Siege in Fog Episode 20 Recap
> Siege in Fog Recap
Qin Sang, confined to the Cheng Manor, attempted to leave her room but was blocked by two guards. Feigning hunger, she requested a bowl of noodles. As one guard went to the kitchen, Qin Sang seized the opportunity, knocking out the remaining guard and escaping the manor. Meanwhile, Yi Liankai confronted Min Hongyu, demanding to know the truth behind the "Jiu Ren" kite incident.
Min Hongyu, however, smirked, stating it was clear Yi Liankai had delivered the kite and then provocatively asked if Master Cheng had sent him to capture or kill her. Yi Liankai raised his gun, threatening to kill her if she did not reveal the truth. At this critical moment, Qin Sang arrived, urging Yi Liankai to clarify the facts before acting. Yi Liankai, however, ordered her to move aside.
Min Hongyu then coldly detailed the political advantages Yi Liankai would gain from her death, explaining that killing her would secure the Cheng family's support for the Yi family, significantly expanding their influence in Jiangzuo and allowing Yi Liankai to surpass Yi Lianshen within the family. Qin Sang interjected, believing Yi Liankai's actions were for her, just as she thought he killed Fu Rongcai for her.
Yi Liankai scoffed at her presumption, clarifying that he killed Fu Rongcai to sever ties with Li Chongnian and enable cooperation between the Yi and Cheng families, and that killing Min Hongyu was to solidify his own standing in the Yi family. Min Hongyu further highlighted that Yi Liankai already had a political stain from assassinating a celebrity, making her death essential for him to regain his reputation and compete for power.
Qin Sang vehemently pleaded with Yi Liankai not to kill Min Hongyu, promising to leave Yongnan with him if he spared her, but threatening to disappear from his life forever if he proceeded. After a tense silence, Yi Liankai lowered his gun, announcing he would choose a third path: to systematically untangle the complicated relationship between Min Hongyu and the Cheng family.
He questioned why Min Hongyu would knowingly put herself in mortal danger by sending the kite, to which she simply replied, "To pay a debt of gratitude." Before heading to the Cheng Manor, Qin Sang offered her clothes to Min Hongyu, playfully warning her not to get killed and accrue a debt. Min Hongyu jested back, implying Qin Sang was destined to bring disaster to Yi Liankai. Qin Sang retorted that Min Hongyu should return alive so they could negotiate.
Yi Liankai led Min Hongyu to the Cheng Manor, where he explained to Master Cheng that he had initially planned to kill her, but she insisted on personally repaying his kindness. Min Hongyu then knelt before Master Cheng, elaborating on three great kindnesses she owed him. First, he had saved her adoptive father, Min Xiaozhi, from wrongful imprisonment, provided him with a safe haven, and a flower garden to tend until his death.
Second, he recognized her mother's talent for weaving, taking her tapestries to foreign exhibitions, transforming her from an unknown woman into a renowned artist. Third, and most controversially, she stated that Master Cheng and her mother were the ones who gave her life, an act of creation for which she must express gratitude. Master Cheng became enraged, accusing her of coming to kill him, not to repay kindness.
He revealed that the "Jiu Ren" kite was a love token between him and Min Hongyu’s mother. He confessed to imprisoning her mother to protect his reputation, which led to her dying with resentment. Her mother's dying words, "If life was to be like the first time we met, at the end, I would not regret all the tears I cried," were echoed by Min Hongyu.
Master Cheng admitted he was blinded by reputation and couldn't acknowledge Min Hongyu or her mother. Yi Liankai intervened, urging Master Cheng not to harm Min Hongyu, emphasizing that siblings should not hurt each other. Min Hongyu then asserted that she deliberately had Yi Liankai deliver the kite because Master Cheng, though he could imprison or kill her, would not dare to kill Yi Liankai.
She concluded that it was his reputation, not Master Cheng himself, that killed her mother, and she was there to destroy his reputation. Master Cheng, overcome with emotion, ordered his son Cheng Yunzhi to let her leave. After Min Hongyu departed, Cheng Yunzhi urged his father to retire and allow him to take over, arguing that the current crisis could only be resolved by this move.
