Shining Just For You Episode 7 Recap
> Shining Just For You Recap
One night, Ye Lingshuang secretly arrived at Qi Hailian's hiding place, much to the surprise of everyone there, who had thought her dead. Ye Lingshuang recounted her recent experiences, explaining that she had been sent to Tianqi with other Yebei captives and was now serving as a director in the Bureau of Astrology, using the position to uncover Qi Hairui’s whereabouts.
Chu Ye, however, remained hostile, openly calling Ye Lingshuang a "cursed woman" and demanding her death for what he perceived as a betrayal of Yebei by serving Yu Xiuming. Qi Hailian intervened, reminding Chu Ye that killing Ye Lingshuang would expose their own covert mission. Ye Lingshuang retorted that her absence during the Battle of Yebei had not spared them suffering, but Chu Ye insisted she was a bringer of calamity.
Qi Hailian then confided in Ye Lingshuang their true objective in Tianqi: to assassinate Yu Xiuming and end the suffering of Yebei. Ye Lingshuang was stunned by the dangerous proposition. Qi Hailian elaborated on the Battle of Yebei, revealing that Dayuangu's Hengchen Skyfire Spell had failed to inflict any harm upon Yu Xiuming, making him seem almost inhuman. Ye Lingshuang speculated that his specially crafted armor, made from Kuafu's glacier metal by a Heluo master, might be his secret.
She recalled that Yu Xiuming was meticulous about his armor, polishing it himself and never allowing others to touch it. Qi Hailian believed the upcoming Ceremony of Stars offered a unique opportunity, as Yu Xiuming would be required to wear the imperial robe and crown, rendering his protective armor unusable. She was confident that her full celestial power, unleashed without the armor, would guarantee success.
Ye Lingshuang urged caution, suggesting Yu Xiuming likely possessed some formidable hidden strength that allowed him to remain undefeated despite his arrogance. She volunteered to investigate the matter further before they proceeded. Qi Hailian agreed, then apologized for Chu Ye’s harsh words, attributing them to the immense suffering they had endured. Ye Lingshuang simply stated she was accustomed to such treatment from the people of Yebei.
Qi Hailian then affectionately told Ye Lingshuang that she regarded her with the same affection as Qi Hairui and asked Ye Lingshuang to call her "Lian sister" on Qi Hairui's behalf, which Ye Lingshuang eventually did. Seeking answers, Ye Lingshuang consulted Yun Wen about Yu Xiuming's survival of the Skyfire spell. Yun Wen declared it the era's greatest mystery, one that only Ye Lingshuang herself could possibly unravel.
Ye Lingshuang expressed her desire to access the Yunji Building, but Yun Wen reminded her of its strict security, noting that it required Yu Xiuming's personal decree to enter. Meanwhile, Fan Ruhui, the Grand Steward, presented himself before Yu Xiuming, assuring him that additional funds—120,000 taels of gold and 10 million taels of silver—had been secured to ensure the Ceremony of Stars would be magnificent, with sufficient reserves for any unforeseen disasters.
Yu Xiuming, discerning Fan Ruhui's true intentions, subtly warned him by presenting him with a precious Quell Fire Cup, a keepsake from Fan Ruhui's hometown, and reminiscing about their shared history. He then revealed his knowledge of corruption within the ceremony preparations, specifically implicating Guan Yi of the Bureau of Astrology for illicitly substituting obsidian with inkstone. Yu Xiuming, emphasizing the need for a deterrent, ordered Fan Ruhui to personally oversee Guan Yi’s arrest and punishment.
Fan Ruhui accepted the cup and the grim task. Shortly after, Guan Yi was apprehended. Upon seeing Ye Lingshuang, he desperately pleaded for her help, mistakenly believing she had orchestrated his downfall. Di Lanzhang, the new supervisor of the Bureau of Astrology, officially announced Guan Yi's arrest for embezzlement and sternly warned all officials to conduct their duties with integrity. Following this, Ye Lingshuang was appointed to oversee the Ceremony of Stars altar preparations.
She recommended Gu Wangran, a principled and meticulous director from the Bureau of Public Works, to assist her, a proposal Di Lanzhang readily approved. Concerned about his son Fan Zheng's involvement in the corruption, Fan Ruhui dispatched Fan Chang to bribe the jailers to kill Guan Yi in prison, effectively silencing him and concluding the investigation. Elsewhere, Jie Zhuying had been kneeling persistently outside the palace for days, enduring heavy rain.
Yu Xiuming, moved by a flicker of compassion, finally instructed his guards to allow Jie Zhuying to return home, ordering him to reappear the following afternoon. The next day, Yu Xiuming acknowledged Jie Zhuying and his father's long-standing loyalty, permitting him to establish a mourning hall for his parents at home and reinstating him to a position within the Imperial Army, without offering any explanation for his parents' deaths. Jie Zhuying returned home to arrange the mourning hall.
While most court officials avoided visiting, out of fear or caution, Xie Yu'an and the Fan family, including Fan Ruhui and Fan Ping, paid their respects. Fan Ruhui took the opportunity to tell Jie Zhuying that the animosity between Yu Xiuming and Jie Haitian had deep roots, stemming from Jie Haitian's unwavering principles and his refusal to yield to the Emperor's authority after the state was established.
