Shining Just For You Episode 3 Recap
> Shining Just For You Recap
The battle for the Great Chao raged on, with Qihai Zhenyu leading the Yebei forces and rallying his men with the cry, "May heaven bless Yebei!" His son, Chu Ye, confirmed their cavalry had reached the Qiulan Sea ahead of the Chao army, setting the stage for a surprise attack. Qihai Zhenyu declared this a fight for survival, vowing to slay Yu Xiuming, the leader of the Great Chao, after proudly noting that Chao's Lanyi Army had been annihilated.
Seeing the high morale of the Yebei cavalry and fearing heavy casualties, Yu Xiuming ordered Ling Yun to bring his horse, preparing to confront Qihai Zhenyu directly. The two leaders clashed, and Yu Xiuming ultimately killed Qihai Zhenyu with his sword. Witnessing Qihai Zhenyu's death and Yu Xiuming emerging unscathed, Ye Jingqing suspected foul play. He recognized the power of the Duanyue Blade and was stunned that Yu Xiuming was unharmed.
Simultaneously, far away in Great Chao, Ye Lingshuang was suddenly affected by the amber stone on her chest, emitting a strange light. Believing no one could escape his ultimate power, Ye Jingqing unleashed the Hengchen Skyfire Spell, but Yu Xiuming remained untouched, proving the spell insignificant. Disappointed and enraged, Ye Jingqing predicted, "Chao will fall!" With the war concluded, Yu Xiuming decided to return to Tianqi. He instructed Jie Zhuying to diligently continue the search for the Mirror of Youth.
He also entrusted Jie Zhuying with the tens of thousands of Yebei people and Qihai Lian, promising that the younger man would understand what to do with them when the time was right. Before leaving, Leng Tianxi inquired about the fate of Ye Lingshuang (referred to as "the girl in the rear tent"), who was to be transported back to Tianqi with the other female captives.
Leng Tianxi then noticed a single white hair at Yu Xiuming's temple, something she had never seen before, and wondered if the power of the Divine Mirror was beginning to wane. Among the female captives being escorted to Tianqi, Ye Lingshuang yearned to escape her enslaved status and find Qihai Rui and Yi Wuyou.
Along the journey, Chao soldiers attempted to assault the female captives, some remarking that they would all eventually be sent to the Imperial Office of Music as slaves anyway. When a soldier tried to force himself upon a captive, Ye Lingshuang intervened, killing him to protect the woman. The other soldiers immediately moved to attack her, but Ye Lingshuang revealed the bronze seal given to her by Yu Xiuming, causing them to halt.
General Xie Yu'an arrived and, after hearing a soldier falsely accuse Ye Lingshuang of murder, questioned her. She revealed the truth about the soldiers attempting to assault the captives and criticized their lack of military discipline. Xie Yu'an, enraged, ordered the offending soldiers to receive thirty military strikes each, increasing it to forty for the one who dared to protest, and had the deceased soldier's head displayed as a warning.
Ye Lingshuang then sought to make a deal with Xie Yu'an, revealing that the true reason she displayed the bronze seal was to resolve his lingering concern about Vice Commander Yan. She reminded him that despite Vice Commander Yan's sacrifice to protect him during the final battle against the Lanyi Army, his body and remains had never been found, which she knew bothered him.
Ye Lingshuang claimed to possess the gift of prophecy, a fact known throughout Yebei, and told him she knew the location of Vice Commander Yan's remains. In exchange for this information, she asked Xie Yu'an to send her to the Bureau of Astrology upon their arrival in Tianqi, rather than the Imperial Office of Music, explaining her astrological talent and her refusal to live as a slave. Upon their arrival in Tianqi, Xie Yu'an kept his promise.
After Ye Lingshuang was prepared, he escorted her into the palace. Meanwhile, Yu Xiuming, having returned to the capital, announced his intention to hold a grand Ceremony of Stars to honor meritorious officials, proclaiming the unification of the Great Chao and its unprecedented rule over five clans. Jie Haitian objected, citing ancient traditions of dividing land and warning of potential issues.
