Siege in Fog Episode 4 Recap
> Siege in Fog Recap
Qin Sang confided in Pan Jianchi, explaining that her mother wanted her to marry Yi Liankai to fulfill a wish she couldn't achieve, which would help Qin Sang's father regain his political standing and prevent the Qin family from being controlled by others. She expressed her hope that Yi Liankai would succeed in the Yi family's power struggles, and once her mother's wish was fulfilled, she would finally choose her own life.
Hearing this, Pan Jianchi declared his intention to help Yi Liankai become the successor of the Fu Army, thereby helping Qin Sang achieve the freedom to choose her own path. He vowed never to leave her again, regardless of her choice. Qin Sang, however, remained skeptical, reminding him that she no longer trusted someone who had broken a promise, just as the handkerchief he once gave her had been discarded, and so had her heart.
Pan Jianchi insisted that he would explain the full truth of that day if he ever had the chance, revealing a ring he kept close to his heart as a symbol of his enduring feelings. Min Hongyu agreed to help Yi Liankai bypass Li Chongnian's army inspection, but not without a price. When Yi Liankai, impressed by her reputation, asked what she desired, she requested his old mansion in Fuyuan.
At the Yi residence, Yi Jipei inquired with Yi Lianyi about the reactions of various forces since the news of his assassination attempt spread. Yi Lianyi reported that while the Fuyuan Army remained quiet, Li Chongnian had been unusually active, spreading numerous false rumors about his movements. Yi Jipei understood that Li Chongnian was merely creating a diversion to conceal his true intentions.
Meanwhile, in a car with Qin Sang, Min Hongyu provocatively commented on Qin Sang's youthful beauty and fresh scent, noting it was like that of an unmarried girl. She remarked on the saying that a woman's scent changes after having a man, and expressed surprise that Qin Sang, after so many years of marriage into the Yi family, might still be a wife in name only.
Qin Sang, though angered, calmly deflected the probing comments, stating she rarely left the house unlike the worldly Min Hongyu. Fan Yanyun, Fan Zhiheng's daughter and Yi Lianshen's wife, arrived by train, distraught over her father's death.
She immediately rushed to Yi Lianshen, who comforted her as she wept, expressing the Yi family's debt to her and swearing to avenge her father's death, emphasizing that the Yi family would not let his killer go unpunished and that his return would bring heavy responsibilities given the precarious state of Jiangzuo. Yi Liankai and his group, including Pan Jianchi and Min Hongyu, arrived at the tense battleground between Li Chongnian and the Fu Army.
Pan Jianchi cautioned Yi Liankai against appearing so openly, warning that Li Chongnian was the one to be most wary of. Yi Liankai, however, dismissed his concern, claiming he was simply hungry and needed a break from the journey. Min Hongyu interjected, praising Yi Liankai's adaptable nature—bold when necessary, yet cautious enough to seek a woman's help when prudence was required.
At the checkpoint, soldiers demanded to search their car, but Min Hongyu confidently made a phone call, insisting that the inspection be waived. Despite initial resistance, she threatened to have the soldier stripped of his uniform, and the search was ultimately called off, allowing their passage. Back at the Yi residence, Yi Jipei, feeling restless, asked Yi Lianyi which of his younger sons, Yi Lianshen or Yi Liankai, would return first.
Yi Lianyi wondered why he didn't hope for their joint return, especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival. Yi Jipei explained that while he desired a family reunion, he also wanted to see a clear distinction in their abilities during this critical period. He believed that once one son proved superior, it would lessen his guilt and grief when he eventually had to make a choice between them. Yi Liankai returned home first, immediately asking Yi Lianyi about their father's condition.
Yi Lianyi reassured him that Yi Jipei was fine. Shortly after, Yi Lianshen arrived, also inquiring about his father, then turned to angrily accuse Yi Liankai. He blamed Yi Liankai's carousing on Zhishan for the siege and, consequently, for Fan Zhiheng's death while attempting to mediate. Yi Lianyi quickly intervened, reminding them of their lifelong squabbles but urging peace, highlighting their recent successful military campaigns as a cause for celebration rather than conflict.
Later, a welcome banquet was held, but Yi Jipei was conspicuously absent, leaving his sons concerned. Yi Lianyi finally explained that their father had faked his own assassination after the real culprit failed to make a move. The elaborate ruse was designed to uncover those with disloyal intentions within Jiangzuo. Relieved, everyone began to eat. At the dinner table, Yi Lianyi offered condolences to Fan Yanyun, recognizing Fan Zhiheng's crucial role as chief strategist.
