Resumo do episódio 37 de Pursuit of Jade
> Resumos de Pursuit of Jade
At the grand imperial banquet, the atmosphere was thick with tension. Officials under Wei Yan’s faction, including Official Fang and Official Wu, took turns toasting Fan Changyu, the "Flower-Pinned General." While they praised her for slaying the rebel Lord Changxin to her face, they mocked her as a "butcher lady" behind her back, hoping to see her lose her composure after getting drunk. Xie Zheng eventually intervened, shielding Fan Changyu and openly insulting the officials as parasites.
To assert his dominance, he splashed wine over Official Fang, who was too intimidated to retaliate. Xie Zheng then whispered to Fan Changyu that he would leave early to locate a former palace maid who held vital secrets about the past. The Emperor, Qi Sheng, presided over the feast and presented the legendary Longquan Sword to Xie Zheng. He proclaimed that the blade, forged by the founding emperor, was meant to "cut incompetent rulers and execute treacherous ministers."
Xie Zheng politely declined the gift, stating that only the Emperor was worthy of such a weapon, though his humility masked a deeper caution. Meanwhile, Princess Qi Shu staged an accident where a maid spilled wine on her dress, giving her a legitimate excuse to leave and retrieve the important witness from the Cold Palace. Observing the Emperor’s uncharacteristic excitement, Xie Zheng realized a trap was being set.
Gongsun Yin, disguised as a wine-serving eunuch, managed to slip close enough to inform Xie Zheng that the witness had been moved to Qingyuan Palace by the Princess. Shortly after, another "accident" involving a clumsy servant left Xie Zheng’s clothes soaked, providing him the opportunity to follow his own agenda under the guise of changing his robes. As Xie Zheng departed, Wei Yan prepared to follow him, but Fan Changyu stepped in to block his path.
She delayed the Chancellor by offering a toast on behalf of the fallen soldiers and civilians, pointedly mentioning the Jinzhou tragedy from seventeen years ago and the name of the traitor Wei Qilin. Her words hit a nerve, and though Wei Yan finished his drink, he immediately left the hall to search for Xie Zheng, having been told his nephew went toward the Imperial Garden to sober up.
At Qingyuan Palace, Xie Zheng met the elderly maid with the help of Qi Shu. The woman was delirious, babbling about osmanthus incense and a fire that had occurred years ago. She spoke of Consort Shu, mentioning a pregnancy and the Emperor's cruelty. Suddenly, a strange fragrance filled the room. Xie Zheng realized it was aphrodisiac incense and ordered the others to hold their breath, but Qi Shu and the maid quickly lost consciousness.
To maintain his own sanity, Xie Zheng drew his blade and cut his own hand, using the pain to fight the drug's effects. The eunuch Li Xiang soon arrived with a squad of guards, surrounding the palace to frame Xie Zheng for defiling the harem. Despite his state, Xie Zheng managed to fight his way through the blockade and escape. Fan Changyu was alerted by Qi Shu’s maid that the Princess and the Marquis were in danger.
She rushed toward the Imperial Garden and found Xie Zheng, who was burning with fever and bleeding from his hand. She managed to hide him just before the guards arrived. Moments later, a massive fire broke out at Qingyuan Palace. Consort Dowager An arrived in a panic, crying out for her daughter. Gongsun Yin doused himself in water and charged into the flames to rescue Qi Shu.
Finding that she had stopped breathing, he used an emergency resuscitation method he had learned from Yu Qianqian. Qi Shu eventually gasped for air, returning from the brink of death. To protect the Princess’s reputation, Gongsun Yin insisted that the imperial physicians be credited with her rescue and that he was never there. The guards continued their search for the "thief," only for Xie Zheng and Fan Changyu to reappeared together.
Xie Zheng claimed he had merely fallen into the lotus pond while drunk and was saved by the General. Li Xing and Li Xiang attempted to cast suspicion on him regardless, but the situation took a sudden turn when Li Huai'an was caught by the guards. He confessed that he had come to the palace to see the Princess, effectively acting as the "thief" and inadvertently ruining his grandfather Li Xing's carefully laid trap.
Seeing the plan crumble, the Emperor shifted the blame onto the eunuch Li Xiang. Left with no choice, Li Xiang confessed to framing Xie Zheng as an act of personal revenge, citing an old injury where Xie Zheng had cut off his ear. Xie Zheng, picking up the Longquan Sword the Emperor had offered, declared he would purge the traitors for the crown and killed Li Xiang on the spot. After the crowd dispersed, Wei Yan remained behind.
He confronted Qi Sheng, slapping the Emperor across the face and warning him that this would be the last time he tolerated such schemes, reminding him that even the late emperor had failed when attempting similar tactics seventeen years ago. Xie Zheng’s ordeal was far from over. As he and Fan Changyu left the palace in a carriage, the effects of the aphrodisiac incense became increasingly difficult to suppress. Despite the cold air, his body was burning, and he struggled to maintain control as he leaned toward Fan Changyu, his desire finally overriding his iron will.
