but felt even more strange in his heart.
Episode 28 Recap
Consort Jing understood that Sir Su was Lin Shu. She solemnly instructed Prince Jing that Sir Su was a person of utmost sincerity, and he should treat him with a little more affection than others, and never forget the kindness of his support. She also specifically made a double portion of pastries and ordered Prince Jing to take a portion to Sir Su. A series of doubts made Prince Jing confirm that the "Xiangdi Ji" was strange.
He repeatedly studied it but couldn't grasp the key points, which left him very confused. Prince Jing was elevated to Prince, granted a five-pearl crown, differing from Prince Yu by only two pearls. The court's power structure saw a new change, making Prince Yu very angry. Mei Changsu continued to mislead him, saying that Prince Jing's elevation was a good thing, indicating that the Crown Prince would soon be deposed, and the Emperor needed a new balance.
Prince Yu irritably said, "Did I spend ten years fighting against the Crown Prince, only to gain nothing myself and still have to continue fighting Prince Jing?" Mei Changsu comforted him, saying that Prince Jing could not be compared to the Crown Prince. Prince Yu left Su Manor with a heavy heart. Mei Changsu knew in his heart that he could no longer deceive Prince Yu this time and began to strengthen his defenses.
Fourth Sister was gentle and thoughtful, successfully approaching Tong Lu, causing him to fall deeply in love and into a honey trap. After his elevation, Prince Jing cautioned his mother, Consort Jing, to be careful. At this time, rumors spread throughout the palace, saying that Prince Jing was no less capable than Prince Yu, and in some aspects, even stronger. The Empress was furious, and Prince Yu also began to suspect Mei Changsu.
In the court, Prince Yu and Prince Jing had already started their contest. Prince Jing studied political affairs, forgetting sleep and food, and made rapid progress. One day, Shen Zhui visited Prince Jing's residence at night, informing him that five prefectures had suffered consecutive droughts and locust plagues this year, resulting in no harvest.
Previously, the Crown Prince and Prince Yu competed to be in charge of disaster relief, not for the purpose of saving the people from suffering, but to divide the relief funds. After each disaster relief effort by the two of them, the disaster areas would be filled with starving corpses, and riots would break out, because less than 30% of the relief funds reached the victims.
Shen Zhui pleaded with Prince Jing to strive to be in charge of this disaster relief effort for the sake of saving the victims. The next day, Prince Yu and Prince Jing argued endlessly in front of the Emperor of Liang over who should go for disaster relief. Prince Yu, having no choice, proposed donating silver from his own residence to appease the people.
The upright Prince Jing, being financially modest, was unable to compete, and the disaster relief task fell into Prince Yu's hands. After leaving the palace, Shen Zhui angrily said to Prince Jing that he wished a bolt of lightning would fall from the sky and directly strike Prince Yu's head. Prince Jing went to Su Manor to seek advice, sighing at his own incompetence and feeling quite dejected. In their conversation, when Shen Zhui's words were mentioned, Mei Changsu jokingly said: "There is a bolt of lightning on its way."
Episode 29 Recap
It turned out that the Jiangzuo Alliance had intercepted a gift team delivering a gift to Prince Yu in Fuzhou 5 days ago. The gift-giver was actually the prefect of Yuezhou, where the disaster was most severe, and it was a heavy gift of over five thousand taels of silver.
Mei Changsu informed Prince Jing that he had arranged for this matter to spread throughout the streets of Yuezhou within 2 days, stirring up public anger to attract the attention of the Emperor of Liang. In the palace, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Personnel sent Prince Yu's bribery case to the Emperor of Liang's desk. Prince Yu tried to argue his way out, but Shen Zhui and Cai Quan presented irrefutable evidence.
The loss of face for the royal family enraged the Emperor of Liang. He knew that Prince Yu was no longer suitable to be in charge of disaster relief, so he reassigned the task to Prince Jing. Prince Jing's disaster relief efforts were very effective. The Emperor of Liang and the court officials praised him endlessly, saying he could fight on horseback and govern off horseback, which made Prince Yu extremely jealous.
Prompted by Qin Banruo, Prince Yu, who was drowning his sorrows in wine at his manor, finally admitted that Mei Changsu had long been working for Prince Jing. Qin Banruo suggested dealing with Mei Changsu and his Jiangzuo Alliance first. Besides helping Prince Yu, she also wanted to use Prince Yu's hand to avenge the heavy blow the Jiangzuo Alliance dealt to the Red Sleeves. Prince Yu saw through her intentions and pointed out that her plan was not appropriate.
Prince Yu believed that Prince Jing's support in court was already very solid, not solely relying on Mei Changsu, while he himself had no one he could rely on within the Six Ministries. The Jiangzuo Alliance's influence was too strong and difficult to deal with; it would be better to strike at the root by targeting Prince Jing. Once Prince Jing fell, Mei Changsu would have no use.
And Prince Jing's weakness was the Chiyan Army rebel case that had stood between Prince Jing and the Emperor of Liang for many years. To get Prince Yu to cooperate with Xia Jiang, Qin Banruo confessed that she was a descendant of Princess Xuanji of the Hua Clan and was willing to persuade Xia Jiang because he had a past connection with Princess Xuanji.
During this time, Xia Jiang had sent people to track Princess Liyang, intending to kill her to obtain Xie Yu's letter and remove the sharp sword hanging over his head, but he had been unable to find an opportunity. Since Consort Jing read "Xiangdi Ji," she would have Prince Jing take away two identical portions of pastries each time, one of which was naturally for Mei Changsu. Mei Changsu looked at the food box with some worry.
Zhen Ping asked him for the reason. It turned out that the food box Consort Jing sent never contained hazelnut shortbread. Mei Changsu had been unable to eat hazelnuts since he was a child, but hazelnut shortbread was Prince Jing's favorite. He suspected that Consort Jing already knew his true identity. Tong Lu sent a message to Mr. Thirteen that the Sect Leader ordered the closure of Miaoyinfang.
He then asked for verification regarding the identity of Fourth Sister, also known as Jun Niang, and left relieved after receiving confirmation from Mr. Thirteen. Winter arrived again. Mei Changsu coughed non-stop, and his condition worsened. Despite his illness, he still personally visited Yan Que. After entering, he learned from Yuzin that Jingrui was doing well, which brought him some comfort.
Episode 30 Recap
Yuzin prepared to take his leave, but Yan Que asked him to stay and participate in the secret talk. Learning that Mei Changsu was not helping Prince Yu, but serving Prince Jing, and knowing it was unreasonable and without assurance of success, the righteous Yan Que was still filled with passion and willing to lend a hand. Yuzin understood his father's choice and swore to follow him until death, never regretting it.
Mei Changsu received Yan Que's approval and said he would do his best to protect the entire Yan family, but Yan Que told Mei Changsu not to worry about it. During the conversation, Yan Que suddenly asked Mei Changsu if he was an old acquaintance from the Prince Qi's manor back then. Mei Changsu explained that he was a young man who once admired the eldest imperial son, and his old ambition remains unchanged to this day.
Yan Que knew he was concealing something, but did not delve deeper. With Qin Banruo acting as a go-between, Xia Jiang met with Prince Yu as scheduled and agreed with him to only help him eliminate Prince Jing, without participating in the struggle for the throne. In fact, if Prince Jing fell, no one would be left to contend with Prince Yu, so Xia Jiang was merely deceiving himself.
Inside the Su Manor, Tong Lu reported two matters: first, after Xie Yu arrived at the place of exile, he suffered several sneak attacks, but the attackers were not ruthless and primarily tested him, possibly because Xia Jiang was wary of the handwritten letter Xie Yu left with Princess Liyang; second, Xia Dong had left the capital several months ago, and she went to Jiaxing Pass, hoping to find Xie Yu's former left deputy general, Wei Qi, to understand the situation, but Wei Qi died mysteriously just before she arrived, killed secretly by the Xuanjing Division.
Mei Changsu instructed people to protect Princess Liyang well to prevent Xie Yu's handwritten letter from being seized. After Tong Lu left, Zhen Ping, who was always meticulous, noticed that Tong Lu was somewhat different from usual. Mei Changsu ordered him to have Mr. Thirteen pay close attention. At this time, Mei Changsu was too ill to stand, and Doctor Yan strictly ordered him to rest in bed. Tong Lu was deeply in love and could not extricate himself.
He decided to propose to Mr. Thirteen that he marry Fourth Sister, who used the alias Jun Niang. Xia Jiang received a report that his subordinates had lost track of Xia Dong, and the mission to assassinate Princess Liyang had not been completed either. Because Princess Liyang stayed indoors and the patrol camp had recently reinforced the defenses around the Princess's manor, there was no opportunity to act.
Therefore, Xia Jiang decided to stop for now and ordered his subordinates to keep a close eye on the movements at the Princess's manor and Xia Dong's whereabouts upon returning to the capital. Xia Jiang told Prince Yu the information he had about Wei Zheng, using this to create an opportunity to bring up the old Chiyan case again.
It turned out that Wei Zheng was Lin Shu's deputy general; he escaped death and was rescued by Valley Master Su of Medicine King Valley, who adopted him as his foster son. He changed his name to Su Xuan, married Yun Piaoliao, the only daughter of the renowned medical family Yun in Xunyang, and lived in seclusion under a false name for more than ten years.
Xia Jiang had ascertained the time and route of Wei Zheng's escort of medicinal materials, and dispatched elite forces to set up an ambush, preparing to lure and capture Wei Zheng, ensuring it would be foolproof. The Empress Dowager's birthday memorial arrived, and the Emperor of Liang needed to keep vigil for three days.
The imperial harem was not allowed to accompany him, so he asked Consort Jing to prepare calming incense for Gao Zhan to take to the imperial tomb. The Emperor of Liang had been restless recently, often dreaming of Consort Chen. He asked Consort Jing if she had dreamed of her, and Consort Jing answered cleverly.
Prince Yu hadn't come up with a good way to use Wei Zheng to implicate Prince Jing, but the shrewd and calculating Xia Jiang proposed using Wei Zheng as bait to lure Prince Jing to rescue him. Given Prince Jing's character, he would surely not stand idly by. As long as they seized this handle on Prince Jing, the Emperor would be enraged. Qin Banruo was worried that Mei Changsu might dissuade Prince Jing from rescuing Wei Zheng. Prince Yu set a trap to estrange the two, so that Prince Jing would not listen to Mei Changsu's counsel at that time.
Episode 31 Recap
Wei Zheng and his group encountered a heavy ambush by the Xuanjing Division while delivering medicine, suffering heavy casualties. To save his brothers, Wei Zheng put down his weapon and surrendered. Meng Zhi was going to accompany the Emperor of Liang to the imperial tomb for the vigil. When she took her leave, she saw Mei Changsu lying in bed unconscious and was very worried.
She pressed for Mei Changsu's true condition, but Li Gang and Zhen Ping were not at liberty to say clearly; they just told her not to worry. Prince Yu asked the Empress for help to confine Consort Jing for a few days. The Empress, following Prince Yu's plan, searched Consort Jing's medicine cabinet and found Ruan Ge Cao.
