Siege in Fog Episode 44 Recap
> Siege in Fog Recap
After the coup, Fu Rongcai announced three arrest warrants in Yizhou: the "biggest evil" Yi Lianshen, Zhang Xikun and his son, and Pan Jianchi, labeled as a traitor. Fu Rongcai then questioned how to handle Fan Yanyun, Yi Lianshen's wife. Yi Liankai angrily retorted, "Fu Rongcai, don't go too far!" He reminded Fu Rongcai that Yanyun was essentially their sister, their teacher's daughter, and demanded if he truly intended to eliminate everyone.
Fu Rongcai confirmed he would spare Yanyun for their teacher's sake, but added that her unborn child had to die. Enraged, Yi Liankai grabbed Fu Rongcai, asserting, "You can't kill the kid! That is my child. The child of me and Fan Yanyun." Later, Yi Liankai brought out a scroll bearing the words "Chief Marshal's Mansion" and instructed a guard to display it in the lobby.
The guard, however, accidentally bumped into Fu Rongcai, causing the scroll to unroll and reveal its message. Elsewhere, a man warned Yi Lianshen, who was in hiding, that not only Li Chongnian’s men but also the Tian Meng Association were actively searching for him.
Subsequently, Yi Lianshen heard people in the street gossiping about him, alleging that Fan Yanyun, his wife, had been having an affair with Yi Liankai for a long time and that her unborn child was Yi Liankai's. Qin Sang confronted Yi Liankai, asking if his actions were truly worthwhile. He explained that Fan Yanyun was both his sister-in-law and his teacher's daughter, and with Yi Lianshen's whereabouts unknown, he had no choice but to protect her.
Qin Sang voiced her concern that Yi Lianshen might be swayed by the rumors and potentially act impulsively against him. Yi Liankai responded, "Even if he wants to kill me, I have no complaints or regrets. As long as you believe me, I don't care if the whole world doesn't. I believe time will prove everything. One day the truth will come out."
He then informed Qin Sang that Murong Feng would arrive the following day and asked her to "test him out." Yi Liankai hoped to ally with the Murong family to defeat Li Chongnian, thereby paving the way for Yi Lianshen's return. Qin Sang affirmed her unwavering support. Tian Xuan located Yi Lianshen on the street and escorted him to the Tian Meng Association, where Pan Jianchi was waiting. Yi Lianshen, acknowledging his defeat, stated, "There's no Young Marshal here.
There's only a general who failed in the war. Since I ended up in your hands today, you can do whatever you want with me." Pan Jianchi responded, "I won't kill you. We are here to rescue you." He explained that they sought to save Yi Lianshen because he carried Yi Shoucheng's blood and they, too, upheld Yi Shoucheng’s spirit. Yi Lianshen vehemently rejected this, declaring, "The man you just mentioned doesn't deserve to be my father.
In my eyes, he is just a petty man." He accused Yi Shoucheng of backstabbing and hiding his identity for years solely to disrupt Jiangzuo. Pan Jianchi insisted Yi Lianshen failed to grasp Yi Shoucheng's greatness, but Yi Lianshen scoffed, asserting that Pan Jianchi and his followers were lost in an "endless mist."
Pan Jianchi reiterated that "Mr. Liang" (Yi Shoucheng) had specifically instructed them to keep Yi Lianshen safe, and the Tian Meng Association would do their best to help him. However, Yi Lianshen refused, stating, "I have to walk down my own path. I have to control my own fate." Yi Lianshen later met with Min Hongyu, expressing his confusion as to why she continued to assist him.
Min Hongyu reminded him that he had once saved her life, stating, "I don't like to owe people debts." Moments later, they heard a car approaching, and Min Hongyu, seeing it was Yi Liankai, quickly urged Yi Lianshen to conceal himself. Yi Liankai questioned Min Hongyu about why he should see her instead of Murong Feng. He explained that Murong Chen had sent his son to provoke him against Li Chongnian and persuade him to rebel.
