Resumo do episódio 20 de The Heiress
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News reached the imperial court that the Han Army had been annihilated, and their commander, General Han Jizhong, along with his son Han Shiyi, had died heroically. The Emperor, stricken with grief and anger, ordered the remaining forces in Tangzhou, Xia Pass, and Suzhou to hold their ground against the Wei army and commanded Prince Qi, Chen Yanyi, to return to the capital immediately to assume the role of State Governor. Following these decrees, the Emperor collapsed.
Chen Yanyi received an urgent report detailing the loss of Xia Pass and the demise of the Han Army, including Han Jizhong and Han Shiyi. He vehemently refused to believe it, recalling a past promise to Han Shiyi that once he achieved military merit, he would ask the Emperor to restore her true identity as a woman and make her his lawful wife. Driven by disbelief and concern, Chen Yanyi immediately ordered his troops to depart.
Meanwhile, at the Prime Minister's mansion, Wang Zhongyu also learned of the Han Army's destruction and Han Shiyi's supposed death. He prepared to leave to search for her, declaring that Han Shiyi was waiting for him and he must find her, dead or alive. His father, Prime Minister Wang, confronted him, acknowledging rumors of his affection for Han Shiyi.
The Prime Minister revealed that he had already arranged a marriage for Wang Zhongyu with Miss Su and ordered him to stay home. Wang Zhongyu defiantly refused, vowing to marry no one but Han Shiyi, prompting his father to have him confined. The Emperor, recuperating, expressed profound regret over his past actions. He confessed that his desire to reclaim military power from the Han family had led him to disperse their forces, which ultimately contributed to their overwhelming defeat.
He had a disturbing nightmare where he saw Chen Yanyi dying in battle and his late Empress, Zitong, reproaching him for failing to protect their son. Waking in distress, the Emperor questioned his own impartiality and care for Chen Yanyi. Back at the Prime Minister's mansion, Wang Zhongyu's mother worried about his whereabouts, as he had left a note indicating he was heading to the turbulent northern territory.
Prime Minister Wang furiously dispatched Zheng Wu to stop him at the city gate. However, Zheng Wu arrived too late; Wang Zhongyu had already slipped out. Outside the city, an associate provided Wang Zhongyu with a horse, money, and bank notes. Though the associate expressed doubt about Han Shiyi's survival, Wang Zhongyu clung to the belief that without a body, there was still hope.
The associate promised to gather support from the Imperial College students to help with the search while monitoring the political climate in the capital, where the Han Army was now being accused of delaying military operations. Chen Yanyi's strategists reported that while they had pushed back Tuoba Xun's forces at Qikou, the Wei army remained a formidable threat.
An urgent secret report then revealed that Tuoba Xun had divided his main forces and sent them to Lintang Pass, raising fears that An Prefecture and the capital could be endangered. Chen Yanyi proposed a bold strategy: assassinate Tuoba Xun, believing that his death would cause the fragmented Wei army to collapse. His generals strongly objected, citing the extreme danger and the impropriety of a commander risking himself.
They offered to go in his stead, but Chen Yanyi, confident in his abilities, stood firm on his decision, asking his subordinates to trust him. Before embarking, he entrusted a letter to a subordinate, instructing it to be delivered to the Emperor if he should fail. Chen Yanyi was then met by his master, who admonished him for attempting such a dangerous mission alone.
The master reminded him of the potential consequences, including the Second Prince possibly becoming Crown Prince, and insisted that for the good of the State of Chen, Chen Yanyi must not take such a risk. Chen Yanyi countered that only their combined strength could guarantee success in the assassination attempt, to which his master reluctantly agreed. Meanwhile, Han Shiyi awoke in Chen Village, having been rescued by a kind aunt after falling into a river.
She was injured and, to her dismay, realized she had lost all memory of her name, family, or destination. The aunt cared for her, but Han Shiyi soon decided to leave the village and search for her past in the city, taking the aunt's advice that her refined appearance suggested a noble background. Chen Yanyi and his master covertly infiltrated the Wei army camp. Chen Yanyi confronted Tuoba Xun, who had just dismissed his general for the night.
Chen Yanyi provocatively questioned Tuoba Xun about the Han Army's defeat and Han Shiyi's death. Tuoba Xun revealed that he had underestimated Han Shiyi, who, true to her identity as a Han Army general, chose to leap off a cliff rather than be captured. He expressed regret at his inability to save her. Chen Yanyi then slew Tuoba Xun. With their commander dead, the Wei army quickly lost morale and surrendered en masse.