Together with the imperial physicians who had already colluded with them, she took Consort Jing away on the grounds that the herb was poisonous and harmful to the Emperor's health, and sealed Zhi Luo Palace. Xiao Xin, a palace maid serving Consort Jing, escaped from the palace under Prince Yu's arrangement and successfully entered Prince Jing's mansion to report the news.
Lie Zhanying arranged for Qi Meng to take Xiao Xin to rush to the imperial tomb to ask the Emperor of Liang for help. Under Doctor Yan's careful treatment, Mei Changsu, who had been unconscious for three days, finally passed the most critical moment, but his body was still weak and he needed several days of rest.
Li Gang and Zhen Ping, who were well aware of their master's condition, successively received the news of Wei Zheng's capture and Consort Jing's confinement, but did not inform Mei Changsu. Qi Meng and Xiao Xin galloped towards the imperial tomb, but were stopped halfway by people sent by Prince Yu disguised as members of the Jiangzuo Alliance.
The people who stopped them said that their master asked them to go back and not send the message, because they would use a stratagem of self-inflicted injury to make the Emperor severely punish the Empress. To make Qi Meng believe this, he further explained that Consort Jing had a rank and would only suffer some grievance, and the Empress could not possibly take her life. Tong Lu was captured by Qin Banruo.
Qin Banruo saw that severe torture could not shake Tong Lu, so she used Fourth Sister as a threat. Tong Lu, deeply entangled in love, his psychological defense line finally collapsed, and he revealed Miaoyin Fang and Mr. Thirteen. Prince Yu immediately sent people to seal Miaoyin Fang. Fortunately, Mr. Thirteen had prepared in advance, so Prince Yu gained nothing. This matter was seen by Gong Yu.
Mr. Thirteen and Zhen Ping decided to intercept and rescue Wei Zheng at the city gate. Although they were short-handed, they had no choice but to make a hasty attempt. At this time, Gong Yu came to report the news. Combined with Tong Lu's abnormal whereabouts, they speculated that Tong Lu had betrayed them. Prince Yu stated that his plan was fully prepared and asked the Empress to release Consort Jing.
Episode 32 Recap
Xia Qiu escorted Wei Zheng's prison cart, which was approaching the capital. The Xuanjing Division was on high alert, ready to capture all those who would attempt to rescue the prisoner. After Emperor of Liang returned to the palace, he angrily rebuked the Empress. The Empress insisted that she didn't understand medicine and only strictly questioned Consort Jing because she was worried about the Emperor's health. Consort Jing rushed over to plead for mercy.
Emperor of Liang, seeing through the Empress's thoughts, finally agreed not to pursue the matter further. Zhen Ping and Li Gang, hiding it from Mei Changsu, took Fei Liu and a group of experts from the Jiangzuo Alliance and ambushed near the western gate of Jinling, preparing to intercept Wei Zheng. As the prison cart approached, both sides engaged in fierce combat.
With a large number of Xuanjing Division experts gathered, the Jiangzuo Alliance, acting hastily, suffered heavy losses and had no choice but to retreat. Zhen Ping was injured and withdrew, and was fortunate enough to escape back to Su Manor under the cover of Yu Jin who was passing by. They knew that after Wei Zheng was imprisoned in the Xuanjing Division dungeon, it would be easy to defend but difficult to attack, making rescue even harder.
Consort Chen appeared in Emperor of Liang's dreams every night, making him suspicious and fearful. To find peace of mind, he arranged for Consort Jing to secretly set up a memorial tablet for Consort Chen, so she could enter reincarnation early and not linger in the mortal world. Xia Qiu suggested to Xia Jiang to strengthen the dungeon's defenses. However, Xia Jiang said to keep things as usual.
Because Wei Zheng's value was as bait, to lure people to rescue him. The Head of Yao Wang Valley, Su, led his followers to Jinling at top speed to discuss the plan to rescue Wei Zheng with Li Gang, Zhen Ping, and others. Mei Changsu, who had woken up, learned about this from Fei Liu and ordered his old subordinates from Langzhou to lie low and not act rashly. Prince Jing returned to the capital.
Lie Zhanying was preparing to report the matter of Wei Zheng before Prince Jing entered the palace, but unexpectedly, he was interrupted by Prince Yu just as he was about to speak. Prince Yu then pulled Prince Jing into the palace, and Lie Zhanying did not have a chance to tell Prince Jing.
Before Emperor of Liang, Prince Yu and Xia Jiang colluded, deliberately using the matter of Wei Zheng to provoke Prince Jing, being aggressive and pressing him step by step. In his refutation, Prince Jing couldn't help but reveal his respect and longing for Prince Qi and Commander Lin. That deep filial affection heavily struck Emperor of Liang's heart, making him furious. Prince Jing went to Zhi Luo Palace to visit Consort Jing.
As he was about to leave, Xiao Xin, who was standing by, deliberately let slip, voicing her indignation for Consort Jing being bullied. She even described in detail how Mei Changsu, in order to carry out the stratagem of self-inflicted injury, deliberately sent people to stop her and Qi Meng, preventing them from delivering the message to rescue Consort Jing. Consort Jing sensed something was wrong and quickly explained, but Prince Jing was still very angry.
Episode 33 Recap
After Prince Jing left the palace, he was furious. He told Lie Zhanying, who was waiting outside the palace, that he had misjudged Mei Changsu. In the secret passage, Mei Changsu anxiously waited for Prince Jing to discuss the matter of Wei Zheng. However, Prince Jing had misunderstood Mei Changsu's character and disposition after hearing Xiao Xin's words. He hesitated for a long time, unwilling to see him.
Only after Lie Zhanying's persuasion did Prince Jing enter the secret passage with him. Knowing clearly that Xia Jiang was setting a trap, Prince Jing and Lie Zhanying still requested Mei Changsu without hesitation to find a way to rescue Wei Zheng. Their loyalty to their comrade was far more important than their own safety and gains or losses.
With Wei Zheng captured, Mei Changsu was equally anxious internally, but he still rationally pointed out that rescuing Wei Zheng would bring a hundred disadvantages and no benefits, advising Prince Jing that to achieve his great ambition, he must know when to sacrifice. This attitude made Prince Jing, who already misunderstood him, even more furious.
Without waiting for Mei Changsu to finish speaking, Prince Jing swung his sword and severed the rope of the communication bell in the secret passage, breaking off relations with Mei Changsu and leaving with a flick of his sleeve. Consort Jing became suspicious of Xiao Xin. She quietly questioned Xiao Xin about the process of delivering the message and learned that Xiao Jinzi from Consort Hui's palace had helped.
Recently, the Emperor of Liang, who had been frequently dreaming of Consort Chen, was troubled and came to Zhi Luo Palace again after the court session. He asked Consort Jing for her opinion on the case of the former Chiyan Army from that year. Consort Jing did not give a substantive answer. In casual conversation, the Emperor of Liang mentioned catching a remnant who had escaped the rebel case from that year.
Before he finished speaking, he startled Consort Jing so much that she dropped the teacup in her hand to the ground. She thought the rebel caught was Lin Shu, but her emotions calmed down after learning it was Wei Zheng. The Emperor of Liang told Consort Jing to restrain Prince Jing more, not to be stubborn about the rebel case, and to act appropriately.
Fearing that Prince Jing would act impulsively, Mei Changsu, enduring his illness, braved the heavy snow to go to Prince Jing's manor. He waited for a long time in the drafty entrance hall before Prince Jing came out to meet him. At this time, Meng Zhi also arrived. Mei Changsu pleaded with him, but no matter how great the danger, Prince Jing was determined to rescue Wei Zheng without hesitation.
Prince Jing's righteousness and deep affection for Lin Shu deeply moved Mei Changsu, and he decided to risk rescuing Wei Zheng. He, Prince Jing, and Meng Zhi discussed the strategy to rescue Wei Zheng in detail. During their conversation, Prince Jing learned that the Jiangzuo Alliance had already organized personnel to rescue Wei Zheng once and had suffered many casualties, finally realizing he had misunderstood Mei Changsu. His expression finally softened.
Mei Changsu believed that the rescue of Wei Zheng must be arranged by him, and Prince Jing could not appear, nor could anyone from Prince Jing's manor be involved in this matter, otherwise the struggle for the throne would be all in vain. He hoped Prince Jing would keep his composure, calmly face the provocations of Xia Jiang and Prince Yu, and not be caught with a handle in the open.
After careful consideration, the few of them decided that there was no other way but to forcibly seize him, but success would be halfway guaranteed only after Xia Dong, who was most familiar with the Xuanjing Division dungeon, returned to the capital and offered her assistance.
Episode 34 Recap
Prince Jing believed that if Mei Changsu, as a strategist, persuaded Xia Dong, it would raise suspicions of factional struggle and easily lead to misunderstanding. He decided to appear in person, believing that by appealing to her emotions, it would be easier for Xia Dong to help them for the sake of her deceased husband's comrade.
At the end of the year, the Emperor of Liang, using the Grand Astrologer's prediction of inauspicious star signs as a pretext, deposed the Crown Prince as Prince Xian and ordered him to move to Xianzhou. Prince Jing was meritorious in disaster relief and was granted two additional prince's beads, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Prince Yu. At the year-end sacrificial ceremony, he replaced the deposed Crown Prince alongside Prince Yu to perform the ritual as dual princes accompanying the sacrifice.
Prince Yu was extremely angered by this. Qin Banruo analyzed that this was a warning from the Emperor of Liang to Prince Jing, indicating that the bestowal of heavy favors was a reminder for him not to act rashly. Consort Jing learned that Xiao Jinzi, who had helped Xiao Xin escape the palace while Consort Jing was confined by the Empress, had died suddenly of illness, making her even more suspicious of Xiao Xin. It was New Year's Eve again.
Zhen Ping reported that Xia Dong had entered the city, and Mei Changsu instructed to begin the rescue plan. He knew that as a strategist, by doing something he knew was impossible, he had not made the correct choice. Because Xia Jiang had struck their vital point, these men who valued comradeship in the army more than life itself would take risks even knowing the danger ahead.
At the palace New Year's Eve banquet, there was singing, dancing, and great festivity. The Emperor of Liang, to elevate Prince Jing, specifically assigned him to oversee the matter of 'bestowing dishes' upon important officials outside the palace, causing the Empress and Prince Yu to become jealous and hateful. Upon her return to the capital, Xia Dong prepared dishes and went to the Xuanjing Division dungeon to visit Wei Zheng.
Wei Zheng's single phrase "Sister-in-law" caused Xia Dong to be unable to help but burst into tears, and this scene was clearly witnessed by Xia Jiang from the shadows. At the Zhi Luo Palace New Year's Eve banquet, Xiao Xin used the excuse of feeling unwell to return to her room early, where the person waiting for her was unexpectedly Fourth Sister!
It turned out that Xiao Xin was also a Hua Tribe member, a spy placed beside Consort Jing by Qin Banruo. Fourth Sister had developed genuine feelings for Tong Lu, and to protect Tong Lu's life, she had no choice but to follow Qin Banruo. Thinking about her own situation, she instructed Xiao Xin to look out for herself, but Xiao Xin did not understand the deeper meaning in her words.