Yi Liankai felt he couldn't openly challenge Li Chongnian without an army but also couldn't entirely snub Murong Feng. Therefore, he had arranged for Qin Sang to meet with Murong Feng in his stead. He remarked on Murong Feng's reputation, noting that at just sixteen, Murong Feng had already surrounded Zhishan with his troops, demonstrating remarkable courage and intelligence. After Yi Liankai departed, Yi Lianshen emerged, revealing he had overheard their conversation.
Min Hongyu then lamented to Yi Lianshen, "You are brothers. Why aren't you like each other?" Yi Lianshen replied, "There are many things between us that outsiders just can't understand. Have you seen a snake player? They are either more poisonous than the snake, or they get poisoned by the snake." Qin Sang greeted Murong Feng, apologizing for Yi Liankai's absence by claiming he had caught a cold and wished to avoid spreading it.
Qin Sang, Murong Feng, Fu Rongcai, and Commander Yao then had dinner, for which Yi Liankai had specially arranged Russian cuisine. Murong Feng, who had previously studied military tactics and weaponry in Russia, explained that the experience in the extreme cold had taught him "how to become a man." He engaged Qin Sang in conversation about Russian culture, its food, and the works of Pushkin, notably mentioning "The Captain's Daughter."
Growing impatient, Fu Rongcai interrupted, expressing his expectation that Murong Feng was there to discuss "current affairs and the big picture." Murong Feng retorted that serious discussions required someone truly "in charge" at the table. He then challenged Fu Rongcai, asking if he was authorized to trade "half a province of Jiangzuo with one province in the north." Fu Rongcai, clearly embarrassed, admitted he lacked such authority.
Murong Feng further pressed him, questioning his claim of being "half in charge" in front of Commander Li, especially with Commander Yao and Advisor Chen present, implying Fu Rongcai's position was not as stable as he asserted. Separately, Tian Xuan reported to Pan Jianchi that security for the banquet was extremely tight, with strict surveillance both at the venue and along the streets. Pan Jianchi, however, saw this as a "perfect opportunity."
He reasoned that assassinating Murong Feng would provoke a war between Murong Chen and Li Chongnian, leading to internal struggles among the warlords. Regardless of the victor, both sides would be weakened, allowing the Tian Meng Association to seize control of Jiangzuo. Tian Xuan acknowledged that such a conflict would inevitably plunge Jiangzuo into war, with its citizens bearing the brunt of the suffering. Yi Liankai awaited Qin Sang's return home.
Qin Sang voiced her worry that Yi Liankai's continued evasion of Murong Feng, despite the friendly relations between their families, was not a viable long-term strategy. Yi Liankai maintained that he had methods to avoid him. Qin Sang then revealed Murong Feng's plans for the next day: a visit to Yi Lianyi and Murong Qian, followed by a tour of the academy.
Yi Liankai scoffed at Murong Chen's apparent disregard for his only son's safety, sending him into Jiangzuo, which was currently under intense scrutiny. He speculated that Murong Chen was treating Jiangzuo as a stage for Murong Feng to rise to fame and declared his intention to "kill his confidence." Murong Feng subsequently visited Yi Lianyi and Murong Qian. Murong Qian, delighted, had prepared many dishes, recalling the meals she made for him when he was six.
She then asked Murong Feng if their father was involved in Yi Lianyi's past leg injury, a suggestion Murong Feng flatly denied, stating he had no knowledge of such an event. Yi Lianyi interjected, telling Murong Qian not to press the issue, as Murong Feng had been too young at the time to know anything. Yi Lianyi then proposed they share some drinks.
Murong Feng, curious about a peculiar bottle of wine, poured a small cup to sample, but Yi Lianyi stopped him, explaining it was a special medicinal wine prepared for his father-in-law's old leg injury, meant for external application. Later, in their bedroom, Yi Lianyi confided in Murong Qian that if her family had conspired against him, Murong Feng would surely have been aware of the "Spanish fly" wine he had just offered him.
Since Murong Feng showed complete ignorance, Yi Lianyi concluded that the Murong family was not responsible for his injury. Qin Sang accompanied Murong Feng on a tour of the academy, recounting its tumultuous history of being repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt. Murong Feng, reflecting on this, lamented that even an academy couldn't escape ruin in a chaotic world where people neglected reading. He expressed his vision for a future of peace, where he would promote education and diverse thoughts across Jiangzuo.