He subtly advised Jie Zhuying to be prudent and promised his support if needed. Later, Fan Ping discreetly handed Jie Zhuying a letter from Jie Haitian, which his mother had entrusted to Fan Ping before her suicide. Fan Ping explained he had not contacted Jie Zhuying earlier to protect him from further harm. Reading his father's final words, Jie Haitian expressed no regret for his actions and anticipated his fate, urging Jie Zhuying not to harbor resentment towards Yu Xiuming.
Overwhelmed with grief, Jie Zhuying wept, blaming himself for his parents' tragic end. Qi Hailian visited him at the mourning hall, consoling him and encouraging him to abandon hatred. She urged him to remember only the warm and joyful moments, such as his parents’ love and their shared memories, and made him promise never to forget them. As Qi Hailian departed, she was intercepted by General Huo Lu, who revealed he too bore a grudge against Yu Xiuming.
He explained that Jie Haitian had saved him from execution as a child when he was a slave, fostering a deep loyalty and a desire for justice. Huo Lu intended to publicly denounce Yu Xiuming at the Ceremony of Stars. Qi Hailian agreed to collaborate with him, unaware that this entire encounter was a calculated ploy orchestrated by Cai Can.
Cai Can, revealed to be the true architect of the scheme, expressed his satisfaction that Qi Hailian, unlike the seemingly complacent Jie Zhuying, was determined to avenge Yu Xiuming. Cai Can admitted his past error in underestimating Yu Xiuming, which had forced him to become a vassal after years of war. He instructed Huo Lu that Fan Ruhui would ensure Qi Hailian had an unobstructed path during the Ceremony of Stars.
With his army already positioned in Liaoyang, Cai Can declared that upon Yu Xiuming's death, his forces would march on Tianqi within a day to reclaim the throne for the Cai family, solidifying Huo Lu's loyalty with promises of care for his family. With the Ceremony of Stars rapidly approaching and Tianqi's security tightening, Ye Lingshuang sought a way to transmit crucial information to Qi Hailian.
She surveyed the ongoing preparations, observing officials inventorying sacred ritual items such as thirty-six pieces of Green round jade for heaven, thirty-six pieces of Yellow square jade for earth, nine Cauldrons, eight Bagui, nine Jiuzu, and twenty-six ceremonial vessels. Determined to find Yu Xiuming’s secret, Ye Lingshuang realized that while Yunji Building’s main entrance was heavily guarded, its side perimeter was less secure due to Yu Xiuming’s personal disuse of that section.
She decided to exploit this vulnerability, prying open a wall panel to gain entry. Inside the sprawling library, she discovered ancient texts like "Secrets of Star Trail," "Diagram of the 48 Phases of Star"—which Yun Wen informed her she could not yet study—"A Dream of Guzhen," a book that reminded her Tianqi was once known as Guzhen City, and the complete "Manual of the Emperor Star."
Unbeknownst to her, Yu Xiuming had already noticed her intrusion and concealed himself, observing her. When he finally revealed his presence, he demanded to know her identity and how she had entered, having heard her conversing with someone unseen. Ye Lingshuang, realizing he could not perceive Yun Wen, quickly fabricated a story, claiming that she often spoke to herself when engrossed in good books, hoping he would believe it. Yu Xiuming, amused, questioned her intense interest in him.
Ye Lingshuang, playing along, professed her admiration for his accomplishments, reciting historical accounts of his campaigns, such as his victory over the Kuafu clan at Jushi at the age of seventeen, where he personally slew over sixty warriors, and his subsequent conquests of Xi, Tang, Cao, and Luan. She estimated, based on his seventeen years of continuous warfare, that he must be well over thirty years old.
Yu Xiuming acknowledged her sharp calculation and then offered a rare personal anecdote, recounting the brutal Battle of Jushi where the Kuafu, three times larger and ten times stronger than humans, massacred his entire army, leaving him as the sole survivor. He mused that historians meticulously record outcomes but rarely the arduous processes. Later that night, Ye Lingshuang returned to Yunji Building, driven to uncover Yu Xiuming's true secret.
Delving into texts describing the "Mianshi Bridge, built in Hanzhendi, adjacent to an ancient temple, purportedly blessed by the powers of primordial truth masters," she pondered a connection to these "Truth Masters." Yun Wen explained that Truth Masters were a legendary ancient clan, immortal, invulnerable, maintaining eternal youth, and possessing boundless knowledge and power.
This revelation intensified Ye Lingshuang's suspicion: she wondered if Truth Masters had bestowed power upon Yu Xiuming, enabling him to withstand the Skyfire spell and accounting for his remarkably youthful appearance despite his long military career. Yun Wen dismissed her theory as mere speculation, adding that such a profound secret would undoubtedly be guarded with extreme secrecy. Nevertheless, Ye Lingshuang remained resolute in her determination to expose the truth.
An attendant then presented Yu Xiuming with a box from Ye Lingshuang. Yu Xiuming, ever wary, initially suspected it might be a trap but then confidently dismissed his fears, taking the box himself and considering it a trivial matter.