Yu Xiuming dismissed his concerns, declaring that his decisions would establish new rites for a new era, asserting that the ceremony would be a grand, monumental event without land redistribution. He then subtly questioned Jie Haitian's concerns, asking if he feared a loss of military power. Later, Fan Ruhui privately reported to Yu Xiuming that while Jie Haitian was diligent in his absence, he had acted arbitrarily, notably mobilizing the Lanyi Army without imperial orders.
Fan Ruhui explained that Jie Haitian had justified this by claiming it was to anticipate any oversights by the emperor and that Yu Xiuming himself had granted him the discretion to act as needed. Yu Xiuming expressed his displeasure but dismissed the matter. At the Bureau of Astrology, Jie Haitian was initially unwilling to accept Ye Lingshuang, a Yebei captive, suggesting she belonged in the Imperial Office of Music.
Ye Lingshuang, however, sensed that Jie Haitian was trying to locate the Divine Mirror. She boldly asserted that only she could find its whereabouts, claiming he wouldn't succeed even in a hundred years. She offered a bet: if her calculations were wrong, she would willingly face punishment under Chao law.
Impressed by her talent and quick thinking, Jie Haitian agreed to let her stay, though without an official title or salary, warning her that he might not be able to protect her if her true identity was revealed. Xie Yu'an was astonished that Ye Lingshuang had managed to convince Jie Haitian. As agreed, Ye Lingshuang then revealed that Vice Commander Yan's remains were interred on Ziping Mountain, respectfully buried by the Qihai Tribe.
Jie Haitian then introduced Ye Lingshuang to his subordinates, stating she would be working with him. Some colleagues voiced objections, particularly when it was suggested she might lead the newly established Horoscope Department, arguing she lacked the proper qualifications and had not undergone official examinations. Jie Haitian silenced their protests, asserting her talent in calculations and naming himself as her master, thereby taking her in as an an unofficial disciple.
He instructed everyone to fully cooperate with her in the critical task of constructing the calendar. Elsewhere, Leng Tianxi presented herself to Yu Xiuming, expressing her desire to become his consort, fully aware that this meant sealing her celestial powers and forever losing her ability to fly. She reflected that for ten years, she had served as Yu Xiuming's closest guard but also as the Winged Clan's spy.
Now, she chose to defy her kin and remain eternally loyal to Yu Xiuming. That night, however, Yu Xiuming did not visit her, being preoccupied with state affairs, leaving her disappointed. Ye Lingshuang, whose celestial powers were sealed, found that the timing of her prophecies was inaccurate. She requested access to star charts, historical records, almanacs, and magical instruments from Jie Haitian to assist her.
He agreed, telling her to come to the duty room the next day and to adjust her department head uniform. At the same time, Jie Haitian advised Yu Xiuming to withdraw Chao troops from Yebei, arguing that the defiant Yebei remnants would inevitably rebel if given the chance. He proposed enlisting able-bodied individuals for canal construction and executing the rest.
However, Yu Xiuming decided to relocate all Yebei people to Yuezhou and instructed Jie Haitian to prepare an imperial decree to that effect, dismissing concerns about the immense resources and the youth of Jie Zhuying, who would be tasked with this massive resettlement. One night, Ye Lingshuang's amber pendant began to glow and spoke, identifying itself as Yun Wen, a master astrologer. He explained that a mishap during his research into an array caused him to lose his physical body.
The chaos of the Yebei war and the resulting disarray of celestial powers had drawn his spiritual form into her amber pendant. Skeptical, Ye Lingshuang initially dismissed him as a liar, but Yun Wen challenged her to bring a mirror. When she did, she saw his reflection within it, confirming his existence. He explained that as a spiritual entity, he could only appear on smooth surfaces before re-coalescing.
Yun Wen lamented that Ye Lingshuang, despite being a potential astrological prodigy, was powerless due to her sealed abilities. He then offered her a deal: he would reveal the location of the Mirror of Youth if she helped him gather the magical instruments needed to reconstruct his body. Ye Lingshuang agreed to the exchange.
Meanwhile, in Yebei, Jie Zhuying received an imperial decree that ordered the slaughter of all Yebei residents incapable of labor, with the rest to be sent to construct waterways. Distraught, he confided in his vice commander, questioning if this was the true reason Yu Xiuming had left him behind. Unbeknownst to them, a Yebei captive overheard their conversation.
