Rebirth For You Episode 32 Recap
> Rebirth For You Recap
Gao Miaorong entrusted her savings to Li Lin, encouraging him to start a business with her palace connections as support. Li Lin, however, observed her constant frowns since entering the Palace, reminding her of her promise to marry him once she saved enough money. He offered to work hard to ensure their comfortable life and urged her to leave.
Gao Miaorong stated she could not leave yet, claiming Empress Dowager Han was kind and would release her with a generous dowry, promising to marry him and live happily ever after. Li Lin was overjoyed and readily agreed. Later, Gao Miaorong's maid, Guanju, expressed concern over her mistress's sadness and suggested telling Li Lin the truth.
Gao Miaorong had entered the palace to protect Li Lin and Guanju, but Empress Dowager Han’s true nature had revealed itself to be increasingly cruel and manipulative. Guanju criticized the Empress Dowager's difficult demands, but Gao Miaorong silenced her, fearing that loose lips would lead to their ruin. She admitted that some situations were beyond their control, and one wrong step left no room for retreat. On her way back to the palace, Gao Miaorong encountered Zhao Xiao.
He was surprised to see her alive, given her past crimes, and acknowledged her cunning for securing a position with Empress Dowager Han. Gao Miaorong used this opportunity to subtly recruit him for Empress Dowager Han. She remarked on Zhao Xiao’s noble background and early success, lamenting his recent misfortunes.
She reminded him that Li Qian had saved his life and title, then questioned if he truly wished to let those who had humiliated him get away without begging for mercy. Zhao Xiao listened impassively before riding away. The next day, Li Qian was set to return to Bingzhou. That evening, he shared drinks with his father, Li Changqing, who expressed pride in Li Qian's achievements but advised him to remain humble.
Their conversation turned to the massacre of their village and the murder of Li Qian's mother years ago, a case that remained unsolved. Li Qian promised his father that with Mu’an State now stable, he would spare no effort to find the culprit and avenge his mother. The following morning, Li Qian and Commandery Princess Jia’nan went to the Palace to bid farewell to Grand Empress Dowager.
Commandery Princess Jia’nan was reluctant to leave her grandmother, but Grand Empress Dowager reassured her that she could visit whenever she pleased. Outside the palace, Li Changqing, He Cuihua, and Cao Xuan's family gathered to see them off. He Cuihua urged Li Qian to find a suitable match for Li Dongzhi upon their return to Bingzhou. Su Su also asked Commandery Princess Jia’nan to visit them often. After their goodbyes, Li Qian and Commandery Princess Jia’nan set off for Bingzhou.
Five years passed. Empress Dowager Han's son, Zhao An, was now five years old. He was a well-behaved and filial child, understanding the story of Kong Rong yielding pears and offering the largest tribute tangerines to Grand Empress Dowager and Emperor Zhao Xi. This brought great joy to Grand Empress Dowager, but Empress Dowager Han was displeased. When Emperor Zhao Xi offered her a tangerine, she rudely rejected it, accusing him of giving her leftovers and showing no respect.
She did not want Zhao An to spend too much time with the Emperor. Later, she reprimanded Zhao An for his behavior, contrasting him with how Zhao Xi was already on the throne at his age. Gao Miaorong then comforted Empress Dowager Han, who shared her satisfaction with having sown seeds of hatred in Zhao Xiao's heart five years prior, and expressed her anticipation for Zhao Xiao to grow powerful enough to challenge Li Qian.
Meanwhile, Grand Empress Dowager privately asked Emperor Zhao Xi if he was upset by Empress Dowager Han's demeanor. Zhao Xi denied any resentment, stating he believed his mother's strictness was a form of guidance for him to be diligent in his duties. He embraced his responsibilities as a son and an elder brother.
Despite knowing that the path of an emperor demanded solitude and sacrifice of personal affections, he remembered how his aunt, Commandery Princess Jia’nan, had overcome immense difficulties to ensure his ascension to the throne. As a man, he vowed never to retreat from his duties. Grand Empress Dowager was greatly relieved by his resolve. Around Li Qian's birthday, an imperial envoy arrived to bestow new honors upon him.
After receiving the decree, Li Qian and Commandery Princess Jia’nan surmised that this promotion was undoubtedly Grand Empress Dowager's initiative. Li Dongzhi, hearing the news, rushed in to inquire. Li Qian seized the opportunity to tease her about getting married soon. Commandery Princess Jia’nan, however, came to Li Dongzhi’s defense, asserting that marriage was not an absolute necessity for women. Nonetheless, to uphold Li Qian’s image, she advised Li Dongzhi to seek a husband as exemplary as her brother.
