Shining Just For You Episode 21 Recap
> Shining Just For You Recap
On the joyful occasion of Qi Hailian's wedding, Ye Lingshuang arrived early to extend her blessings, stepping in for Qi Hairui. Qi Hailian expressed her hope that Ye Lingshuang would also find her own true match, which would help her understand Qi Hailian's decision. Later, while Qi Hailian and Jie Zhuying were celebrating their marriage, Ye Lingshuang and Yu Xiuming observed from a distance. Yu Xiuming noted that he refrained from attending the ceremony to avoid overshadowing the groom.
Seeing Ye Lingshuang moved by the grand celebration, Yu Xiuming promised she would one day have an even more magnificent wedding. However, Ye Lingshuang, referring to herself as Bai Lu, confessed that a grand wedding was not what she desired. All she truly wished for was to return to the days when Qi Hairui was still by her side. Yu Xiuming, admitting that even he, the Emperor, could not reverse time, believed it impossible for her as well.
Nevertheless, Ye Lingshuang had already gathered enough Ice Crystals and resolved to activate a time-traveling array. She instructed Cheng Wu to guard the entrance, ensuring no one, not even the Emperor, could interrupt her. Meanwhile, Qi Hailian and Jie Zhuying were distressed by news from the court that Yuezhou's taxes might increase by as much as 50 percent.
Qi Hailian sought to ask Ye Lingshuang to intercede with Yu Xiuming, but Cheng Wu, following Ye Lingshuang's orders, blocked her, explaining that Director Bai was engaged in a celestial observation and could not be disturbed. With Yun Wen's assistance, the "time-traveling passage," or Corridor of Time, was activated. Yun Wen explained that this exquisite passage used the Ice Crystals' energy to create an artificial branch in time, allowing people to revisit chosen moments and re-enact history.
However, the flow of time within it was unpredictable and beyond human control. As Ye Lingshuang stepped into the swirling energy, Yun Wen reminded her to be careful and return safely, concluding that what happened next would depend entirely on Ye Lingshuang's actions. Ye Lingshuang found herself transported back to Yebei, at the precise moment Yu Xiuming, then disguised as General Xie Yu'an, had just saved her from the Snow Wolf King.
Overwhelmed with emotion upon seeing Qi Hairui alive and well, Ye Lingshuang embraced her, tears streaming down her face. When a tribesman accused Ye Lingshuang of killing their sacred Snow Wolf King, she swiftly pointed to Yu Xiuming, declaring him the culprit. She dared the tribesmen to act against him, knowing they would fear a Great Chao general. General Xie Yu'an, observing the injustice, openly criticized the Yebei elders for bullying a young girl, calling them irrational and confused.
He praised Ye Lingshuang's courage and decisiveness, presenting her with a Great Chao token and promising to grant one wish, even if it meant killing someone. The Yebei King accepted the explanation of the Snow Wolf King's death as their destiny, and invited the Great Chao envoy to his tent. Alone with Qi Hairui, Ye Lingshuang vowed to protect her.
When Qi Hairui suggested eavesdropping on the Great Chao envoys, Ye Lingshuang stopped her, revealing that the Great Chao had come to seek a princess in marriage. Knowing Qi Hairui's fate, Ye Lingshuang pleaded with her to listen, explaining that Yebei was on the verge of change and they would change with it.
For the upcoming bonfire celebration, Ye Lingshuang asked Qi Hairui to prepare a dress for her, much to Qi Hairui's playful surprise at her friend's sudden interest in appearance. Ye Lingshuang's true intention was to prevent Qi Hairui from becoming a war bride and to ensure Yu Xiuming would fall for her earlier this time. At the celebration, Ye Lingshuang, now dressed beautifully, directly approached Xie Yu'an (Yu Xiuming) with "Spring of Yebei" liquor.
She confessed her long-standing admiration for the Great Chao Emperor, not just the general, praising his strategic genius, his ability to plan everything, and his military prowess. She claimed to have divined that his purpose in Yebei was to seek a princess in marriage.
