Song of Youth Episode 40 Recap
> Song of Youth Recap
After years apart, Sun Xun and Liu Sanjue reunite, sharing a moment of deep emotion. Sun Xun offers help, but Liu Sanjue politely declines. Sun Xun believes Liu Sanjue still holds feelings for him, as she gifted one "Dongjiao Pearl" to Lin Shaochun, much like Sun Xun still keeps the other.
Liu Sanjue, though pleased Sun Xun still possesses the pearl, urges him to bury his feelings and live a peaceful life with his wife, Shen Shi, and their children, rather than be entangled in official intrigues. She agrees to remain in the capital so they can meet as friends. Meanwhile, Jia Fengyuan gains recognition for quelling pirates in Lingnan, earning praise from the Java Kingdom and the Emperor, who promotes him to Hanlin Academy Imperial Reader.
Sun Xun, uneasy about Jia Fengyuan's return, fears for his family. He sends Shen Shi to warn Sun Youzhen, who is a consort to the Emperor, to be cautious of Jia Fengyuan and to improve relations with Princess Zhaohua. Jia Fengyuan, however, already plots with the ousted official Liang Jingguan to bring down the Sun family, starting with Sun Youzhen. Their plan involves exploiting the death of the First Prince, the Emperor's deceased son, by implicating Sun Youzhen.
Jia Fengyuan has bribed Consort Pan's maid, leveraging Consort Pan's grief and resentment over her son's early death. Consort Pan orchestrates a scene where the First Prince's spirit tablet falls before the Emperor, blaming Sun Youzhen's gift of a colorful robe for the child's demise. The Emperor, recalling Sun Youzhen's unsettling dream of a boy in a colorful robe pushing her off a cliff, orders a thorough investigation, forbidding anyone from warning Sun Youzhen.
Concurrently, Su Yingxue experiences a difficult childbirth, with Jia Fengyuan absent. She sends for Lin Shaochun, who, with Yao Dizhu visiting her, seeks Yao Dizhu's medical expertise. Yao Dizhu successfully delivers Su Yingxue's son. Hating Jia Fengyuan's corrupt nature, Su Yingxue entrusts her newborn son to Yao Dizhu, wishing him to be raised far from Jia Fengyuan's influence.
She warns Jia Fengyuan to change his ways, or he will never see his son, infuriating him, though he cannot bring himself to harm Su Yingxue. Sun Youzhen attempts to reconcile Lin Shaochun and Princess Zhaohua at a dinner, which proves successful. However, immediately afterward, the Emperor confronts Sun Youzhen with Imperial Physician Li and Consort Pan.
Imperial Physician Li testifies that Sun Youzhen paid him 10,000 taels of silver seven years prior and provided a colorful robe worn by a plague-stricken child, instructing him to give it to the First Prince, leading to his death. Sun Youzhen vehemently denies the accusation, but the Emperor disbelieves her and orders her arrest. Lin Shaochun intervenes, suggesting Imperial Physician Li might be under duress and proposes summoning his family to the palace.
The Emperor agrees, also confining the entire Sun family to their residence. Jia Fengyuan, who had held Imperial Physician Li's family hostage, discusses with Liang Jingguan how to handle this. Liang Jingguan suggests finding imposters to pose as Imperial Physician Li's family, a plan Jia Fengyuan initially has reservations about but eventually accepts. With the Sun residence surrounded by guards, Sun Xun gathers his family. He sends Sun Yulou to take Sun Xiaoxian and Wu Yuehong through a secret passage.
Wu Yuehong refuses to leave, wishing to share the family's hardship, so Concubine Mei entrusts Sun Xiaoxian to Sun Yulou. Sun Yulou takes Sun Xiaoxian to Nanny Chang at the Lin residence for safekeeping, arranging for her to be hidden in the countryside, before heading out to gather information from the Prince of Nan'an's residence. Sun Xun hosts a banquet, apologizing to his family for the suffering.
He confesses to Shen Shi his enduring feelings for Liu Sanjue, promising to compensate her in their next life. Shen Shi, in turn, confesses that she deliberately staged an elopement to marry Sun Xun after he passed his imperial exams. Concubine Mei confesses to sleeping with Sun Xun when he was drunk, a fact Shen Shi already knew and forgave. Sun Shijie and Wu Yuehong affirm their bond, with Wu Yuehong revealing her pregnancy.
Finally, Sun Jingge presses Xu Fengqiao, who admits to using family funds for high-interest loans, attributing her actions to Sun Jingge's past idleness, which he acknowledges, leading to a moment of shared laughter among the family.