Qin Sang, in turn, blamed herself, expressing regret for insisting on going to Zhishan to find Yi Liankai, which she believed led to Fan Zhiheng sending his bodyguards to her and subsequently being killed. Fan Yanyun, still seething with grief and anger, retorted that if her father hadn't dispatched guards to protect Qin Sang, it would be Yi Liankai who was grieving today. She then stormed away from the table.
Yi Liankai silently comforted Qin Sang by serving her food and gently patting her back. Later, Fan Yanyun confronted Yi Lianshen, questioning why he was seemingly exploiting her father's death instead of actively seeking the killer. She expressed her unbearable sorrow, lamenting that she didn't even get to see her father for the last time. Yi Lianshen apologized, acknowledging the family's debt to her and urging her not to torture herself.
He explained that Fan Zhiheng had been instrumental in building the Yi family's power, and with his death, various factions were becoming restless. At such a critical juncture, he could not afford to let Jiangzuo descend into chaos and destabilize the people's morale, so revenge, for now, had to be postponed.
In their room, Qin Sang wept, continuing to blame herself for Fan Zhiheng's death, believing her insistence on going to Zhishan with him led to him reassigning his guards and ultimately his demise. Yi Liankai comforted her, explaining that many things are beyond their control and urging her not to over-blame herself.
He also assured her that Fan Yanyun, whom he understood well from having grown up with her, was simply overwhelmed by grief after losing her father, with whom she had been especially close. He believed that with time, Fan Yanyun's animosity towards Qin Sang would subside. Qin Sang then questioned Yi Liankai why he hadn't informed their eldest brother about Yi Lianshen's alleged attempt on his life by Song, the adjutant.
Yi Liankai warned her not to meddle in the matter, dismissing the incident as potentially unconnected to his second brother. He emphasized that he and his brothers competed but never truly turned against each other, and his sole focus was fulfilling their master's last wishes. He explicitly told Qin Sang to stop instigating him to challenge Yi Lianshen, forcefully asserting that the assassin had acted independently and Yi Lianshen was not involved.
Meanwhile, Yi Lianshen convened a meeting with several division commanders. Commander Li openly challenged Yi Lianshen's leadership, suggesting that with Yi Jipei's uncertain condition and Yi Lianshen's youth, they should elect a new, more experienced leader for Jiangzuo. Unfazed, Yi Lianshen first challenged Commander Li's authority by mentioning his unauthorized promotion of Brigadier General Lu Mingxuan, then ordered his aide, Zhang Linzhi, to read out incriminating documents detailing Commander Li's betrayal through secret communication with external forces.
Enraged, Commander Li drew his pistol, but guards immediately entered the room, and he realized he was cornered. Just then, Yi Jipei, who had been listening from an adjacent room, dramatically entered. He shot the soldier who was reading the incriminating letters, claiming his voice was too soft for anyone to hear. Yi Jipei then declared that Commander Li, after years of loyal service, was due for retirement and would be appointed a city representative.
Yi Lianshen immediately accepted his father's decision, and Yi Jipei, having firmly reasserted his authority, allowed the meeting to continue. That evening, the Yi family gathered for a rare Mid-Autumn Festival dinner. Yi Jipei remarked on the infrequent family reunions, especially now that his sons were busy with their respective duties. He mused on how he once dreaded festivals but now cherished them in his old age.
As conversation flowed, someone inadvertently mentioned Fan Zhiheng, which shattered Fan Yanyun's forced cheerfulness. She abruptly left the table, sobbing, and went to the ancestral hall. Qin Sang followed her, intending to kneel and pay her respects to Fan Zhiheng, whom she also considered her teacher. Fan Yanyun fiercely told her she had no right.
Qin Sang expressed deep regret for insisting on boarding the train with Fan Zhiheng, feeling responsible for his death, and offered to repay with her life. She shared her own experience of losing her mother tragically, acknowledging Fan Yanyun's profound pain. However, Qin Sang urged her to pick herself up, believing that only the living could truly comfort the dead.
Fan Yanyun angrily retorted, questioning if this was Qin Sang's true reason for marrying Yi Liankai and what she truly wanted from the Yi family. She accused Qin Sang of seeking a reputation as a loyal wife, reminding her that if she hadn't been an Yi family daughter-in-law, her own father would have died in prison.
Fan Yanyun further asserted that if Qin Sang hadn't stopped her father's train, leading him to reallocate his bodyguards for her protection, he would not have been assassinated. Overwhelmed with hatred, Fan Yanyun furiously demanded Qin Sang leave the ancestral hall.
