One and Only Episode 22 Recap
> One and Only Recap
Cui Feng mentioned the Battle of Shouyang to Hong Xiaoyu. In that battle, they relied on each other and promised each other that in all matters, they must prioritize the King's army's campaign and the common people. If one was captured, the other only needed to consider the other dead and must not let it disrupt their formation. Their promises were vivid in her mind.
Hong Xiaoyu knew Cui Feng's pride, and she feared that Cui Feng would be tortured by Jin Rong. With tears in her eyes, she picked up her bow and arrow, preparing to send Cui Feng off, vowing to avenge him in the future. Hong Xiaoyu's arrow was already released, but it was blocked by Zhou Shengchen with another arrow.
Zhou Shengchen brought Consort Jin and asked Jin Rong to reconsider the matter of Cui Feng, stating that killing Cui Feng would be of no benefit to them. Consort Jin's arrival eased the situation, and Cui Feng was released. He was able to return to the Nanchen Royal Mansion Army and also met Hong Xiaoyu. This time, both of them held each other tightly without any reservations, promising to return to Shouyang together after the matters in Zhongzhou were settled.
Cui Feng brought back Jin Rong's letter of surrender. Liu Zixing decided to perform a sacrifice to heaven and then ascend the throne at Pingyin Temporary Palace, appeasing the late Emperor with the blood of the Jin clan. Meanwhile, Zhou Shengchen saw pomegranates on the street. He suddenly remembered Cui Shiyi, who loved to eat pomegranates. At that time, he had bought three thousand baskets of pomegranates for Cui Shiyi.
Now, Zhou Shengchen also bought all the pomegranates in Hong Xiaoyu's name and had her send them into the palace. Xie Chen was seriously ill. When he woke up and saw Zhou Shengchen returning victoriously, he felt a sense of relief, only thinking that he had miscalculated the fortune. At night, Zhou Shengchen brought his disciples to attend the banquet at the temporary palace. After this banquet, they would set off to return to Xizhou.
Little did they know, this banquet was fraught with danger. Liu Zixing ascended to the throne as Emperor, and descendants of the Liu clan gathered together. Everyone was sighing over how fortunate Beichen was to have Zhou Shengchen. Liu Zixing's gaze towards Zhou Shengchen couldn't help but become a bit colder and sharper. The princes and court officials were in the main hall, while a group of generals remained outside.
After drinking a few cups of wine, Zhou Shengchen wanted to leave the banquet, but Liu Zixing ordered the palace gates locked and heavily guarded, preparing to arrest Zhou Shengchen under the pretense that he was attempting to assassinate the Regent. Zhou Shengchen and his disciples were surrounded by the large army. As soon as he made a move to resist, it was labelled as rebellion.
Liu Zixing threatened him with the lives of the still-living Liu Zizhen and important court officials, forcing Zhou Shengchen to lay down his weapons and surrender. To break through the encirclement and save Zhou Shengchen, Hong Xiaoyu blocked a sword strike for Feng Qiao and died under the large army's assault.
She died in Cui Feng's arms, her dying wish only that Cui Feng would not forget her, acknowledging that she had been the one to fall in love with Cui Feng first, from beginning to end. Xiao Yan brought the King's army to rescue Zhou Shengchen. They already knew about the collusion between Jin Rong and Liu Zixing and the ambush they had set. Zhou Shengchen endured immense pain and ordered Cui Feng to take Hong Xiaoyu away.
Before Zhou Shengchen could leave, Jin Rong and Liu Zixing threatened him with the lives of Liu Zizhen and the Liu clan relatives. Zhou Shengchen had no choice but to withdraw his army and surrender, but he demanded that Jin Rong and Liu Zixing release Liu Zizhen and allow Feng Qiao and the others to escort him away. The King's army was framed for rebellion.
Prince Ping Qin asked Zhou Tianxing to leave first and promised that he would find a way to rescue Cui Shiyi. However, Liu Zixing ordered the city gates sealed, so Zhou Tianxing had to leave the city with the help of the Cui family. Cui Shiyi was unaware of all this news. She mistakenly thought the King's army had set off on campaign and went to White Horse Temple to pray for blessings.
Liu Zixing feared that Cui Shiyi might notice something amiss, so he only sent people to the temple to impersonate eminent monks. Cui Shiyi was intelligent. She saw through the deception in the temple at a glance, and only prayed for Zhou Shengchen's safety.
