Siege in Fog Episode 38 Recap
> Siege in Fog Recap
Yi Lianshen found solace drinking with Min Hongyu, reflecting on her earlier remark that he was slightly less capable than his third brother. He now understood his shortcomings were far greater, realizing his own excessive confidence and arrogance had blinded him to the people around him. He mused over his given name, "Shen," meaning cautious, a name his father had chosen with the hope that he would inherit the Yi family.
This, he felt, meant his entire life was destined to be one of caution. Min Hongyu found it peculiar, noting that his eldest brother, Yi Lianyi, was healthy at the time of Yi Lianshen's birth, making him the natural heir. She also pointed out that both Yi Lianyi and Yi Liankai's names carried meanings of happiness, while only his signified caution, making her wonder what exactly his father wanted him to be so cautious about. Yi Lianshen pondered her words.
Later, Yi Lianshen visited Pan Jianchi in prison. He remarked on Pan Jianchi's recovery, then expressed his disbelief at Yi Liankai's cruelty and admiration for his manliness. Yi Lianshen recalled how he once considered Pan Jianchi his confidant, sharing everything and believing every word, only to now wonder what he truly was in Pan Jianchi's eyes. He bitterly concluded that Pan Jianchi must have seen him as "a fish already on the hook."
Yi Lianshen lamented the deceit rampant within the Yi family, where brothers suspected brothers, father and sons suspected each other, and even wives couldn't be fully trusted. Pan Jianchi confirmed Yi Lianshen's suspicions, stating that while Yi Lianshen treated him with sincerity, he merely intended to use him and thus was unworthy of being a confidant.
Yi Lianshen expressed profound pain, feeling that everyone—Pan Jianchi, Fan Yanyun, his third brother, and even his father and elder brother—had met his genuine trust with deception, leaving him utterly alone and trusting no one in the Yi family. Yi Lianshen instructed his subordinate to tell the warden that he and Pan Jianchi would be going out for a drink that night.
Meanwhile, a subordinate reported to Liang Xingbei that Yi Lianshen had gotten drunk, not returned home, and then visited the prison. Liang Xingbei decided it was time to meet with Yi Lianshen, despite his subordinate's caution that it might raise suspicion due to the ongoing internal conflicts within the Yi family. Liang Xingbei countered that Yi Jipei was relinquishing power much faster than anticipated, leaving no time to wait.
Yi Lianshen deliberately brought Pan Jianchi to the streets, knowing that someone would attempt to rescue Pan Jianchi. When a rescuer appeared, Yi Lianshen swiftly stabbed him, then ordered his men to give chase, following the injured individual directly to Yi Shoucheng. Yi Lianshen confronted Yi Shoucheng, noting it had been many years since their last meeting and this time there was no need for Yi Shoucheng to run.
Yi Shoucheng retorted that since he had been found, there was no point in fleeing. Yi Lianshen declared his intent to kill Yi Shoucheng, not just find him, believing it would bring peace to his father and avenge his father-in-law, Mr. Fan. He added that it was fate Yi Shoucheng hadn't died in the earlier fire, only to now die by his hands.
Yi Shoucheng calmly accepted his capture and impending death, stating that while others lacked the right to kill him, Yi Lianshen did. He dramatically revealed that Yi Lianshen's mother had once saved his life, and now, it was only fitting for her son to take it away. Yi Shoucheng then questioned if Yi Lianshen had ever wondered why he had been elusive for a decade yet so easily found today.
He confessed that he had sent someone to lead Yi Lianshen to him, though he hadn't anticipated Yi Lianshen's cruelty, which led to the guide's pointless death. Murong Qian returned from visiting Fan Yanyun, assuring Yi Lianyi that Yanyun was resting and would be fine, and that she had shielded her from external news. Yi Lianyi wondered aloud about his second brother's true intentions.
He found it perplexing why Mr. Fan, knowing his daughter Fan Yanyun loved Yi Liankai, still insisted she marry Yi Lianshen to secure Yi Liankai's position. He questioned why Mr. Fan didn't favor the intelligent Yi Lianshen, especially when Yi Liankai's mother had passed away early and he had been raised by Mr. Fan. Murong Qian suggested it might simply be fate, a natural bond formed over time between teacher and student.
Yi Lianyi dismissed her simplistic explanation, insisting there were no simple matters in their family. He then asked Murong Qian, who was managing the family's accounts, to retrieve Yi Shoucheng's old account books from storage. Upon reviewing a military diary and account books, Yi Lianyi discovered a significant secret. He immediately tore and burned the documents, declaring his intention to let the past be gone and return to dust.
Yi Jipei visited Huaixiu, who was admiring a phoenix dress she had spent many years embroidering and had just finished. Yi Jipei, noting her deep reverence for the garment, asked her to make wedding clothes for him. Huaixiu was surprised, asking if he was taking a new wife. Yi Jipei affirmed this, confessing his long-standing affection for her, saying that only with her by his side could his world be truly peaceful, free from any third party's interference.
