Siege in Fog Episode 41 Recap
> Siege in Fog Recap
Murong Qin, not wanting to be alone, joined Qin Sang in her room, hoping they could look out for each other. As they lay awake, Murong Qin inadvertently revealed a servant's gossip: Yi Lianshen had imprisoned the pregnant Fan Yanyun, suspecting her baby belonged to Yi Liankai. Murong Qin quickly clarified that she personally didn't believe such a thing was possible. Qin Sang, however, expressed her dismay at how much Yi Lianshen had changed.
Later, Qin Sang found Yi Lianshen playing the piano and sarcastically commented on his refined mood despite the grim situation. She then requested a doctor for Xiao Rong, which Yi Lianshen promptly ordered. Qin Sang pressed him about Fan Yanyun, challenging his belief in rumors. She declared her unwavering faith in Yi Liankai, regardless of evidence, and pointedly asked Yi Lianshen if he believed Fan Yanyun. Yi Lianshen dismissed her concerns, stating it was their private matter.
The conversation was interrupted when Zhang Linzhi whispered urgent news to Yi Lianshen, who immediately looked serious and instructed Zhang Linzhi to summon his father to his office. Pan Jianchi then informed Zhang Linzhi that Yi Liankai had allied with Li Chongnian, not Murong Chen. When Zhang Linzhi later confronted Pan Jianchi, calling him an opportunist, Pan Jianchi coolly replied that he was merely an assistant who chose to serve Yi Lianshen, the ruler with the best chance of winning.
In the Yi family study, Zhang Xikun proposed an alliance with the Murong family against Li Chongnian, highlighting Murong Qin's presence and their familial ties. Yi Lianshen, however, was skeptical, noting the Murong family's reluctance and reiterating that capturing Yi Liankai was their immediate priority. Zhang Xikun urged him to be decisive and eliminate the threat completely.
Meanwhile, Gao Shaoxuan complained to Yi Liankai about their captive situation, with Qin Sang held by Yi Lianshen, yet Yi Liankai calmly read newspapers. Yi Liankai dismissed the notion of being a prisoner. At the Li Manor, Fu Rongcai advised Li Chongnian against trusting Yi Liankai, suggesting he should first make Yi Liankai retrieve all the Yi family's money. Yao Shizhang and another general, however, argued for an immediate military strike.
They theorized that with Qin Sang as Yi Lianshen's hostage, Yi Lianshen would likely kill her if Yi Liankai attacked, leaving Yi Liankai single. Chen Pei then suggested a marriage alliance between Yi Liankai and Yao Fourth Lady, Yao Yuping, who was unmarried, to make Yi Liankai easier to control. Yao Shizhang, despite initial feigned annoyance, eventually agreed, finding the match compatible.
After a doctor treated Xiao Rong, Qin Sang tried to leave to get the medicine, but Pan Jianchi stopped her, urging her to return to her room. Qin Sang defiantly told him that it was the Yi Manor, and he, an outsider, had no right to command her, walking past him. Yi Liankai later visited Yao Shizhang. After pleasantries, Yao Shizhang brought up his daughter, Yuping, praising her obedience and thoughtfulness.
Yi Liankai complimented Yao Yuping, calling her a model modern lady. Yao Shizhang then directly asked Yuping her opinion of Yi Liankai. She shyly replied that he was the best man she had seen, a perfect match for Qin Sang, and that she would wish to marry a man like him.
When asked for his opinion of Yuping, Yi Liankai, unaware of the underlying plot, praised her as gentle, adorable, and sensible, stating that any man who married her would be blessed. Enthusiastic, Yao Shizhang then announced that Li Chongnian also believed Yi Liankai and Yuping should marry before troops were dispatched, declaring them a match made in heaven. Both Yi Liankai and Yao Yuping were stunned. Yi Liankai sat alone, troubled by the proposed marriage.
Min Hongyu found him and explained that agreeing would secure military aid and Yao Shizhang's support. She openly questioned his refusal to take a concubine, a common practice in his family. Yi Liankai firmly stated his opposition, revealing that his mother was a concubine, and he had suffered the indignity of being a child of a concubine, vowing never to inflict that on his children.
Min Hongyu then urged him to make Yao Yuping his main wife if he wouldn't take a concubine, warning that otherwise, he faced exile or death, as he had already given Li Chongnian a pretext to attack the Yi family. Yi Liankai confided his dilemma: what about Qin Sang if he agreed to the marriage?
Min Hongyu stated she could offer a solution if he treated Qin Sang as a pawn, but not if Qin Sang was his life's greatest love. When Yi Liankai pressed for the truth, Min Hongyu asserted that Qin Sang was independent, detached from worldly cares, and had never truly relied on him. Yao Yuping then sought out Yi Liankai, refusing her father's proposal as she still desired to find true love.