Taihang bandits infiltrated the capital during the New Year festival, and on New Year's Eve, they broke into several high-ranking officials' residences to steal treasures, even stealing the Fire Phoenix Pearl stored in the Ministry of Rites' Baoguang Pavilion. The Emperor of Liang was furious. Prince Jing stated that he would spare no effort to thoroughly investigate, dispatching the Patrol Battalion to search the entire city.
Consort Jing visited Consort Hui's palace to secretly investigate the cause of Xiao Jinzi's death. Xiao Xin, who remained in the palace, took the opportunity to sneak into the sleeping quarters to search and discovered Consort Chen's memorial tablet, quickly reporting this matter to the Empress.
Upon learning that Mei Changsu and Prince Jing were doing the impossible regarding Wei Zheng, Yan Que was deeply moved and decided to lend them a hand, and Yu Jin also expressed his full support. To help Prince Jing get rid of the suspicion of being the mastermind behind the scenes, Mei Changsu discussed with Old Master Su of Medicine Valley the intention to use the name of Medicine King Valley for this operation, and Old Master Su readily agreed.
Episode 35 Recap
To avoid factional disputes, Xia Jiang refused Prince Yu's request to visit Wei Zheng, specifically naming Fourth Sister to deliver the message. This made Prince Yu feel Fourth Sister was slow in handling matters, but he was helpless.
Prince Yu's wife pushed open the door and informed Prince Yu about Consort Jing secretly setting up a memorial tablet for Consort Chen, and also conveyed the Empress's plan, which was to combine internal and external forces, seize the opportune moment, and strike effectively. Prince Yu was overjoyed. Inside Su Manor, Mei Changsu gathered over thirty handpicked experts and meticulously deployed them according to the plan to rescue Wei Zheng on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
Under Mei Changsu's planning, Yu Jin came to Prince Ji's residence. He deliberately leaked Gong Yu's whereabouts. Prince Ji, who loved music, immediately became interested upon hearing this. The two agreed to go listen to Gong Yu's new song together on the afternoon of the fifth day.
At the same time, Yan Que arranged to meet Xia Jiang at Hanzhong Abbey in the western suburbs outside the city on the fifth day, telling him that he had news about Xia Jiang's son. Yan Que predicted that Xia Jiang would have to go after receiving the message, as he had been searching for his son for many years without success.
Early on the fifth day, Xia Dong left the city to pay respects to Nie Feng, as she did every year. To divert Xia Qiu, she asked him to help her apprehend a suspect and took him with her away from the Xuanjing Division. The cunning Xia Jiang anticipated that someone would definitely attempt a prison break today, so he notified Fourth Sister to have Prince Yu find an excuse to stay by the Emperor of Liang's side today.
Xia Jiang arrived for the appointment on time. Yan Que deliberately delayed the time and only mentioned the news about his son under Xia Jiang's persistent questioning. It turned out that many years ago, Lady Xia, being kind-hearted, rescued Princess Xuanji of the Hua Tribe from Yeyou Court and treated her like a sister. Unexpectedly, she repaid kindness with enmity and even colluded with Lady Xia's husband, Xia Jiang.
Lady Xia, heartbroken and resentful, took her son and left, never to return since. Five years ago, Lady Xia had sent a letter to Yan Que, in which she mentioned that her son had died prematurely from a brain illness before reaching adulthood. Xia Jiang did not believe it after listening. Yan Que handed the letter to Xia Jiang. After reading it, Xia Jiang remained silent and tore the letter into pieces without any hesitation.
His coldness and heartlessness towards his lawfully wedded wife were clearly evident.
Xia Jiang knew that Prince Jing had deliberately sent Yan Que to lure him out of the city with the purpose of rescuing Wei Zheng from the Xuanjing Division, but he was not flustered at all, because he had already set a trap—Wei Zheng had been transferred to Dali Temple for detention, making it foolproof; the dungeon was filled with fire explosives, just waiting for the fuse to be lit to leave no trace of the intruders.
Episode 36 Recap
After Yan Que learned about the fire explosives, he was very angry. He questioned Xia Jiang if he had considered Xia Dong's safety, but Xia Jiang believed Xia Dong was a traitor to the Xuanjing Division and not worth pitying even in death. Xia Chun, standing by, felt a sense of reluctance and pleaded for Xia Dong, but Xia Jiang was indifferent.
Yan Que righteously accused Xia Jiang of being heartless and unjust, predicting he would eventually be defeated by righteousness and loyalty; while the cold-blooded Xia Jiang mocked Yan Que for being burdened by righteousness and loyalty his whole life. Looking at his despicable face, Yan Que said he could no longer stay with him for another moment and that he could leave now. The two words "can leave" made Xia Jiang suspicious.
After leaving the abbey, he found his mount stolen, and in his heart, he cried out that he had been tricked. He and Xia Chun hurriedly rushed back into the city. As soon as Xia Jiang entered the Xuanjing Division, the guards stationed there reported the strange behavior of the raiders who rushed to the dungeon entrance but did not enter, then broke out.
Xia Jiang carefully thought about the sequence of events and concluded that Prince Jing had found the true location where Wei Zheng was held, employing a diversionary tactic, and that Wei Zheng might have already been rescued. With this thought, Xia Jiang was greatly alarmed. Without time to think further, he and Xia Chun galloped to the Dali Temple prison where Wei Zheng was detained. The prison was calm as usual.
Only then did Xia Jiang understand that he had fallen into the enemy's trap and had become their guide, but it was too late. Zhen Ping and others who had secretly followed them had already tracked them to Dali Temple. Xia Jiang and Xia Chun were no match, and Fei Liu and others successfully rescued Wei Zheng. Prince Jing was very happy upon hearing the news of Wei Zheng's rescue.
Mei Changsu, however, calmly instructed him to prepare for the next battle, telling him to firmly deny any involvement in this matter. Inside the palace, Prince Yu presented the Emperor of Liang with a strange stone bearing the words "Liang Sheng". A crowd of officials praised the Emperor of Liang's sagacity, saying it was a heavenly sign of good fortune, and the Emperor of Liang could not contain his joy.
At this moment, Xia Jiang rushed into the hall in a panic to report about Wei Zheng's abduction. That a rebellious criminal dared to break into the Xuanjing Division and seize someone enraged the Emperor of Liang. He believed this matter must be related to Prince Jing, so he summoned Prince Jing to the palace. Meanwhile, Prince Ji, accepting Yu Jin's invitation, was leisurely listening to Gong Yu play a new song.
Gong Yu, using the excuse that the air inside was stuffy, pushed open the window and stood there. The unsuspecting Prince Ji walked to the window and saw Xia Dong in the alley downstairs, lifting a seriously injured prisoner onto a carriage, and he clearly saw the prisoner's face. The Emperor of Liang questioned Prince Jing about the Wei Zheng incident. Prince Jing pretended not to know, spoke with certainty, and demanded a confrontation with Xia Jiang.
Xia Jiang and Prince Yu pressed him step by step, but Prince Jing answered fluently and calmly, making it difficult for Xia Jiang to explain why he had transferred Wei Zheng to Dali Temple for detention. At this moment, the Empress sent someone to report that Consort Jing was found to have committed an act of defiance at ZhiLuo Palace. The furious Emperor of Liang kicked Prince Jing to the ground.
Episode 37 Recap
The Emperor of Liang, in a furious rage, came to ZhiLuo Palace. The Empress triumphantly reported the full story to him. Only then did the Emperor of Liang realize that it was about Consort Jing secretly setting up the tablet of Consort Chen. This was something he had arranged himself, and only he and Consort Jing knew about it.
Looking at Consort Jing, who knelt in the hall without defending herself, he felt Consort Jing's thoughtful protection towards him and felt a little more at ease. To help Consort Jing vent her anger, the Emperor of Liang ordered that Xiao Xin, who had betrayed her master, be executed. Consort Jing quickly requested to handle the matter herself, and the Emperor of Liang granted her request.
The Emperor of Liang originally wanted to gloss over it, but the Empress was relentless and argued forcefully. He could only symbolically punish Consort Jing, an action that completely baffled the Empress. Consort Jing's virtuous and sensible demeanor calmed the Emperor of Liang down. Returning to the main hall, his expression softened slightly, and he allowed Prince Jing to stand up and reply. Xia Jiang questioned repeatedly, and Prince Jing answered fluently.
Prince Yu saw the situation was unfavorable and mentioned Prince Jing's past relationship with the Chiyan Army, stirring up dissatisfaction in the Emperor of Liang's heart. Xia Jiang took the opportunity to request the Emperor of Liang's decree to interrogate Mei Changsu. Hearing this, Prince Jing became extremely anxious and tried his best to stop it, inevitably revealing his emotions, which made the Emperor of Liang suspicious again.
The Emperor of Liang graciously approved Xia Jiang's request, ordering Prince Jing to return to his palace to reflect quietly and not to leave, and also told him to temporarily hand over the jurisdiction of the Patrol Division to the Ministry of War. Mei Changsu had long anticipated that he would be implicated. He arranged the next steps in advance, took a life-saving pill, and waited quietly in his residence.
After the Emperor of Liang left, Consort Jing immediately interrogated Xiao Xin. Only then did Xiao Xin realize that Consort Jing had long seen through her identity as a spy and had deliberately let her find the tablet of Consort Chen to confirm her suspicion.
It turned out that Consort Jing had noticed something was amiss from the time Xiao Xin tearfully complained about being confined in front of Prince Jing, and the sudden death of Xiao Jinzi further confirmed her suspicion that something was strange. Consort Jing saved her so that she could personally tell Prince Jing the truth, allowing Prince Jing and Mei Changsu to resolve their past grievances.
Prince Jing, who was confined, heard that Xia Jiang had taken Mei Changsu away and was extremely anxious, wanting to go to the Xuanjing Division to exchange himself for Mei Changsu. Lie Zhanying stopped him, reminding him to remember Mr. Su's instructions and not act rashly. Inside the Xuanjing Division, Xia Jiang interrogated Mei Changsu, threatening him that even the toughest man could not withstand the inhuman methods of the Xuanjing Division.
Mei Changsu thought for a moment and agreed to confess to Xia Jiang. He admitted that he had long been colluding with Prince Jing, that Prince Jing was the mastermind behind the prison break, and he was the planner. Obtaining a confession so easily made Xia Jiang suspect that Mei Changsu might recant when facing the Emperor. His mind turned, and he proceeded to press for Wei Zheng's whereabouts.
Episode 38 Recap
Mei Changsu said Wei Zheng had already escaped the capital. Xia Jiang did not believe it. He was confident that the security in the capital was tight and Wei Zheng absolutely could not have left the city. To cover for Wei Zheng and confuse Xia Jiang, Mei Changsu explained that Wei Zheng had left the city hidden in Mrs. Xia Chun's trunk. Only then did Xia Jiang understand his oversight and believe the statement was true.
Yujin came to Prince Ji's residence and showed him Wei Zheng's wanted poster. Following his hint, Prince Ji remembered that the prisoner Xia Dong had transferred in the alley that day was indeed Wei Zheng. Thinking of Prince Jing's difficult situation, he felt he should tell the Emperor of Liang what he had seen with his own eyes. Zhen Ping, who had followed Prince Ji into the palace, quickly notified Meng Zhi to be prepared.
