Queen Dugu Episode 3 Recap, Plot

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> Queen Dugu Recap

After being kidnapped and confined in Yuwen Hu's villa, Jialuo managed to free her hands and feet and yelled for help, attracting the attention of the guards outside. She fought back but was soon overpowered. When a guard’s blade grazed her neck, Jialuo grabbed a candelabra and threatened to take her own life if they came any closer. Fearing the consequences, the guards retreated, leaving her alone.

Jialuo then discovered she was trapped on the top floor of a high building. Resourcefully, she used the candelabra to set the drapes alight, hoping the thick smoke would alert her father and sister to her location. Meanwhile, Banruo, Yang Jian, and Yuwen Yong, having been notified of Jialuo’s disappearance, saw thick smoke rising from the direction of Yuwen Hu’s villa. They immediately suspected Jialuo had been taken there.

At the East Palace Gate, Geshu, Yuwen Hu’s subordinate, was explaining his unauthorized kidnapping of Jialuo. He claimed she was being held at the Xishan house as leverage against Dugu Xin. Yuwen Hu furiously reprimanded Geshu, stating he had given no such order. At that moment, a servant interrupted to inform Yuwen Hu that his own villa was on fire.

Banruo, Yang Jian, and Yuwen Yong arrived at Yuwen Hu’s villa to find the building engulfed in flames, with Jialuo precariously clinging to a railing on the top floor. Despite the efforts of the villa’s guards, the fire was too intense to allow anyone to enter for a rescue. Panicked, Banruo urged a solution. Yang Jian quickly devised a plan, tearing large pieces of cloth. He, Yuwen Yong, and Banruo held them together to form a makeshift landing pad below.

Banruo called out to Jialuo to jump, assuring her they would catch her. Before jumping, Jialuo told Banruo that if anything happened to her, Banruo should take care of their father. Despite her fear, Jialuo leaped onto the cloth. However, one piece tore, and she began to fall. Yang Jian, with swift reflexes, rushed forward and caught her, breaking her fall. Jialuo, shaken and unconscious, lay in his arms.

As Banruo and Yuwen Yong rushed to Jialuo’s side, Yang Jian left to inform Dugu Xin of the incident. Shortly after, Yuwen Hu and Dugu Xin arrived. A furious Banruo immediately confronted Yuwen Hu, pointing her sword at him. She accused him of kidnapping Jialuo and hurting her to prevent their father from accepting the Prime Minister position, declaring their relationship over.

Yuwen Hu, insisting he had no knowledge of the kidnapping, gripped Banruo’s sword, letting it cut his hand as he swore on his mother’s name that he was innocent. Dugu Xin, seeing Jialuo’s condition, took his daughters away, vowing to accept the Prime Minister’s post and challenging Yuwen Hu to do his worst.

Left behind, Geshu wanted to blind himself in apology for his mistake, but Yuwen Hu stopped him, stating that Geshu's service until he gets the throne was more valuable than a mere apology. Back at the Dugu Manor, a doctor was immediately summoned to attend to Jialuo, whose arm was dislocated but otherwise unharmed. Mantuo, upset that she had been excluded from the rescue efforts, changed her demeanor upon seeing Yang Jian.

Yang Jian, seeing the beautiful Mantuo, embraced her, and she feigned distress, expressing her concern for Jialuo's potential scars, to which Yang Jian reassured her that Jialuo would be fine. Meanwhile, Yuwen Hu, distraught by Banruo’s rejection, drank alone in his study, calling out Banruo’s name even when his wife, the Countess, brought him a sobering soup.

With Dugu Xin officially appointed as Prime Minister, the political landscape began to shift, and many believed Yuwen Hu's unchecked power was now challenged. As Jialuo recovered, she grew restless and wanted to go out. Banruo, still stern, forbade her, reminding her of her injuries. Jialuo then pressed Banruo about Yuwen Hu, having overheard their earlier exchange. Banruo dismissed it as "adult matters" but admitted that sometimes women like "bad guys."

Jialuo wondered why, if that were true, Banruo had broken up with him. Later, Banruo spoke with Dugu Xin, assuring him of Jialuo’s recovery. She also advised him not to push Yuwen Hu too hard, reminding him of Yuwen Hu's vicious nature and his tendency for revenge. Dugu Xin then confronted Banruo about her secret involvement with Yuwen Hu.