However, she declared she couldn't stand by and watch Qin Sang die, so she would help him. Together, Yao Yuping and Yi Liankai met Li Chongnian. There, she publicly agreed to marry Yi Liankai, but with the condition that the marriage would only occur after Yi Liankai had conquered Fuyuan and Qin Sang was no longer in the picture. Soon after, Yi Liankai, wearing the Fu Army's Young Marshal uniform, addressed Li Chongnian's conference room.
He explained the uniform legitimized their actions and declared he was representing his father, Yi Jipei, to lead an army to Fuyuan and eliminate the rebel, Yi Lianshen. Li Chongnian applauded and immediately announced the launch of operations against the Yi family. Qin Sang visited the confined Fan Yanyun, bringing her pregnancy supplements and urging her to take care.
Fan Yanyun, with a bitter laugh, revealed that Qin Housheng had been ambushed and killed as a scapegoat while riding in the Marshal's special car. With tears in her eyes, she asked Qin Sang if she now understood the profound pain of having one's father murdered. The shocking news left Qin Sang devastated. A soldier then brought the distraught Qin Sang to Yi Lianshen in his study. Qin Sang accused him of calling her to taunt her.
Yi Lianshen denied it, coldly informing her that Yi Liankai had revolted in Yizhou and agreed to marry Commander Yao's daughter. He reminded Qin Sang of her previous unwavering faith in Yi Liankai and her challenge to his distrust of Fan Yanyun, then provocatively asked if she still believed in Yi Liankai now. Outside the city, Yi Liankai had positioned his artillery.
When his subordinate asked for the order to fire, Yi Liankai instructed them to wait until the enemy launched their offensive, deeming immediate firing wasteful. His strategy proved effective, inflicting heavy casualties on the Fu Army and greatly impressing Yao Shizhang, who praised Yi Liankai's tactical prowess. Yi Liankai humbly attributed his knowledge to Mr. Fan's teachings. Yao Shizhang, now admiring, declared they would fight side-by-side to capture Fuyuan.
Pan Jianchi secretly arranged for soldiers to bring Qin Sang to the garden. He urgently pleaded with her to leave with him, explaining that with the escalating war, Yi Lianshen was likely to use her as a hostage. Qin Sang refused, accusing Pan Jianchi of betraying her love and abandoning his ideals. Pan Jianchi denied abandoning his ideals. Qin Sang, surprised, asked about Beiji. Pan Jianchi then revealed the shocking truth: Beiji was actually Yi Shoucheng, Yi Lianshen's biological father.
Despite this revelation, Qin Sang still refused to leave, asserting that her mission in life was to remain the Third Mistress of the Yi family. Min Hongyu visited Yi Liankai on the front lines, telling him that his impressive victories had begun to frighten Li Chongnian, who worried that Yao Yuping couldn't control him, hence her visit. Min Hongyu advised that a truly astute commander wouldn't rush for a quick victory but would engage in a prolonged war of attrition.
Yi Liankai acknowledged this wisdom but confessed his anxiety, knowing his father, wife, and brothers were trapped in Fuyuan, admitting he couldn't be a cold-blooded hero. He then questioned why Min Hongyu, as Li Chongnian's agent, was helping him. Min Hongyu shared a poignant realization: after she brought Yi Liankai back to Yizhou, Li Chongnian had offered her fried tofu, making her understand that if he ever conquered Jiangzuo, he would abandon such simple pleasures.
She also provided strategic insights on other generals, sealing their alliance with a symbolic mark on Yi Liankai's hand, telling him he now owed her. Qin Sang and Murong Qin listened to a radio broadcast detailing the political turmoil. Suddenly, cannon fire erupted nearby. Qin Sang identified it as cannon fire, confirming they were under siege just outside the city walls.
Murong Qin panicked, but Qin Sang remained composed, analyzing that while Yi Liankai was nominally the Young Marshal, he was merely a figurehead for Li Chongnian. In this fratricidal conflict, if Yi Liankai won, he would become an obstacle for Li Chongnian, who would then discard him. If he lost, Li Chongnian would kill him and then negotiate with Yi Lianshen. Thus, Yi Liankai faced grave danger regardless of the outcome.
Qin Sang then instructed Murong Qin to set the woodshed on fire to create a diversion, asking her to observe who ran out of which rooms to locate Yi Lianyi and Yi Jipei. After successfully causing a commotion, Qin Sang stealthily searched until she found Yi Jipei's room. Seeing her father-in-law in a dazed state, apparently suffering from a stroke, she was utterly confounded by the turn of events.
On the battlefield, as the two armies confronted each other, Yi Lianshen recognized the opposing commander as his third brother, Yi Liankai. He mused on the irony, noting that Yi Liankai, who had shown no interest in military affairs since childhood, was now fighting with surprising skill and resolve. On the other side, Yi Liankai issued two clear commands to his troops: first, they must win the battle, and second, they were strictly forbidden from harming his Second Brother.
Later, a subordinate brought Li Chongnian a message from the front lines, reporting victory, but Li Chongnian, looking deep in thought, simply waved him away, choosing not to open the telegram.
