Siege in Fog Episode 48 Recap
> Siege in Fog Recap
Yi Liankai reassured Qin Sang that he was unharmed, explaining that his apparent injury was part of a trap he and his elder brother, Yi Lianyi, had orchestrated. Soon after, the rebel army guarding the corridor was also captured by Fu Rongcai's forces. Qin Sang, however, remained concerned, fearing that Fu Rongcai would capture him and hand him over to Murong Chen. Yi Liankai dismissed her worries, confidently stating that they would be returning home soon.
Simultaneously, a subordinate reported to Yao Shizhang that Yi Lianshen had defected to Jiang Shuangxi, Murong Chen's nemesis, and was now playing a significant role at Zhenhan Pass. Fu Rongcai realized that Yi Lianshen had never truly valued their alliance, but had shrewdly used Murong Feng's life as a means to gain entry into Jiang Shuangxi's Northwest Army.
Yao Shizhang suggested they return to Yizhou to gather their forces, but Fu Rongcai insisted that securing Yi Liankai, alive or dead, and delivering him to Murong Chen, was their immediate priority. Yi Lianyi then summoned Fu Rongcai, Yao Shizhang, and others for a meeting. Fu Rongcai cynically speculated that Yi Lianyi, as Murong Chen's son-in-law, might be maneuvering to become a puppet leader in Jiangzuo.
Upon arriving, Fu Rongcai paid his respects at Fan Yanyun's funeral hall, where Yi Lianyi confronted him, accusing him of her murder. Fu Rongcai denied the charge, claiming his helplessness in the face of fate and dismissing any guilt for the deceased, given their own precarious situation. When Fu Rongcai, Yao Shizhang, and Chen Pei attempted to leave, they were blocked by Yi Lianyi's guards.
Fu Rongcai stressed the urgency of saving Yi Liankai, but Yi Lianyi revealed that Yi Liankai's injury was a ruse designed to divert their attention and create the illusion that he was the Yi family's sole focus. At that moment, Yi Liankai appeared, pushing an ailing Yi Jipei, followed by Yi Shoucheng. A stunned Fu Rongcai, who believed Yi Shoucheng was dead, heard him declare, "Liang Xingbei is dead, but Yi Shoucheng is still alive."
A flashback revealed Yi Jipei in a prison cell, holding a gun to Yi Shoucheng. Yi Jipei, unwilling to set a bad example for his sons by killing his own brother, fired warning shots into the air instead. Yi Jipei then informed Yi Shoucheng that he would be placed under Yi Lianyi's care, asserting Yi Lianyi's strict capabilities as a former "prison bully" and later the builder of Jiangzuo's first model prison.
Now aware of the truth, Yi Shoucheng bitterly regretted that Yi Jipei had not revealed earlier that his imprisonment and removal from power for promoting ideals and singing "La Marseillaise" were actually acts of protection from the President's death orders. Yi Shoucheng lamented that such prolonged suffering for the Yi family could have been avoided if the truth had been spoken sooner.
Later, members of the Tian Meng Association informed Yi Shoucheng that Yi Lianshen had proudly refused their offer of assistance. However, someone else had secretly sought their help, whom they suspected to be Zhang Xikun, indicating he knew important truths. Yi Lianyi confronted Zhang Xikun, questioning his betrayal of Yi Jipei, who had elevated him to provincial president.
Zhang Xikun retorted that he earned his position, reminding Yi Lianyi of the Zhang family's crucial support for the Yi family and criticizing Yi Lianshen's perceived failings. Yi Liankai then fiercely demanded to know why Zhang Xikun had killed his mother, Yun Jixu. Zhang Xikun, defiantly, insisted that "Yun Jixu deserved to die." Enraged, Yi Liankai violently kicked and stomped on his leg. When Zhang Xikun still refused to confess, Yi Liankai had Fu Rongcai and Zhang Lingzhi brought in.
He then forced Fu Rongcai to swallow a key, rendering the once-eloquent man unable to speak, a fate Yi Liankai then threatened for Zhang Lingzhi. To spare his son, Zhang Xikun finally agreed to reveal everything. Under duress, Zhang Xikun confessed to the machinations of his sister, Zhang Xiru.
After a fortune teller, Shi Busuan, predicted that Yi Lianyi (the eldest son) had no hope of inheriting the family business, Zhang Xiru was furious, especially seeing Yi Jipei's apparent shift in favor towards Yi Liankai. Zhang Xikun tried to assure her that Yi Lianshen, backed by the Zhang family, would prevail over Yi Liankai. However, Zhang Xiru worried that Yi Jipei's burgeoning power meant he no longer valued the Zhang family and was fixated only on Yun Jixu.
Zhang Xikun dismissed her concerns as female jealousy, deeming the declining Yun family insignificant. Zhang Xiru suspected Yun Jixu was behind Yi Lianyi's accidental fall from his horse and swore she would never allow Yun Jixu to harm Yi Lianshen or usurp his inheritance. Knowing that Yi Jipei feared Yi Shoucheng the most, Zhang Xiru deliberately set fire to the side yard to force Yi Shoucheng out of the Yi family.