Mei Changsu was neither servile nor overbearing before Xia Jiang. He used his unique methods to torture Mei Changsu, who broke out in a cold sweat but still maintained a calm expression. Xia Jiang questioned why Mei Changsu, as the leader of the largest sect in the world, would get involved in court affairs. Why did he choose Prince Jing, and did he have his own motives? Mei Changsu responded calmly, answering each question.
Seeing that he was impervious to both coercion and persuasion, Xia Jiang had no choice but to bring out his unique poison, the Wujin Pill, threatening that if he didn't take the antidote, he would die from the poison in seven days, forcing Mei Changsu to tell the truth.
He further warned Mei Changsu that if he dared to speak falsely when the Emperor of Liang interrogated him, he could use a method from a distance to kill him instantly without leaving any trace, and the Emperor of Liang would then believe he had taken poison to commit suicide out of fear of punishment. After Prince Ji told the Emperor of Liang what he had personally witnessed, the Emperor of Liang felt something was amiss.
He quickly summoned Meng Zhi into the palace and ordered her to go directly to the Xuanjing Division to bring Xia Dong into the palace, without letting Xia Jiang know. Inside the Xuanjing Division, Mei Changsu turned defense into offense. He questioned Xia Jiang, asking why the Xuanjing Division, which had always stayed out of factional disputes, was participating in the succession struggle this time, putting Prince Jing to death.
Xia Jiang tried every means to argue but could not justify himself. Mei Changsu contemptuously said to Xia Jiang: You are afraid of Prince Jing, just as you were afraid of Prince Qi back then. Because Prince Qi strongly advocated for the disbandment of the Xuanjing Division, you killed Prince Qi and caused the unjust death of seventy thousand Chiyan Army soldiers in Meiling.
Xia Jiang was struck where it hurt, became enraged, and questioned if Mei Changsu was an old acquaintance of Prince Qi. Mei Changsu replied, "I am someone who admires Prince Qi." Xia Jiang threw a punch and knocked down Mei Changsu, forcing him to swallow the Wujin Pill. All of this was seen and heard by Xia Dong, who had quietly sneaked in nearby.
Xia Dong knelt down in tears, begging Xia Jiang to produce the antidote, stop in time, and turn over a new leaf. But Xia Jiang turned a deaf ear, ordered his men to escort Xia Dong away and keep a close watch on her. Just then, Meng Zhi arrived at the Xuanjing Division and took Xia Dong away without explanation.
Episode 39 Recap
Under the coercion of Emperor of Liang, Xia Dong admitted that she had kidnapped Wei Zheng and killed him to avenge her husband. She tried her best to take all the blame upon herself, doing everything to protect her master Xia Jiang. Her statement, full of holes, made Emperor of Liang furious, successfully pointing the suspicion towards the Xuanjing Division.
Xia Jiang learned that Xia Dong was taken away by Meng Zhi, and exclaimed that it was bad, ordering Xia Chun and Xia Qiu to quickly kill Mei Changsu to eliminate future trouble. Mei Changsu calmly maneuvered with the two of them, trying his best to buy time. At this moment, Meng Zhi had been ordered to arrest Xia Jiang and seal off the Xuanjing Division.
She knew deeply that time was Mei Changsu's life, she quickly rode to the Xuanjing Division and subdued Xia Jiang. Xia Chun heard that Xia Jiang had been arrested, and wanted to kill Mei Changsu before Meng Zhi arrived at the dungeon.
He struck towards Mei Changsu with his palm, at the critical moment, Fei Liu arrived, he extended his arm to block the fatal blow, and severely injured Xia Chun in just a few moves, Mei Changsu finally escaped from the jaws of death. Prince Yu learned that Xia Jiang was imprisoned, he had a premonition that he couldn't stay out of it, he was agonizing over countermeasures in his mansion.
Emperor of Liang was raging in the hall, the suspicious him had confirmed from the bottom of his heart that Xia Jiang and Prince Yu colluded to frame Prince Jing. This matter completely crossed his bottom line, he could not forgive the Xuanjing Division, which had always stayed out of factional disputes, for daring to deceive him. Cai Quan and Shen Zhui urgently requested an audience, reporting that there were other hidden details in the private fireworks workshop case.
It turned out that the explosion that caused hundreds of deaths and injuries was not an accident, but man-made, the suspicion pointed directly at the Minister of Justice, Prince Yu's brother-in-law, Zhu Yue. Emperor of Liang finished reading the memorial, remained silent, he was already perfectly clear about the whole incident, he knew it was an explosion planned by Prince Yu to deal with the deposed Crown Prince.
At this time, the already rescued Mei Changsu walked next to Xia Jiang, who was in shackles. Xia Jiang shouted: There are only seven days left, when a person dies, nothing is left, you can't be considered a winner. Meng Zhi found these words strange, and pressed for the truth, but was covered up by Mei Changsu.
Prince Yu thought Emperor of Liang summoned him into the palace because of the Xuanjing Division case, as soon as he entered the main hall, he started shouting about being wronged. Only after Emperor of Liang threw the memorial about the private fireworks workshop at him did he understand what was going on, he couldn't cope, and could only keep shouting about being wronged.
Cai Quan and Shen Zhui requested a joint trial by the three judicial offices, allowing Prince Yu to observe and supervise. Emperor of Liang knew clearly that the evidence was conclusive and Prince Yu would not be able to deny it, in order to save the royal face, he ordered Cai Quan to investigate only up to Zhu Yue, not to pursue further, and to close the case sooner.
Mei Changsu could no longer hold on after returning to the Su residence, he vomited large mouthfuls of blood, but was still asking whether Master Su Gu and Wei Zheng were safe, and only felt relieved after receiving an affirmative answer. He was also anxious to arrange other matters, and was stopped by Doctor Yan, who was distressed. Meng Zhi reported back, Xia Jiang refused to plead guilty and requested an audience with the Emperor.
Emperor of Liang had deep-seated resentment in his heart, refused to meet him, and only allowed Xia Jiang to submit a confession. Prince Jing heard that Mei Changsu had returned to the Su residence, and his mood, which had been tense for many days, finally relaxed.
Episode 40 Recap
Prince Yu returned to her residence, grieving silently. Prince Yu's Consort pleaded for her brother on behalf of Prince Yu. Prince Yu sighed that winning or losing had its own destiny, and she was now without hope for the throne. At Shen Zhui's residence, Cai Quan was indignant recalling everything in the hall and Emperor of Liang's handling of the private fireworks workshop case. He drank to forget his troubles and expressed concern for Prince Jing.
Shen Zhui comforted Cai Quan that the more difficult the time, the less they could give up hope. Inside Zhi Luo Palace, Consort Jing pleaded with Emperor of Liang not to show too much favor to Prince Jing. Emperor of Liang told Consort Jing to relax. At the same time, he was angry at the Xuanjing Division's audacity and mentioned Mei Changsu, who had been persecuted by Xia Jiang.
Consort Jing feigned curiosity and asked Emperor of Liang about Mei Changsu, sighing that Mei Changsu had suffered an unwarranted disaster for Prince Jing in vain. Emperor of Liang then told Consort Jing to tell Prince Jing that he should consult Mei Changsu more often. Meng Zhi went to the dungeon to visit Xia Dong and encouraged Xia Dong to cheer up again. Xia Dong asked about Xia Jiang's crimes.
Meng Zhi frankly said that Xia Jiang had no chance of survival based on his crimes. Xia Dong asked Meng Zhi to convey to Prince Jing and Mei Changsu that they must bring justice for the deceased. Emperor of Liang tested Consort Jing to see if Prince Jing only wanted to be a prince who handled affairs. Consort Jing was fearful.
Emperor of Liang then expressed his appreciation for Prince Jing to Consort Jing and promised that he would take Consort Jing with him to the Spring Examination in March, where she could also summon Mei Changsu. Prince Jing entered the palace to visit Consort Jing. Consort Jing called for Xiao Xin. Only then did Prince Jing learn the truth about Consort Jing being trapped in Zhi Luo Palace at that time.
Prince Jing felt guilty in his heart and decided to apologize to Mei Changsu. Prince Jing braved the snow to come to the Su residence but received the news that Mei Changsu was gravely ill. Meng Zhi rushed over and told everyone that Mei Changsu had been forced by Xia Jiang to take the Wujin Pill. Qin Banruo disguised herself and entered the prison to seek advice from Xia Jiang.
Xia Jiang told her they still had a chance during the Spring Hunt in March and asked Qin Banruo to inform Prince Yu. Prince Jing and Meng Zhi rushed to the dungeon and ordered Xia Jiang to hand over the antidote for the Wujin Pill. However, Xia Jiang knew that Prince Jing would not act rashly. Mei Changsu's Fire and Ice Chill Poison neutralized the Wujin Pill's toxicity, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Prince Jing felt sad thinking of Xiao Shu and resolved that he must vindicate the innocent deceased.
Episode 41 Recap
Mei Changsu survived the Xuanjing Division's cruel methods with some danger but no harm. As soon as he got out of bed, he instructed Zhen Ping to keep a close eye on the arrested Tong Lu. Empress Yan repeatedly made things difficult for Consort Jing and Consort Hui, and ordered Consort Hui to copy two Buddhist scriptures within an impossible timeframe. Consort Jing wanted to help, but Empress Yan publicly humiliated her for her humble origins.
The Emperor of Liang comforted Consort Jing and wanted to promote her rank, but Consort Jing instead advised the Emperor of Liang to persuade Empress Yan not to relentlessly trouble Consort Hui. The Emperor of Liang increasingly felt that Consort Jing was virtuous and gentle, and decided to let Jingting, the son of Consort Hui, preside over the Xuanjing Division case. Inside the Xuanjing Division prison, Meng Zhi pressed on step by step, gradually breaking down Xia Jiang's psychological defenses.
Xia Jiang's calculations with all his leverage failed, and he finally understood that his power was completely gone. After the Xuanjing Division case, the Emperor of Liang completely lost trust in Xia Jiang and was quite dissatisfied with Prince Yu. Instead, he increasingly appreciated Prince Jing and hoped Prince Jing could quickly adapt to court affairs after being away for so long.
He advised him to consult with Mei Changsu more often, but Prince Jing feigned ignorance in front of the Emperor of Liang. Outside the palace, Prince Yu was decreed to be demoted to a Prince with Double Pearls. Inside the palace, Consort Yue, who had lost her son the Crown Prince, was also demoted to a second-rank Consort Xian. Consort Jing was elevated to Noble Consort. Prince Jing encountered Mu Qing on his way to the Su residence.
Mu Qing's deliberate evasion in his words made Prince Jing increasingly suspect that Mei Changsu had found Wei Zheng and might have hidden him in Mu Manor. At Prince Yu's residence, Qin Banruo desperately advised Prince Yu to recover and rebuild. Prince Yu, ordered to be confined to his residence, was dejected and depressed, lamenting that he no longer wished to fight for power. Qin Banruo disguised herself and sneaked into the prison.