Master Cheng, finally understanding his son's true intentions, realized that Cheng Yunzhi had orchestrated the grand birthday celebration, inviting merchants from all over the country to Yongnan, with the sole purpose of tarnishing his father's reputation and forcing his retirement. Master Cheng bitterly accused his son of being ruthless. As Yi Liankai and Min Hongyu walked through the streets after leaving the Cheng Manor, they chatted.
Yi Liankai realized that his own mother's tapestry portrait was crafted by Min Hongyu's mother. Min Hongyu recalled seeing Yi Liankai when his mother was pregnant, mentioning her mother's favorite saying, "Life was like how we first met." Min Hongyu, grateful for Yi Liankai's help, offered him advice on winning Qin Sang's heart, likening a woman's heart to a fortress with a secret door.
She explained that if Qin Sang truly harbored feelings for him, a soft knock would open the door, and even if it remained shut, he should "barge in," and her heart would eventually be his. Yi Liankai, though, seemed dismissive. Suddenly, Yi Liankai noticed men in black clothing carrying black umbrellas watching them from the street. He quickly pulled Min Hongyu into an alley, using it as an opportunity to escape.
Upon reaching Min Hongyu’s courtyard, Yi Liankai asked her to release his arm, fearing Qin Sang might misunderstand their closeness. Min Hongyu refused, and provocatively dabbed her lipstick onto his cheek. Qin Sang, waiting anxiously in the courtyard, immediately questioned them about what transpired. Yi Liankai explained the situation was now complicated, and they had to leave Yongnan immediately, noting the presence of well-trained military personnel with black umbrellas, indicating a looming threat.
Qin Sang, seeing the lipstick on Yi Liankai’s face, insisted he wash it off before they departed. Min Hongyu, amused, laughed and then smeared some lipstick on Qin Sang's face, explaining it was a test to see if Qin Sang cared, which she clearly did. Min Hongyu then encouraged them to leave quickly, stating her unique identity as a woman would allow her to survive, while Yi Liankai and Qin Sang, with their distinctive statuses, needed to escape.
Concurrently, Tian Shu and Pan Jianchi’s forces successfully took control of the Cheng Manor, detaining Master Cheng, Cheng Yunzhi, and their family. Their report confirmed that Fu Rongcai had managed to escape Yongnan, and while most of the visiting representatives had been captured, Yi Liankai and Qin Sang remained at large. Tian Shu immediately ordered a pursuit, emphasizing that Yi Liankai and his wife must not be allowed to leave Yongnan.
Pan Jianchi specifically instructed his men to capture Yi Liankai alive but to ensure Qin Sang was not harmed in the slightest. Pan Jianchi then visited the imprisoned Master Cheng at the manor. Master Cheng, remarkably composed, reflected on the nature of power, asserting that while military force could seize control, true stability and long-term governance required not just might but also thought and culture.
He added that the political regime might change, but the cultural lineage of a place could not be severed. Master Cheng expressed his admiration for the Tian Meng Association's covert operation, wondering how they had managed to mobilize thousands of people into Yongnan undetected, bypassing the established powers of the Yi and Li families. Pan Jianchi revealed that they had united numerous smaller, often overlooked, military factions, who were usually ignored by major powers like the Yi and Li families.
These factions had been persuaded by the influential Mr. Liang Xingbei, who then made a surprise appearance before Master Cheng. News of Yongnan’s declaration of independence reached the Yi family via telegram, causing shock and outrage in Yi Jipei and anxious discussions among his generals about the potential for instability, especially with Yi Lianshen on leave and Yi Liankai's whereabouts unknown. Yi Jipei summoned Yi Lianshen to the council hall, demanding his assessment of the situation.
Yi Lianshen emphasized the gravity of Yongnan's independence, explaining it would severely disrupt economic trade, transportation across several provinces, and critically, impact the supply lines for the Yi army's ongoing conflict with Li Chongnian. He confessed that upon learning of Yongnan's independence and the unknown fate of Yi Liankai and Qin Sang, he had preemptively acted without seeking Yi Jipei’s permission.
Knowing that the Tian Meng Association couldn’t directly overpower the existing military arrangements, he correctly deduced they must have allied with scattered smaller factions. He had personally contacted various provincial factions from the twenty-one southern provinces and sixteen northern provinces for military assistance, receiving swift responses from most, but noting four specific groups that did not reply, indicating their likely allegiance with the Tian Meng Association. Impressed by Yi Lianshen's foresight and initiative, Yi Jipei immediately reinstated him to his former position.