For years, Li Dongzhi had tirelessly sought physicians to cure Qing An, but to no avail. She often lamented his inability to fully recover but also found solace in his current carefree existence, believing it allowed him to live a life free from worries. What Li Dongzhi did not know was that Qing An had already regained his lucidity but chose to feign his illness, unwilling to leave her. He quietly wished they could continue their peaceful life together.
In Yongqing State, King Qing Tai grew increasingly tyrannical. He impulsively executed dancers, ignored the widespread plague, and refused to open state granaries to aid his suffering people, choosing instead to amass troops and provisions for a future conquest of Mu’an State. His advisor, Deputy Censor Wang, was dismissed and arrested for urging him to open granaries, further deepening public resentment.
During his conscription efforts in Nanmin, Zhao Xiao accidentally learned of a powerful "divine weapon" that Commandery Princess Jia’nan had used in Jinxi years ago. He sought out a former pirate, who confirmed witnessing Commandery Princess Jia’nan deploy such a weapon when they attacked the Jiang Mansion in Bingzhou, which resulted in the swift deaths of his men. The pirate recounted his terror and his vow never to return to Jinxi.
Zhao Xiao deduced that this was undoubtedly a weapon developed by Commandery Princess Jia’nan based on "The Divine Ghost Weaponry Chart". He began to suspect that the chart itself might be in her possession or still hidden within the palace, especially after recalling that she was present during a fire at the Wanping Mountain Treasure House where the chart was supposedly stored. Zhao Xiao returned to the capital to report on his duties.
He rode his horse directly into the palace grounds, showing disdain for officials like Wang Jidao and Zuo. He reminded them of Nanmin's substantial contributions to the capital's prosperity, asserting that they had no right to lecture him on rules when they benefited from his efforts. Wang Jidao regretted not having eliminated Zhao Xiao when he was vulnerable, recognizing that it was now too late.
Zhao Xiao then met with Empress Dowager Han, offering a rare treasure from Nanmin as a gift. Empress Dowager Han, after expressing her delight, noted his successful contributions to the state's prosperity. She introduced him to Zhao An, subtly suggesting he look after the young prince, whom she referred to as the late emperor's rightful heir. Zhao Xiao then requested access to the new Treasure House within the palace.
Empress Dowager Han readily agreed but secretly ordered Baihe to follow him. Inside the new Treasure House, Zhao Xiao searched diligently and found the designated box for "The Divine Ghost Weaponry Chart", only to discover it empty. He realized he had been deliberately misled, as the chart was believed to have been destroyed in the earlier fire at Wanping Mountain Treasure House. Baihe reported Zhao Xiao’s actions to Empress Dowager Han.
Gao Miaorong then confirmed that she had heard in the Li family during her childhood that "The Divine Ghost Weaponry Chart" could create powerful armaments, and that the Li clan and Li Qian's mother had died because of it, prompting the Li family's long search for the chart. She brought forth Jing’an, a former maid of Empress Dowager Cao who had become a nun.
Jing'an revealed that "The Divine Ghost Weaponry Chart" was the masterpiece of the legendary weapon master Zhang Zeshi. She explained that Empress Dowager Cao, in her quest for imperial favor, had dispatched Commandery Princess Jia’nan’s father, Jiang Zhenying, a former student of Zhang Zeshi, to acquire the chart. With the chart, Empress Dowager Cao successfully secured her position in the harem. Empress Dowager Han, realizing the implications, suspected Jiang Zhenying might be involved in the death of Li Qian's mother.
She saw this as an opportunity and instructed Gao Miaorong to inform the Li family, aiming to sow discord between Li Qian and Commandery Princess Jia’nan. Meanwhile, Commandery Princess Jia’nan presented Li Qian with a unique birthday gift housed in a complex puzzle box. Li Qian playfully pretended he couldn't open it, claiming the box was faulty. Commandery Princess Jia’nan, trying to demonstrate its mechanism, nearly trapped herself inside.
She then declared that she herself was his true birthday gift, which greatly pleased Li Qian. She had initially planned to give him a new sword, but its scabbard had been damaged. Instead, she offered him a jade pendant, a love token her father had given her mother, which Commandery Princess Jia’nan had worn since her parents' passing. She mentioned its value as a royal tribute and its chipped corner from an old accident.
Li Qian, upon seeing the jade pendant, was visibly shaken. He recognized it from a childhood memory, a faint image of his mother with a man wearing a similar jade pendant. Disturbing, he excused himself due to urgent official duties and quickly departed. Gao Miaorong sought out Li Changqing, who initially showed reluctance to speak with her given their past. Miaorong reminded him of his kindness to her as a child.
She then revealed that she had uncovered the true identity of the person responsible for the massacre of the Li family village and the death of Li Qian’s mother. She informed Li Changqing that the perpetrator was none other than Jiang Zhenying, the father of Commandery Princess Jia’nan.
