Royal Feast Episode 19 Recap
> Royal Feast Recap
After eating a dish prepared by the Food Bureau, Wei Wang, the tenth prince, fell ill while near Zhu Zhanji. Although Zhu Zhanji, the Crown Prince, remained silent about his anxiety back in the study, his attendant could tell he was deeply worried about Wei Wang's condition. When the attendant attempted to report that Yao Zijin was facing a severe caning punishment, Zhu Zhanji curtly ordered him not to mention her name.
Meanwhile, Hu Shang Shi urged Yao Zijin to beg the Empress for mercy, reminding her that the Empress no longer wished to see her and that the Palace Guard's canes were notoriously brutal. Hu Shang Shi even offered to request the Empress to exile Yao Zijin instead of caning her, to save her life. Yao Zijin, however, refused to yield, insisting she must do what is right and save those who deserve to be saved, regardless of the consequences.
She acknowledged the severity of the punishment, stating she had already endured six strikes and could not bear four more. Hu Shang Shi warned her that if she did not apologize, she would not survive. You Yifan then arrived, admonishing Yao Zijin for risking her life to save others despite understanding the malice of human nature.
He warned that if she continued on this path, even if he saved her this time, she would soon find herself in a similar predicament, and he refused to save those who actively sought death. As Yao Zijin continued to face the harsh caning, one of Zhu Zhanji's attendants suggested that if she simply softened her stance and looked at His Highness, he would surely intervene.
Yet, Yao Zijin stoically endured the remaining two strikes without pleading for mercy, ultimately collapsing unconscious. Zhu Zhanji, who had been present, personally carried her to the Imperial Hospital and ordered Ji Dian Yao to personally oversee her recovery and ensure her daily medicine was prepared. As he observed her pale face, Zhu Zhanji remembered Yao Zijin's earlier words about not wanting to be his concubine, to live solely for him, or to be a puppet manipulated by others.
He silently walked away, though his attendant wondered why he would help someone without revealing himself. Zhu Zhanji, focused on the deeper issue, commanded his subordinate to thoroughly investigate the cause of Wei Wang's illness, stating Yao Zijin's fate was irrelevant to him. Upon regaining consciousness, Yao Zijin, despite her injuries, immediately went to the Empress and knelt before her.
She pledged that while she was not in the kitchen when the meal was prepared, she could guarantee that the Food Bureau adhered strictly to imperial regulations in every dish, never overstepping. When the Empress began to dismiss her for lacking evidence, Yao Zijin earnestly informed her that the Empress herself was implicated in Wei Wang's poisoning, as she had sent someone to the kitchen during the meal preparation.
Guo Guifei was already tearfully complaining to the Emperor, accusing the Empress of poisoning Wei Wang. The Empress, Zhu Zhanji, and the Crown Princess arrived. The Emperor, swayed by Guo Guifei's baseless accusations, rejected the Empress's attempts to speak or summon a doctor to prove her innocence, even refusing to consider Sheng Yin, a doctor he had previously dismissed. Zhu Zhanji interjected, stating that Sheng Yin was on his way back, much to the Emperor's displeasure.
The Crown Princess then requested permission to examine Wei Wang, which Guo Guifei vehemently opposed, fearing for her son. A Tai Hospital attendant confirmed the prior diagnosis of poisoning. Zhu Zhanji asserted his bond with Wei Wang, declaring he would protect his own brother. The Crown Princess then diagnosed Wei Wang not with poisoning, but with back gangrene, caused by external wind, dampness, and fire toxins, a common ailment.
Guo Guifei tried to counter, claiming Dai Yuanpan had confirmed poisoning from unclean antler. Zhu Zhanji immediately ordered Dai Yuanpan's arrest and torture, accusing him of deliberately concealing Wei Wang's true condition. Zhu Zhanji respectfully pointed out that an experienced Dai Yuanpan could not have possibly misdiagnosed such a serious ailment, suggesting that someone intended to hide Wei Wang's illness. The Emperor, enraged by Guo Guifei's deception, questioned her fitness as a mother.
Zhu Zhanji then announced he would take Wei Wang to his own palace for treatment, and though he would not interfere with the Emperor's concubine, he promptly removed Wei Wang from the scene. Later, Crown Princess woke from a nightmare. Zhu Zhanji questioned her reluctance to diagnose Wei Wang earlier and why she hadn't disclosed her past. She apologized, her previous secret now out.
