Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 16 Recap
> Story of Yanxi Palace Recap
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Noble Consort Gao, displeased that Consort Chun's intervention had foiled her plans, sarcastically acknowledges Consort Chun's renowned medical knowledge. Consort Chun responds with humility. Later, Consort Xian thanks Consort Chun for her help, but Chun humbly expresses that she desires nothing more than the Fourth Prince's recovery. Meanwhile, the demoted Lady Jin endures a miserable existence in the Cold Palace, forced to eat spoiled food.
When Consort Xian visits, Lady Jin shows no remorse, instead accusing Xian of taking her son. She confesses that she had to align with Noble Consort Gao to protect herself and the prince, acting as Gao's pawn in exchange for her family's advancement. She justifies her actions as necessary for survival in the palace. Consort Xian rebukes her, stating that her willingness to harm her own son, Yongcheng, makes her unfit to be a mother.
In a desperate frenzy, Lady Jin declares she would act as Noble Consort Gao's "dog" for her son's sake. She then venomously blames Consort Xian's supposed incompetence and feigned loftiness for the downfall of the Hoifa-Nara clan and her mother's death. Having confirmed her suspicions, Consort Xian asks one final question: if Noble Consort Gao was behind the betrayal of her family by Prince Yi. Lady Jin confirms it.
With the truth revealed, a transformed Consort Xian strangles Lady Jin to death with a chilling smile. It is revealed that Xian had already suspected the wet nurse was poisoning the Fourth Prince and deliberately involved the medically skilled Consort Chun, believing her intervention would be more effective at exposing the plot. Walking out into the rain, Consort Xian hardens her resolve to seek revenge on all who have wronged her.
Later that night, she hears the Fourth Prince crying and finds his attendants missing. Comforting the boy, she calmly tells him, "From now on, I am your mother." The next morning, upon learning that Lady Jin's death has been ruled a suicide by hanging, Consort Xian feigns compassion and sends memorial gifts for the Fourth Prince's sake, fully embracing her new role as his mother.
At Changchun Palace, the Empress reviews Wei Yingluo's calligraphy, noting she has written "patience" instead of the assigned "forgiveness." The Empress explains that Yingluo's patience is not about forgiveness but about biding time to strike back at her enemies. Later, Er Qing suggests the Empress adopt the Fourth Prince to secure her position, but the Empress designates Consort Xian as the more suitable guardian.
Er Qing presses further, urging the Empress to conceive a son of her own to counter the threat from Noble Consort Gao, which angers the Empress. Yingluo observes this and later sees the Empress suffering from a hidden ailment, wrapped tightly in blankets. Her suspicion grows when the Empress secretly meets with Consort Chun, dismissing her senior maids.
Gossip about the Empress and Consort Chun's unusually close relationship spreads through the palace, fueled by the fact that Chun spends hours in the Empress's chambers daily and does not serve the Emperor. Noble Consort Gao decides to exploit these rumors.
She presents the Emperor with a rare calligraphy scroll, Wang Xizhi's "Sunny After Snow," and as he admires it, she arranges for an opera troupe to perform "Fragrant Companion," a story about two women in love who marry the same man. The suggestive opera, combined with the palace rumors, enrages the Emperor, who storms off to Changchun Palace. Wei Yingluo overhears talk of the Emperor's fury and rushes to warn the Empress, colliding with him in her haste.
The Emperor, already suspicious, misinterprets the accident as a deliberate attempt by Yingluo to seduce him. He bursts into the Empress's chambers, but Consort Chun and the Empress quickly invent a cover story, claiming they were secretly preparing a surprise birthday gift for him—a landscape painting. Their quick thinking appeases the Emperor, who turns from anger to delight. After he leaves, he warns the Empress about Yingluo, calling her a manipulative schemer, but the Empress defends her.
Once they are alone, the Empress reveals the truth to Wei Yingluo. Since the birth of the Second Prince, she has suffered from a debilitating condition that leaves her body cold and in excruciating pain, requiring secret daily acupuncture treatments from Consort Chun. She explains that revealing an illness that could affect her ability to bear more children would jeopardize her position as Empress. Understanding the gravity of the situation, the Empress entrusts Wei Yingluo and Er Qing with guarding Changchun Palace and protecting her secret.
