Siege in Fog Episode 32 Recap
> Siege in Fog Recap
Yi Lianyi expressed satisfaction after a recent discussion, reflecting that the situation was like "ruling a country is like cooking a dish," and was pleased that Yongjiang had proven useful in achieving provincial autonomy. He believed Jiangzuo was now under their control. However, Yi Jipei remained cautious, stating it was too early to celebrate.
He explained that the discussions had only covered broad strokes, with many intricate details still needing careful consideration, such as the specifics of provincial trade, tax regulations, and the handling of the war zone with Yizhou. Yi Lianyi acknowledged his father's wisdom. Yi Lianshen noted that while Murong Feng seemed too young to grasp everything during the conference, Fu Rongcai was clearly well-prepared, indicating Murong Chen's significant investment in his son.
Yi Lianshen then lamented that Yi Jipei, after working hard for half his life, now found his sons caught in a difficult situation. Yi Jipei affirmed his strength, asking only that his sons not cause trouble for him. Yi Lianshen responded that fighting together as father and sons was natural, emphasizing the importance of family unity despite current challenges, and apologized for forcing Yi Jipei to manage the current predicament.
Later, at a farewell party hosted by Qin Sang, Yi Lianshen arrived with his wife, Fan Yanyun, whom Gao Shaoxuan congratulated on her pregnancy. Yi Liankai also arrived, expressing his gratitude to Qin Sang for organizing the gathering and encouraging everyone to have fun before his departure. During the party, a lady asked Yi Liankai to dance. He sought Qin Sang's permission, which she granted, though she quickly retreated to a corner, visibly upset.
Yi Liankai, noticing her mood, excused himself from the lady and approached Qin Sang. He apologized for upsetting her, acknowledging that he should have known better than to believe her "okay" when she was truly bothered. To make amends, he offered to drink, but Qin Sang insisted he drink alone, which he did, quickly consuming a glass and collapsing.
Qin Sang then revealed in an aside that she had drugged his drink, not wanting him to see her "ugly" during her plan. She then announced to the guests that since Yi Liankai couldn't dance the first dance with her, she would choose a partner from the gentlemen present. She explained she had prepared a special outfit for Yi Liankai, and whoever fit it best would be her dance partner for the night.
A flashback showed Qin Sang previously consulting Huaixiu, a seamstress, about making clothes. Qin Sang had shown Huaixiu several photographs of men, and Huaixiu had noted that Gao Shaoxuan's measurements were almost identical to those of a military uniform she had made for Fan Yanyun, prompting Qin Sang to ask her to make a military uniform based on Gao Shaoxuan's size.
During the party, Gao Shaoxuan appeared in the specially prepared military uniform and danced with Qin Sang, both wearing masks. Fan Yanyun, observing them, mistakenly believed the masked dancer was Pan Jianchi and impulsively approached to unmask him. Upon realizing it was Gao Shaoxuan, she apologized. Fan Yanyun then accused Qin Sang of manipulating Yi Liankai. Qin Sang insisted that Pan Jianchi was innocent and that her actions were merely an attempt to save him.
Fan Yanyun, however, vehemently disagreed, asserting that her father was not innocent and that Yi Lianshen already suspected Qin Sang's intentions. She vowed to continue her investigation and prove that Pan Jianchi was the murderer, refusing to let the matter rest. Qin Sang warned Fan Yanyun that if she persisted, Qin Sang would accuse her of attempting to silence Pan Jianchi.
She threatened to reveal to Yi Lianshen that on the night Fan Yanyun and Yi Liankai were kidnapped, it was Pan Jianchi who first found them. Qin Sang suggested that Fan Yanyun was using someone else to eliminate Pan Jianchi to prevent him from revealing this secret to Yi Lianshen. Enraged, Fan Yanyun condemned Qin Sang for using such a tactic to protect her "old lover" and declared Qin Sang unworthy of Yi Liankai.
Qin Sang calmly retorted that she hadn't chosen Yi Liankai; rather, he had chosen her. Fan Yanyun further questioned Qin Sang's apparent disregard for the consequences, reminding her that if she exposed the details of the kidnapping and Fan Yanyun's presence with Yi Liankai, Yi Lianshen's temper would prevent Yi Liankai from leaving.
