Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 14 Recap
> Story of Yanxi Palace Recap
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Empress Fuca, concerned about Wei Yingluo's trembling hand during calligraphy practice, insisted she overcome the "elbow problem" to make progress. Wei Yingluo, acknowledging her late start, devised a unique method: she tied a rope to her hand and hung it from a beam, using the rope's tension to stabilize her writing. Other palace maids, including Zhenzhu, were initially terrified, believing Wei Yingluo intended to hang herself, and frantically called for help.
They were greatly relieved upon learning her ingenious, albeit alarming, practice method. Ming Yu, however, remained unimpressed, viewing Wei Yingluo's diligent efforts as a calculated attempt to win the Empress's favor. She confronted Wei Yingluo, sneering that climbing too high could lead to a fatal fall. Wei Yingluo sharply retorted that achieving great heights was preferable to fruitlessly striving to ascend.
She warned Ming Yu that if she ever did fall, the person staring up from below would be the first to be crushed. Frustrated by Wei Yingluo's quick wit, Ming Yu later complained to Er Qing about Wei Yingluo's manipulative nature, but Er Qing remained unconcerned, simply noting that Wei Yingluo seemed troubled by something.
Wei Yingluo's troubled demeanor stemmed from a clandestine note from someone claiming to have discovered the truth about her sister's death, inviting her to the Imperial Garden late that night. Meanwhile, Fuheng had noticed Prince Yi, Hongxiao, frequently meeting with Qingxi, a guard. While a subordinate suggested Qingxi was simply trying to curry favor for a promotion, Fuheng found Prince Yi's willingness to associate with a lower-ranking guard suspicious.
That evening, seeing Wei Yingluo distracted during her calligraphy, the Empress advised her to rest. Wei Yingluo then requested leave, citing an urgent matter. As Wei Yingluo entered the Imperial Garden, Qingxi ambushed her. She immediately sensed danger and cried out "thief," prompting her accompanying eunuchs to beat Qingxi. Qingxi quickly accused Wei Yingluo of seduction, claiming she had invited him there and then attacked him when he refused her.
He asserted that he had already informed Prince Yi of the supposed rendezvous. Prince Yi then appeared, ordering Wei Yingluo's arrest for the grave offense of meeting secretly with a guard. Wei Yingluo vehemently denied it, explaining she was merely collecting tuberose for the Empress and that Qingxi's injuries proved there was no illicit affair, questioning why she would bring so many witnesses to a secret meeting. Ignoring her protests, Hongxiao insisted on taking her to the Office of Punishment.
Just then, Fuheng arrived, explaining that the Emperor was nearby enjoying the moon and had invited him for chess. Hongxiao attempted to dismiss the incident as a minor matter, but Fuheng intervened, insisting that since a guard was involved, the Emperor himself should arbitrate. Annoyed by the disturbance, the Emperor demanded an explanation.
Qingxi repeated his false accusation, claiming Wei Yingluo had repeatedly tried to seduce him and that Prince Yi had instructed him to set a trap to expose her. Hongxiao supported Qingxi, elaborating on Wei Yingluo's supposed shamelessness. Fuheng countered that inner palace matters should be handled by the Empress. The Emperor demanded evidence, and Qingxi produced a letter he claimed was from Wei Yingluo. The Emperor, remarking on her notoriously poor calligraphy, was inclined to believe it.
However, Wei Yingluo presented her own evidence: numerous practice sheets, all numbered to track her progress. She revealed that page 28, written a month prior, was missing. She then pointed out the letter was written on high-quality rice paper from Jing County, a luxury she could not afford, as she practiced only on common cotton paper. She concluded that someone had stolen an old practice sheet and forged her handwriting to frame her.
Realizing the scheme was unraveling, Hongxiao lashed out at Qingxi. Seizing the opportunity, Wei Yingluo pressed Qingxi to confess, warning him that Prince Yi was about to abandon him. Cornered, Qingxi confessed that Prince Yi had forced him to frame Wei Yingluo. Enraged, the Emperor berated Hongxiao. Wei Yingluo boldly stated that the plot was not just against her, but was intended to discredit the entire Palace of Eternal Spring by implicating the Empress's trusted maid in a scandal.
The Emperor ordered Qingxi to be lashed 100 times and dismissed. He then criticized Wei Yingluo's calligraphy and ordered her to copy it 100 times as punishment. As she left, Wei Yingluo pointedly stated her belief that the Emperor would issue a fair judgment, a remark that angered him. After everyone else was dismissed, the Emperor turned his full fury on Hongxiao, berating him for disgracing his noble ancestor.
When Fuheng revealed he had seen Hongxiao meeting with a maid of Consort Jia, Hongxiao finally confessed. He admitted that Consort Jia, seeking revenge for her demotion, had enlisted him to frame Wei Yingluo, and he had foolishly agreed. Infuriated by Consort Jia's audacity, the Emperor ordered that she be stripped of her right to raise the Fourth Prince, who was to be sent to Consort Xian.
Consort Jia was devastated, as her son was the reason for all her schemes. Noble Consort Gao appeared, questioning why the prince wasn't sent to her, but was told it was the Emperor's command to remove him from a bad influence. Privately, Noble Consort Gao revealed to her maid that this outcome suited her, as Consort Jia knew too many of her secrets and would now be too preoccupied to cause trouble.
Later, the Empress removed a spy from her palace, having suspected an infiltrator since the lychee incident. The Empress believed the Emperor's actions were a way of giving her and Yingluo face. However, Yingluo disagreed, arguing the Emperor never intended to deliver justice for her. His anger, she explained, stemmed from Consort Jia tarnishing the Empress's reputation and being a bad influence on the prince.
The Empress conceded the point, noting that if the Emperor truly wanted justice, he would not have let Prince Yi go unpunished. Days later, Wei Yingluo learned about an upcoming grand sacrificial ceremony where the Emperor and officials must eat boiled, tasteless sacrificial meat. Refusing was a grave offense punishable by lashing. Hearing this, a new plan formed in Yingluo's mind to get revenge on Fuheng.
After a tense encounter where she sarcastically thanked Fuheng for his help—and was subsequently threatened by an enraged Prince Yi—Yingluo approached Fuheng again. Intending to get him punished for disrespecting the ritual, she presented him with spiced salt as a seemingly kind gesture to make the meat palatable. Though Fuheng knew it was improper, he was touched by her apparent concern and accepted it.