Banruo explained that her actions were for the family’s future, driven by the former Emperor's prophecy of "Dugu's country," which she believed meant a Dugu woman would become Empress. She asserted that this prophecy would be fulfilled through her. Dugu Xin was incensed, accusing her of treason and reminding her of the family's loyalty. Banruo conceded her initial plan to ally with Yuwen Hu was misguided, realizing he was too unpredictable and his subordinates too reckless.

She had changed her mind and now intended to marry Yuwen Yu, the Emperor's brother, who she believed would ascend the throne since the Emperor, Yuwen Jue, was infertile due to an old injury and had no children. This path, she argued, would allow her to legitimately become Queen Dugu. Dugu Xin was shocked, having hoped his daughters would marry for love.

Banruo, however, argued that marriages were often for alliances and that while she truly liked Yuwen Hu, their union was impossible. Yuwen Yu, she noted, genuinely liked her and had promised her full control of his household and no other wives, a point important to Banruo given her mother’s tragic death. He reluctantly agreed to her plan. Unbeknownst to them, Mantuo was secretly listening to their entire conversation.

Hearing about the "Dugu's country" prophecy, Mantuo began to dream of becoming Empress herself. Dugu Xin then decided to arrange Mantuo and Yang Jian’s marriage without delay, intending to secure Mantuo’s future separately from Banruo’s ambitious path. He also decided that Jialuo should marry soon but explicitly ruled out Yuwen Yong, the Prince of Fucheng, due to his sickly constitution and his desire to avoid entangling another daughter with the Yuwen imperial family.

The next day, in court, Yang Jian adopted a subservient and somewhat foolish demeanor. Yuwen Hu, seizing the opportunity, aggressively questioned Yang Jian about his father, Yang Zhong's, absence from court, implying disloyalty and demanding the revocation of Yang Zhong's military power. Yang Jian feigned a sudden collapse due to an old illness, successfully deferring the discussion. Dugu Xin stepped forward to defend Yang Zhong and Yang Jian, vouching for their loyalty with his own official position.

Yang Jian was then brought back to Dugu Manor. Mantuo, hearing of his "illness," rushed to his side, displaying concern. Yang Jian, seeing the beautiful Mantuo, embraced her. At that moment, Geshu arrived with two imperial physicians, sent by Yuwen Hu to verify Yang Jian's condition. During the examination, Jialuo burst into the room, recognized Geshu, and loudly accused him of kidnapping her, calling him a "bad guy" and demanding he leave, causing a scene. Dugu Xin quickly silenced her.

The physicians, after their examination, concluded that Yang Jian’s symptoms indicated he was suffering from extreme fright, an appearance cleverly orchestrated by Jialuo, who had earlier placed a hot water bottle in Yang Jian’s bed to make him sweat profusely. The physicians departed, seemingly convinced of his illness, despite Yang Jian’s later complaint that Jialuo had almost "cooked" him.

Yuwen Hu, upon hearing the report, reflected that Dugu Xin lacked the ruthless attitude of a truly thoughtful minister, stating that if he himself were not thoughtful, he would have killed Dugu Xin's allies long ago. Later, Mantuo, influenced by her servant’s remarks about Yang Jian being easily scared and unfit for marriage, spoke with Yang Jian. She asked him about his aspirations for the future.

Yang Jian described a peaceful life of leisure, making poems, talking about songs, and hunting with her. Mantuo, disappointed by his lack of ambition, pressed him further, asking if he never thought of achieving something greater. Yang Jian replied that his father was already a Major General, and he would inherit that position, wondering what more he could desire. Mantuo then cautiously asked about rumors that his father, Yang Zhong, harbored ambitions for the throne.

Yang Jian swiftly dismissed these as groundless rumors, asserting his father’s loyalty and suggesting the possibility of spies in the house. Mantuo left, clearly disheartened by his responses and his apparent lack of drive, lamenting to her servant that such a husband could never help her achieve her dream of "Dugu's country," and that she needed to find a prince.

Episode 2 Recap

Episode 4 Recap