Back at the palace, Hu Shang Shi was denied an audience with the Empress, learning that Yao Zijin had informed the Empress of her involvement in the Wei Wang incident, and that Hu Shang Shi had been the first to identify the poisonous antler. The Empress, deeming Hu Shang Shi foolish for causing trouble while fighting her rivals, ordered her to kneel outside until morning.
Ji Dian Yao assured Yao Zijin that Yin Ziping and others would soon return, now that the truth about Wei Wang's illness had come to light. The Crown Princess ordered Yao Zijin to deliver a meal. She then made Yao Zijin kneel for half an hour, accusing her of using the warning to the Empress as a pretext to exonerate the Food Bureau, and implying Yao Zijin had intentionally exposed Hu Shang Shi's disfavor with the Empress.
The Crown Princess declared that she had won this round. Yin Ziping finally returned to the Food Bureau, heartbroken to see Yao Zijin struggling with her injuries. Yao Zijin, in turn, noticed Yin Ziping's own wounds from her time in prison. The two comforted each other, their bond deepened by their shared ordeal. Yin Ziping questioned why Yao Zijin was "so stupid" to "give up the Crown Prince," and why she sympathized with others but not herself.
Yao Zijin reasoned that it was even more tragic for two pitiful people to fight each other. Meanwhile, Yuan Qi inadvertently told Wei Wang that his birth mother, Guo Guifei, had endangered his life to frame the Empress. Disturbed, Wei Wang demanded to see his mother.
Zhu Zhanji, though furious with Yuan Qi for his unauthorized and careless words, comforted Wei Wang by assuring him that his father had visited him while he slept and that his mother was praying for him in a temple. He promised to take Wei Wang hunting once he fully recovered. When Yuan Qi tearfully pleaded for his position, reminding Zhu Zhanji of his lifelong service, the Crown Princess intervened, suggesting Yuan Qi's actions stemmed from loyalty.
Zhu Zhanji relented, warning Yuan Qi to be more cautious in the future, and Yuan Qi profusely thanked the Crown Princess. Meng Shang Shi returned to the Food Bureau and immediately announced promotions: Yao Zijin was officially promoted to Dian Shan, and Yin Ziping to Zhang Shan. She also announced the demotion of Wen Dian Shan to Shanglinyuan.
Wen Dian Shan pleaded with Meng Shang Shi not to send her away, but Meng Shang Shi sternly stated that henceforth, she alone would define merit and punishment in the Food Bureau. Other staff gossiped that Wen Yantao was being punished for her past eagerness for success and for having deliberately made things difficult for Meng Shang Shi.
They noted that Hu Shang Shi had lost the Empress's support, and her followers, including Yue Hua, were now falling out of favor. Despite Yin Ziping’s excitement about her promotion and her suggestion that Yue Hua find a new backer, Yue Hua remained defiant, refusing to side with Meng Shang Shi, whom she blamed for her master's expulsion, choosing instead to wait for an opportune moment.
Elsewhere, someone tried to serve Guo Guifei, who expressed her reluctance to help others involved with the Empress. This person subtly suggested that Guo Guifei’s downfall was due to a lack of true trust and advised her to focus on recovery, offering her help in navigating the impending "disaster" now that Dai Yuanpan was imprisoned. Wei Wang, though recovering, suffered from listlessness and a poor appetite.
Zhu Zhanji, worried, ordered the Food Bureau to use all their skills to encourage him to eat. Meng Shang Shi conveyed this directive, emphasizing that success would bring rewards from the East Palace, while failure would result in punishment for the entire Food Bureau. Yao Zijin, now Dian Shan, was approached by Yu Kuai, another cook, who offered to help her prepare Wei Wang’s meal and boasted of their own culinary skill.
Yao Zijin declined, stating that their positions meant they would inevitably compete. She then dismissed the other cook's boasting, noting that all cooks, from imperial chefs to street vendors, performed the same essential work, and that arbitrary distinctions and judgments were a sign of an inferior mindset.
Later, Yao Zijin presented Wei Wang with a variety of dishes, including chrysanthemum pu-erh tea, crystal osmanthus cake, steamed crab dumplings, sugar egg powder, and shrimp, along with a charming hedgehog sculpture made from food. However, Wei Wang refused to eat any of it, throwing the hedgehog sculpture to the ground and dismissing her efforts as mere trickery to coax him.
