Renascence Episode 18 Recap
> Renascence Recap
Emperor Ye Hongyi found it suspicious that Yao Mowan had worn the late empress's hairpin and instructed Thousand Faces to closely monitor everyone close to her. To carry out Yao Mowan's plan, Ting Yue deliberately set fire to the hairpin design sketches in the courtyard, ensuring Thousand Faces would discover her. Caught, Ting Yue pleaded for her family's safety before revealing that Yao Su Luan had threatened her family's lives to coerce her into betraying Yao Mowan.
She explained that Yao Su Luan had used Cai Ying to deliver a letter from her father, warning her to obey or her siblings would be executed. Yao Su Luan had then ordered her to retrieve the original sketches of the Nine Phoenix Hairpin from the Imperial Household Department and ensure Yao Mowan wore a pre-made hairpin to provoke the Emperor's anger at the mid-year banquet.
Ye Hongyi recalled seeing Cai Ying giving something to Ting Yue that day, now realizing it was the threatening letter. Yao Su Luan vehemently denied the accusations, claiming she had merely taken the sketches to design a different style of hairpin. However, Eunuch Li from the Imperial Household Department confirmed that while Ting Yue had taken a copy, Yao Su Luan herself had taken the original sketches of the Nine Phoenix Hairpin.
With both human testimony and physical evidence, Yao Su Luan's deceit was exposed. Yao Mowan confronted her, accusing her of betraying their sisterly bond and manipulating the Emperor's feelings for the late empress. Enraged by Yao Su Luan's lack of virtue and disruption of the harem, Ye Hongyi stripped her of her Noble Consort title, demoted her to a concubine, and removed her administrative authority.
Yao Su Luan was led away by An Bing Shan, realizing she had been outmaneuvered by Yao Mowan. Seeing Ye Hongyi's remorse for misunderstanding her, Yao Mowan seized the opportunity to request a pardon for Ting Yue, explaining that despite her mistake, she was coerced and deserved leniency, recalling Yao Moxin's teaching about forgiveness. Ye Hongyi granted the pardon but warned Ting Yue against future misconduct, to which Ting Yue pledged her diligent service.
An Bing Shan later advised Yao Su Luan to control her temper in front of the Emperor. Desperate to regain favor, Yao Su Luan offered her personal maid, Cai Ying, to An Bing Shan, knowing he desired her. Later, during his night patrol, Liu Xing heard Cai Ying's cries for help and discovered An Bing Shan attempting to assault her. Liu Xing intervened and tried to lead Cai Ying away to report An Bing Shan.
An Bing Shan pleaded with Liu Xing not to, promising compensation and swearing it wouldn't happen again, but Liu Xing refused to back down, determined to uphold Cai Ying's dignity. In a fit of rage, An Bing Shan stabbed Liu Xing. Searching for Liu Xing at Yao Mowan's request, Ting Yue and other servants found him gravely wounded near a dry well.
With his last breaths, Liu Xing conveyed his loyalty to Yao Mowan, lamenting that he could no longer care for her. Overcome with guilt and sorrow, Yao Mowan blamed her own incompetence and indecisiveness for Liu Xing's tragic death, vowing to seek justice for him. That night, a heartbroken Yao Mowan played a melancholic flute tune in her courtyard. The music, rich with emotion, caught Ye Hongyi's attention.
Drawn to Guanju Palace, he recognized the melody as his favorite, one Yao Moxin used to play for him. He recalled how Yao Moxin played that very song during a chaotic period when he was leading his troops. The music had emboldened his soldiers, inspiring them to fight against rebels and return home, effectively saving the Kingdom of Chu from collapse. Ye Hongyi lamented Yao Moxin's unfortunate end, blaming his own powerlessness.
Yao Mowan suggested the tune also carried a meaning of "calling the sovereign back." When Ye Hongyi asked if she was now "willingly consenting," Yao Mowan affirmed her acceptance. Ye Hongyi promised to bestow upon her double the honor and glory that Yao Moxin had once enjoyed. Internally, Yao Mowan acknowledged that while her and her sister's memories had become one, the deep palace had destroyed everything they loved. With everything lost, only revenge remained.