She then revealed to Zhang Xikun that Yi Lianshen was, in fact, not Yi Shoucheng's son. Zhang Xiru believed that if Yi Shoucheng thought Yi Lianshen was his son, he would dedicate himself to nurturing a powerful force outside the Yi family. At that time, even if Yi Jipei passed leadership to Yi Liankai, Yi Shoucheng would help his son reclaim everything.
Yi Shoucheng, utterly heartbroken by this profound betrayal from the woman he loved, realized he had been completely fooled and expressed his profound solitude. Zhang Xikun further disclosed that the Third Mistress, Yi Liankai's mother, had died because she had overheard their conspiring conversation and had urged Zhang Xiru to abandon her scheme to exploit Yi Shoucheng. Overwhelmed with despair, Yi Shoucheng left the room, leaving Yi Liankai and Yi Lianyi to decide Zhang Xikun's fate.
Yi Lianyi hesitated, unable to kill his own uncle. Zhang Xikun, willing to accept his punishment, pleaded for his son, Zhang Lingzhi. Yi Liankai, however, ordered Zhang Lingzhi to be taken away, then shot Zhang Xikun dead, avenging his mother. Reflecting on his decade-long handicap from falling off a horse, Yi Lianyi commended Yi Liankai for cleverly concealing his true capabilities, suggesting it was a necessary act for survival.
When Yi Liankai asked if he believed the Eldest Mistress's suspicion that his mother had caused his fall, Yi Lianyi dismissed the idea of a conspiracy. He explained that his fall was a mere accident, caused by a cantharides flying into the horse's ear—a simple coincidence that no one wanted to believe could initiate such a grand tragedy. Yi Liankai admired his elder brother's generous perspective.
Yi Lianyi then mused on human nature, categorizing people into "herbivores" (thinkers) and "carnivores" (doers), identifying himself and Yi Lianshen as natural "herbivores," but acknowledging that fate often forces individuals to choose or struggle between these roles. Yi Shoucheng went to Yi Jipei's room, tearfully apologizing to his incapacitated elder brother, who responded with a blink.
Holding Yi Jipei's gun, Yi Shoucheng confessed his profound regret for being deceived by Zhang Xiru's lies and for the severe consequences that followed, acknowledging that Yi Lianshen was Yi Jipei's biological son. Overcome with shame and guilt, he attempted to end his own life. Yi Liankai rushed in and prevented him, declaring that whether as Liang Xingbei or Yi Shoucheng, he was a hero and a true man.
Yi Liankai chastised him for being selfish to seek such a dishonorable end, especially with Li Chongnian and Murong Chen's armies threatening them. Moved by Yi Liankai's words, Yi Shoucheng declared he would go to Zhenhan Pass. Yi Lianyi objected, arguing that the weakened Yi family's only path was to unite the Tian Meng Association with Yi Shoucheng's former troops and other sympathetic forces to protect the people of Jiangzuo, even if they couldn't defeat Murong Chen.
Yi Shoucheng worried that without his presence, Yi Lianshen, still unaware of the full truth, would not help. Yi Liankai then volunteered to go to Zhenhan Pass himself, trusting that Yi Lianshen, his biological brother, would not harm him, and promising to bring him back. Yi Shoucheng assembled the Tian Meng Association and his former military subordinates, delivering an impassioned speech to bolster their spirits.
He reminded them that their fight was to protect Jiangzuo and their families, out of their deep-seated desire to remain in their homeland, and to end the ceaseless wars. He acknowledged Jiangzuo's lack of superior weapons but asserted they possessed the "strongest warriors." He offered any soldier a chance to leave if they wished to return home, but urged those who stayed to be prepared to "make Jiangzuo your burial ground," committing to "live and die with Jiangzuo."
The soldiers responded with a thunderous oath. Meanwhile, Yi Liankai conversed with Pan Jianchi, remarking that from the very beginning, they had stood on the same ground: protecting Jiangzuo and Qin Sang. Pan Jianchi expressed regret for not having killed Yi Liankai earlier but noted that, despite their past conflicts, they now found themselves aligned. Qin Sang helped Yi Liankai pack his belongings. He frantically searched for his candy box, a cherished item he always kept.
Qin Sang retrieved it from a drawer and asked about its significance, remarking that he had never parted with it since their marriage. Yi Liankai promised to tell her its story upon his return from Zhenhan Pass. With a hint of jealousy, Qin Sang retorted that she had no interest in his "womanizing stories," prompting Yi Liankai to affectionately embrace her, amused by her pique.
At the train station, as they prepared to part ways, Yi Liankai entrusted the candy box to Qin Sang, asking her to keep it safe for him, and they shared a reluctant farewell. Meanwhile, Yi Lianyi arranged for a doctor to examine Fu Rongcai, who confirmed that his larynx was severely damaged, likely leaving him permanently unable to speak.
Yi Lianyi decided to release Fu Rongcai, stating that for such an eloquent man, the inability to speak was a form of suffering greater than death itself. Elsewhere, Yao Si visited Qin Sang to express her profound gratitude. She thanked Qin Sang for her intervention, which had led to her father, Yao Shizhang, being released from prison. Yao Si informed Qin Sang that she and her father would be departing for Yizhou the following day. In turn, Qin Sang asked Yao Si for a favor: to help her find a skilled dressmaker in Yizhou.
