Qingchuan's Veil of Vengean Episode 1 Recap
> Qingchuan's Veil of Vengean Recap
In the interrogation room, Mo Qingchuan was beaten all over, covered in wounds, yet mocked the torturers, saying their efforts were merely tickling her. That year was the second year of the Xia calendar. Blood dripped from Mo Qingchuan’s legs onto the ground, and from it sprouted green plants. Even the torturers were moved, urging her to surrender, promising that the Chu kingdom would reward her richly.
But Mo Qingchuan firmly refused to give up an inch of land, declaring the Mo Army would never retreat. Four years later, at the beginning of spring, the weather remained bitterly cold with heavy snow falling. The northern blizzards had taken many lives, and people lamented how life only got worse by the day.
Yet inside the courtyard of Prince Jing’s residence, Prince Jing was ruthlessly whipping the Young Lord Xia Qiguang, ordering him to go to the Cao residence and apologize. But Xia Qiguang, though beaten, steadfastly refused. The steward tried to persuade him, saying that Cao Ling’an relied on the Empress Dowager’s support to seize good farmland and oppress women, and Xia Qiguang had already done more than enough—there was no need to apologize.
Helpless, Prince Jing could only sit down and try reasoning with Xia Qiguang, hoping he would understand the situation. But Xia Qiguang was already fully aware. Prince Jing had been relegated to the position of a powerless noble because years ago, Empress Dowager Cao helped Emperor Zhang Ping secure the throne and stabilize the court by purging the Xia clan’s power. To protect himself, Prince Jing voluntarily requested a fief. Xia Qiguang was left in the capital, essentially a hostage.
Yet Xia Qiguang believed that even with all his father’s compromises, peace in court could never be achieved. Prince Jing had received his orders—he was to leave for his fief the day after tomorrow. Concerned that Xia Qiguang wouldn't be safe, he had requested a teacher for him. As soon as he said this, Jiang Kui arrived to inform Xia Qiguang to greet his new mentor.
Jiang Kui, once rumored to be a bloodthirsty killer in the martial world, now appeared to be a sweet young girl claiming to have turned over a new leaf. Watching her leave, Prince Jing was overwhelmed with emotion. The person he had long awaited had finally returned—this person was once Prince Jing’s military advisor. Jiang Kui waited in the courtyard. Xia Qiguang followed the address she gave and arrived to find Ms. Mo.
Jiang Kui reminded Xia Qiguang that his teacher was resting and asked him to wait, but Xia Qiguang was visibly dissatisfied. The two suddenly began to spar in the courtyard. At first, Jiang Kui was no match for him and was about to lose her temper when Ms. Mo—Mo Wang—emerged from within. Xia Qiguang was briefly stunned by Mo Wang’s beauty, but he directly stated his doubts about becoming her disciple.
He said he loved martial arts and was only there because of his father’s insistence, so he wanted to know whether Mo Wang was highly skilled. Upon hearing she was not, Xia Qiguang immediately refused to become her disciple, stating he only admired those with superior martial prowess. His lifelong wish was to become a great general like Mo Qingchuan and one day reclaim Qingchuan Town.
However, Mo Wang considered Mo Qingchuan a traitor who betrayed her country for personal gain. Xia Qiguang’s eyes filled with anger—he was certain Mo Qingchuan wasn’t a traitor. Twelve years ago, he had witnessed Mo Qingchuan head into battle when she was just fifteen. She had taken an enemy general’s head amid ten thousand troops, earned numerous military merits afterward, and her defense of the borders deterred the enemy from further attacks. But at this point, Xia Qiguang stopped speaking.
Mo Wang picked up where he left off: In the seventh year of Zhang Ping’s reign, the war between Chu and Xia broke out. Mo Junshan died of illness, and command of the Mo Army passed to his brother Mo Junyu. Mo Qingchuan was besieged at the Chuanhe Inn, trapped like a cornered beast. The enemy general Feng Shiye offered her great rewards to surrender, and Mo Qingchuan cast aside her sword and surrendered.
Xia Qiguang completely rejected this version of events. He believed someone who held life and death so lightly would never betray their country. Even if the entire world thought she was a traitor, he would never believe it. Mo Wang suddenly stared Xia Qiguang down, asking him: What if Mo Qingchuan really did betray the town? This only increased Xia Qiguang’s resentment toward her, and he turned to leave, no longer willing to become her disciple.
But Jiang Kui blocked his way, pressing his head down—this was now considered an official apprenticeship, because Mo Wang had promised Prince Jing she would take Xia Qiguang as her student. As Xia Qiguang left, he turned back to look at where Mo Wang lived, recalling her question: What if Mo Qingchuan truly betrayed them? At that moment, he felt that even if she did, she must have had no other choice.
That night, Mo Wang dozed at the table, but her mind returned to the scene of Mo Qingchuan being surrounded years ago. She woke up in fright. Jiang Kui, beside her, noticed she had the same nightmare again. Soon after, Mo Wang received a note: “There is no tomorrow in the capital.” She immediately realized something had happened to Prince Jing and rushed off with Jiang Kui. In the outskirts, Prince Jing was bidding farewell to Xia Qiguang.
They wouldn’t meet again for another three years. Just as they were parting reluctantly, a group of assassins launched a surprise attack. Xia Qiguang told the steward to protect Prince Jing and went to face the attackers himself. But to his shock, the steward suddenly turned on them and killed Prince Jing. Xia Qiguang rushed over to save him but was also injured by the steward. Nevertheless, he managed to kill the traitorous steward.
More enemies swarmed in, but Mo Qingchuan and Jiang Kui arrived just in time to rescue Xia Qiguang and capture one of the assassins alive. Xia Qiguang begged Mo Wang to save his father, but fainted from exhaustion. Mo Wang interrogated the captive and found he had been poisoned. She fed him a stronger poison, forcing him to reveal the entire plan.
The assassins belonged to the Suoque Sect and had been ordered to kill Prince Jing, destroy the body, and make it look like a vendetta from the martial world. After learning everything, Mo Wang fired a signal flare to report success and then let the captive go. She then instructed Jiang Kui to leave a message for the imperial court, so the court would know who was behind it all. Jiang Kui carved the words “The Suoque Sect was here” into a tree. Mo Wang then ordered Silver Cicada, Chen Yi, to set the scene ablaze.