When Yu Xiuming challenged her to prove her prophetic abilities, Ye Lingshuang pointed to Chu Ye, predicting his drunken attempt to harass her, his failure to do so, and his eventual offering of liquor to Yu Xiuming, all of which unfolded exactly as she said. Yu Xiuming, impressed, questioned why the Yebei people regarded her as a jinx. Ye Lingshuang explained that people often feared those with extraordinary abilities and the prophecies they brought.
Seizing the opportunity, Ye Lingshuang then made her audacious request: she asked Yu Xiuming to help her become the Great Chao Empress, passionately stating her deep admiration for the Emperor and proclaiming that both would regret it if they missed their chance. Yu Xiuming agreed, on the condition that she "spend the night" with him.
When Ye Lingshuang initially misunderstood his request, thinking he meant sleeping together and reaffirming her devotion to the Emperor, he clarified that he merely meant drinking. She then led him to a secluded spot. Under the bright Yebei night sky, Ye Lingshuang discussed Yu Xiuming's desire for peace. She offered to help secure Yebei's allegiance to the Great Chao if he would promise to protect those she loved.
Yu Xiuming probed her, asking if she cared more for her loved ones or the Emperor. Ye Lingshuang unequivocally stated that she could only live with a clear conscience if Qi Hairui remained alive, and that as she had agreed to marry the Emperor, he should be able to protect a few individuals. Yu Xiuming, assuring her that he would protect her friends as long as the larger political situation remained stable, agreed.
Ye Lingshuang, feeling more comfortable, shared her secret admiration for the Great Chao Emperor, describing him as a brilliant leader capable of achieving anything he desired, and a charismatic figure whom anyone would fall for. Yu Xiuming, now knowing her true feelings, revealed his own identity. He affirmed his earlier promise to make her his Empress, warning her not to back out. The next morning, Ye Lingshuang awoke in the same bed as Yu Xiuming.
He called her "Bai Lu," making her realize that this was not the Xie Yu'an from the past, but the Yu Xiuming from her own time who had followed her through the time-traveling passage to protect her. Initially annoyed, thinking he had witnessed her embarrassing moments, she was reassured by Yu Xiuming that she had not made a fool of herself. Soon after, Yu Xiuming formally sought Ye Lingshuang's hand in marriage from the King of Yebei.
He presented an ancient Mirror of Youth as a gift from the Great Chao Emperor to the "fairest lady in the world" and the future Empress of Chao, wishing for lasting peace between their lands. Qi Hairui, worried, protested that Ye Lingshuang shouldn't marry an "old man" and that no one had asked for her consent. However, Ye Lingshuang, when asked, firmly declared, "I am willing to do so."
The King of Yebei, respecting the Great Chao Emperor's choice, agreed to send Ye Lingshuang off with the honors befitting a princess. Ye Lingshuang visited Yu Xiuming in his tent, offering him liquor instead of the promised milk tea, toasting him for keeping his promise. She confirmed her earlier commitment to openly love him and embrace her role.
Yu Xiuming, in turn, issued an imperial decree to his army, stating his lack of intention to attack Yebei and forbidding any unauthorized movements. He also confirmed that Qi Hailian was no longer part of any marriage alliance. Queen Lan met with Ye Lingshuang, expressing her hope that Ye Lingshuang would speak favorably of Yebei to the Great Chao Emperor, given her friendship with Qi Hairui.
Ye Lingshuang, however, took the opportunity to advise Queen Lan: should a day come when she had to choose between Yebei and Qi Hairui, she must always choose Rui, as Rui had only one mother, and should not be made to endure undue suffering. Qi Hairui, still concerned, presented Ye Lingshuang with a beautiful wedding dress that had originally been meant for herself or Qi Hailian, as Ye Lingshuang had no bridal gown of her own.
She asked again if Ye Lingshuang truly wished to marry. Ye Lingshuang confided that she had met the Great Chao Emperor and genuinely desired to become his wife, believing that marrying into the Great Chao was the best path. Though both shed tears at their impending separation, they promised to meet again, with Qi Hairui vowing to visit Ye Lingshuang in Tianqi, hoping to see Wuyou there as well.
On the day she departed from Yebei, Ye Lingshuang, wearing the wedding dress prepared by Qi Hairui, shared a final, heartfelt farewell with her beloved friend, ready to embark on her new life with Yu Xiuming.