She resolved that to gain power in the harem, she must rely on the Emperor's favor, even if it meant eternal damnation, to reach the pinnacle of power and make those who wronged them pay a bloody price. The next day, Ye Hongyi issued an imperial edict, promoting Yao Mowan to Imperial Noble Consort and entrusting her with the temporary leadership of the Six Palaces, a position akin to a deputy empress, with instructions to maintain peace and produce heirs.
As she accepted the imperial edict from An Bing Shan, Yao Mowan leaned in and whispered, "You will surely die by my hands," causing An Bing Shan to visibly recoil in fear. Meanwhile, Han Jinyi and Ben Lei cornered Mr. Wang, the owner of Zi Xuan Association. After threatening him with a potent "one-day death powder," Mr. Wang, fearing for his life, confessed that Dou Shiming was the mastermind behind illicit gunpowder trafficking.
He explained that Dou Shiming would pay high prices for the transportation of goods, and the profits were laundered by melting and recasting the gold to avoid official scrutiny, before being shipped to Dou Shiming's territory. He revealed that the next shipment was scheduled in two days via water transport. Han Jinyi gave him an antidote, warning him of severe consequences if he revealed their interrogation to Dou Shiming.
Separately, Cai Ying, deeply scarred by her ordeal, sought to end her life by drinking poison near a dry well, vowing to haunt Yao Su Luan and An Bing Shan even in death. However, Yin Xue intervened, saving her and bringing her to Guanju Palace. There, Yao Mowan told Cai Ying that her life, bought by Liu Xing's sacrifice, was not hers to discard.
She urged Cai Ying to live for revenge and use the information she possessed as Concubine Li's former handmaiden to bring the culprits to justice. At the imperial court, Grandmaster Jue Chen made a rare appearance, having retired to the countryside due to illness after the late emperor's passing. Ye Hongyi subtly questioned his long absence, but Jue Chen affirmed his loyalty, praising the Emperor's loyal officials, including An Bing Shan.
Jue Chen explained that the late emperor had tasked him with monitoring the Kingdom of Chu's destiny. He reported observing a celestial anomaly: the Aries Star was threatening the emperor star, signifying that a powerful Northern noble family might be secretly conspiring against the country and imperiling the imperial authority.
An Bing Shan, visibly nervous, cautioned Jue Chen to speak carefully, but the Grandmaster insisted on the truth of his divinations, recalling how Empress Yao Moxin had once saved him from An Bing Shan's treacherous scheme. Later, while strolling in the Imperial Garden, Yao Mowan encountered Ye Hongyi and Jue Chen. Ye Hongyi offered to accompany her on future walks. Yao Mowan, curious, asked Jue Chen how he recognized her, never having met.
Jue Chen explained her strong resemblance to the late Empress Yao Moxin, who had once shown him great kindness, and that he had heard of Yao Moxin's sister entering the palace. He then revealed he had foreseen good fortune for Yao Mowan, predicting that her residence, Guanju Palace, located in the auspicious southeast direction, would soon manifest a great omen. Shortly after, Ting Yue rushed in, reporting a sudden, persistent thick fog in Guanju Palace's backyard.
Intrigued, Ye Hongyi ordered everyone to Guanju Palace. Upon arrival, Yao Mowan noticed her dog bite mark, faintly visible that morning, had completely vanished, and she felt a surge of strength, suggesting it might be the auspicious sign Jue Chen foretold. Jue Chen, sensing an extraordinary presence beneath the fog, instructed the servants to dig carefully to avoid harming the omen. To everyone's astonishment, they unearthed a massive lingzhi.
Jue Chen declared this "purple light" lingzhi an incredibly auspicious sign for the Kingdom of Chu, though he also mentioned that revealing such heavenly secrets would shorten his own life. Yao Mowan then requested that the lingzhi be moved to the late empress's palace, believing it to be a blessing from her sister's spirit. Ye Hongyi readily agreed, ordering An Bing Shan to generously reward Jue Chen for his foresight.
After Han Jinyi uncovered Dou Shiming's gunpowder trafficking and money laundering scheme, Emperor Ye Hongyi learned of the findings. Concerned for Han Jinyi's safety and unwilling to let him face the danger of intercepting the shipment alone, the Emperor decided to personally investigate the matter. In her palace, Yao Mowan prayed for Emperor Ye Hongyi's good health and the peace and prosperity of the Kingdom of Chu, acknowledging her sister's continued blessings from the heavens.
