Story of Yanxi Palace Episode 30 Recap
> Story of Yanxi Palace Recap
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- 39
- 40
- 41
- 42
- 43
- 44
- 45
- 46
- 47
- 48
- 49
- 50
- 51
- 52
- 53
- 54
- 55
- 56
- 57
- 58
- 59
- 60
- 61
- 62
- 63
- 64
- 65
- 66
- 67
- 68
- 69
- 70
At the Chongyang Festival banquet, Consort Xian is the first to notice a strange sound and warns everyone to protect the Empress Dowager. It is soon revealed that Noble Consort Gao and Nalan Chunxue had arranged for deer blood to be spilled, not to harm the Empress, but to attract a massive swarm of bats. The appearance of thousands of bats causes widespread panic, during which a maid falls from the pavilion wall to her death.
Amidst the chaos, Consort Xian remains composed, directing the guards and shielding the Empress Dowager. Her steadfastness earns the Empress Dowager's deep appreciation. In contrast, Consort Chun was terrified and useless, leading the Empress Dowager to later confide in Consort Xian her intention to entrust her with managing the imperial harem. During the confusion, Noble Consort Gao seizes the opportunity to push the Empress from the high platform of the Yujing Pavilion.
To cover her tracks, she then deliberately dislocates her own arm and cries for help as if she had tried to save her. The Empress falls into a deep coma and suffers a miscarriage. The Emperor is devastated by the news and spends the entire night by her bedside. The Empress Dowager, also deeply worried, is prevented from going to Changchun Palace by her attendants and can only pray. Everyone is saddened, believing the tragedy to be an accident.
Fu Heng rushes to find Ming Yu for details about his sister's condition. Stricken with guilt, Ming Yu blames herself for not protecting the Empress, feeling she failed Wei Yingluo's prior instruction to always stay by the Empress's side. Distraught, she runs off to find Wei Yingluo. When Ming Yu tells Wei Yingluo what happened, Wei Yingluo becomes furious.
She questions Ming Yu meticulously about the incident, learning that Noble Consort Gao was the first to cry out about the Empress's fall and was closest to her. Wei Yingluo immediately deduces that Gao's supposed rescue attempt was a cover for her crime. Ming Yu brings Wei Yingluo to Changchun Palace, but she refuses to enter.
She bitterly recounts being banished and shows her scarred hands as proof of the suffering she endured in Xin Zhe Ku, questioning why she should care for a "heartless master" who abandoned her. Her cold words deeply disappoint Ming Yu and the other maids. Seeing Wei Yingluo hesitate outside, Fu Heng approaches her. Wei Yingluo confronts him, showing her scarred hands, once those of a delicate embroiderer but now ruined by harsh labor.
She blames the Empress for her suffering and declares that her master's fate is no longer her concern. When Fu Heng reminds her that the Empress was her teacher, Wei Yingluo scoffs, asserting that their bond was severed the moment she was cast out. She tells him that privileged people like him could never understand her pain and warns him to leave her alone. Later, Yuan Chunwang asks Wei Yingluo about her outburst, but she feigns indifference.
Meanwhile, Physician Ye informs the Emperor that the Empress has a severe brain hemorrhage. While her life is not in immediate danger, he cannot predict if or when she will awaken, stating they can only "do their best and leave the rest to fate." Fu Heng remains worried outside the palace, where Consort Chun finds and comforts him. Fu Heng suspects foul play, questioning how so many bats, normally few in number, could suddenly appear.
Hailancha reports that a clumsy maid spilled deer blood, attracting them, but this maid conveniently fell from the pavilion and died, leaving no witnesses. While Noble Consort Gao is the prime suspect due to her proximity to the Empress, her own dislocated arm complicates matters. With no evidence, they can only wait for the Empress to awaken. In Xin Zhe Ku, Jinxiu mocks Wei Yingluo's perceived heartlessness and spitefully assigns her the task of delivering milk to Chuxiu Palace.
This plays directly into Wei Yingluo's hands, as she seeks revenge on Noble Consort Gao for the Empress. At Chuxiu Palace, Gao humiliates Yingluo, spilling milk on her, insulting her scarred hands, and threatening to have them maimed. Just as she is about to act, the Emperor arrives unexpectedly. Gao quickly feigns innocence, but the Emperor notices Yingluo's reddened, swollen hands and senses the truth. Concerned, the Emperor follows Wei Yingluo into a downpour.
She takes shelter in a rockery, looking miserable. Though he sternly orders her out of his sight, he leaves an umbrella for her. Haunted by her pitiful image, he returns later but finds only the umbrella. He then issues a decree restricting milk supplies to all palaces by rank, a clear rebuke of Noble Consort Gao’s wastefulness. Exhausted and injured, Wei Yingluo collapses on a path.
Consort Xian's entourage discovers her, and Consort Xian orders a physician to treat her, saving her life. Back in Xin Zhe Ku, Yingluo is moved to a storeroom due to her illness. As she suffers from a high fever, Yuan Chunwang nurses her back to health, warning her not to risk her life again by provoking powerful people. Unbeknownst to them, Jinxiu spies on them. Elsewhere, Consort Xian reports to the Empress Dowager on her proposal to develop the moat.
She argues that harvesting and selling the moat’s abundant lotus roots and water chestnuts, and introducing fish and waterfowl farming, would generate significant revenue and set an example of frugality throughout the palace, distinguishing the Qing court from the extravagance of the Ming. Despite Noble Consort Gao’s objections, Consort Xian's well-reasoned plan, which she likens to the Emperor's own profitable economic policies, wins the Empress Dowager's approval.