Xia Jiang, hearing about Prince Yu's despondency, felt unwilling to accept defeat. He suddenly remembered the brocade pouch left to Banruo by her teacher, Princess Xuanji, and told Banruo to open it and see.
Episode 42 Recap
Qin Banruo handed the brocade pouch she had kept close to Xia Jiang for him to examine. The two were surprised to find inside a letter left for Prince Yu by Princess Xuanji's older sister, Princess Linglong. What was even more unbelievable was that the content of the letter actually revealed that Prince Yu was the son born to the Emperor of Liang and Princess Linglong of the Hua tribe.
Qin Banruo hurried back to Prince Yu's residence, and tearfully handed the letter to Prince Yu, telling him that half the blood flowing in his body was of the Hua tribe. In his shock, Prince Yu directed all his accumulated past resentment towards the Emperor of Liang, and decided to plan a mutiny during the spring examination in the third month. After recuperating in Mu Manor for three months, Wei Zheng was finally able to recognize and meet Mei Changsu.
Mei Changsu instructed Wei Zheng that he must not reveal his original identity when he meets Prince Jing. Taking advantage of the night, Prince Jing hurried to the Snow Hut through the secret passage, and personally heard Wei Zheng recount the truth of how the Chiyan Army was almost completely wiped out at Mei Ridge thirteen years ago after defeating the Dayu army, having been framed by Xie Yu.
Prince Jing finally learned the truth of what happened at Mei Ridge that year, and filled with sorrow and indignation, he had to believe that Lin Shu would never come back. Mei Changsu saw it and was heartbroken, but he still suppressed his emotions and offered advice and strategies for Prince Jing. Qin Banruo used Junniang to trick and lure Tong Lu, and learned about Mei Changsu's history of suffering from the Fire Poison.
During the spring examination in the third month, escorted by Prince Jing, the Emperor of Liang went to Jiu'an Mountain together with Consort Jing, and asked Prince Jing to invite Mei Changsu to accompany them. After the large entourage set up camp, Consort Jing, while the Emperor of Liang was resting, asked Prince Jing to bring Mei Changsu to meet her.
Episode 43 Recap
Mei Changsu accompanied Prince Jing to meet Consort Jing. Consort Jing examined Mei Changsu carefully, and when serving him tea, deliberately spilled the teacup to wet Mei Changsu's clothes. She took the opportunity to search for the marks on Xiao Shu's arm from that year but found nothing. Consort Jing requested to take Mei Changsu's pulse, using the excuse that she wanted to see more case examples.
After assessing his condition, she couldn't help but lose her composure slightly, but Mei Changsu remained calm throughout. Consort Jing forcibly invited Prince Jing out of the tent, and finally couldn't control her emotions, crying uncontrollably. Mei Changsu couldn't help but feel emotional, but he still comforted Consort Jing, telling her not to worry about him. His mother's unusual behavior filled Prince Jing with suspicion, and he asked Mei Changsu for the reason. Mei Changsu remained silent.
Consort Jing, having calmed her emotions, used words to distract Prince Jing's attention, preventing him from continuing to suspect. In Jinling City, Prince Yu successfully persuaded the Empress to assist with his rebellious plan, secretly making arrangements. However, Mei Changsu and his group at Jiu'an Mountain were completely unaware. Unexpectedly, Mei Changsu discovered Gong Yu mixed in among the Imperial Guards, silently standing guard for him. Hearing that Prince Yu was rebelling, Junniang risked her life to rescue Tong Lu.
The escaping Tong Lu informed Li Gang and Zhen Ping of the full story. However, on his way to Jiu'an Mountain to deliver the message, he died protecting Zhen Ping. Prince Yu, in conjunction with the Qingli Army, attacked the Hunting Palace. Mei Changsu and Prince Jing discussed countermeasures. After obtaining permission from the Emperor of Liang, Prince Jing took the military tally and quickly went down the mountain to dispatch the Jicheng Army to come and protect the Emperor.
Before parting, Prince Jing worried that if he could not bring back reinforcements in time, the Emperor of Liang would be held hostage by Prince Yu, and Consort Jing, Mei Changsu, and Meng Zhi would also be unable to escape this calamity. Mei Changsu comforted Prince Jing, telling him not to have any reservations. He should prioritize the state and must not let Prince Yu succeed. He and the seventy thousand loyal souls of the Chiyan Army would all be with him.
Episode 44 Recap
Xia Jiang and Qin Banruo snuck into the hidden office of the Xuanjing Department under the cover of night, looking through materials everywhere, searching for the symptoms of the fire and ice venom that Mei Changsu was afflicted with. Prince Yu sent troops to attack Jiu'an Mountain, Meng Zhi led her troops to actively counterattack, causing heavy losses to Prince Yu's vanguard.
Prince Yu ordered the vanguard to set up camp to confuse the enemy, and secretly ordered the reinforcements to rush to the front line. Mei Changsu saw through Prince Yu's strategy of deploying troops for a pincer movement and sent Meng Zhi to lead her troops to engage with them. Tingsheng found Mei Changsu and expressed that as a man, he also wanted to contribute to the country.
Mei Changsu, using the reason of assigning tasks to protect the safety of the royal relatives, arranged for Tingsheng and Gong Yu to withdraw to the Hunting Palace, while he stayed behind to set traps, causing the Qingli Army's vanguard, who had snuck into the hunting camp during the night, to find nothing. The next day in the Hunting Palace, Mei Changsu, Meng Zhi, and others were ready for a fierce battle.
With no way to retreat, everyone was determined to defend the Hunting Palace to the death while waiting for Prince Jing, vowing not to fall until the last moment. The Qingli Army pressed towards the Hunting Palace step by step. The defending troops closed the palace gates tightly and fought desperately with the rebellious army on the city walls. Relying on their numerical advantage, the Qingli Army continued their fierce assault.
The gates of the Hunting Palace were breached, and the defending soldiers used their bodies as shields, engaging in a life-and-death struggle with the Qingli Army outside the palace gate. The Hunting Palace was on the verge of falling. Inside the palace, Consort Jing, Yan Que, Prince Ji, and others all declared that they would never yield to Prince Yu's tyranny. The Emperor of Liang was deeply moved and also stood with everyone, holding a sword.
At the critical moment, Princess Nihuang, who had received Prince Jing's instructions beforehand, arrived at Jiu'an Mountain in time to support the rear palace and killed the Qingli Army's leader. After eliminating the remaining forces from all sides, Prince Jing led his troops to capture Prince Yu, whose cause was already lost.
The Emperor of Liang came before the door of the cell where Prince Yu was imprisoned, heartbrokenly reproaching himself for having favored this rebellious son Prince Yu in vain. Prince Yu, on the other hand, gave a bitter smile and said that Princess Linglong must have been truly blind back then, leaving the Emperor of Liang stunned.
Episode 45 Recap
Knowing he had reached a dead end, Prince Yu no longer wanted to wear a mask and deal with the Emperor of Liang; he implored the Emperor of Liang to tell the truth. This pair of equally selfish and ruthless father and son finally spoke frankly. The Emperor of Liang starkly revealed his own dirty thoughts and stated that useless pawns should be discarded, and if their positions were swapped, Prince Yu would do the same.
Knowing that he, like his mother, was merely a pawn, Prince Yu screamed hysterically, roaring at the Emperor of Liang with eyes full of grief and indignation. To conceal his shameful act, the Emperor of Liang threatened Prince Yu, saying that his mother was Consort Xiang, not Princess Linglong, and then ordered Prince Yu to be held in solitary confinement, allowing no one to approach him.
Upon receiving the news, Prince Yu's consort hurried into the palace, begging the Empress to rescue Prince Yu. The Empress knew the Emperor of Liang's temperament well; once Prince Yu was caught for rebellion, there would be no way out for him, and she herself could not escape misfortune. Princess Nihuang saw Mei Changsu's meticulous care for the injured Gong Yu and felt a pang of jealousy.
She inquired indirectly and learned that Gong Yu had only disguised herself as an imperial guard to stand watch in front of the tent and had not had much contact with Mei Changsu, which allowed her to let go of her worries. With everything arranged properly, Prince Jing recalled the behavior of Mei Changsu and Consort Jing and increasingly felt there was a hidden story.
To uncover the truth, he questioned Mei Changsu about why Xia Jiang's confession accused him of being an old associate of Prince Qi. Mei Changsu explained that he had confessed falsely, his purpose being to anger Xia Jiang and make him reveal a flaw. Just then, Qi Meng reported with pleasant surprise that the "monster" caught in Gushan was actually a person. Mei Changsu went out of the hall to observe after hearing this.
The wild man in the cage was dirty and dishevelled, covered in long hair, with guarded eyes and low growls from his mouth, but he did not speak. Mei Changsu stared at his face, feeling a sense of familiarity. His heart tightened; disregarding everyone's attempts to stop him, he approached the cage to examine him closely and discovered a Chiyan Army bracelet on the wild man's wrist.
Mei Changsu suppressed his inner excitement and requested Prince Jing to let him take care of the wild man. Prince Jing agreed and secretly sent Lie Zhanying to gather information. After showering, the wild man's entire body was covered in pure white long hair. Mei Changsu knew that the wild man was afflicted with the same fire and ice venom as him, which was why he looked this way.
After he cut himself to feed medicine, the wild man's condition temporarily stabilized. Mei Changsu comforted the wild man, asking him to extend his arm to look at the Chiyan Army bracelet; the name "Nie Feng" was clearly engraved on it, who was exactly Xia Dong's husband.
It turned out that after Nie Feng was afflicted with the fire and ice venom, not only did his appearance drastically change, but the base of his tongue also became stiff, making him unable to speak. He had endured hardships to come to the capital, simply wishing to see Xia Dong one last time before he died. Mei Changsu choked out that he was Xiao Shu and recognized Nie Feng; the two embraced and cried heartbrokenly.
Nie Feng, who had a thousand words in his heart but suffered from being unable to communicate, made sounds and tightly embraced his Young Marshal. Mei Changsu invited Consort Jing to treat Nie Feng. After finishing the acupuncture, Consort Jing said that the poisoning was too deep, and with her medical skills, she could only suppress the toxicity for two months, but was powerless to cure it completely.
Prince Jing noticed the clues and believed that Consort Jing and Mei Changsu were definitely not meeting for the first time. Consort Jing could only tell Prince Jing that Mei Changsu was the son of an old friend, and this old friend had saved her life; she did not tell him before because the old friend was deceased, and mentioning the past made her sad.
Knowing deeply that the pain after the venom flared up was unbearable for ordinary people, Mei Changsu gave the last pill to Nie Feng but collapsed when the venom acted up; Consort Jing rushed over and stabilized his condition. Prince Jing, who was accompanying him, heard the delirious Mei Changsu say to him, "Jingyan, don't be afraid." In that instant, he suddenly felt as though he had seen Xiao Shu.
Episode 46 Recap
Princess Nihuang heard that Mei Changsu's condition flared up, and rushed into Consort Jing's palace in a panic to inquire about his illness. The words had barely left her mouth when she realized her loss of composure, and quickly covered it up. Consort Jing indicated that she already knew Xiao Shu's identity. Princess Nihuang finally couldn't help but burst into tears, her heart aching.
