Royal Feast Episode 5 Recap
> Royal Feast Recap
You Yifan, leading a contingent of Royal Guards, arrived at the Food Bureau to conduct a thorough investigation. He brought a witness, an old woman, who testified that the imposter they sought had a mole on her left palm. To clear her name, Yao Zijin confidently presented her palm, which was devoid of any mole, dispelling the suspicion.
Though You Yifan remained skeptical about palace security, Meng Ziyun, the Head of the Food Bureau, vouched for her staff, guaranteeing that no one had entered under false pretenses. Acknowledging Meng Ziyun's high standing with the Crown Princess, You Yifan accepted her assurance but warned that she would share culpability if an imposter were discovered.
As the guards left, Yao Zijin lamented the declining authority of the palace's six bureaus, a stark contrast to the strict order under the former official, Xiao Nvguan. Immediately after, Yao Zijin pulled Yin Ziping into a secluded room and forcibly opened her clenched left hand, revealing a freshly destroyed mole, now a bleeding wound. Realizing Yin Ziping had intended to kill herself to cover her tracks, Yao Zijin insisted she confess.
Yin Ziping, distraught, grabbed a pair of scissors and refused, preferring death. She tearfully recounted her tragic past: her family from the ZheZhi region were branded as "jianmin"—a lowly, pariah class—because their ancestors were rebels, and they suffered lifelong discrimination. Her parents and brother died in a desperate attempt to elevate their status, leaving her the sole survivor.
She fled, secretly learning to cook while enduring hardship, and seized the chance to impersonate the daughter of the Changsheng Restaurant's owner, who did not wish to enter the palace. Moved, Yao Zijin embraced her, pleading with her not to do anything foolish. Unbeknownst to them, Su Yuehua overheard everything and reported it to Meng Ziyun. Meanwhile, the Crown Princess confronted the Crown Prince's Consort, Yu An, about her repeated attempts to acquire medicinal herbs for self-harm.
A servant confirmed that Yu An had been obtaining medicines, seemingly without major health issues. The Crown Princess questioned why Yu An, despite her prestigious title, would seek to end her life. Yu An revealed that her luxurious life was built on a tragedy: as a young physician, she prescribed medicine to a pregnant woman who subsequently died.
She later learned from her grandfather that her own family, to coerce her into the royal marriage, had secretly increased the dosage, ensuring the patient's death. The Crown Princess admitted she had thwarted Yu An's previous attempts to slowly poison herself through food. She sternly warned that any further actions could destroy not only Yu An but their entire family, urging her to maintain her role and preserve the family's "auspicious" reputation.
Zhu Zhanji, investigating the cause of his recent illness, discovered he had been poisoned by oranges from Yu An. He intended to confront her but recalled her shocked expression when he ate them, realizing she was unaware of the poison. Filled with pity, he chose not to expose her and turned away from her chambers. The next day, Yin Ziping was reassigned to a lesser kitchen, confirming her secret was out.
Su Yuehua admitted to Yao Zijin that she had been the one to expose Yin Ziping, stating she refused to work with such a person. Ostracized by her peers, Yin Ziping was disheartened, even as Yao Zijin brought her blankets and medicine. To comfort her, Yao Zijin shared the story of her mentor, a brilliant woman who, as a musician, belonged to a "lowly status" akin to beggars.
Despite facing prejudice, she lived with defiant determination, always proclaiming, "I am not satisfied!" Inspired, Yao Zijin encouraged Yin Ziping to prove her worth and become an upright person. With newfound resolve, Yin Ziping embraced her friend and vowed to succeed. While delivering meals, Yao Zijin saw Zhu Zhanji passing in a sedan chair. Recognizing him as her childhood rescuer, she was captivated and maneuvered through two corridors for another glimpse.
That night, she told Yin Ziping, who dismissed it as a fantasy due to their vast social gap. Unfazed, Yao Zijin recounted first seeing him as a child with the Emperor, struck even then by his extraordinary presence. She felt their connection was predestined, but Yin Ziping urged caution, advising her to truly understand his character first. Later, Meng Ziyun found Han Wang had secretly entered her chambers after the palace gates were locked.
He claimed he was staying overnight on the Emperor's business. Meng Ziyun rebuked him, but he mockingly reminded her of the "lifesaving favor" he once did her. He then revealed he had arranged for Su Yuehua to discover Yin Ziping's secret, intending to force a reunion between Meng Ziyun and her long-lost daughter, Su Yuehua. Meng Ziyun recalled her past: she had killed her husband's elder brother, Su Feng, in self-defense after he drunkenly assaulted her.
Han Wang asserted that killing a relative was a capital crime and that she was only spared by his intervention and a general amnesty. He claimed her current position was owed to him, but she retorted that she earned it herself and had repaid any debt. Declaring her old self dead, Meng Ziyun, now a woman without family ties, reluctantly agreed to help him one last time before ordering him out.
The following day, a distressed Zhu Gaochi returned from an audience with the Emperor, where he was forced to kneel for an extended time. He vented to the Crown Princess and Zhu Zhanji about Han Wang overstepping protocols and remaining in the capital. When he reported this, the Emperor had called him "fat and narrow-minded." Zhu Zhanji advised his father that Han Wang's extensive military service made him indispensable to the Emperor.
The Crown Princess investigated and found that Han Wang hadn't been at the palace; the Emperor's rage had erupted after lunch. Examining the returned meal, she found a "big rescue" pastry made by Meng Ziyun. A servant explained that the pastry, which once saved an emperor's life, always reminded the current Emperor of Han Wang's own battlefield heroics. Realizing the psychological trigger, the Crown Princess questioned Meng Ziyun, who claimed her help to Han Wang was merely a strategic move to learn his true intentions.