Qin Sang admitted she was making a gamble, wanting to see if Fan Yanyun valued her love for Yi Liankai more than her desire for revenge for her father's death. Unbeknownst to them, Yi Liankai overheard their entire conversation from outside the room, leaving him deeply pained. Min Hongyu visited Yi Jipei on Zhishan, dressed in a distinctive outfit and earrings. She directly stated that Yi Liankai had sent her, and asked if Yi Jipei remembered the attire.
Yi Jipei had a flashback to his time in the military, recalling reports from his first wife and Master Fan, both suggesting his third mistress, Jixue, was acting inappropriately. Upon returning home, he learned Jixue had committed suicide by drowning. Min Hongyu then cryptically stated that the outfit and earrings came "from the dirt."
Back in his room, Yi Liankai handled a pistol, his mind drifting back to his childhood, the first time he met Master Fan, and the moment he became his student. Later, armed with the pistol, Yi Liankai forced a guard to open Pan Jianchi's prison cell. Inside, he confronted Pan Jianchi, demanding an explanation. Pan Jianchi admitted he had envisioned this moment since the day they first met.
Yi Liankai questioned if Pan Jianchi's actions stemmed from killing his revered teacher or his love for Qin Sang. Pan Jianchi, expressing relief that Yi Liankai loved Qin Sang, asked him to treat her well, asserting that Qin Sang was genuinely trying to save him, even if it meant revealing his past. Yi Liankai, dismissing the concern for Qin Sang as irrelevant to Pan Jianchi, reiterated his intent to kill him for both Master Fan and Qin Sang.
He pressed Pan Jianchi for his true identity and the objectives of the Tian Meng Association, challenging him to explain how he managed to kill Master Fan, a formidable martial artist whom Yi Liankai had never bested in practice. Pan Jianchi, however, merely chuckled, stating he could not answer these questions. Pan Jianchi then launched into a sharp critique of the corrupt warlords, fractured nation, and puppet government, accusing them of destroying the country while fighting among themselves.
He pointed out the millions of lives lost on both sides of Yongjiang, questioning who would avenge them, and stated that fighting for personal or family gain would leave no ultimate winner. Yi Liankai, acknowledging the current situation in Jiangzuo was a carefully woven web against the Yi family, recognized Pan Jianchi's willingness to die to protect the person behind him. He offered to spare Pan Jianchi if he revealed that individual.
Pan Jianchi refused, believing Yi Liankai would never let him go, explaining that Yi Liankai's eyes were filled with jealousy that would only be quenched by Pan Jianchi's death. Enraged, Yi Liankai pushed Pan Jianchi and fired his gun. The sound of a gunshot startled Qin Sang. Yi Lianshen, upon learning that Yi Liankai had stormed the prison with a gun to kill Pan Jianchi, rushed to the scene.
Inside the cell, Yi Liankai had shot Pan Jianchi in the foot and was torturing him by stepping on the wound, demanding the name of the mastermind. Yi Lianshen arrived and intervened, stopping Yi Liankai. He emphasized that while avenging Master Fan was necessary, they lacked sufficient evidence for such private torture. Qin Sang then arrived, her face etched with concern for Pan Jianchi, whom she called "Wangping," his real name.
Witnessing her distress, Yi Liankai, consumed by jealousy and rage, forcibly pulled Qin Sang towards him, attempting to kiss her. Qin Sang struggled free, delivering a harsh slap across his face before storming out. Alone again, Yi Liankai muttered to himself that he couldn't kill Pan Jianchi just yet, as he still served a purpose, hinting that his gun only contained a single bullet. Yi Lianshen then ordered his guards to take Pan Jianchi to the hospital.
He later explained to an aide that even though Pan Jianchi was a member of the Tian Meng Association, keeping him alive was crucial. He likened it to "Master Jiang fishing," believing that Pan Jianchi was merely a bait to catch the "bigger fish" behind him—a powerful individual who dared to infiltrate the Yi family. Back in his room, Yi Jipei pondered Murong Chen's recent commendation of Yi Liankai.
