Queen Dugu Episode 16 Recap, Plot

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Prime Minister Dugu Xin approached Emperor Yuwen Jue alone, attempting to caution him against Zhao Gui's machinations. Dugu Xin explained that Zhao Gui was intentionally fueling discord between the Emperor and Grand Tutor Yuwen Hu. Yuwen Jue, however, dismissed Dugu Xin's concerns, stating that Yuwen Hu’s disrespect was intolerable and anyone who could rein him in would be a loyal subject.

Dugu Xin pressed on, revealing that he had known Zhao Gui for over a decade and, while brave, Zhao Gui lacked wisdom and was no match for Yuwen Hu, who had been groomed by the former emperor. Dugu Xin urgently warned Yuwen Jue that a hasty move against Yuwen Hu would not only fail but could also cost the Emperor his life. He implored Yuwen Jue to be patient and observe for a few years before acting.

After Dugu Xin departed, Zhao Gui emerged from behind a screen, immediately criticizing Dugu Xin as a coward whose counsel would only hinder great success. Yuwen Jue was torn between the two ministers. Zhao Gui then presented his plan: on the upcoming Winter Solstice, the Emperor should invite Yuwen Hu to a banquet and have a troupe of beautiful and skilled female assassins, whom Zhao Gui had personally trained, eliminate him.

Yuwen Jue wavered, expressing fear for his own life if the plan failed. Zhao Gui insisted that indecisiveness would lead to disaster and urged immediate action before Yuwen Hu placed a blade at the Emperor's neck. Overwhelmed, Yuwen Jue mumbled that he needed to discuss it with his empress, prompting Zhao Gui to silently sneer at his lack of imperial resolve.

He reflected that Princess Banruo of Ningdu must be making the real decisions for her husband, Yuwen Yu, as Yuwen Jue utterly lacked the courage of an emperor. At the Dugu household, Jialuo fretted over her father's constant worry. Her quick-witted maid, Dongqu, had deduced from court reports and street rumors that Banruo was collaborating with Zhao Gui to use Prince Yuwen Yu in a power struggle against both Yuwen Hu and Emperor Yuwen Jue.

Dongqu explained that the Ningdu family was spreading nursery rhymes subtly hinting that Yuwen Jue was unfit to rule and Yuwen Yu should take the throne. Realizing the gravity of the situation and with her father heavily involved, Jialuo felt it was her responsibility to help protect their family. She recalled historical precedents where rebels took ministerial families hostage during mutinies.

To prepare, she decided to organize a private defense force to protect both the Dugu and Ningdu residences and establish a fortified refuge at the strategically located Jiciyuan, a charity house. Dongqu suggested recruiting more guards for the charity house and having them patrol in plain clothes around the two mansions. Jialuo agreed, and they quickly assembled a team, placing them under the command of Captain Du, a former subordinate of Dugu Xin.

Though Dongqu thought Dugu Xin should be informed, Jialuo decided not to burden her father with what she considered a minor family matter. Meanwhile, Dugu Xin received an urgent military report: Gao Zhan, the ruler of Northern Qi, had died after a sudden illness, leaving his 13-year-old crown prince on the throne with Minister Lu Zhen as regent. Dugu Xin predicted this would plunge the world into turmoil once more and rushed to the palace to advise the Emperor.

In court, Yuwen Hu vehemently urged Yuwen Jue to seize the opportunity to invade Qi, promising a swift victory and territorial expansion. Dugu Xin vehemently opposed this, arguing that Lu Zhen was an astute administrator and General Shen Jiayan was a formidable defender, making an attack risky. He also reminded the court of a previous agreement to maintain peace between the dynasties.

Yuwen Hu dismissed these concerns, scoffing at diplomatic agreements as "lies for children" and arguing that strength dictated relations. Yuwen Jue, eager for military glory, sided with Yuwen Hu, appointing him marshal and, at Yuwen Hu's request, ordered Dugu Xin to transfer all his military authority to the Grand Tutor. After the imperial audience, Zhao Gui furiously confronted Yuwen Jue, chastising him for giving Yuwen Hu such immense military power, making him practically unassailable.

Yuwen Jue, flustered, asked for a solution. Zhao Gui reiterated his earlier plan, emphasizing the urgency: Yuwen Hu must be killed before he left the capital. Yuwen Jue agreed to host a banquet to achieve this. Unbeknownst to them, Yuwen Hu was already fully aware of the plot. He found Banruo in the palace, deliberately calling her by her personal name and holding her hand while feigning concern for her safety.