Consort Jing comforted Princess Nihuang, saying that she was Xiao Shu's closest person in this world, and he didn't tell her about his illness because he was afraid she would be sad. Mei Changsu finally woke up. Prince Jing, who had been guarding by his side, frankly stated his doubts and insisted on asking Mei Changsu for his father's name first, and then asking Consort Jing to cross-reference the two sides to confirm the truth.
Mei Changsu was forced into a corner and had no choice but to tell him his father's name was Mei Shinan. Prince Jing immediately left the palace to ask Consort Jing and unexpectedly received the same answer. In fact, Lin Xie had indeed used the alias Mei Shinan to save Consort Jing.
Prince Jing, unaware of the truth, slumped down and told Consort Jing that he might be going crazy; for a moment, he had actually become convinced that Mei Changsu was Lin Shu. Meng Zhi regained control of the Jinling Imperial Guards and adjusted the palace defenses. The Emperor of Liang could now return to the palace. Xia Jiang had escaped.
The Emperor of Liang ordered the issuance of a nationwide arrest warrant for Xia Jiang, to be apprehended and brought to justice, regardless of whether he was alive or dead. The Emperor of Liang summoned Prince Ji and discussed the position of Crown Prince, asking if Prince Jing Jingyan was suitable.
Prince Ji, who had always portrayed himself as an idle prince but whose heart was as clear as a mirror, praised Prince Jing for his filial piety, virtue, sincerity, and loyalty, but remained silent about the position of Crown Prince, fearing it would arouse the Emperor of Liang's suspicion. The Emperor of Liang, however, stated that he admired Prince Jing for having no ambition and adhering to his duty. Mei Changsu met Prince Ji outside the hall.
Prince Ji hinted that Mei Changsu would return to the capital soon, and everything could be settled. Mei Changsu took the opportunity to thank Prince Ji on behalf of Prince Jing for saving Tingsheng's life. Upon returning to the capital, the Emperor of Liang immediately issued a decree to depose the Empress. Consort Yan learned that Prince Yu and his entire household had been thrown into the imperial prison. She received the decree sorrowfully and moved to Shanqing Nunnery.
In prison, Prince Yu, knowing his death was approaching, had a change of heart and apologized to Prince Yu's consort, blaming himself not only for not treating her well but also for implicating her to die with him. Prince Yu's consort, however, expressed affectionately that she was willing to go to the underworld together, but she was pregnant and was unwilling to let the child die with them.
Mei Changsu came to the prison and told Prince Yu that if he had stopped earlier, he could have kept his wealth and status. Prince Yu expressed without regret that surrounding the hunting ground was the most satisfying thing he had ever done, and even if he failed, it would just be the same outcome as Prince Qi back then.
Mei Changsu stated bluntly that Prince Qi had the world in his heart and cared about the people, and he was not even worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as Prince Qi. The Emperor of Liang came to the imperial prison to see Prince Yu, but Prince Yu had already committed suicide.
After reading the blood letter left by Prince Yu, the Emperor of Liang quickly asked where Prince Yu's consort was, but it was too late; Prince Yu's consort had already passed away. In fact, Prince Yu's consort had already been swapped out of the imperial prison with a death row prisoner under Mei Changsu's arrangement and had left the capital. In the future, Prince Yu's child, living away from the court as an ordinary person, would surely grow up happily.
Consort Jing selected the daughter of the Grand Secretariat Liu Cheng as Prince Jing's principal consort. Mei Changsu was worried about Xia Dong. Gong Yu suggested that she could use disguise to swap Xia Dong out, allowing Nie Feng and his wife to meet soon.
Episode 47 Recap
So that Nie Feng and Xia Dong could meet soon, Wei Zheng and Mei Changsu both felt that Gong Yu's plan was feasible and could be carried out when the time was right. Guided by Lin Chen, Fei Liu captured Qin Banruo. Zhen Ping received a letter via carrier pigeon informing him that Xie Yu had died.
Mei Changsu believed his death could be utilized, because Princess Liyang held a handwritten confession from him, which could be used as an opportunity to reopen the old case. Shen Zhui saw through Prince Jing's thoughts and worried that he would risk offending the Emperor and suffer a loss that outweighed the gain. After the court session, he proactively spoke with him about Prince Qi's old case.
He said that 13 years ago, many people raised objections regarding the truth of the case, but they were either killed or demoted, and no one dared to speak again. He pointed out bluntly that for the Emperor of Liang, the truth was not important; what was important was that Prince Qi's influence was too great, like snoring beside the Emperor of Liang's bed, making him feel like he was treading on thin ice and in imminent danger.
Shen Zhui advised Prince Jing that now that the Eastern Palace was not yet established, if he were to rashly propose retrying the Chiyan Army case, it would only make the Emperor of Liang think that he was relying on his new achievements, angering him into fury by forcing him to admit the grave mistake he made back then, which would be of no benefit to clearing the old case.
As soon as Lin Chen arrived at the Su Residence, Mei Changsu eagerly asked him to treat Nie Feng's illness. After taking his pulse, Lin Chen said that Nie Feng was not deeply poisoned and the poison could be cured. Mei Changsu breathed a sigh of relief. Lin Chen gave Qin Banruo to Mei Changsu as a "gift". Based on Qin Banruo's movements, they speculated that Xia Jiang was still in the capital.
In fact, Xia Jiang was indeed hiding in the residence of the outer official Master Fan and planned to use Master Fan's niece, Consort Fan, to deliver a secret letter to the deposed Crown Prince's birth mother, Consort Yue. Mei Changsu exhausted himself, considering Prince Jing in every way, and his health worsened.
Lin Chen warned him bluntly that his physical condition was not optimistic; if he did not rest and recuperate peacefully, his life would be in danger at any time. Prince Jing was instated as the Crown Prince and moved into the Eastern Palace. To avoid future trouble, Mei Changsu ordered the complete sealing of the secret passage.
The Emperor of Liang's health was much worse than before; he finally realized he was old, and thus ordered the Crown Prince to oversee state affairs. Meng Zhi arranged for people to swap out Xia Dong. Learning that Xia Dong was coming, Nie Feng was both filled with anticipation and uneasy, afraid that Xia Dong would not be able to accept his appearance.
Looking at Nie Feng, who was completely disfigured and covering his face while shedding tears, Xia Dong affectionately held his hand, and countless words turned into just one sentence: "You're finally back!" After being separated by life and death and suddenly reuniting, the two of them could no longer distinguish between joy and sorrow. They remained silent, only shedding countless tears. Lin Chen described the symptoms of the Fire and Ice Poison to everyone present and listed two detoxification methods.
One method involved scraping the bone and peeling the skin, shattering and reshaping the bone. After detoxification, the face would change but would be no different from an ordinary person's, except all internal energy would be lost, and the person would be weak and sickly, able to live up to forty years at most if well cared for.
The other method involved less pain and allowed one to live out their natural lifespan, but one would not be able to speak, and the white hair on the body could not be completely removed. Only then did Meng Zhi, Nihuang, and others present realize what agonizing pain Lin Shu, who had been poisoned by the Fire and Ice Poison, had endured.
Nihuang's heart was trembling, and Meng Zhi even roared disregardingly, scolding Mei Changsu for not taking care of his body and coming to the capital to gamble with his life. To stay together forever, Nie Feng and Xia Dong chose the second detoxification method.
Episode 48 Recap
Wei Zheng misspoke and let Xia Dong know that Mei Changsu was Xiao Shu. Thinking of the hardships he had endured, she was filled with emotion, her eyes brimming with hot tears. Mei Changsu advised Meng Zhi and Nihuang, telling them not to stop him. Because he carried a deep blood feud and bore the hope of clearing the names of the seventy thousand Chiyan Army, this was also the reason he initially chose the first detoxification method.
Nihuang felt immense guilt, realizing she was not by Xiao Shu's side when he was in the most pain. Meng Zhi then told Mei Changsu to set aside all affairs and rest peacefully; the matter of overturning the case could be easily resolved after Prince Jing ascended the throne. Mei Changsu disagreed.
He said the case must be retried during the current Emperor's reign so it would not be criticized by future generations; he wanted to completely vindicate the Chiyan Army. Nihuang asked Mei Changsu how much longer he could live. Mei Changsu couldn't bear to make her sad and falsely claimed he still had ten years left. Nihuang affectionately expressed that she was already completely satisfied if she could accompany him for ten years.
Mei Changsu was mentally and physically exhausted and fell ill again. He worried he would die soon and begged Lin Chen to find a way to give him one year, so he could personally witness the retrial of the wrongful case and see the seventy thousand wronged souls vindicated throughout the land. Lin Chen couldn't refuse him and couldn't stop him from overexerting himself mentally and physically, so he had no choice but to find a way to treat him.
Xia Jiang secretly placed the secret letter in a gift box, and the waiting palace maid, Qin'er, passed it to Consort Yue. After Prince Jing was made Crown Prince, he handled state affairs diligently and gained the deep favor of the Emperor of Liang. Qin'er handed the secret letter to Consort Yue and persuaded her to agree to cooperate with Xia Jiang.
Consort Yue feigned a severe illness and being on the verge of death, tricking the Emperor of Liang into going to Zhaoren Palace. Consort Yue hesitantly spoke about the secret letter. The Emperor of Liang impatiently told her to reveal its content. Consort Yue told him the secret letter was Xia Jiang's confession.
He not only claimed that Mei Changsu had been afflicted by the Fire and Ice Poison but also claimed that Mei Changsu was Lin Shu, the young marshal of the Chiyan Army, who escaped death from Meiling. After hearing this, the Emperor of Liang felt as if struck by lightning. After reading the secret letter, his expression was solemn. He immediately summoned everyone in the Historical Records Office to search for information about the Fire and Ice Poison.
At the same time, he told Consort Yue to send a message to Xia Jiang, stating that if his confession was true, his past crimes could be pardoned. Lin Chen successfully detoxified Nie Feng. Xia Dong was relieved and prepared to return to prison to swap back with Gong Yu. Just then, Mei Changsu told her that he did not have long to live and solemnly entrusted Nihuang to her. Mei Changsu was having more and more episodes of illness.
Lin Chen pressed his acupoints, forcing him to rest and get treatment. Xia Jiang decided to enter the palace to have an audience with the Emperor. He knew that if this trip failed, death was certain. Before leaving, he instructed Qin'er that if he died, she was to use all the hidden forces to cause mutual destruction and take the lives of the few people he had targeted.
Episode 49 Recap
Xia Jiang took a desperate gamble and entered the palace to tell the Emperor of Liang all his suspicions. The Imperial Academy also found records about the Fire and Ice Poison. The Emperor of Liang saw that raging fire, blizzards, and the unique snow scale insects of Meiling were the three conditions for the formation of the Fire and Ice Poison, and immediately thought of the bloody battle at Meiling.
Connecting this to the various changes that had occurred since Mei Changsu arrived in the capital two years ago, his suspicions deepened. He immediately issued an imperial decree summoning Mei Changsu into the palace. At the same time, he forced Meng Zhi to take three days of leave, placing control of the Imperial Guards in the hands of Commander Chai.