Back in the capital, Chen Yanhao discussed Chen Yanyi's triumph with Prime Minister Wang, noting the Emperor's praise and implied intention to name Chen Yanyi as heir. Chen Yanhao nervously suggested assassinating Chen Yanyi to prevent his ascent, but Prime Minister Wang dismissed it, acknowledging Chen Yanyi's strength. Prime Minister Wang then informed his wife of his plan to revive Wang Zhongyu's old engagement to Miss Su.
He explained that Miss Su's family possessed an ancient medallion of pardon from the founding emperor, which he believed the current Emperor would honor due to his concern for his reputation. Securing this marriage, he reasoned, would ensure the Su family's fierce protection for Wang Zhongyu. Prime Minister Wang also mentioned Wang Xiyuan, who was inexplicably "crazy about Han Shiyi" and had vowed to remain a widow for him, despite never being formally engaged.
Wang Xiyuan, in her room, ordered all flowers and jewelry removed, declaring her intention to live in mourning. She expressed admiration for Qin Wanning, who, despite being married, was also openly mourning Han Shiyi, defying societal expectations. Qin Wanning, in her own mansion, was preparing offerings for Han Shiyi's 49th day of remembrance, acknowledging the gossip from her husband's family but declaring her unwavering devotion to Han Shiyi, her true intended, and her commitment to remaining his widow.
In the bustling city, Wang Zhongyu relentlessly searched for Han Shiyi, showing a portrait of her in male attire to uninterested passersby. Nearby, a hungry Han Shiyi heard an announcement from the Su family: they needed clever, martial arts-skilled servant girls for Miss Su's upcoming wedding, offering five taels a month, plus free food and accommodation. Enticed by the offer of sustenance and shelter, Han Shiyi applied.
When guards tried to block her, she swiftly subdued them, impressing the manager who immediately hired her. She joyfully confirmed the promise of free food and accommodation. Wang Zhongyu was eventually found by his family's guards and forcibly brought back to the Prime Minister's mansion. He immediately confronted his father, reiterating his absolute refusal to marry Miss Su and vowing to escape again if necessary.
His mother pleaded with him, but Wang Zhongyu firmly stated his heart belonged to another and he would not attend the wedding procession. Prime Minister Wang then revealed his desperate situation: the Emperor was dying, Chen Yanyi's ascension as Crown Prince was certain, and their family was in peril. He intended for Wang Zhongyu to take command of the family's Shadow Guard and marry Miss Su, hoping the medallion of pardon would protect him and preserve the Wang family lineage.
Wang Zhongyu, however, declared that lineage meant nothing to him and that he would rather die with his father, promising only to arrange for his mother and Xiyuan to be sent to Jiangnan. Prime Minister Wang insisted he at least maintain appearances to stabilize their precarious position and buy time.
At the Su Mansion, as Miss Su prepared to leave for her wedding, her mother renamed the amnesiac Han Shiyi to "Su Lan," emphasizing that a Su family maid needed a proper name. " Su Lan" pledged to protect the timid Miss Su from any bullying. Chen Yanyi returned to a jubilant capital, welcomed by celebrating crowds. However, he remained somber, dismissing cheerful news about his heroics.
He anxiously received reports from Imperial College students that while no body identifiable as Han Shiyi had been found downriver, he insisted on personally examining any future retrieved corpses, even if heavily decomposed, convinced that Han Shiyi was still alive and somehow unable to contact them. The Emperor, his health rapidly deteriorating, summoned Chen Yanyi. He spoke of the enthronement ceremony for Chen Yanyi, praising his leadership and entrusting him with the empire.
The Emperor then asked Chen Yanyi to grant his Second Brother, Chen Yanhao, permission to retire to his appanage, with the stipulation that he could not leave without imperial decree. He implored Chen Yanyi to promise to keep Chen Yanhao safe for life, to which Chen Yanyi agreed. The Emperor also spoke of Chen Yanyi's stepmother, the Empress, whom he had refused to see.
He advised Chen Yanyi, as a future emperor and role model, to treat her with respect as Empress Dowager to avoid public criticism, and asked for her life to be spared for at least another year. Chen Yanyi accepted this condition. In the wedding carriage as it approached the capital's suburbs, Han Shiyi felt a strange sense of familiarity. Her attendant playfully suggested she might be a lost princess or even the future Empress, a notion Han Shiyi dismissed.
Just then, as Chen Yanyi was informed that a woman's body was being recovered in Pu County, south of the capital, and he headed to investigate, Han Shiyi caught sight of him near the city gate. She stared intently, struggling to recall a memory that hovered just beyond her grasp.