He pointedly remarked that she and her allies were digging their own graves to help her become empress. This intimate exchange was secretly witnessed by Yuwen Yu, who was filled with resentment. Later, Yuwen Yu approached Zhao Gui, providing him with a potent Miaojiang poison and instructing him to apply it to the assassins' weapons to ensure Yuwen Hu's demise.

Meanwhile, Banruo dispatched her maid, Chunshi, to Yuwen Hu's residence with a soft, protective armor, a gift from the former emperor to Dugu Xin that was now Banruo's dowry. She knew Yuwen Hu was already prepared but wanted to offer extra protection, secretly intending to only use Zhao Gui to weaken Yuwen Jue, not to truly harm Yuwen Hu. Yuwen Hu understood the gesture, accepting the armor and expressing his gratitude to Banruo.

News of the impending "Hongmen banquet" reached Dugu Xin, who immediately prepared to rush to the palace, fearing for Yuwen Jue's life. Worried for her father, Jialuo quietly mobilized the private troops she had been training at the Jiciyuan. That evening, as the palace banquet began and the female assassins prepared to strike Yuwen Hu, Dugu Xin dramatically entered the hall.

He refused the guards' attempts to bar him and offered to perform a sword dance to bid Yuwen Hu farewell. While Yuwen Hu played a drum, Dugu Xin danced powerfully, reciting Cao Cao's "A Short Song." As he finished, he dramatically plunged his sword into a pillar, then used the poem's themes of ambition and its ultimate futility to caution both Yuwen Jue and Yuwen Hu.

He reminded them that Cao Cao, despite his ambition, died without becoming emperor and his descendants were overthrown. He stressed that a true ruler governs by morality, not trickery, and reaffirmed his vow to the former emperor to protect Yuwen Jue’s lineage. At that precise moment, Yuwen Hu's subordinate, Geshu, discreetly informed him that Dugu Xin's men had surrounded the Grand Tutor's mansion, with Yuwen Hu's son inside.

Realizing his precarious situation, Yuwen Hu, pretending graciousness, declared the hour late and departed with his retinue. After Yuwen Hu's exit, Zhao Gui berated Dugu Xin for thwarting their plan, believing he could have killed Yuwen Hu. But Dugu Xin revealed to Yuwen Jue that Yuwen Hu had hundreds of hidden guards within the palace, a fact that terrified Yuwen Jue and made him realize how close he had been to death.

Dugu Xin reiterated his warning against acting rashly against Yuwen Hu, stating that for the Emperor to challenge Yuwen Hu’s entrenched power now would be like "using an egg to crack a stone." Zhao Gui, utterly disgraced, angrily questioned how Yuwen Hu could have been prepared for his "flawless" plan.

Dugu Xin retorted that Zhao Gui's bravery was undone by his lack of wisdom, making him unsuitable for court battles and advising him not to get involved in such dangerous political games for meager gains. Meanwhile, Banruo, hearing of the banquet's outcome, acknowledged that she had underestimated her father’s intervention, admitting she forgot his loyalty to Yuwen Jue. Yuwen Yu, despite the setback, assured her they would have another chance.

Zhao Gui, still smarting from his humiliation, had his agents investigate and soon learned about Banruo’s past affair with Yuwen Hu, discovering that they had collaborated to use him to achieve their goals. Enraged at being manipulated, Zhao Gui decided to retaliate against the Dugu family. His agents soon reported that Jialuo was secretly training a private army of at least 300 men, equipped with weapons and supplies at the Jiciyuan.

Zhao Gui saw this as a golden opportunity for revenge. Soon after, Jialuo received a letter and a jade pendant from her fifth brother, Dugu Shun, urgently requesting three thousand gold at Dongshan Wenshu Temple. Dongqu was suspicious, pointing out that Dugu Shun was at Xiliu camp and would normally send a servant if he needed money, suggesting it was a kidnapping.

Jialuo, however, recognized her brother's handwriting and dismissed the idea of it being an enemy's trap, as they wouldn’t ask for ransom. Unable to immediately raise the funds, Jialuo instructed her housekeeper to report the matter to her father as soon as he returned from court, and then, without waiting, she set off with her private troops to rescue her brother. Along the way, they were ambushed by imperial troops led by Geshu.

Both sides suffered heavy casualties, and Jialuo and Geshu recognized each other in the chaos. Just then, Zhao Gui arrived, publicly accusing Jialuo of rebellion for commanding private soldiers and attacking government troops, and ordered her arrest. Geshu, unsure of Zhao Gui's true intentions, chose not to intervene, though his subordinate was sent to inform Dugu Xin of the urgent situation.

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