His gaze then fell upon a scroll left by Master Fan, hidden beneath a table. Unrolling it, he saw the words "Chief Marshal's Mansion" and reflected on Master Fan's lifelong foresight, wondering if he had ever anticipated the current tumultuous state of Jiangzuo. Meanwhile, Min Hongyu met with Li Chongnian, who was displeased that she was helping Yi Liankai.
Min Hongyu expressed her empathy for Yi Liankai, whom she considered a "spiritual orphan" like herself, and wondered why Li Chongnian was so hostile towards him. Li Chongnian questioned what secrets from the past she could uncover, suggesting that only Yi Jipei held the key to such knowledge. Separately, Qin Sang sought out Fan Yanyun to apologize for her earlier threats, vowing never to betray her.
Fan Yanyun cautioned Qin Sang about karma, but Qin Sang, seemingly fearless, dismissed the warning. At the hospital, Yi Lianshen instructed Zhang Linzhi to increase security around Pan Jianchi and to thoroughly investigate anyone, including doctors and nurses, who had close contact with him. Fan Yanyun later spoke with Yi Lianshen, noting that Pan Jianchi was still alive and under tight watch. She recounted Yi Liankai's "crazed" behavior in the prison, explaining why Qin Sang had been so distraught.
Later, Yi Liankai took his sister, Xiao Rong, on an outing, expertly evading the individuals who were tracking them. He then paid a visit to Gao Peide, directly asking about the identity of Master Fan's murderer, the mastermind behind them, and who stood to benefit the most. Gao Peide initially suggested Murong Chen and Li Chongnian as the ultimate beneficiaries. However, Yi Liankai disagreed, asserting that Gao Peide hadn't grasped the full picture.
He explained that while the Yi family had suffered direct losses from Master Fan's death and the ensuing chaos, which allowed the Tian Meng Association to thrive in Yongnan, they were not the ultimate winners. Yi Liankai declared that the Yi family would still be the ultimate winner, and startlingly revealed his belief that the true mastermind behind the entire plot was none other than Yi Lianshen.
A subordinate reported to Liang Xingbei that gunshots had been heard from the Yi family residence, and shortly after, Pan Jianchi had been sent to the hospital, though the exact circumstances remained unknown. Liang Xingbei analyzed the situation, concluding that it was either a sign of internal turmoil within the Yi family that Pan Jianchi got caught in, or that Pan Jianchi's true identity had been exposed.
Observing that Yi Liankai was seen leaving the Yi mansion openly with his sister Xiao Rong, while Yi Lianshen himself had taken Pan Jianchi to the hospital, Liang Xingbei deduced that both Yi brothers were safe, implying that Pan Jianchi was the one in grave trouble. He then dispatched his men to find Pan Jianchi. Continuing his conversation with Gao Peide, Yi Liankai elaborated on his theory regarding Master Fan's murder. He stated that there were only two true beneficiaries.
The first was Pan Jianchi, who had meticulously climbed the ranks, first as Yi Liankai's subordinate, then aligning with Yi Lianshen, steadily approaching Master Fan's former influential position. The second beneficiary, Yi Liankai asserted, was naturally Yi Lianshen, who now held the entire future of Jiangzuo in his grasp. Yi Liankai, noting Gao Peide's evident allegiance to Yi Lianshen, questioned whether Gao Peide had considered the full implications of his choice.
Agitated, Gao Peide pointed a gun at Yi Liankai, demanding to know why he had visited when he already knew Gao Peide's stance. Gao Shaoxuan intervened, urging his father to calm down and recognizing that Yi Liankai's presence suggested he had carefully weighed the risks. Unfazed, Yi Liankai calmly warned Gao Peide that the sound of a gunshot would be too loud and might frighten his sister, Xiao Rong.
Meanwhile, Zhu Ma intercepted Qin Sang, who was preparing to visit Pan Jianchi at the hospital. Zhu Ma expressed concern about Yi Liankai's reaction, but Qin Sang insisted she had her reasons for going and conveyed a sense of finality, believing this would likely be her last visit.