He admitted that despite a lifetime of struggle and six wives, he had never found a true home. Now that Jiangzuo was under his control, he no longer needed official attire and requested two wedding outfits, revealing that they were for her. He then proposed that she cease being a dressmaker and promised his unwavering devotion. Huaixiu was both surprised and moved, but requested a night to carefully consider his heartfelt proposal.
Yi Jipei, eager not to miss this chance, decided to wait in her living room that night. The next morning, Yi Jipei awoke to find Huaixiu gone, but a letter lay on the coffee table. In it, Huaixiu expressed her sorrow that they had reached such a juncture, having always wished for a proper farewell. However, she could not accept his latest condition.
She acknowledged that refusing him might mean she could never leave, but she had an important mission to fulfill. As a former servant of the previous imperial dynasty, her duty was to personally deliver the phoenix robe to the only queen worthy of wearing it, her former imperial master's wife. Her old master was now gathering court servants in the south, and she had to fulfill her duty.
Therefore, with a heavy heart, she had to reject his sincere request, believing they were not meant to be together in this lifetime, but hoping to find him earlier in the next. Yi Jipei was practicing shooting when Yi Lianshen came to apologize. Yi Jipei chastised him, stating that his primary apology should be to Fan Yanyun. He questioned how he could possibly entrust the Yi family to Yi Lianshen in his current state, given his position as heir.
Yi Lianshen, suggesting they train together, tried to calm his father. Yi Jipei then spoke about the gravity of firing a gun, comparing it to taking a life, and asked if Yi Lianshen's hand had ever trembled when doing so, or why it might tremble now that someone intended to kill him. Yi Lianshen accurately hit the target, then asked his father why his name meant caution, while his elder and third brothers' names signified happiness.
He reasoned that there were only two possibilities for this choice: either it was a warning to him, or a warning to his mother. Yi Jipei, enraged, cut him off and ordered him to leave immediately. Qin Sang and Yi Liankai accompanied Yao Yuping to watch a play, "Romeo and Juliet." Afterward, Qin Sang asked Yi Liankai if, as Romeo, he would have drunk the poison.
Yi Liankai replied that as long as Qin Sang loved him, he wouldn't mind if their enemies knew he was there. He believed that ending his life amidst their hatred would be far better than enduring an ignoble existence without her love. Qin Sang suggested they return to Qianping together if given the chance, to which Yi Liankai promised he would personally apologize to her father.
Qin Sang stated that if her father forgave him after learning the truth, she would forgive him too. Overjoyed by her words, Yi Liankai immediately picked her up and carried her home, despite her playful protests. Yi Lianshen informed his father that he had captured Yi Shoucheng and believed Yi Jipei would want to see him. Yi Jipei and Yi Shoucheng exchanged cold pleasantries, then engaged in an arm wrestle.
Yi Jipei angrily demanded to know why Yi Shoucheng had relentlessly plotted to destroy his family and seize Jiangzuo, questioning his arrogance as a prisoner. Yi Shoucheng proudly declared that while he might be a prisoner of men, Yi Jipei was a prisoner of fate, because his chosen heir, Yi Lianshen, was in fact Yi Shoucheng's own son. Both Yi Jipei, and Yi Lianshen who was listening outside the cell, were stunned into silence.
Yi Shoucheng asserted that if Yi Jipei knew he was alive, he should have realized it was Zhang Xiru who had saved him. He recounted the past: he had returned victorious from battle, only to find his home celebrating his beloved Zhang Xiru's marriage to his elder brother, Yi Jipei. Drunk and heartbroken, Yi Shoucheng had begged Xiru to leave with him, but she had refused, citing family reputation and her son.
In a fit of despair, Yi Shoucheng had declared his intention to leave the Yi family with his subordinates, establishing his own path. Mr. Fan, while publicly supporting Yi Shoucheng's ambition for brothers to take different paths, secretly drugged Yi Shoucheng's wine under Yi Jipei's orders. This led to Yi Shoucheng's imprisonment in the family's backyard by Yi Jipei. Later, Xiru visited him, feigning a search for Yi Lianshen.
She revealed her suspicion that Yi Jipei had long known about her affair with Yi Shoucheng, which was why he had warned her to "be mindful of her position" or face divorce. She then disclosed a shocking secret: Yi Jipei had named their second son "Shen," but the child was actually Yi Shoucheng's, conceived after a night they spent together. Fearing Yi Jipei's deep suspicion would lead him to harm the child, Xiru pleaded with Yi Shoucheng to escape.
One night, Xiru set the backyard on fire, creating a diversion that allowed Yi Shoucheng to escape. Back in the prison, the truth enraged Yi Jipei, who violently grabbed Yi Shoucheng's clothes and pressed a gun against his neck. Yi Shoucheng, still defiant, mocked Yi Jipei's predicament. He pointed out that after the Zhishan conference, Yi Lianyi was incapacitated, and Yi Liankai had been sent away as a hostage.
This left Yi Jipei with no choice but to name an heir, yet that very heir, Yi Lianshen, was Yi Shoucheng's son. Every word of this shocking revelation was overheard by Yi Lianshen, who stood frozen outside the cell door.
