Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 29 Recap
> Story of Yanxi Palace Recap
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Following up on their previous confrontation, Fu Heng, shocked by Wei Yingluo's coldness, expressed his sorrow. He asserted that even a gentleman like him was still a man capable of action and embraced her. At the critical moment, however, Fu Heng hesitated, conceding that Wei Yingluo knew his principles too well. Letting go, he helped her get dressed and declared he wouldn't let her repay him this way.
Instead, he wanted her to live with the debt, feeling a guilty conscience, promising to slowly collect it once she married him. Wei Yingluo sighed, wondering if that day would ever come, but found a sense of peace in his resolve. From a distance, Yuan Chunwang observed the scene, dismissed Fu Heng as a paper tiger, and lost interest. After half a month in the Xin Zhe Ku, Wei Yingluo had neither cried nor begged for mercy.
The Emperor, finding life dull without her, was convinced she would not surrender without extreme measures. He ordered Li Yu to have her workload increased until she broke down. Despite this, Wei Yingluo meticulously cleaned the commodes, improving their sanitation by using charcoal ashes for ordinary ones and fine sand for those of imperial consorts. Supervisor Zhang was initially impressed, remarking that with her cleverness, he understood why the Empress valued her.
However, following the Emperor's explicit command, he accused her of being pretentious and assigned her the arduous task of carrying all the water, calling her an ungrateful fool. Yuan Chunwang's handsome appearance had attracted the unwanted attention of Supervisor Zhang. Aware of the supervisor's intentions, Yuan Chunwang kept his guard up, avoiding communal meals and secretly consuming cold water and leftover buns at night.
Learning that Wei Yingluo was bringing food to Yuan Chunwang, Supervisor Zhang saw an opportunity and had the food drugged. Unaware, Yuan Chunwang ate it and was overcome with weakness. As Supervisor Zhang moved to assault him, Wei Yingluo intervened in time, knocking the supervisor unconscious. Wei Yingluo's first instinct was to escape with Yuan Chunwang, but he insisted they had to eliminate the threat permanently, fearing Supervisor Zhang's retaliation.
Wei Yingluo devised a plan: they hid the unconscious supervisor inside a dung cart. She explained that without his waist badge, he would be considered a runaway eunuch when the cart left the Forbidden City the next morning. If he ever attempted to return, he would face execution. Supervisor Zhang subsequently went missing, and his superior, Chief Wu, angrily ordered his capture for punishment, unaware of the truth.
Through this ordeal, Wei Yingluo comforted Yuan Chunwang, assuring him he could now eat openly and no longer needed to hide. Their shared secret forged a strong bond between them. Now more open, Yuan Chunwang often sought out Wei Yingluo, becoming increasingly familiar and even resting his head on her. Puzzled by his solitary nature despite his good looks, Wei Yingluo asked why he didn't befriend any palace maids.
Yuan Chunwang explained that even the lowest maids looked down on the eunuchs of Yong Alley, and any affection, like that from Jin Xiu, was merely a superficial pursuit of his appearance, which he despised. He then warned Wei Yingluo not to aspire to a relationship with Fu Heng, who stood "in the sunlight" while she was in the shadows, stating they could never be together.
Realizing Yuan Chunwang had witnessed her private meeting with Fu Heng, Wei Yingluo angrily confronted him. Yuan Chunwang playfully mocked her, admitting he saw her pink undergarment. Frustrated, Wei Yingluo conceded that she had finally met someone more wicked and shameless than herself. Yuan Chunwang cheerfully agreed, adding that in the Forbidden City, there is always someone more formidable. While Wei Yingluo was weeding in the Imperial Garden, the Empress's palanquin passed by.
Though they longed to connect, they could only exchange distant glances, forced to act as strangers under the watchful eyes of the guards, who reminded Wei Yingluo of her lowly status. Later, Yuan Chunwang brought Wei Yingluo pain-relieving thistle and helped with her chores. He again warned her about Fu Heng, arguing that to the powerful, people like them were "worthless lives" and disposable "guard dogs."
He claimed they were fundamentally similar—both in dire straits yet unwilling to surrender—and suggested they support each other, even proposing she like him instead. Wei Yingluo firmly rejected him, stating she still loved Fu Heng. Despite her rejection, Yuan Chunwang proposed a formal alliance.
He led her to a rooftop to gaze at the stars, declaring his ambition that one day, he, a "wild man" of lowly birth, would rise to prominence and make everyone in the Forbidden City acknowledge him. He asked Wei Yingluo to accept him as her sworn brother and confidant, promising to protect and support her. Seeking a trusted friend, Wei Yingluo agreed. When he jokingly asked if he could be her lover, she retorted, "Dream on!"
In the Imperial Garden, Noble Consort Gao, overseeing her maids as they collected petals for rouge, encountered Consort Xian, who was collecting dew for the Empress. Gao mockingly accused Xian of fawning over the pregnant Empress like a "lapdog," similar to Consort Chun. Uncharacteristically, Consort Xian retorted sharply, questioning what that would make the Emperor.
She then deliberately provoked Noble Consort Gao, acknowledging her power but warning that "nothing lasts forever" and hinting that once the Empress bore a son, Gao's influence would vanish. Infuriated and convinced she had to act, Noble Consort Gao summoned Nalan Chunxue (Shu Guiren) to plot. Later, Consort Xian admitted to her maid that she had intentionally instigated the conflict.
The Emperor discussed a leaked disaster relief plan with Fu Heng, who had identified Zhong Yongtan, an associate of Ortai's son Orongan, as the source. Pleased, the Emperor dismissed Fu Heng's advice for caution and, to assert his authority, ordered both men jailed and publicly tried. The Emperor also sought Fu Heng's counsel on Gao Bin's river conservation project, which Fu Heng supported as beneficial to the nation. The Emperor approved, rewarding Gao Bin heavily.
Fu Heng explained this would secure Gao Bin's loyalty, fracture the Ortai faction, and put the rival Zhang Tingyu faction on notice. The Emperor teased Fu Heng that his judgment of women should be as sharp as his political acumen, but Fu Heng replied that he trusted his own judgment. As preparations for a banquet were completed, the Emperor vowed he would one day "tear off Wei Yingluo's mask."
Meanwhile, Ming Yu and Er Qing debated if the pregnant Empress should attend the Empress Dowager’s banquet. Er Qing argued her absence would be seen as arrogant, so the Empress, tired of confinement, decided to go. Elsewhere, Wei Yingluo learned that Noble Consort Gao, to impress the Empress Dowager, was forcing artisans to perform "Thousands of Purples and Reds," a dangerous spectacle of splashing molten iron. She saw a young boy whose hand was badly burned from the act.
Outraged, Wei Yingluo wanted to intervene, but Yuan Chunwang stopped her, warning that they were powerless and that in the Forbidden City, one must feign ignorance to survive. At the banquet, the Empress successfully petitioned the Empress Dowager to let Consort Chun and Consort Xian co-manage the harem, citing her pregnancy. Noble Consort Gao and Nalan Chunxue exchanged a look, confirming their scheme was in place.
When chrysanthemum wine was served, Gao subtly encouraged the Empress to drink, but Consort Chun intervened, noting the wine was unsuitable for pregnancy. When a dish of deer blood was presented, Consort Chun immediately identified it as a blood-activating substance harmful to the Empress and ordered it removed. As a maid complied, she, acting on instruction, deliberately spilled the dish on the floor. Noble Consort Gao reprimanded the maid while the Empress complained of the strong, raw stench.