During their tour, Chen Pei interrupted to inform them that city guards were actively searching for Tian Meng Association members. Later, Murong Feng spoke with Shi Busuan, mentioning Qin Sang's agreement to facilitate a meeting with Yi Liankai. Shi Busuan analyzed that Yi Liankai was desperate to change his fortunes and would eventually accept their assistance to control Jiangzuo.
He believed that a general's son like Yi Liankai would never tolerate being a puppet under Li Chongnian, viewing his current predicament as a temporary measure. Yi Liankai undoubtedly harbored his own ambitions and would require Murong Feng's military backing to break free from Li Chongnian's influence. Qin Sang facilitated a meeting between Murong Feng and Yi Liankai. Murong Feng was surprised to find Yi Jipei seated in a chair, recovering from a stroke.
Yi Liankai clarified that despite his father's condition, he remained the ultimate authority in Jiangzuo. Murong Feng later reported this encounter to Shi Busuan, expressing that he was "scared by that old man who had a stroke" and felt he had "disappointed his father" by letting Yi Liankai gain an advantage.
Shi Busuan, however, reassured him, interpreting Yi Liankai's emphasis on Yi Jipei's continued authority as a clear signal that he wished to avoid submitting to Li Chongnian and was ready to negotiate with Murong Feng. Shi Busuan then arranged for Murong Feng and Yi Liankai to meet the following morning. Murong Feng sent a letter to Yi Liankai, inviting him to meet the following morning at a location of Murong Feng's choosing.
Yi Liankai, acknowledging Murong Feng's potential as a "fierce tiger" despite his youth, decided to attend. Qin Sang, remarking that Murong Feng seemed "alright," elicited a hint of jealousy from Yi Liankai. She quickly reminded him of the meeting's gravity, stating, "Tomorrow's meeting is just as important as the one on Zhishan. You can decide the tens of thousands of people's fate in Jiangzuo."
Separately, Yi Lianshen, in disguise, received intelligence on the street about Murong Feng and Yi Liankai's planned meeting at Yuan's Wonton shop the next morning. Qin Sang and Yi Liankai arrived early at Yuan's Wonton shop, soon joined by Murong Feng and Shi Busuan. Yi Liankai immediately engaged Murong Feng in a verbal sparring match.
Yi Liankai expressed surprise that Murong Feng had chosen such a good place, to which Murong Feng replied he remembered the wonton shop fondly, as he missed "every piece of land, and every delicious restaurant in Jiangzuo." Yi Liankai then commented on Murong Feng's appetite, noting it was even better than his father's. Murong Feng retorted that the older generation clung to old places, while "we're new. We like new territories of course."
Yi Liankai challenged him, asking, "I wonder how new your so-called new territories are?" Taking the hint, Qin Sang excused herself to order wontons, and Murong Feng sent Shi Busuan downstairs as well, leaving the two of them alone. Murong Feng then articulated his vision for a "new world": "democracy and unity," with Qianping designated as the political center and Fuyuan as the economic hub. He dismissed provincial autonomy as merely "a temporary strategy by the old generation."
He explained that the current political contradictions stemmed from industrial issues, where "workers don't have labor laws to protect them" and "businessmen deprive them all they want." He believed that once the northern government completed industrial legislation, the country would be stabilized. Yi Liankai, citing his father's incomplete recovery, stated he could not make such a hasty decision. Murong Feng retorted, "Uncle Yi is old. Jiangzuo's affairs should be in our hands."
He added that, with all due respect, "our fathers' generation only thought about their own wins and losses. We should pay more attention to the future." Qin Sang brought them wontons to warm up. Although Murong Feng's guard initially insisted on examining the food, Murong Feng dismissed him, saying, "Third Sister-in-law ordered it. No need to examine it."
As they ate, Yi Liankai commented on the wontons' deliciousness and offered to show Qin Sang around Jiangzuo, claiming to have "the whole Jiangzuo in his heart." Murong Feng playfully suggested that Yi Liankai should stay in Fuyuan for leisure, but Yi Liankai humorously declined, telling him not to be "a bad influence" on his youth.