Seeing the critical situation, Gao Zhan secretly sent a message that Sir Su must not enter the palace, taking advantage of Consort Jing's palace maid bringing lily soup to the Emperor. Upon learning this, Consort Jing quickly ordered someone to inform Crown Prince Jingyan. Lie Zhanying, under the Crown Prince's command, went to stop him, but by the time he reached the palace gate, he was one step late; Mei Changsu had already entered the palace.
Lin Chen had Li Gang inform Princess Nihuang. At this time, Mei Changsu had already met the Emperor of Liang. The Emperor of Liang checked his arms and neck for Lin Shu's birthmark, but found nothing. Inside the East Palace, Lie Zhanying reported to the Crown Prince that there had been no news of Mei Changsu since he entered the Hall of Sustained Peace.
The Crown Prince, Meng Zhi, and Princess Nihuang were both worried and puzzled, not knowing what the Emperor of Liang was plotting. Just as everyone was at a loss, the Emperor of Liang summoned Crown Prince Jingyan into the palace. Jingyan disregarded everyone's attempts to stop him and decided to risk entering the palace as usual, intending to find a way to protect Mei Changsu and Consort Jing.
Everyone agreed that if he did not come out by noon, they would raise troops to rebel against the Emperor of Liang and enter the palace to rescue them. Jingyan saw Mei Changsu in the Hall of Sustained Peace but was troubled by his inability to inquire, so he could only stand by his side.
After Xia Jiang entered the hall, he immediately accused Mei Changsu of being the rebellious subject, Lin Shu, the son of the Chiyan Army's commander-in-chief Lin Xie and commander of the Chiyu Battalion. Upon hearing this, Jingyan widened his eyes in disbelief and looked at Mei Changsu, while Mei Changsu remained calm and composed, showing no panic. Nihuang, Meng Zhi, Lin Chen, and others secretly gathered troops, preparing for battle.
Nihuang stared intently at the hourglass used for timing, feeling very worried in her heart. Mei Changsu and Xia Jiang each stuck to their own arguments, debating endlessly. The Emperor of Liang mentioned the Fire and Ice Poison, and seeing Jingyan's surprised expression, which did not seem feigned, believed that he was unaware. Seeing the situation was unfavorable, Xia Jiang tearfully implored the Emperor of Liang not to be deceived by them.
He said that in the past two years, every incident that occurred benefited Prince Jing, while the Crown Prince and Prince Yu both suffered heavy losses. After saying this, he pressed Mei Changsu, asking if he dared to let the imperial physicians examine his pulse to confirm if he was afflicted with the Fire and Ice Poison.
Addressing Xia Jiang's accusation, Mei Changsu first mentioned the Crown Prince's merit in protecting the Emperor at Mount Jiu'an, stating clearly that the Crown Prince did not seize power despite the favorable circumstances, which fully showed his loyalty. Then, changing the subject, he surprisingly admitted that he was Lin Shu.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Liang suddenly stood up and was about to speak, but Mei Changsu argued flawlessly: Assuming I am Lin Shu, if the Emperor of Liang deals with him, it will hurt the father-son relationship and disrupt the court, thus allowing Xia Jiang to achieve his goal. In reality, merely examining the pulse by an imperial physician cannot prove or disprove that he is Lin Shu.
Xia Jiang's goal is to plant a seed of doubt in the Emperor of Liang's heart, sow discord between the Crown Prince and the Emperor, benefit Prince Xian, and absolve himself of guilt. After several rounds of persuasion, the Emperor of Liang finally turned his suspicious gaze towards Xia Jiang. He severely reprimanded Xia Jiang for sowing discord and handed him over to the Crown Prince for handling.
Jingyan handled him according to the law, handing him over to the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review. At this moment, Xia Jiang angrily grabbed a knife, intending to kill Mei Changsu, but was subdued by Commander Chai. As he was dragged out of the hall, Xia Jiang, who deeply understood the Emperor of Liang's nature, shouted: Better to kill the wrong person than to let the right one escape.
This sentence indeed stirred the Emperor of Liang's intent to kill, and he bestowed poisoned wine upon Mei Changsu. Jingyan stepped forward bravely, slowly poured the poisoned wine away, and walked out of the Hall of Sustained Peace shoulder to shoulder with Mei Changsu. Upon learning that Mei Changsu had safely left the palace, Nihuang and others breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, however, Jingyan slowly walked towards Zhi'luo Palace, recalling every moment he spent with Mei Changsu along the way, and knowing that Mei Changsu was Lin Shu.
Episode 50 Recap
Mei Changsu couldn't hold on after leaving the palace and was helped onto a carriage by Zhen Ping, who was waiting outside the palace. Jingyan came to Consort Jing's palace and asked her, Meng Zhi, Princess Nihuang, and others if they had known Mei Changsu's true identity all along. Consort Jing tacitly agreed. Jingyan was deeply saddened and blamed himself for not recognizing him.
Consort Jing comforted him, saying that Xiaoshu not telling him the truth was because her expectations of him were different from others'. Then she warned Jingyan that there were still many unfinished matters, and he could not stop. He had to fulfill Xiaoshu's wish, which was also everyone's wish. She repeatedly urged Jingyan to face challenges calmly and not make mistakes, because Xiaoshu's body could no longer withstand failure. The Emperor of Liang was still troubled by Xia Jiang's words.
He asked Gao Zhan if Mei Changsu was Lin Shu. Gao Zhan denied it, saying that if Mei Changsu was Lin Shu, given the Crown Prince's nature, he would never have allowed him to enter the deadly Xuanjing Department. The Emperor of Liang nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
Gao Zhan comforted the Emperor of Liang, saying that the Crown Prince was magnanimous and would not become estranged from him because of this, but the Emperor of Liang knew that the old Chiyan case had always been a knot between father and son. As soon as Mei Changsu returned to his residence, he fainted. His condition was very serious. Lin Chen decided to take a risky approach and use an extraordinary detoxification method to save him.
As he wasn't completely sure, he deliberately teased Fei Liu to hide his nervousness. Cai Quan received a secret report and was shocked to hear that Xia Dong had been swapped. He went to the prison overnight and exposed Gong Yu. After receiving the news, Meng Zhi and Xia Dong prepared to break into the prison at night to rescue Gong Yu. Lin Chen, who was nearby, saw how reckless they were and kept shaking his head.
To avoid disturbing the recuperating Mei Changsu, he gave them a good idea to deal with Minister Cai without bloodshed, saving Gong Yu and making Cai Quan stop the investigation. Meng Zhi was very happy, but Lin Chen poured cold water on her, telling her to check her personal guard's new wife, as she was the one who leaked the information. After Mei Changsu woke up, he asked Lin Chen to start investigating the people left behind by Princess Xuanji.
He remembered Prince Yu's dying words and thought about the motives of Qin Banruo and Xia Jiang in swearing to help him until death, suspecting that Prince Yu was connected to the Hua tribe. Mei Changsu asked Gong Yu, who was also of the Hua tribe, and learned that Princess Linglong of the Hua tribe once had a child, and after Princess Linglong died in battle, the child's whereabouts were unknown.
It was Marquis Yan's birthday, and guests filled the entrance. A woman named Han came with her son Han Zhuo to offer congratulations, claiming to be an old friend of Marquis Yan. Marquis Yan met with them alone. It turned out that Ms. Han had a past relationship with Xia Jiang, and Han Zhuo was Xia Jiang's son.
This time Ms. Han came to the capital wanting to settle things with Xia Jiang and also let her son collect his body after death. Ms. Han handed the list of Xia Jiang's remaining followers that she held to Marquis Yan. Based on the information gathered from various sources, Jingyan carried out a major purge inside and outside the palace. Mei Changsu came to the prison and told Xia Jiang everything that had happened. The deserving Xia Jiang had lost all his cards and finally showed despair, and what awaited him were even greater waves.
Episode 51 Recap
When Meng Zhi was on patrol, she saw Yu Jin sending off the Xie manor's second son, Xie Bi, on a long journey, and knew that the news of Xie Yu's death had reached the capital. Xie Bi was indeed going to Qianzhou to collect Xie Yu's body. Mei Changsu secretly sent people to escort him all the way, fearing he might encounter an accident.
In the Su manor, Mei Changsu received a report that Marquis Yan had agreed to the Crown Prince's request. Mei Changsu had someone tell the Crown Prince that it would be most logical for Princess Liyang to step forward on that matter. Princess Liyang was assassinated in her manor and was saved by Xiao Jingrui, who had just returned.
Princess Liyang believed that she lived a reclusive life and was free from worldly disputes, and only the letter from Xie Yu, which she had never left, could bring about her death. For his mother's safety, Xiao Jingrui decided to examine the contents of the letter. The letter detailed the entire process of the Meiling injustice case jointly orchestrated by Xie Yu and Xia Jiang 13 years ago. Every single detail was shocking and outrageous.
Faced with such a tragic truth, Xiao Jingrui could no longer sit still. He got up to expose the facts but was stopped by Princess Liyang. Knowing the old ties deeply, she could not stand by and watch Xiao Jingrui court death. However, Xiao Jingrui said that he could not be an accomplice to those who concealed the truth, and someone was already fighting for the letter. Even if he didn't speak up, he couldn't stay out of it.
Princess Liyang decided to hand the letter to the Crown Prince, Xiao Jingyan. Wei Zheng searched for years and finally found the Ice Soul Grass. Li Gang and Lin Chen were overjoyed because the old Master of Langya Hall had said that the Ice Soul Grass could cure the Fire and Ice Poison, and the Sovereign was finally saved. However, Lin Chen poured a basin of cold water on them.
It turned out that while using the Ice Soul Grass for detoxification, it also required ten strong men to exchange blood with the patient, and the ten people who exchanged blood would die from blood depletion. The three of them, including Li Gang, expressed their willingness to exchange blood for the Sovereign without hesitation, but Lin Chen said that Mei Changsu would never agree.
Mei Changsu, who heard the conversation, walked out and said that he could not lose morality, which was more important than his life. Xiao Jingyan wanted to restore Lin Shu's identity, but Mei Changsu refused. Xiao Jingyan could not understand his choice and argued with him. Mei Changsu explained that his image in the eyes of the world was that of a cunning strategist, while Xiao Jingyan was to be a compassionate, righteous, fair, and selfless monarch.
There could not be such a person by his side. He instructed Xiao Jingyan to establish a new clear and honest political situation, distinguishing truth from falsehood. Xiao Jingyan felt a pang in his heart and believed that the two were not contradictory. While the two were arguing, Princess Liyang requested an audience. Princess Liyang and Xiao Jingrui entered the hall and saw Mei Changsu.
She asked him to withdraw, but Xiao Jingyan said that Sir Su was like himself to him, and there was no need to withdraw at any time. Marquis Yan brought Ms. Han and her son to Xia Jiang's prison cell. Ms. Han ordered her son to kowtow to Xie Yu and told him to take Xia Jiang as a warning and not forget the kindness in his heart.
