Rebirth Episode 21 Recap
> Rebirth Recaps
One night outside the military camp, Zhuge Yue approached Chu Qiao with freshly heated wine and a box of water chestnut and lily bulb pastry. The sight of the sweets brought back bitter memories of the years she and Yan Xun spent in Yingge Courtyard. During those desperate times, they lived in constant fear, testing every meal for poison with live rats. In the scorching summers, they often had nothing to eat but spoiled food.
Chu Qiao recalled how Princess Zhao Chun'er would occasionally send treats to Yan Xun. On one occasion, Yan Xun was poisoned by those very pastries and nearly died; Chu Qiao had to beg and search desperately for medicine to pull him back from the brink. Though it was unclear who had poisoned the food, Yan Xun never told the Princess.
He would continue to wolf down the pastries in front of her to hide his suspicion, even though he had grown to despise them. Chu Qiao realized then that Yan Xun’s capacity for endurance and hidden hatred was what allowed his army to survive this long. Hoping to protect Zhuge Yue, Chu Qiao urged him to return to Yong and reclaim his identity as the noble heir of the Zhuge family, arguing that their paths were fundamentally different.
Zhuge Yue refused to leave her side, but while he slept, Chu Qiao left a final message asking him to forget her and return to his former life. She then went to Yan Xun’s camp alone, hoping to hold him to his promise of withdrawing his troops. Yan Xun was delighted by her return but immediately had her confined in a specially designed iron cage.
He presented her with extravagant robes and jewelry tailored for the Queen of Yanbei, promising to conquer the world for her. Chu Qiao remained unmoved, reminding him that the winter was harsh and both armies were suffering. She demanded he honor his word and retreat. Yan Xun insisted he would prove his methods were right and refused to withdraw until his victory was complete. Meanwhile, Zhuge Yue traveled to the capital of Yong to meet Prince Zhao Che.
Disguised under a wide hat, he warned the Prince that if Biantang fell, Yanbei’s Black Eagle Army would move south and threaten the very heart of the Yong Empire. Recognizing the strategic threat, Zhao Che agreed to provide fifty thousand dan of grain for emergency relief, though he suspected the mysterious envoy was an old friend he once fought alongside. In the Yanbei camp, Consort Helian Ling visited Chu Qiao to deliver food.
Chu Qiao deliberately played on the Consort’s insecurities, pointing out that her tribe’s status depended on Yanbei’s stability, which would be shattered if Yan Xun brought a rival queen back. Seeing Chu Qiao attempting to pick the lock of her cage with a hairpin, Helian Ling reported the escape plan to Yan Xun. However, Yan Xun saw through the scheme and decided to use it as a "plan within a plan" to lure his enemies out.
The conflict escalated as Zhuge Yue led an elite squad of the Xiuli Army to intercept a Yanbei grain convoy, only to discover the bags were filled with sand. Realizing he had fallen into a trap, Zhuge Yue quickly adjusted his strategy. While Yan Xun rushed his main force toward Longyin Pass, believing the city was leaderless, he walked directly into a massive ambush prepared by Zhuge Yue in a treacherous valley.
As fire consumed the Yanbei granaries and the Black Eagle Army found their retreat blocked by the Biantang forces, Cheng Yuan urged Yan Xun to flee through the dangerous swamps of Rong Pass. Zhuge Yue anticipated this move, knowing Yan Xun would take the risky path to survive. Chu Qiao, having escaped during the chaos at the camp, intercepted Yan Xun at Rong Pass.
She stood before his horse and presented him with the relics of his family members who were slaughtered at Jiuyou Terrace—items she had asked Zhao Song to help her collect years ago. She confronted him with the names of his kin, accusing him of betraying his father Yan Shicheng’s legacy of loyalty by bringing misery to the people of Yanbei.
Chu Qiao offered Yan Xun a final choice: either they would fight to the death on that road, or he must swear a solemn oath. Heartbroken by the sight of his family’s remains, Yan Xun chose the latter. He swore upon the souls of those who died at Jiuyou Terrace that Yanbei would not set foot in Biantang for ten years. Only then did Chu Qiao allow him to pass. Back in the Biantang capital, the internal power struggle intensified.
Following the news of the military crisis, Li Yan seized the opportunity to strike. He accused the official Sun Di of high treason for stealing a military tally, signaling that the unrest within the court was far from over.