Xia Jiang was filled with remorse and had nothing to say in response. Xiao Jingyan asked Princess Liyang to bring the letter to the Emperor of Liang's birthday banquet and confess Xie Yu's crimes in front of all the officials, creating a situation of public uproar that would make it impossible to back down, thus forcing the Emperor of Liang to issue a decree to retry the old Chiyan case.
Princess Liyang did not agree and asked what benefit doing this would bring her. Mei Changsu and Xiao Jingyan felt cold in their hearts upon hearing this. Xiao Jingyan ruthlessly ordered her to leave.
Episode 52 Recap
After Princess Liyang left, Xiao Jingyan comforted the disappointed and sad Mei Changsu, preparing to have Yan Que be the first accuser before the hall. Xiao Jingrui understood his mother's conflict and bitterness. Once the case was overturned, it would inevitably implicate Xie Bi and the Xie clan members. Princess Liyang originally wanted to step forward as the first accuser to seek an imperial pardon, but before she could finish speaking clearly, she was angrily expelled by the Crown Prince.
Princess Liyang believed that the Crown Prince's determination to clear the injustice was firm, and that by then the Xie manor would inevitably be implicated, and if she stood idly by, she would not be able to sleep or eat in peace for the rest of her life. She made up her mind, went and returned, and agreed to Xiao Jingyan's request. Xiao Jingyan proactively guaranteed to pardon the entire Xie clan from the crime of implication.
Only then did the Princess realize that for those who did not truly help him, he was unwilling to count on them for support. Mei Changsu knew this was a tough battle, reminding Xiao Jingyan to consider variables, and prepare backup plans, while Xiao Jingyan had already contacted the officials, severing the Emperor of Liang's connection with the outside world. Seeing Xiao Jingyan's increasingly seasoned way of handling affairs, Mei Changsu felt relieved.
Mei Changsu asked Xiao Jingyan to take him along on the day of the Emperor of Liang's birthday banquet. Xiao Jingyan excitedly said that it was a matter of course and he would definitely let him witness the final outcome. Mei Changsu's respectful and courteous demeanor made Xiao Jingyan uncomfortable. He told Mei Changsu to just be Lin Shu in front of him. Mei Changsu's single call of "Jingyan" brought back their beautiful memories.
During their conversation, Mei Changsu revealed his intention to withdraw once the injustice was cleared, which made Xiao Jingyan very reluctant. Seeing Tingsheng learning archery in the courtyard, Mei Changsu suggested that Xiao Jingyan keep Tingsheng's identity a secret because without a birth registry, it would be impossible for Tingsheng to regain royal status. Xiao Jingyan decided to adopt Tingsheng as his foster son, letting him live a carefree life. The day of the Emperor of Liang's birthday arrived.
Xiao Jingrui encouraged the Princess to face the challenge calmly. Xiao Jingyan, along with his Princess Consort, had breakfast with the Emperor of Liang. After the birthday banquet began, the officials took turns offering birthday wishes, and the Emperor of Liang beamed with joy.
At this moment, Princess Liyang, however, came alone and knelt in homage, stating that she was not just there to offer birthday wishes but also to present, on behalf of the convicted official Xie Yu, the crime of high treason for deceiving the sovereign, defying superiors, and framing loyal officials. She held up the handwritten document high, and disregarding the Emperor of Liang's opposition, she enumerated Xie Yu's crimes one by one.
The Emperor of Liang repeatedly ordered her to stop, but the Princess turned a deaf ear and continued to expose the truth of the case. The Emperor of Liang was furious and ordered the Imperial Guards to escort her away, but no one obeyed the order. At this moment, Meng Zhi knelt down and begged the Emperor of Liang to let the Princess finish speaking. Liyang seized the opportunity to list all five of Xie Yu's major crimes.
Her clear voice resonated through the great hall. Xie Yu's crimes were monstrously heinous and shocking. The imperial relatives and officials could no longer sit still and came forward one after another, demanding a retrial of the old Chiyan case. Looking at the officials and imperial relatives kneeling all over the floor, the Emperor of Liang asked with a trembling voice: Are you trying to force me together?
Episode 53 Recap
At this moment, Crown Prince Jingyan also silently rose and joined the ranks of the officials, demanding a retrial of the old Chiyan case. It was only then that the Emperor of Liang realized that all of this had been planned and orchestrated by Jingyan.
Looking at the imperial relatives and court officials kneeling for a long time without rising, he knew that the people's hearts were turning towards the Crown Prince and that he was no longer able to control the court situation. Jingyan stated frankly that retrying the old case was about truth and innocence, about right and wrong, and that those who were guilty or had erred should be held accountable.
The Emperor of Liang suspected that he would take the opportunity to rebel, but Jingyan stated with integrity that he would not commit treason or defy his superior. The Emperor of Liang then cast a suspicious gaze towards Mei Changsu. Mei Changsu slowly stood up.
Disregarding the Emperor of Liang's obstruction, he recounted one by one the righteousness with which his father, Lin Xie, had helped the Emperor of Liang back then, and the kindness with which he had saved him.
He righteously and sternly questioned the Emperor of Liang, asking why he could not agree to restoring the truth when Commander Lin, as a friend and a subject, had never failed His Majesty, and all that was being asked for now was to restore the truth. The Emperor of Liang was startled to realize that the person before him must be Lin Shu. He almost frantically shouted "treacherous minister and rebel," and swung his sword towards Mei Changsu.
Jingyan stood in front of him with his chest out, blocking him. The Emperor of Liang pointed his sword at Jingyan. Jingyan remained unmoved, firmly stating that he would absolutely not be a second Prince Qi. The sword in the Emperor of Liang's hand finally fell to the ground with a clang. He left the great hall in a daze, as if having lost something. The Emperor of Liang vented the anger in his heart recklessly in the palace.
Being pushed to such a desperate situation by the Regent Crown Prince filled him with deep regret. Consort Jing helped the Emperor of Liang up and told him that the Crown Prince only wanted to request a retrial of the old Chiyan case and had no intention of rebelling, and that the important reason for the retrial was that the truth was simply so.
Outside the hall, none of the ministers had left; they were all quietly awaiting the imperial decree. The Emperor of Liang pondered for a long time and summoned Mei Changsu alone. Mei Changsu entered the hall alone and pointed out directly that the Emperor of Liang had buried all familial affection and moral principles in baseless suspicion. In fact, over the years, old acquaintances had often appeared in his dreams, making the Emperor of Liang uneasy.
At this moment, he had even less courage to look at the handwritten document presented by Mei Changsu, and dared not face the fact that his own flesh and blood and loyal officials and good generals had been persecuted to death.
Facing the Emperor of Liang's unreasonable sophistry and despicable conjectures, Mei Changsu told the Emperor of Liang that Prince Qi had only left one sentence before his death: The father does not know the son, and the son does not know the father. Facing the bloody facts, the Emperor of Liang still stubbornly insisted that Prince Qi had been arrogant and Lin Xie had built up military power and relied on it heavily, and that they indeed had rebellious intentions.
Mei Changsu angrily accused the Emperor of Liang of having only the towering imperial power in his heart, with no room for the common people. The Emperor of Liang knew that the general trend was gone and he had no choice, so he agreed to a retrial and resentencing, but Lin Shu could not stand alive in the imperial court, in front of the people of the world.
Mei Changsu nodded in agreement, stating that he did not need to see the Emperor of Liang again from then on, and turned to leave without any reluctance. In fact, he no longer wanted to see this uncle who had once loved him but with whom he now had a blood feud. The Emperor of Liang issued an imperial decree for the retrial of the old Chiyan case.
Over a month later, the case was concluded, and the vast injustice finally saw the light of day again. Lin Chen told Mei Changsu to truly relax and not think about how long he could last. He told him to trust him, that if they both tried their best together, a miracle would happen.
Episode 54 (Ending) Recap
Emperor of Liang decreed in the Mingtang Hall, and the unjust verdict was sent to all regions. The survivors and bereaved families of the original Chiyan Army were all properly resettled or compensated. The main culprit, Xia Jiang, was executed by slow slicing. Jingyan specifically set up a memorial altar and ceremony, which the Emperor of Liang personally led the hundred officials to attend and pay respects, to appease the spirits of the deceased.
Heavenly justice prevailed, and the unjust case was finally vindicated. Inside the Su Residence, Lin Chen excitedly described the travel route, preparing to take Mei Changsu and Fei Liu sightseeing. Mei Changsu finally put his worries aside and was ready to leave Jinling after the memorial ceremony. Inside the newly renovated Lin Family ancestral hall, Mei Changsu knelt before the memorial tablets of the Lin lineage, his face solemn, not uttering a word.
He believed that his father and mother would understand the myriad of thoughts in his heart. Urgent military reports suddenly came one after another. Dayu, the Donghai Water Army, Nan Chu, Ye Qin, and Northern Yan simultaneously invaded. The border was in critical danger. Jingyan summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures. A military commander proposed peace talks on the grounds of insufficient troops, which was opposed by Nihuang. Jingyan asked who was willing to lead the army out.
The various military commanders all demurred, citing old age. Jingyan, having no choice, prepared to personally lead the troops to war. Jingrui and Yujin, with their families' support, went to the recruitment office to sign up. Mei Changsu stopped Jingyan from personally leading the campaign, stating that to defend against external threats, internal stability is necessary, and the Emperor of Liang cannot be fully trusted; leaving the capital at this time would surely backfire.
He analyzed the entire battle situation, suggesting that Nihuang secure Nan Chu, Nie Feng and Xia Dong pacify Northern Yan, and he himself requested to confront Dayu. Before he finished speaking, he was interrupted by Jingyan, and Nihuang also firmly opposed it. At Mei Changsu's insistence, Jingyan said that he would agree only if the doctor by his side said in person that he could go. Mei Changsu wanted to persuade Lin Chen, but was met with his strong opposition.
In his urgency, Mei Changsu emotionally declared that he was a descendant of the Lin family and would absolutely not stand idly by in a time of national crisis. If he could die on the battlefield as Lin Shu, it would be a great fortune in life. Lin Chen was deeply moved and decided to go to the battlefield with Mei Changsu and stay with him until his last day.
Jingyan and Nihuang were both very reluctant to let him go. Mei Changsu comforted Jingyan, saying that Dayu was the enemy he was most familiar with and victory was certain. Jingyan, in turn, promised to prioritize the people, not lose his original intentions, and create a different Great Liang realm. The great army set off. Mei Changsu donned his armor and departed for the campaign. He and Nihuang parted with deep reluctance.
Mei Changsu knew his time was short and promised that in the next life, he would surely spend his old age hand in hand with Nihuang. Nihuang tearfully agreed. Jingyan stood on the city wall, gazing at the departing army, watching Mei Changsu leave. After the war was settled, Mei Changsu was unable to return to Jinling. The Emperor of Liang passed away, and Jingyan ascended the throne.
Years later, Great Liang enjoyed political stability, social harmony, national prosperity, and people's peace. On this day, the Ministry of War requested His Majesty to bestow a name upon the newly reorganized army. Jingyan dipped his brush in thick ink and wrote three strong, powerful characters: Changlin Army.
